Roden 1/48th Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter

Single and Twin seaters

reviewed by Steve Jantscher  

For my 1/72nd scale World War One building buddies, Roden has been a source of continued enjoyment with one release coming after another. Finally they seem to be moving into 1/48th scale. These two kits, both one and a half strutters are essentially the same, with the exception of the cockpit cover piece (one or two holer) and the decals.

The detail throughout is very fine, and there aren't really very many parts. As you can tell if you've looked at some of the thumbnails below, the major structural pieces (wings and fuselage halves) are cast in clear plastic. At first I couldn't figure out why, were they "into" phantom WWI aircraft? But the answer is found in the instruction, where the builder is instructed to pre paint (in black) the structural framework as depicted on the clear parts. Then, the reasoning goes, after spraying on the outside colors, a semi-transparent effect will be realized, simulating in it's way the doped canvas effect. I don't know right off how this effect will look, but kudos to Roden for trying something new. With knowledge of what they are trying to offer, care will be required not to spray on too thick a coat of paint.

Many of the parts look as if they could be generic sprues, with extra parts not necessary for this kit's use. Each kit offers four different marking selections. The decals are in register, but seem slightly "flat". I don't know if this will present a problem until trying them on plastic.

I have to hand it to Roden for finally moving to 1/48th scale and for the clear part move. I can't say yet how well this will be received, but I admire a company trying something new.
 

This kit fills an important gap. It shouldn't require too much work to turn out an excellent replica.