Profile Photo
Dennis Meyers
99 articles

1/48 SPAD XIII late version

April 22, 2018 · in Aviation · · 8 · 2.7K

Finished a biplane with rigging for the first time in ages. Lots of fun and challenges. The Eduard kit was great as usual, but has a 3-part fuselage assembly that presented some fit challenges that that led to me to do some over done sanding that led to problems down line with the cabane assembly. Was also my first experience with EX Line which worked well but requires deft supergluing. The most enjoyable part was working with the extensive cockpit detail. Mastered some wood coloring techniques. This cockpit looks like an vintage alarm clock store. Definitely not a project for beginning AC modelers.

Reader reactions:
7  Awesome

11 additional images. Click to enlarge.


8 responses

  1. Well done for that long awaited bi-plane with rigging AND the wood grain technique - both turned out nicely.

  2. Dennis, looks really good! Is your underside gray or CDL? I've seen it with both, or one or the other. Might depend on the subcontractor, too. Couple of outfits built them, besides SPAD itself. The more I learn, the harder it gets. Paradox, or something.

  3. Great looking Spad! That Prop is fabulous!

  4. A real masterpiece! Well done!.

  5. Very nice work on that. Loved the woodwork.

  6. Dennis, you said "vintage alarm clock store." That got me laughing until my sides hurt! Very apropos!

    As for SPADS, I am friends with an Olde gent (he's 91) who, as a 16 year-old flew a SPAD right before WWII. He was flying down in Texas in 1941 and 1942 and was flying a SPAD as a crop-dusting plane! They (there were 3 pilots flying surplus WWI SPADs) and they were using/dropping powdered sulphur as insect control on rice plants, because DDT was already outlawed down there by then. He said the owner of the crop-dusting service had a large selection of surplus aircraft and chose the SPAD because it was the most powerful, and could carry the largest amount of sulphur. I truly WISH there were YouTube videos of THAT!

Leave a Reply