1/32 Roden Sopwith Triplane. The Great War build group.
The Sopwith Triplane was an extension of the Sopwith "Pup" design in that it utilised a modified Pup fuselage with the 3 wings being of an unusually low chord which would improve the pilots view from the cockpit. It also sported ailerons on all 3 wings which gave it spectacular maneuverability as was its rate of climb. On its 1st. test flight Harry Hawker did 3 loops in a row within minutes from taking off. It no longer looked or performed like the Pup.
In April 1917 6 squadrons of the RNAS took delivery of the new Sopwith Triplane and from the 1st clash with the Albatros D111 they proved they were the new top dog in the air.
The combat career of the Triplane was glorious but brief, not because it wasn't capable but because it was extremely time consuming and difficult to maintain and repair. It was replaced by its stablemate, the Sopwith Camel.
This model is depicted in the livery of the Australian ace Captain Robert "Alec" Little of the RNAS No.8 Sqd. Little's aircraft was one of a small number fitted with 2 Vickers machine guns ( I think it was also fitted with a larger engine to compensate for the extra weight ) as the normal armament was only one MG.
The Roden kit was a pleasure to build and I included Quinta interior decals, Gaspatch Vickers guns with decals from my instrument collection making up the instrument panel. Rigging was Modelkasten .2mm rigging thread. More Information on the build can be found in the Great War build group.
Looks really nice, Ian. The Tripehound is one of my favorite WW1 fighters.
Thanks Tom, I also consider the Tripehound to be an outstanding aircraft of its era, imagine what it would have been like with a more powerful engine and twin Vickers?
Excellent job and really great result, Ian!
Loved following your build thread!
Thanks Spiros, much appreciated.
Marvelous build. Although I find it odd that the triplanes had less rigging than their biplane counterparts.
Thanks Dan, they may have had less rigging because the wings were smaller, the struts bigger and the wings closer together, just my theory.
Excellent result, Ian @firelockg
Must have taken you quite some time to get all that rigging done this nicely.
Thanks John, the rigging was done over 2 days, but wasn't rushed. I don't mind rigging, I find it very satisfying, especially when completed.
Great job Ian on my favorite WWI bird!
Thank you Kevin, got to love a "Tripehound".
Great build. I always liked the Sopwith Tripe.
Thanks Chas, the Tripe seems a very popular A/C.
Very nice build Ian. I have this kit planned for the foreseeable future and can only hope that I can get to the level of your build. I like it very much.
Thanks Milan, the kit was a pleasure to build , the only real problem I had was drilling the centre wing for the rigging wire that goes through it, the hole is at a compound angle, so must be done with caution. You should enjoy building this kit.