I'm building my stash, that is, the only model I have, which is Copper State Models' 1/48 Caudron G.IV, the French Reconnaissance/Bomber Aircraft from the mid-Great War era. It's a very demanding model.

Behind the pretty box top is a more practical, sturdy card box.

I'm using Windsock Datafiles very useful reference on the subject.

The instructions are in a nicely printed colour book of around 25 pages. The detailing is very like WnW.

Not a huge fan of overly fussy cockpits but here there's a fair bit remaining on view, particularly in the forward, observer area. The pilot area is a wedge of black seat, although with a bit of further detail buried deep within.

Here you can see the nice PE fret and the fine detail in the moulding.

I've completed the crew nacelle, which is delicate and complex.

Underneath, you can see the observer's triangular viewing window, which has a 'timber' grating, on which is overlaid acetate and a PE cover.

Not sure how this one will go. As I said, a very demanding model, but beautifully made and presented by CSM. I think, with postage, it cost around £50 from Latvia, although there are a few distributors here in the UK and I imagine in other European countries, and the comparative price at a major modelling retailer in the U.K. is about £70 + p/p.

You continue to astound me with the choice(s) of models, sir. The term "glutton for punishment" leaps to (at least) MY mind.

Some work on the engine nacelles. Very well engineered sections with PE panels around the front of the units.

Something I noticed was that the colour callouts are general, rather than being for a particular paint maker. It may not sound important when you're dealing with Black or Steel, but the Caudron was painted in a bright yellow, but with further dirty or brownish yellow sections (not the main colour), and this applied both to the wings, usually left in a CDL finish or camouflaged, and to the crew/engine nacelles as well.

After a few false starts I settled on Humbrol 74 (Linen) for the brighter nacelle areas, although not in fact linen areas, and Vallejo Model Air Yellow Ochre for the darker areas. This, coupled with a weak Lamp Black for bolt heads and around the front of the engine nacelles (castor oil was filthy stuff), seems to be giving me the finishes I'm looking for. I haven't decided whether or not to use a little graphite powder and polish the nacelle cowls or just leave it as is.

Rather than setting numerous anchor points for the rigging, the kit supplies a complex arrangement of PE anchor plates. On the nacelles, they fit just over the strut tips and similarly elsewhere. By the way, all metal is painted a light blue (Humbrol 157). I still have to add these pieces, but wondered about the implications of setting these points in place without knowing exactly how the top wing will fit.

As I've been finishing off the nacelles, except for the anchor pieces, I've had a look at the lower wing. The slight drooping effect of fabric over the frame has been rendered perfectly, and you can see the delicate trailing-off at the rear scalloped edge.

I would get more excited by this, but so far everything I've done starts swimmingly but becomes hard work. It's not the engineering. I think it's the multiple surface types and colours in such small areas, and it's not possible to finish sub-units by colour and then simply join them together. Not a criticism of CSM, just the nature of the project.

Clearly, I need to be sharper and to assume less, to make this work.

It’s true about the research. This aircraft is recorded as in the colours described, but others in total white and still others in blue. There are two extant machines in the U.S. and France, and they’re not the same.

It really is a difficult set of circumstances. An absolutely fabulous kit, but you really have to earn your spurs. That said, I’d buy CSM’s Whitworth without hesitation, simply because the excellence of the kit is equalled only by its difficulty.

And with the top wing in place on the cabane and main struts.

And the outriggers.

Although the tiny PE rigging anchors are relatively easy to get into place, once the required bends are made, it was difficult setting the struts, even though the etch allows a hole for the strut-end directly over the hole in the plastic. I think the tolerances are so small that even a small amount of paint affects the fit, and naturally the struts are painted prior to fitting. I also found that the etch tends to ping away at the slightest pressure (lost two). It took three attempts to get everything set. I'm still not sure if I've fouled any of the rigging apertures during the process.

I've decided to rig the (main) model at this time, as the complex tail and undercarriage assemblies have their own construction and rigging challenges, and from what I can see I think the rigging to the main planes are reasonably independent of the other work. I think the rigging for this is equal to about five aircraft.

In the next image you can see something of the complex rigging arrangement between the crew and engine nacelles. It's a very tight area to work in, and many of the runs are doubles. The archive photos in the Datafile were useful here. Even though there was a lot of information in the instructions for both the main and control rigging, it's a bit of a cat's cradle so every little extra bit of information helps.

And here in the next images the rigging is completed to one side.

Usual practice is to begin rigging at the cabane area, working outwards towards the wing tips alternately so that both sides are tensioned 'against each other' as work progresses. I didn't in this case, because there are 20+ contact points for the wings at various struts so that the whole structure is very stable (I dropped it once by accident, and there were no issues.). Also, the rigging is so very complex, I decided to complete one side completely, both main and control rigging, to effectively create a template for the rigging on the other side, by way of a quick reference without having to revisit the instruction diagrams constantly. Also, I think in doing so, I've found areas where trouble can be avoided second time round!

Another couple of days or so on the rigging to the main planes and then I can begin work on the boom and undercarriage.

I also painted the spinners. The mahogany is Vallejo Woodgrain with an added drop of red ink. They still need to be matted down.

This is going to be a stunning piece when finished. You have the patience of Job for sure!

WOW, the instruction manual is exactly like a WNW model's instructions. Anyhow you have my attention with this build! What a beautifully molded model and awesome details included. What a unique and beautiful airplane to model. Its great you have the courage to take on this one b/c it looks so challenging. Rigging looks fun. I never saw this plane or model before but I really want one. Wish it was 1/32...would be a little less of a challenge for me. Really want to see more!

And on we go.

The dynamo sits at the front edge of the top wing. It's exquisite, with just two pieces of finely moulded plastic and two etch, it looks the business. The housing will be painted in blue with metal-effect enamel to the gear sprocket and spinner.

The booms are complex (What in this model isn't!?!), with principally a wood-effect finish, banded in tapes, with PE rigging contacts that have to be folded around the boom arms. There's also a PE skid to the rear of the boom. You can see here too I've had to add 14 additional rigging eyelets.

Once the booms are in place, the wheels can be added, and then there's another PE section that sits over the bungee areas, I think meant as deflectors of a sort. The booms attach in slots in the tops of the upper wings, and at the undercarriage areas there is a four-piece framework each side to support the lower area of the boom.

The wheels themselves are made up of the tyre rim and front and rear hubs, all separate so to make painted a little easier. Apart from the painting, all I've done is rub over the hub faces with a little graphite powder.

Looking ahead at the daunting rigging arrangements, I noticed there were four lines running from the forward PE rigging sections on the booms, to points along the rear of both engine nacelles. I nearly missed these, as they’re fairly hidden in and around other rigging in the diagrams. They've now been drilled and had eyelets set.