Airfix RE8

[SJPONeill]

I almost bought one last weekend and think I will next til I am in the big smoke - unless it is a real shocker...

[AndrewR]

I have this kit what are the problems with it? Or is it just basic/plain looking?

It's from 1958, and has no interior, poor pilot figures and accuracy issues in most dimensions! The struts are also large planks of wood and are not the right length to fit the upper wing on properly.

But you can get it looking like an RE8, so it's not that bad. The real thing does have complicated rigging, so it's not an ideal introduction to biplane construction.

I intend to add some scratchbuilt and photo etch interiors and armament and do a partial rigging job, enough to make it look right.

Cheers

Andrew

[Saxon]

I feel like building mine, it makes me feel like I have little to lose if it all goes wrong!

[AndrewR]

I feel like building mine, it makes me feel like I have little to lose if it all goes wrong!

Exactly, I got 2 kits for $5, so it's not a big deal, and a bit of a challenge.

Cheers

Andrew

[ShaunW]

Oh my, this is a real old dog challenging old classic from Airfix. I think there's one hiding in my stash at the back. I recall attempting it in the 70's when it was bought for me as a pressie, my kit being one of the "Dogfight Doubles" with the opposition possibly being the Roland. This type of bipe is not an easy introduction to the genre but if you stick with it you'll be able to build anything

[AndrewR]

Maybe we should do a "Flight of the Old Dog" shared build!

[TobyC]

Having installed the rear gun ring it looks enormous but I'm not that fussed tbh as it is my first biplane build so it will stay. Not happy that the ridges in front of the cockpit haven't lined up . The seats I scratch built and well they sort of look right from about ten feet away as does the instrument panel
I thought I had got rid of the injection moulds but I can now see that I haven't





A lot more fiddling to be done or I might go to the pub.

[ShaunW]

Although it's annoying, I bet the front ridges will be largely hidden by the top wing. I would have been tempted to sand 'em off and maybe replace with a bit of fine stretched sprue or with an attempt at re-scribing. The thickness of the gun ring is typical of kits of this vintage and could be replaced with sprue or wire but if you're happy leave it as is and concentrate on getting the model built up. You're doing good work with this old banger - stick with it, the challenge will make a modeller out of you

Meanwhile go down the pub. It's more fun than frustrating-to-build old model kits

[AndrewR]

After that set of modelling heroics, you deserve a trip to the pub.

Don't worry too much about the kit, as Shaun says, it's a product of the times and straight out of the box it's just not going to be that hot. Or in this case, tepid.

Go and get an ale down your neck!

Cheers

Andrew

[TobyC]

Although it's annoying, I bet the front ridges will be largely hidden by the top wing. I would have been tempted to sand 'em off and maybe replace with a bit of fine stretched sprue or with an attempt at re-scribing. The thickness of the gun ring is typical of kits of this vintage and could be replaced with sprue or wire but if you're happy leave it as is and concentrate on getting the model built up. You're doing good work with this old banger - stick with it, the challenge will make a modeller out of you

Meanwhile go down the pub. It's more fun than frustrating-to-build old model kits

I decided that the gun ring had to go after all and have made a thinner one from some stretched sprue. The pub will have to wait.

[TobyC]

New gun ring.

Now for the bit I've been dreading. Fixing the upper wing. I've made a jig so that they should be at the 66 degrees of forward rake required which can be seen in the background. I may be sometime

[Saxon]

I have this kit what are the problems with it? Or is it just basic/plain looking?

It's from 1958, and has no interior, poor pilot figures and accuracy issues in most dimensions! The struts are also large planks of wood and are not the right length to fit the upper wing on properly.

But you can get it looking like an RE8, so it's not that bad. The real thing does have complicated rigging, so it's not an ideal introduction to biplane construction.

I intend to add some scratchbuilt and photo etch interiors and armament and do a partial rigging job, enough to make it look right.

Cheers

Andrew

What I used to do years back when I would try and build bi planes and the struts would not fit (I broke them) would be to use toothpicks so that might be part of the plan with this kit. The lack of interior doesn't phase me, as long as it fits well enough I'll be happy either that or it might just end up as a monoplane What If!

[TobyC]

The struts are a nightmare. Having to bodge things just to get the kit finished. It isn't going to be pretty.

[AndrewR]

The struts are a nightmare. Having to bodge things just to get the kit finished. It isn't going to be pretty.

The real thing wasn't pretty either!

And the struts on my Polikarpov were also terrible to put on, and the alignment is still wrong.

cheers

Andrew

[TobyC]

My attempt at rigging has taught me a lot. I know have to clean up a multitude of crud to make the kit look vaguely presentable. It's been fun............sort of