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I have recently finished reading "Winged Victory" by VM Yeates. I highly recommend it and it has inspired me to break out my WNW kits. I was so inspired that I have started all three - an Albatross DV, a Fokker DVII (OAW) and a Camel BR1. I thought I could move these along together but am finding them so difficult that they will follow one after the other. I am concentrating on the Albatros for now. As these are my first WNW, I have a few observations. Anyone who builds these kits and produces a great result is a genius as far as I am concerned. The fitting of the parts is so tight that a coat of paint makes it difficult to slot parts together. I think that is actually quite poor. Surely, it is easy enough to allow a few extra microns to cope with paint? I am sure this has been covered before in this forum, but it is bugging the hell out of me. The quality of moulding is simply amazing. A great deal of research has obviously gone into getting the kits as accurate as possible. Lots of small parts mean that the carpet monster is being fed well and my Albatros cockpit will be minus a few essentials. Obviously, these were stripped out on the real aircraft to save on weight. Honest... The instructions are beautifully produced. It would be nice if they actually showed how things went together. WNW says to read them at least three times. Yeah right. Again, this is bugging me. A decent rigging diagram would be good that actually showed where the attachment points were and that clearly showed where each cable ended. Maybe this will become clearer when I start rigging. Finally, there are errors in the instructions for the Albatros. The compass decal is incorrectly called out and I only spotted it after I have put it on. Fortunately, I could correct it. I decided to try acrylics for the wood grain and I was pleasantly surprised at how well this worked. For a first attempt, I am happy with it and may get better as the Fokker and the Camel come into play. I managed to get all the wood done and varnished inside a day, which is lightning for me. Overall, this build is a bit of a trial for now. I am looking forward to progressing and finding the enjoyment that is surely there. Anyway, enough of me, pics to follow at the weekend.

OK, fellas, I need some help here. I'm working on the Hobbycraft 1:32 Sopwith Camel, and have run into a snag. The kit provided wheels are OK I guess, but somewhat overdone. The spokes and lacing look a little too pronounced, so I was wondering if there are any AM wheels for this thing, and Google was of no help at all. Also, I'm curious if the Academy wheels may be any better, as an alternative to the kit wheels. So far, I'm good with the other items needed; Vector Clerget, Gaspatch Vickers MG's, Barracuda wicker seat(s), and Pheon decals, but at the moment, the wheels seem to be the real weak point. Thanks a bunch,