1/32 Fokker Dr.I from Meng

[Basta]

55 minutes ago, STWilliams said:

What an awful review. Hypercritical. If that kit had come in a WNW box, I suspect it would be nowhere near as damning. As for the warped wings, I just can't see it, what am I missing?

Agreed. He even suggests to print out the WNW box art and glue it to the box (well, he does have a point there, but still). 

 

What's inside that box is being nitpicked to mediocrity when it clearly is not. From all the photos posted, the WNW parentage is clear to see, and that level of detailing and dimensional precision is simply pooh-poohed while a bit of flash is over dramatized. 

 

As for wing warping, that would come from how the sprues are handled once pulled; overall it looks like Meng is not giving the kit the level of tlc that the original would have received, but I don't think anyone seriously expected that either. It looks to be an excellent kit and CSM really needn't bother to "make it right." 

[europapete]

Wing warping?? I thought the Dr1 had ailerons? maybe I was too trusting of the box art. 

[petrov27]

.

Edited August 25, 2020 by petrov27
staying positive

[ziggyfoos]

1 hour ago, STWilliams said:

As for the warped wings, I just can't see it, what am I missing?

 

I don't quite see it in those review pics either.

Since it was such a negative comment for the kit, it would've been beneficial for the reviewer to have removed wing(s) from the sprue and take standalone pics showing the bow/warp against a straightedge.

[Dave Williams]

Actually, you can see the wing issue in the photos just above the photo of the C clear parts sprue.  Note how the tips of the one piece top wing are higher than the center.  You can also see it in the sprue, with the center of the sprue runner almost touching the mat and the outer sprue edges being higher.  That’s not just barrel distortion from the camera lens.

[STWilliams]

41 minutes ago, Basta said:

Agreed. He even suggests to print out the WNW box art and glue it to the box (well, he does have a point there, but still). 

 

What's inside that box is being nitpicked to mediocrity when it clearly is not. From all the photos posted, the WNW parentage is clear to see, and that level of detailing and dimensional precision is simply pooh-poohed while a bit of flash is over dramatized. 

 

As for wing warping, that would come from how the sprues are handled once pulled; overall it looks like Meng is not giving the kit the level of tlc that the original would have received, but I don't think anyone seriously expected that either. It looks to be an excellent kit and CSM really needn't bother to "make it right." 

And no mention that it is available at around HALF the WNW price. I ordered mine from LuckyModel at $39.99 a kit. Kits should be reviewed with at least some respect to how much you pay for them. It's why Revell's Mk.IX Spitfire doesn't get the same expectations as Tamiya's Mk.IX Spitfire.

[DAK66]

I look at the way the wings are molded i think they will snap into alignment when freed from the sprue .

 

[STWilliams]

22 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

Actually, you can see the wing issue in the photos just above the photo of the C clear parts sprue.  Note how the tips of the one piece top wing are higher than the center.  You can also see it in the sprue, with the center of the sprue runner almost touching the mat and the outer sprue edges being higher.  That’s not just barrel distortion from the camera lens.

Try as I may, I just can't see it. Maybe a photo snipped off the sprue & flat on a surface would help? And how would it look in the fuselage with the struts attached?

 

The G.I upper set of wings have a slight upward warp that drops into place when glued under gravity.

 

I assume the Triplane does the same, especially when the cabane struts and inter-wing struts are in place?

[Rick Griewski]

I am still not apologizing when saying the following.

 I fear that the root cause of the problem is not QC per say but a design control problem.  The problem is built into the tool. Technical review missed it.  So we got what we got for now.  Meng should address it.  Anyone sent a message back to the company?

 

 

[Rick Griewski]

23 minutes ago, DAK66 said:

I look at the way the wings are molded i think they will snap into alignment when freed from the sprue .

 

Good comment but mine did not.  

[STWilliams]

Has anybody built the kit with the warped wings? Does it right itself during construction, like the G.I? The original Gotha model also had wings that only adopted their final position after being glued in place, or was that the Felixstowe?

Just seems to me that a major issue is being made of this kit without even attempting to build it. 

[petrov27]

I have not got the thing built but working on it. My impression was that these would not right themselves when assembled given the thickness of the plastic and the shortness of the span (say vs. the Felixstowe where the span and weight of the plastic would correct the position) so I removed the warp. 

 

[Pup7309]

22 minutes ago, petrov27 said:

I have not got the thing built but working on it. My impression was that these would not right themselves when assembled given the thickness of the plastic and the shortness of the span (say vs. the Felixstowe where the span and weight of the plastic would correct the position) so I removed the warp. 

 

How many mm’s is it out when you snip it’s off if you don’t mind me asking? And how did you fix it?

thanks!

[sky]

12 hours ago, petrov27 said:

Yeah that review comes off as surprisingly negative. I have started work on the kit and so far the detail and parts cleanup seems quite similar to the two WNW DVII I have built. There are  mould lines to cleanup and a little flash as noted on one set of the ailerons, but what I see here seems pretty minor (hardly "1970s level flash.")

 

I have always been a fan of the Roden Dr.I and have several, but I am very impressed with the small details in the MENG that IMHO elevate it above the Roden DrI. In particular:

[...]

As far as aftermarket, I only see using Master brass spandau set and probably decals/masks, but on my previous WNW builds I have used the same so it is hard to really dump on MENG on those points...

 

 

 

Surprisingly enough, my two versions shipping from HK on the 18th arrived today in a single box with no hassle via customs, where they were "held" yesterday..

On opening the package and unboxing the kits I was surprised that both versions (bust and no bust) share the exact same box / box art, the only outwardly recognizable difference is a ~10cm wide red papper ribbon going around the box stating "special limited edition" on the QS-002s version - and yes, the two part bust of the Rittmeister within the box.

 

That aside looking at the sprues I completely concur with everything petrov27 wrote. To my eyes the detail is perfect. There is a lot more detail here that is not available in the Roden kits (DR.1 / F.1) - and I have several of those to compare with. For example the rivet detail on the cowling or the rib tape detail. Oh and the bulkhead! Now considering what I paid for these two kits (including shipping from the other end of the world via tracked airmail), I absolutely cannot complain:

The regular kit (incl. shipping) came in at 42€, the special edition was 56€ (again, including shipping). In theory I could have probably saved a tenner on shipping if I had chosen to do both in one order (as they shipped it that way anyway). Just for comparison: the last Roden F.1 I sourced locally on Fleabay maybe 2-3 months ago set me back 32€ and I believe the Roden DR.1s I've got ranged somewhere between 30 and 35€ a piece. And seeing the difference in detail for almost exactly the same price - who am I to complain? Just look at what you would need to fix on the Roden kit (cowling, bulkhead, ...). And then compare the price to the last regular WNW kits I bought just prior to the meltdown and the ensuing price explosion. The following kits I got for between 85€-120€ each (Sopwith Camel F.1 Le Rhone, Sopwith Triplane Raymond Collishaw, Fokker D.VIIb Göhring). 

 

So considering the amount of detail you get for somewhere between 1/2 or 1/3 of the price of a typical WNW kit, I'd say these Meng kits are extremely good value for money and even if they weren't 100% correct I'd still be satisfied with that purchase. Funny sidenote - sourcing those two Meng kits locally would cost me probably 1.5-2x what I ended up paying, yay global economy.

 

All of that aside, what I do see and what is a, to me anyway, minor annoyance is the curvature of the wings from the center towards the wingtips. Actually, it seems that the entire sprue is curved like that - for whatever reason. The other sprues seem to be perfectly flat, only the wing one is "warped". Maybe due to the production process (maybe leave it a tad longer to cool down before ejecting it?).

 

The instructions / manual.. leafing through it, I cannot really complain. It comes in 4 languages (Chinese, English, Japanese, Russian). The instructions seem ok (I only casually flipped through the leaflet and have not compared them to the instructions from my WNW kits), but I'd say just on the instruction side of things, they are manageable. The leaflet is full colour as opposed to what you get in a Roden kit. What they lack, compared to the WNW offerings, is some of the extra info WNW always packed into their leaflets, extra photos, bit of history, etc. 

I didn't check whether the colour call-outs are on point or off.

 

What I do like is that they have 4 versions with 4 views each (top, bottom, left, right) and that they have extra parts to be able to make either a DR.1 or an F.1 - That's two kits from Roden. Now it would be interesting to see if one could kitbash the extra parts with a Roden kit, say "upgrade" the cowling or whatever... I'll probably be escorted from here soonish for making such statements, but whatever ;).

 

Aftermarket additions that I can see:

- Brass PE / guns

- Aviattic simulated linen cloth decals (here's waiting for them to finish all versions of the Richthofen's DR.1 / F.1s before going in for the kill.. umm.. purchase I meant)

- (maybe) Aviattic PE for the bulkhead

But again as Petrov27 said, those would be things you would also add to the Roden kit.

 

So quick verdict for me (just my opinion) 10/10 would buy again (and likely will further down the road, but for now I've got a grand total of 5 DR.1s and 1 F.1, that should last me for a bit). If you're uncertain whether to get this or not - if the price point is close to Roden, have a look at the Meng. And I am in no way, shape or form affiliated with Meng, Roden or any other company.

 

 

/edit

On the warped wing issue. I'd say the wing tips are 2-3mm higher than the center. However, I think this should be easily fixable. I would probably try something like this: Submerge the parts (cut free from the sprue) in a bath of hot(ish) water and weigh them down with something heavy across the entire length of the wing, leave for a bit and see if that works. I'm not a big fan of the hot air treatment (maybe because I suck at it), but if you're skilled with that it should be a doddle.

Edited August 25, 2020 by sky

[STWilliams]

52 minutes ago, petrov27 said:

I have not got the thing built but working on it. My impression was that these would not right themselves when assembled given the thickness of the plastic and the shortness of the span (say vs. the Felixstowe where the span and weight of the plastic would correct the position) so I removed the warp. 

 

 

22 minutes ago, sky said:

 

Surprisingly enough, my two versions shipping from HK on the 18th arrived today in a single box with no hassle via customs, where they were "held" yesterday..

On opening the package and unboxing the kits I was surprised that both versions (bust and no bust) share the exact same box / box art, the only outwardly recognizable difference is a ~10cm wide red papper ribbon going around the box stating "special limited edition" on the QS-002s version - and yes, the two part bust of the Rittmeister within the box.

 

That aside looking at the sprues I completely concur with everything petrov27 wrote. To my eyes the detail is perfect. There is a lot more detail here that is not available in the Roden kits (DR.1 / F.1) - and I have several of those to compare with. For example the rivet detail on the cowling or the rib tape detail. Oh and the bulkhead! Now considering what I paid for these two kits (including shipping from the other end of the world via tracked airmail), I absolutely cannot complain:

The regular kit (incl. shipping) came in at 42€, the special edition was 56€ (again, including shipping). In theory I could have probably saved a tenner on shipping if I had chosen to do both in one order (as they shipped it that way anyway). Just for comparison: the last Roden F.1 I sourced locally on Fleabay maybe 2-3 months ago set me back 32€ and I believe the Roden DR.1s I've got ranged somewhere between 30 and 35€ a piece. And seeing the difference in detail for almost exactly the same price - who am I to complain? Just look at what you would need to fix on the Roden kit (cowling, bulkhead, ...). And then compare the price to the last regular WNW kits I bought just prior to the meltdown and the ensuing price explosion. The following kits I got for between 85€-120€ each (Sopwith Camel F.1 Le Rhone, Sopwith Triplane Raymond Collishaw, Fokker D.VIIb Göhring). 

 

So considering the amount of detail you get for somewhere between 1/2 or 1/3 of the price of a typical WNW kit, I'd say these Meng kits are extremely good value for money and even if they weren't 100% correct I'd still be satisfied with that purchase. Funny sidenote - sourcing those two Meng kits locally would cost me probably 1.5-2x what I ended up paying, yay global economy.

 

All of that aside, what I do see and what is a, to me anyway, minor annoyance is the curvature of the wings from the center towards the wingtips. Actually, it seems that the entire sprue is curved like that - for whatever reason. The other sprues seem to be perfectly flat, only the wing one is "warped". Maybe due to the production process (maybe leave it a tad longer to cool down before ejecting it?).

 

The instructions / manual.. leafing through it, I cannot really complain. It comes in 4 languages (Chinese, English, Japanese, Russian). The instructions seem ok (I only casually flipped through the leaflet and have not compared them to the instructions from my WNW kits), but I'd say just on the instruction side of things, they are manageable. The leaflet is full colour as opposed to what you get in a Roden kit. What they lack, compared to the WNW offerings, is some of the extra info WNW always packed into their leaflets, extra photos, bit of history, etc. 

I didn't check whether the colour call-outs are on point or off.

 

What I do like is that they have 4 versions with 4 views each (top, bottom, left, right) and that they have extra parts to be able to make either a DR.1 or an F.1 - That's two kits from Roden. Now it would be interesting to see if one could kitbash the extra parts with a Roden kit, say "upgrade" the cowling or whatever... I'll probably be escorted from here soonish for making such statements, but whatever ;).

 

Aftermarket additions that I can see:

- Brass PE / guns

- Aviattic simulated linen cloth decals (here's waiting for them to finish all versions of the Richthofen's DR.1 / F.1s before going in for the kill.. umm.. purchase I meant)

- (maybe) Aviattic PE for the bulkhead

But again as Petrov27 said, those would be things you would also add to the Roden kit.

 

So quick verdict for me (just my opinion) 10/10 would buy again (and likely will further down the road, but for now I've got a grand total of 5 DR.1s and 1 F.1, that should last me for a bit). If you're uncertain whether to get this or not - if the price point is close to Roden, have a look at the Meng. And I am in no way, shape or form affiliated with Meng, Roden or any other company.

 

 

/edit

On the warped wing issue. I'd say the wing tips are 2-3mm higher than the center. However, I think this should be easily fixable. I would probably try something like this: Submerge the parts (cut free from the sprue) in a bath of hot(ish) water and weigh them down with something heavy across the entire length of the wing, leave for a bit and see if that works. I'm not a big fan of the hot air treatment (maybe because I suck at it), but if you're skilled with that it should be a doddle.

 

Thanks guys, I think that adds far more perspective and balance.