Model Forum / General / Models / December 2005

Here is a very basic statement on the lindberg kit. No major criticisms:

http://s96920072.onlinehome.us/Fea1/901-1000/Fea984_SE5_Singh/fea984.htm

"This is the Lindberg 1/48 SE 5A re issue of the unremarkable 1958 kit.
The kit is pretty basic with an oversized foster mount on the upper main
plane (although Wolsley geared Hispano Suiza engine SE 5 s had theirs
raised by 3 ½ inches to clear the prop arc) including an oversized Lewis
gun.  Both had to be pared down and a trigger wire added from the
trigger to the cockpit.  An Aldis sight was also fitted and a new
acetate windscreen to resemble the Avro windscreen fitted.  The standard
scheme of PC 10 Khaki over all upper surfaces and fabric wrapped centre
struts was achieved by using WW II Braun violet.  There are a least 20
books out there on what PC 10 (pigmented Cellulose spec 10) looked like,
but they varied in broad terms, amongst five individual preparations and
I felt that braun violet came closest to the Khaki..  The undersides
were painted a yellowish cream to represent the clear dope.  The
individual markings were hand painted and decals from the spares box
were used for the roughly hand painted fin serials.  Rigging was silk
pulled through pre drilled holes which were later filled with super glue
and paint. The four bladed 200hp airscrew was modified to resemble the
two bladed version.  The figures are white metal from Airwaves and
painted to represent the RFC Khaki green cavalry uniform with early RFC
wings.  The base is my son’s Burrago car base for his BMW Z8 covered
with some railway scenic grass sheet."

Here is another:

 http://www.wwimodeler.com/harry/chapter1/ch1-kleew-lind.htm

" [Lindbergh] SE 5a; generally good with more refined moulding than
Aurora kit but suffers from same fault of a shallow nose section.
Considering the vast amount of reference material available on this
aircraft including the full set of original Farnborough drawings, it is
surprising that such errors should persist."

After reading those reviews, it seems that kit of choice in 1/48 scale is
the Hispano version. This has the corrected lower wing *and* all the parts
which come in the Wolseley-engined version. Therefore it seems that *any*
version of the SE5a can be built from this kit. Hannants are also selling it
at three quid cheaper than the Wolseley-engined version!