Reviews : Roden SE5A RAF with Hispano Suiza

My first Roden kit and I enjoyed it. Good value for money, the kit was well made, hardly any flash on the sprue, and a decent number of pieces, although some of these won’t be used depending on which exact aircraft model you end up building. There’s not much in the way of panel lines or detail, but I suppose there aren’t many panel lines or much detail on a WWI fabric-covered wooden aircraft. Very generous decal set, way more than you’d expect for a small-scale kit. Only complaint is five separate pieces for the cockpit and engine cowling is unnecessary and at 1/72 scale is nearly impossible to align well - at least for an average modeler like me. The completed kit looked fine without rigging, but I’m trying to get into building biplanes so feel the need to try and rig them. Sure, doing the rigging was fiddly and my finished attempt is no work of art, but that’s all part of the fun and the learning curve. BOTTOM LINE: Good kit for anyone looking to try building a biplane, or try out a Roden kit for the first time, or for anyone interested in WWI aircraft. At around $11 (what I paid at the time) If you mess it up it’s no big deal. NOTE: I’m an average skill modeler at best. Usually I leave non-permanent fixtures (bombs, drop tanks, etc.) off my kits because I’m interested in the airplane, not extraneous add-ons. I use the following for all my models • Harder & Steenbeck CRplus with a 0.2mm nozzle - it’s way above my ability level but was a birthday present from my wonderful partner • AMMO by Mig and Vallejo Air acrylic paints - I never use oil-based paints or washes because who needs the toxic fumes and cleanup chemicals • Tamiya Extra Thin Cement and Tamiya Plastic Cement • Walthers Solvaset to apply and set decals • EZ-Line Fine for rigging • Vallejo Mecha Satin Varnish to coat finished models - if you’ve ever seen a Spitfire or B-25 or whatever in real life, they have a slight gloss sheen to them and are not matt at all.

Decals are really delicate. Make sure to soak them a good long time. I waited until the edges were separating from the backing, while still in water and they still tore. Very difficult to put on, particularly the 6 or G for the top wing.