The Prototype
I had difficulty with the piece that bridged the center of the middle wing. It would not lay flat on top of the fuselage, so I cut out some of the internal parts of the aircraft that got in the way to make it fit. Even then, it left a gap along the seams. In addition, the decals felt extremely fragile. After leaving them in water for about 30 seconds, I carefully slid them onto the aircraft. Some tore while handling them, and others disintegrated. On the bright side, the 1/32 scale Roden model had some fine detail. The cockpit appeared well equipped, the Spandua machine guns formed nicely, and the engine looked defined, especially with a wash applied to it. For the size of the aircraft, it had good detail. This build seemed to be a comedy of errors. I chose to paint my model with an unrecommended brand of paint, resulting in paint blisters from a scene out of a horror movie. The seams on the aircraft looked pronounced. And some of the decals splintered into pieces with the slightest contact. Despite these setbacks I felt determined to build it. I gave my modeler's experience and the model an AVERAGE score. Although I gave a lower ranking, I got great satisfaction in finishing the aircraft. Ultimately, it isn't the model you build that counts the most, but the character the model builds in you.
