Sopwith F.1/3 Comic
Sopwith F.1/3 Comic Fighter (Camel Interceptor)
Roden Kit No. 051
1/72 Scale
MSRP $12.99
http://www.rodenplant.com
During WW I, as the Germans started to bomb England with Zeppelins and
Strategic Bombers, the RFC was called upon to augment the Home Defense anti-
aircraft guns with aircraft that could intercept the invaders. Their first attempt was
a modification to the Sopwith 1½ Strutter, a two-seater fighter/trainer with modest
flight and performance characteristics. For night interception, the front cockpit
was faired over and two Lewis guns were mounted over the wing. Some of these
could even fire upward, similar to the German WW II Jazz Music scheme. This
modification to the 1½ Strutter was nicknamed the Comic, either because of its
strange looks or it’s marginal performance. To try to produce a better night
interceptor, Sopwith next modified their successful Camel for night fighting. To
accomplish this, they utilized the same over-wing mounting of two Lewis guns
instead of the fuselage mounted Vickers guns of a normal Camel and they moved
the cockpit rearward for better visibility and so that the pilot could handle the
guns. The opening in the upper wing was also increased. For proper balance, the
fuel tank was moved to a position in front of the cockpit. This model, the Sopwith
F.1/3 also received the nickname of “Comic”.
The Kit
Roden offer an extensive number of kits of World War One aircraft and they try to
make maximum usage of the molds by offering as many variants as feasible.
Common parts are included on a single sprue and other sprues provide the
unique parts. In the case of the Sopwith Camel, Roden offer six different variants
including this kit.
As with most Roden designs, this kit is molded from a soft gray plastic and
features reasonable detail. Panel lines and surface details are well molded and
the fuselage includes a certain amount of interior detail. Decals are provided for
four different aircraft.
On the negative side, the kit features fairly large sprue connections. Extra care
must be taken in removing parts and some parts were really smaller then their
connections. A few very small parts disappeared on my desk as I was cutting
them off. Also, the soft plastic breaks easily. Much care must be taken with some
of the thin struts etc. A number of them were broken while I tried to clean them
up.
Construction
Construction started with several sub-assemblies, the engine, landing gear, guns
and cockpit. The cockpit module consisted of the standard Camel fuel and oil
tanks mounted to a new floor frame. The seat provided was somewhat crude so I
substituted a photo-etched part from my stocks. Figure 1 shows the basic
fuselage parts ready for assembly. I painted the interior of the fuselage a wood
color in the forward areas and linen at the rear. I added thin wire between the
vertical frames of the fuselage to simulate the bracing wires. The modeler needs
to pay attention to the assembly instructions but maintain an open mind. For
instance, the instruction drawings show the rudder pedals to be installed to part
8A, the forward lower part of the fuselage. This is the location for the standard
Camel but is in front of the fuel tank on the Comic. I mounted this part to the floor
frame behind the fuel tank.
Attaching the top wing is always the most critical step in building a biplane. Some
kits have the cabane struts integral with the fuselage. This allows the top wing to
be mounted easily and accurately on them. After the assembly is dry, the
interplane struts are carefully installed. Other kits feature “U” shaped interplane
struts that mount firmly in the upper wing. When these are mounted to the lower
wing, the top wing is firmly in place. In this case, the cabane struts are then
carefully installed.
This kit has no easy means of attaching the top wing. The eight struts that mount
the top wing are all free to move independently and in fact, the mounting locations
of the struts are not too clearly defined. I solved the problem by trying to
accurately fix the interplane struts in place and then mount the upper wing. First, I
needed an accurate drawing of the Camel. I have a copy of Windsock Datafile No.
26 of the Camel in my collection and the 1/72 scale drawing showed a section
through the interplane struts. I glued copies of this drawing to some foamcore
and cut out mounting fixtures that could be used to accurately position the
interplane struts (Photos 2 and 3). Before gluing the struts in place, I used a small
drill to better define the mounting positions. After the interplane struts were dry, I
mounted the top wing. Following this, the cabane struts were carefully added
(Photo 4).
The landing gear was assembled in a similar manner. The axle was glued to the
landing gear struts while the struts were fixed in the proper angle as viewed from
the front. When this was dry, the upper ends of the struts were glued to the
fuselage. Be sure to check alignment at this stage to ensure that the wings are
level.
Color and Markings
The Roden kit offers four color schemes for the Comic. The first one, shown on
the box cover, from 78 Home Defense Squadron is a mixture of gray, aluminum,
wood grain and green. Another was an overall dark green and black scheme from
51 Home Defense Squadron and the final two were dark green over natural fabric
from 44 Home Defense Squadron. I chose one of these with a large Knight’s
Helmet with Plume marking on the side. I used Model Masters Olive Drab, FS
34087 to represent RFC NC-10 Khaki. I used Humbrol Linen for the undersurface.
Finishing Touches
Finishing touches include the machine guns, the windshield, the gun sights and
the RIGGING. The machine guns are very petite and nicely molded. They
attached to the Foster gun mounts and fit onto the mounting locations on the
upper wing. The lower part of the mount attaches to the fuselage in front of the
cockpit. The exact location is vague. A cut-out clear plastic windshield is
provided but seems to be the same design as a normal Camel. I had an old
vacuform conversion kit of the Comic from Blue Rider, which has a small photo-
etched fret. This included a small rectangular windshield. I used this part and
filled it with Kristal Kleer. The kit provides an injection molded gun sight but this
was so thick and crude that I substituted the photo-etched part also from the Blue
Rider kit.
Finally the RIGGING. I used .008 diameter stainless steel wire for the rigging. I cut
each piece to length and glued them in place with white glue. Incidentally, I
previously used super glue for this application but a presentation at the 2008
Nationals suggested that white glue was better to use. It worked very well. The
instruction sheet from the kit contains an excellent drawing showing all of the
rigging. I feel that the aileron control horns on the upper wing are too short but
otherwise, the rigging went fairly smooth. I did experiment with spacing the
double wire rigging. First, I tried to separate the two wires with a small piece of
clay. When they were glued in place and dry, I would remove the clay. The
rigging also came loose. Next I tried a small piece of tape. Same results. Next, I
simply tried to attach the two wires at the same time. In this case, the surface
tension of the glue caused the two wires to pull together. The final answer was to
glue the two wires in place, one at a time and letting the first one dry before
applying the second. Mine are not perfect but I am happy with the final
appearance.
Conclusion
This kit makes up into a nice, petite looking model of this interesting modification
to the Sopwith Camel. It takes a certain degree of skill and care to successfully
install the top wing but outside of this, it is an easy model to assemble. The level
of detail on the interior, the engine and the guns is very well done. This kit is
recommended for modelers interested in World War One aircraft. A big thanks to
Roden for providing this kit for review.
Clare Wentzel
IPMS 1096
Roden Kit No. 051
1/72 Scale
MSRP $12.99
http://www.rodenplant.com
During WW I, as the Germans started to bomb England with Zeppelins and
Strategic Bombers, the RFC was called upon to augment the Home Defense anti-
aircraft guns with aircraft that could intercept the invaders. Their first attempt was
a modification to the Sopwith 1½ Strutter, a two-seater fighter/trainer with modest
flight and performance characteristics. For night interception, the front cockpit
was faired over and two Lewis guns were mounted over the wing. Some of these
could even fire upward, similar to the German WW II Jazz Music scheme. This
modification to the 1½ Strutter was nicknamed the Comic, either because of its
strange looks or it’s marginal performance. To try to produce a better night
interceptor, Sopwith next modified their successful Camel for night fighting. To
accomplish this, they utilized the same over-wing mounting of two Lewis guns
instead of the fuselage mounted Vickers guns of a normal Camel and they moved
the cockpit rearward for better visibility and so that the pilot could handle the
guns. The opening in the upper wing was also increased. For proper balance, the
fuel tank was moved to a position in front of the cockpit. This model, the Sopwith
F.1/3 also received the nickname of “Comic”.
The Kit
Roden offer an extensive number of kits of World War One aircraft and they try to
make maximum usage of the molds by offering as many variants as feasible.
Common parts are included on a single sprue and other sprues provide the
unique parts. In the case of the Sopwith Camel, Roden offer six different variants
including this kit.
As with most Roden designs, this kit is molded from a soft gray plastic and
features reasonable detail. Panel lines and surface details are well molded and
the fuselage includes a certain amount of interior detail. Decals are provided for
four different aircraft.
On the negative side, the kit features fairly large sprue connections. Extra care
must be taken in removing parts and some parts were really smaller then their
connections. A few very small parts disappeared on my desk as I was cutting
them off. Also, the soft plastic breaks easily. Much care must be taken with some
of the thin struts etc. A number of them were broken while I tried to clean them
up.
Construction
Construction started with several sub-assemblies, the engine, landing gear, guns
and cockpit. The cockpit module consisted of the standard Camel fuel and oil
tanks mounted to a new floor frame. The seat provided was somewhat crude so I
substituted a photo-etched part from my stocks. Figure 1 shows the basic
fuselage parts ready for assembly. I painted the interior of the fuselage a wood
color in the forward areas and linen at the rear. I added thin wire between the
vertical frames of the fuselage to simulate the bracing wires. The modeler needs
to pay attention to the assembly instructions but maintain an open mind. For
instance, the instruction drawings show the rudder pedals to be installed to part
8A, the forward lower part of the fuselage. This is the location for the standard
Camel but is in front of the fuel tank on the Comic. I mounted this part to the floor
frame behind the fuel tank.
Attaching the top wing is always the most critical step in building a biplane. Some
kits have the cabane struts integral with the fuselage. This allows the top wing to
be mounted easily and accurately on them. After the assembly is dry, the
interplane struts are carefully installed. Other kits feature “U” shaped interplane
struts that mount firmly in the upper wing. When these are mounted to the lower
wing, the top wing is firmly in place. In this case, the cabane struts are then
carefully installed.
This kit has no easy means of attaching the top wing. The eight struts that mount
the top wing are all free to move independently and in fact, the mounting locations
of the struts are not too clearly defined. I solved the problem by trying to
accurately fix the interplane struts in place and then mount the upper wing. First, I
needed an accurate drawing of the Camel. I have a copy of Windsock Datafile No.
26 of the Camel in my collection and the 1/72 scale drawing showed a section
through the interplane struts. I glued copies of this drawing to some foamcore
and cut out mounting fixtures that could be used to accurately position the
interplane struts (Photos 2 and 3). Before gluing the struts in place, I used a small
drill to better define the mounting positions. After the interplane struts were dry, I
mounted the top wing. Following this, the cabane struts were carefully added
(Photo 4).
The landing gear was assembled in a similar manner. The axle was glued to the
landing gear struts while the struts were fixed in the proper angle as viewed from
the front. When this was dry, the upper ends of the struts were glued to the
fuselage. Be sure to check alignment at this stage to ensure that the wings are
level.
Color and Markings
The Roden kit offers four color schemes for the Comic. The first one, shown on
the box cover, from 78 Home Defense Squadron is a mixture of gray, aluminum,
wood grain and green. Another was an overall dark green and black scheme from
51 Home Defense Squadron and the final two were dark green over natural fabric
from 44 Home Defense Squadron. I chose one of these with a large Knight’s
Helmet with Plume marking on the side. I used Model Masters Olive Drab, FS
34087 to represent RFC NC-10 Khaki. I used Humbrol Linen for the undersurface.
Finishing Touches
Finishing touches include the machine guns, the windshield, the gun sights and
the RIGGING. The machine guns are very petite and nicely molded. They
attached to the Foster gun mounts and fit onto the mounting locations on the
upper wing. The lower part of the mount attaches to the fuselage in front of the
cockpit. The exact location is vague. A cut-out clear plastic windshield is
provided but seems to be the same design as a normal Camel. I had an old
vacuform conversion kit of the Comic from Blue Rider, which has a small photo-
etched fret. This included a small rectangular windshield. I used this part and
filled it with Kristal Kleer. The kit provides an injection molded gun sight but this
was so thick and crude that I substituted the photo-etched part also from the Blue
Rider kit.
Finally the RIGGING. I used .008 diameter stainless steel wire for the rigging. I cut
each piece to length and glued them in place with white glue. Incidentally, I
previously used super glue for this application but a presentation at the 2008
Nationals suggested that white glue was better to use. It worked very well. The
instruction sheet from the kit contains an excellent drawing showing all of the
rigging. I feel that the aileron control horns on the upper wing are too short but
otherwise, the rigging went fairly smooth. I did experiment with spacing the
double wire rigging. First, I tried to separate the two wires with a small piece of
clay. When they were glued in place and dry, I would remove the clay. The
rigging also came loose. Next I tried a small piece of tape. Same results. Next, I
simply tried to attach the two wires at the same time. In this case, the surface
tension of the glue caused the two wires to pull together. The final answer was to
glue the two wires in place, one at a time and letting the first one dry before
applying the second. Mine are not perfect but I am happy with the final
appearance.
Conclusion
This kit makes up into a nice, petite looking model of this interesting modification
to the Sopwith Camel. It takes a certain degree of skill and care to successfully
install the top wing but outside of this, it is an easy model to assemble. The level
of detail on the interior, the engine and the guns is very well done. This kit is
recommended for modelers interested in World War One aircraft. A big thanks to
Roden for providing this kit for review.
Clare Wentzel
IPMS 1096
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