In a blitz of pre-Christmas releases, Wingnut Wings burnishes its fast-growing reputation for stunning World War I aircraft models with its 1/32 scale Hansa-Brandenburg W.29.
Packed inside the box are 209 injection-molded parts, 13 photoetched-metal parts, 21⁄2 huge sheets of decals, and a 26-page instruction booklet. Period photos are included throughout, many with notes keyed to kit parts and decals.
As with previous Wingnut releases, surface details are crisp and petite. The kit supplies a stamped-metal spar that supports the large wings at the correct dihedral, and a unique injection-molded template to ensure the six individual exhaust stacks end up at the same angle.
Construction of the highly detailed interior immediately forces a decision on whether to have a one-gun plane with a radio or a twin-gun version without the com gear; it’s the only major option involved in this kit. If you choose the talkie version, you’ll also need to build the finely molded six-piece generator.
Painting takes a fair amount of time with a kit like this. But once the color and wood grain have been completed, fit is exceptional. Most parts will stay in place without glue, allowing adjustments as you build.
The kit supplies a control-wire rigging diagram, but the attachment points are not clearly indicated and there is no detail about how the wires are supposed to cross over the main spar.
The interior finishes off with the engine bay and gun equipment. I would advise setting the angle of the instrument panel by placing the interior in one fuselage half and adjusting to match the cowl panels. Mine was a tad off, and it impacts the tight fit of the cockpit shroud at the end of the build. I noticed that the triangular brace (Part A27) was not called out as being installed, although it is shown in the drawing. Wingnut has since posted a correction to its website. (By the way, the website offers corrections for kit instructions along with building hints and tips and additional archive photos for all Wingnut kits.) The fit is so good, I did not glue the interior in place, trapping it instead when I joined the fuselage halves.
Again following the trends of its previous releases, Wingnut includes a highly-detailed engine with the option of using the kit-supplied injection-molded connecting rods or making your own from wire. I chose the latter, using .015" stainless-steel wire. The engine assembles without trouble, and it mounts easily. Be careful to check that it is fully seated by putting the nose cowling in place.
When you install the gun panels, you will appreciate the exceptional engineering as the shell-ejection chutes click into place in the cutouts provided in the engine cowl panels. I used the photoetched-metal gun jackets included for the Spandau guns; after I heated them cherry red, they rolled very easily into the correct diameter. I was worried about damaging the jackets during assembly, so I held until the very end of the build, having previously installed the Spandau guns before gluing the engine cowl.
There are four different tail options; all use the same horizontal stabilizer. In some cases, you need to trim certain sections. Be very careful with the elevators. They are joined by a tiny connection; I broke mine into right and left sides. The wings have a gap on the underside in between ribs — the only place I used any filler on the entire kit.
After assembly, I primed the wings and placed the pre-cut lozenge decals. I started at the wing root and worked my way outboard. As I was placing one of the decals, I realized there was a thin black line on one edge of them. These edges do not line up with the ribs — I’m not sure if it is prototypical or a printing flaw. With the exception of these mysterious lines, the decals performed flawlessly.
The massive float-and-strut arrangement feels flimsy at first, but it provides excellent support once everything is tied together. I almost missed it, but there is a tiny amount of rigging between the floats.
Building, painting, and adding all of the details takes quite a bit of time, but is very enjoyable. I will admit I lost track of how many hours I spent on this kit — but really, that’s not the point. There is nothing hard about the build. It just takes a lot of time to paint and assemble something this large and detailed. For all those who wondered at all the fuss about Wingnut Wings, or was afraid to tackle anything with more than one wing, here is a beautiful single-wing creation anyone can enjoy. Now, there’s no excuse — go build one!