Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter

This shows the inside of the cockpit before assembly. Using the Aviattic decal set (which includes masks for between the ribs) I was able to airbrush the backgrounds with Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan, then dry brush a wood finish with artist oil paints 

Here I used a clear white glue to mimic the connector between guide wires which I painted copper after it dried. 

Her your na see other parts of the interior before assembly 

This is the finished aftermarket instrument panel from Aviattic. At 15GBP it was steal relative to the Roden supplied version. The only slight drawback was that the instrument decals had to use a punch to get them perfectly round. This close up doesn't do it justice...it looks perfect from a distance... 

Here I tried something a bit different for the photo etched seat belts. After annealing, priming and undercoating with Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan, I used a fine mesh nylon screen (used for packaging garlic bulbs) and then over sprayed with Tamiya XF-68 Nato Brown to get the woven canvas affect. In hindsight I would have applied the Tamiya paint in reverse order to make it look lighter. Also...full disclosure...I took the seat belts from another kit... 

Here is the end result...I'm fairly happy with it. I'll try to find an even finer nylon mess next time... 

Here is the assembly before the instrument panel was installed 

Here is the unfinished Aviattic resin cowling. Its again superbly made and only required a light wet sanding with 1500 grit. The engine from Roden on the other hand is poorly made. The cylinders don't quite align, which makes it impossible to remove (or hide) parting lines. In hindsight...I would have purchased an aftermarket... 

Before applying the Aviattic decals, the entire model was primed (white), airbrushed in a cream coloured mixture and coated with Pledge. This produced a perfect surface for these large decals to lay down smoothly. I left a little of the ribs to show through, since the decals are transparent. 

This shows decals in progress. The top wing in the background is complete and looks really good. One note however...the instructions highly recommend adding the decals before assembly, which I unfortunately ignored. It is still possible but created more work... 

More work on the decals... 

Rear of he engine 

Front of the engine 

The engine and lewis guns 

This is the completed Aviattic decals...I'm quite happy with the results... 

Test fitting the wing struts 

I was on the fence, but decided to add weathering both to the fuselage and some smoke around the cowling 

Side view of weathering 

Just getting setup for rigging 

A good portion of the rigging is done. 

Here is my attempt at dirt and oil from engine...not my best, but OK 

Another view before final rigging and propeller 

here I show my technique for propellers. I use a .5 mm tape from Tamiya and use the new masking fluid from Deluxe that I picked up at the IPMS Telford show. I’m not sure is available for sale yet. 

Here is another propeller since I wasn’t sure which one to use 

Here they are after airbrushing with Tamiya XF-64 

I then used three layers of oils dry brushed with black, burnt sienna and burnt umber 

I’m now at the final stages of rigging, etc. I ordered Rebell Hobby clamps which are a very clever design but the fit is poorly done. I added duct tape to make connections work…