Maybe that's enough rigging on this one?

Welcome to the S.E.5a., one of Britain's best planes of WWI.
It was a product of the Royal Aircraft Factory, otherwise known for a series of mostly undistinguished observation types. The S.E.5 was different, and designed to benefit from the radical new French built Hispano Suiza engine, which was also powering the new SPAD fighters. It wasn't perfect; it was often unreliable, especially in connection with its geared propeller. When supplies of this otherwise highly promising engine faltered, the automotive manufacturer Wolseley was tasked with building a licensed version, and in due course they developed the Wolseley Viper, which was a direct drive engine. The difference is visible from the lowering of the propeller on the aircraft's blunt nose. Also, incidentally, from the fractional lowering of the Lewis gun on the top wing, simply positioned to fire over the propeller.

So, this is a Viper equipped SE, specifically the mount of W.G. Claxton, a Canadian and with 37 victories the leading ace of 41 Squadron. The SE5a makes an interesting comparison with the rotary-engine powered Sopwith Camel, the fighter which scored more victories than any other type, but which was very tricky to fly and killed far too many of the young pilots learning to fly it. If one goes through the list of the top aces of Britain and the Commonwealth, they did seem to prefer the SE. Despite its dodgy engine, it was faster, excelled at altitude, and a superb gun platform (it also sported a synchronised Vickers gun in front of the pilot). The Camel had the edge in agility, but the SE had all the previous, and was immensely strong. 

Which brings us to all that rigging. To start with, the British had a penchant for double rigging, but what caps it for me in this type, is that, having apparently run out of all the usual obvious places to string wires between, the designers strung extra double flying wires up to half way between the struts on the upper wing. Pity the poor ground crew.

The double rigging is a challenge in the smaller scales, as here, in 1:72 scale. To be honest, the lines should look much closer than I've managed here in this Roden kit. I did drill separate holes to thread the fishing line through, maybe a mistake, because I have tried careful separation of lines running through one hole, but... I dunno. I'm used to this technique. Also, the whole exercise has shown me that age has caught up with my eyesight. My feeling is that I may make a few more of my remaining 1:72 kits, but won't buy any more, and mainly build in larger scales in future.

It's one of Roden's older kits, and is relatively simple, lacking in some of the detail which you'd take for granted now. There's no attempt to render the control horns (which support the lines controlling the ailerons, elevators and rudder), so I've scratched the ones you see here. Then there's another distinctive feature of some British types, inspection windows over the pulleys inside wings and tail plane, for which Roden only provide perfunctory decals. I'm afraid I did indeed carve out the recesses, inserting 'pulleys' and applying glazing. Elsewhere, I added more detail to the cockpit, eg some internal rigging. The essential addition here, especially in any open cockpit WWI type, is seatbelts. Finally, the gunsight needs rebuilding, it's somewhat on the crude side as moulded.
I'll also mention something else, often brought up with Roden's earlier kits in particular, namely the decals. Maybe I was lucky, but they went on with no trouble on this occasion.

I'm pleased.
It's been a very long haul, but for all the faults which as ever I'm very aware of, I like the result, and all the effort does pay off with the S.E.5a. It just has that appealing lean hungry look, and I have it in mind to include it in an airfield scene eventually.