Great War Scale Modeling

As the 100th anniversary of the armistice ending World War I grew closer over the past several years, we’ve seen more manufacturers turning out kits of WWI subjects, and more modelers building these unique vehicles. This special issue celebrates both the war’s end, and the genius behind those early war machines that still fascinates us. As a kid I was entralled with biplanes and the aces that flew them. That led to builds of quite a few WWI aircraft, all 1/72 scale, and all pretty basic. I didn’t even understand why there was rigging at the time. Well, we knew Great War Scale Modeling had to address that issue, along with inspiring you to build better armor, ships, and maybe a diorama or two. So we scoured our files for…

The Great War may have been the first conflict to see this new technology, but that didn’t stop airplanes from becoming as varied and colorful as weapons far more ancient. Fascinated with the subject, Claudio sent us a portfolio of his WWI bi- and triplanes, which we were happy to publish. Here are a few with descriptions in Claudio’s own words. See more online Go to www.FineScale.com/WWI-Aircraft to see even more of Claudio’s builds.…

From the first deployment of British Mark Is at the Battle of Flers–Courcelette in 1916, tanks revolutionized warfare, making firepower mobile and providing protection for the crew and accompanying troops. Dedicated anti-tank weapons were years away, but early tanks were vulnerable to artillery and infantry with grenades. The latter is depicted in Andrea Miniatures’ 1/32 scale Tank Fight diorama kit. Inspired by an illustration published during World War I entitled Tickling the Rhino, this multimedia kit includes a Mark I tank with steering trailer, ten figures, a scenic base, some stowage, and two rats. While the bulk of the tank is cast in large resin pieces, most of the parts are white-metal. A few photo-etched (PE) items and a small decal sheet round out the package. We split the work with…

“Fight on and fly on to the last drop of blood and the last drop of fuel, to the last beat of the heart.” — Baron Manfred von Richthofen In an era filled with larger-than-life figures and incredible stories reported by an emerging worldwide press and literary corps, the most famous legend of all may be Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, commonly known as the “Red Baron.” With 80 aerial victories, he was the “ace of aces,” exalted and revered by his German countrymen, respected and feared by his Allied enemies. But even the greatest of heroes can run out of luck. For von Richthofen, the string began to fray in July 1917 when a grazing bullet fractured his skull. He never quite recovered, complaining of headaches, and some have…

“Don’t worry. It’s not as hard as everyone says. In my opinion, it’s actually easier than natural-metal finishes.”– Chuck Davis on rigging biplanes Rigging is one of those modeling skills that many people are afraid to try. But, like many of the things modelers do, all it takes is seeing examples of the techniques used — and practice. There are many techniques to replicate rigging. Some are easily adaptable regardless of scale, while others only work well for small sizes or as a shortcut if you don’t need to show every detail. One of my favorite rigging methods is great for simulating early biplanes equipped with visible turnbuckles, a device used to adjust tension of rigging lines on full-size aircraft. Just as in real life, this method adds substantial strength…

A husband and wife come home to the small French village of Fleury-devant-Douaumont on the hills northeast of Verdun. Between February 21 and December 15, 1916, it became the scene of some of the most violent fighting in the recorded history of warfare. During these months, the Battle of Verdun was a blood-bath. At least 700,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or went missing and Fleury changed hands 16 times. I wanted to show the destruction wrought by this level of conflict, as well as the devastation left behind. CONSTRUCTING THE SCENE…