Sky Pirate Planes

[Ironworker]

Well it looks like my Sky Pirates campaign is actually about to get under way but I've still got some modeling to do for it.  I'm starting out in 1918 at the end of WWI and during the RCW.  I purchased some planes almost a year ago.  4 Testors Spad 13s, 4 Glencoe Albatros DIIIs, and a Linberg Curtis Jenny, all in 1/48th scale. 

Last Night I decided to build one of the Albatros DIIIs from Glencoe.  Let me just say this was not an enjoyable experience.  It was definately the most challenging kits I've ever put together.  Not because of it's complexity but because of the lack of good instructions and just the poor quality of the kit in general.  There were no instructions what so ever as to how to put the wings on and no guides on the kit itself.  I had to eyeball it mostly from the painting on the box cover.  When the kit was done I had the engine in backwards because the drawings in the instructions were so crude and I had two big gaps that need putty. 





Here you can see the gaps behind the cockpit and at the tail.  Also the tail wasn't modeled to fit correctly so I had to widen it which is why there is a gap.  I'll also need to putty the lower wings since they didn't line up perfectly.  Since this model is for gameing I'm just happy I got it together at all and I think it will do the trick but if I decided I need more DIIIs I'm not going to go with Glencoe.

In the time it took me to get the one Albatros together my wife was able to complete three Testors Spad 13s.  These kits went together real nicely for her.  We're bot experienced at building miniature kits but less experienced building model kits but the Testors kits gave her no trouble. 





To top it all off the Testors kits were a few dollars cheaper than the Glencoe kits.  I hope to finish the three other Albatros kits I have in the next week.  Hopefully now that I'm through one the others will be easier. 

[archangel1]

If the Glencoe kit is the one I'm thinking of, I knew the designer.  When he was contracted to provide the original masters, he did a bang-up job.  I've seen his stuff and it's good! Glencoe apparently took what he did and dumbed it down to get it out sooner and cheaper and this is apparently the result.  They should have stuck to re-releasing some of the older kits they had dug up, like those spacecraft designed by Wernher von Braun and Krafft Ehricke.

[Hitman]

Some very nice looking models...can't wait to see the finished product. Thanks for sharing!!

[Ironworker]

If the Glencoe kit is the one I'm thinking of, I knew the designer.  When he was contracted to provide the original masters, he did a bang-up job.  I've seen his stuff and it's good! Glencoe apparently took what he did and dumbed it down to get it out sooner and cheaper and this is apparently the result.  They should have stuck to re-releasing some of the older kits they had dug up, like those spacecraft designed by Wernher von Braun and Krafft Ehricke.

I can't comment on the master for the kit but putting the kit together is a pain. 

[Ironworker]

I've started working on the Spads.  We still only have three of them assembled. 

Here's the group base coted dark green with a copplestone pilot for scale. 




The nice thing about this kit is that it has guides for painting cocades embossed in the plastic.  These are painted in an Imperial Russian marking because the Sky Pirates first contract will be with Pyotr Wrangel general of the White forces in Southern Russia.  The tail marking I took from planes from General Denikin who was Wrangel's predisessor. 



I'm going to paint the basic details and markings onto the planes but I'm not going to finish them until after the first full game session because I'm going to let the individual "pilots" customise them. 

[Ironworker]

Well I finished up the first one with the squadron markings.  Now each pilot will get to customize their planes with personal markings then I'll finish up the detailing and highlighting. 

[Dewbakuk]

Excellent stuff! What rules are you using?

[Ironworker]

Excellent stuff! What rules are you using?

Well it's going to be a pulp game rather than strictly historic so I'm using Savage Worlds and Canvas Eagles. 

[Dewbakuk]

Ah, good choice. I was wanting to do something similar but couldn't drum up interest. I was going with Savage Worlds and Crimson Eagles (Crimson Skies/Canvas Eagles cross).

[thejammedgatling]

These look really good and a great idea for a game. I'm mad keen to get into some aerial combat games but unsure about rulesets. Any chance you could post a link to those Canvas Eagles rules?

One of my historical forays is currently into the Spanish Cival War, which seems to offer great potential for the range of airplanes used by both sides. The Classic Airframes range seems to offer some good kits but at a fairly hefty pricetag ($70 ish). I've come across a few by a company called SMER ($15 ish). Anyone know if they are decent or will I be running the same gauntlet that Ironworker did with the Albatross model? Any advice would be great. The models in question I was after was a Heinkel HE 51 and a Fiat CR32.

Look forward to seeing how your players modify their paintjobs. Are they allowed to modify the models?!

[Mac Finn]

Iron
This is serioously one of the coolest ideas I have seen in a long time. I like the fact that you deliver a base plane and let the pilots make them their own. It may not have been the best movie ever, but it reminds me of Fly Boys where they painted up the sides of the issued planes, some went simple and others went all out. Either way it was cool.

Cannot wait to see what the players come up with! Don't forget the bullet holes 

Nice job
Mac

[Ironworker]

These look really good and a great idea for a game. I'm mad keen to get into some aerial combat games but unsure about rulesets. Any chance you could post a link to those Canvas Eagles rules?


Look forward to seeing how your players modify their paintjobs. Are they allowed to modify the models?!

Here is their main page. 

http://www.eaglesmax.com/index.html

At the moment I'm just letting the players modify the paint jobs if they want to.  Mostly I'm letting them pick custom markings.  I may eventually model any modifications. 

My wife's character is a pacifist with nursing skills.  She's kinda playing a flying nurse and she's doing all the paint work on her characters JN4 Curtiss Jenny. 

[Ironworker]

Iron
This is serioously one of the coolest ideas I have seen in a long time. I like the fact that you deliver a base plane and let the pilots make them their own. It may not have been the best movie ever, but it reminds me of Fly Boys where they painted up the sides of the issued planes, some went simple and others went all out. Either way it was cool.

Cannot wait to see what the players come up with! Don't forget the bullet holes 

Nice job
Mac

I was somewhat inspired by Flyboys but mostly by the fact that planes were so often customised by their pilots.  These Spads are just kinda intro planes.  Eventually they will aquire other planes as the campaign goes along and also some other types of aircraft for the squadron to use. 
 
I've got three of the planes nearly ready for pilot customization and my wife has her Jenny to do.  I've also started on the Albatros.  Hopefully I'll get pics updated soon.