Revell 1/39 scale Wright Flyer By Tim Cromartie

I wanted to do this kit for the 100th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers' historic first powered flight on December 3, 1903. This is a re-release of Monogram's 1958 kit in 1/39 scale. Nice and large, but it's a mystery why they just didn't go to 1/32 or even 1/48. I have to say, for a kit this old, overall quality and ease of construction are amazingly good, even considering you'd expect that from Monogram anyway. The only significant fit problems came late in construction, when I was attaching the forward stabilizer to the wings.

The kit is molded in a pale tan color, a good attempt to copy the color of the fabric on the original Flyer. Sanded, it looks like wood. There is minimal flash. Like the actual Flyer, the wings are the heart of the kit. Construction begins with and evolves around them, starting with building and mounting the engine.

Construction consists of three main components: the wings, the forward stabilizer, and the rudder. The wings are the most involved by far, due to the need to rig them with thread to represent wire. This involves some effort but was easier than I anticipated, nowhere near as difficult and time-consuming as it looks - compared to having to rig a sailing ship, it was easy.

The rudder is a little tricky, and was the only component needing more than a little sanding (on the center bar of the struts) to get a proper fit. The diameter of the bar is a little too wide, but a little extra filing fixed it.

The forward stabilizer consists of two "mini-wings" and a series of supporting struts. Be careful when assembling this, as the wings have an elliptical but asymmetrical shape, and you have to make sure that the shorter curve of both faces away from the larger, main wings. Mess up, and you cannot mount it.

The kit is very accurate as far as simulating the stress that is placed on the various parts. Several parts, most notably the struts toward the outer edges of the wings and the stabilizer, could only be glued with Testors liquid cement, and then had to be held in place for a few minutes until a solid bond could take hold. The forward stabilizer's struts, particularly the lower ones, can be difficult to attach to the main wings and require patience.

I spray painted the kit in Tamiya Light Sand, TS-46, for the right shade of pale yellow. The struts are Model Master Military Brown, FS 30117, which approximated a good wood-like color to contrast with the rest of the Flyer.

A great kit for aviation nuts, especially if you love history.