Finally got an Eduard Camel!

[davecww1]

Hi,
I'm about a year late, but was finally able to get the Eduard Sopwith Camel F1 profipack kit. Looks great, but I tthink I see what the complaint was on the rib detail on the wings & alierons. they appear to be very wide! Did Eduard find any actual photos or drawings that show the rib tapes this wide? they look about double the width as I think that they should be, but has anyone plans or photos to prove what is correct?
Also I like the photoetched devil for Barker's gun. Nice touch.
Does anyone know if the Eduard markings for Barker's Camel are correct with the black around the cockpit on the wood panels? The only photo I could find in the Osprey Camel Aces book this area is in shadows, but in the color profile it shows these areas as varnished wood, not black as Eduard shows it in their instructions.
Anyone have a good profile of Barker's Camel!
Thanks,
Dave

[Shredward]

"Will Barker flew one particular Camel, B6313 almost exclusively for twelve months. It was rare for RFC pilots to keep the same a/c for extended periods in the field...But Barker's record stands alone. Although he flew 10 different Camels, virtually all his patrols, and all but four of his 50 victories, were in B6313 (note - the others were in a rather famous Snipe - th). No other scout machine in the RFC or RAF served as long in combat with one pilot. It has been called by Shores, Franks, and Guest:'...the single most successful fighter aircraft in the history of the RAF...' Barker's machine was built by the Sopwith Aviation Company Ltd at Kingston-on-Thames, the 313th Camel manufactured...to 7 Aircraft Acceptance Park at Kenley; when it arrived there on 11 September... B6313 was finished in standard RFC paint scheme...Barker customised his own aircraft, and it was 'redecorated' to his taste at least three times. At 28 Squadron the aluminium cowling was polished, not painted. The squadron marking, a white square, was painted on either side of the fuselage and on the top wing, along with a large number '1,' and the letter 'c.' Barker's machine was assigned to him, but he was not it's only pilot. Eleven flights or offensive patrols were flown in B6313 by other men. Amazingly, Barker had no successful fights in any other Camel, and no pilot other than Barker had a successful fight in B6313." Barker VC, Wayne Ralph
Bob Pearson did a series of profiles of the various iterations of B6313 - see
http://www.cbrnp.com/profiles/quarte...kers-camel.htm
Hope this helps,
shredward

[davecww1]

Thanks. The last profile is the version I would like to do. Pearson's shows the wood around the cockpit as varnished wood, not black as on the earlier version. Looks like the way I will do it.
Dave

[Intrepid]

Hi davecww1,

There is a very good quality photo published in "Aces and aircraft of World War One " by Christopher Campbell (1981 Blandford Press) which shows Barker sitting in B6313 . The aircraft has it's tail propped up and a man with a pith helmet, shorts , and walking stick in hand is posed with Barker and Camel B6313. The painted interplane strut has 37 "kill" painted marks along with heart with arrow piercing on the black vertical fin and devil emblem between guns are visible in the photo .

Behind the fuselage roundel is a white/ black fuselage band consisting of four vertical white stripes with three vertical black bands in between.

In this photo the nose and wooden areas were painted a dark shade very similar to the black vertical fin.

The spinner is rounded in the photo though. The prop is painted to the inside edge of the cowl. Colour unknown.

Perhaps this photo is what Bob based his profile on.

[StephenLawson]

The Camel wings are fine. Some think there is just too much detail there. 600 grit sanding film helps tone it down.