I should have my SE5a this Wednesday. However, I won't start it until I've finished my "The HOTS". It will be sometime in February, I would guess. I started a thread on this plane in Aerodrome, which has so much less traffic then here, I doubt the thread will last very long.

I was wondering about decreasing the gap between upper and lower wings. Folks have asked here about this, and it appears no one has actually done this, as there has been no responses. I built an Albatros DIII in 1/6th scale from my own plans, back in the 80s. I used a scale, bungyed, hardwood tail skid and was amazed at how easy it was to steer this plane. It steered so well, I could drive it out from and back into the pits. So, needless to say, my SE will have a scale tail skid, which won't be steerable and part of the rudder. What have you guys used for armament? Does some Mfger have 1/5th scale Vickers and Lewis guns? Or, does the kit come with good replicas or plans for building from balsa?

I see the Dynaflite model is the Hispano Suiza version, which was a geared version and has thehigh prop shaft. I plan to model the Wolsely Viper model, lowering the Propshaft, allowing an upright engine installation and plan to power with a Magnum 1.20.

By the way, have you noticed that Dynaflite has shown the American version of red white and blue rudder stripes (red forward, blue aft) and then provides British roundels? I also see a Mr. Dolbey has written to the December issue of AMA's Model Aviation espousing this opinion! I brought this subject up on the Aerodrome Forum and fairly stirred up a veritable Hornet's Nest!! All my plastic 1/48th and 1/28th scale British WW1 aeroplanes and all my Squadron Signals books have the blue leading and the red aft! Who started this opinion? It's interesting to note; actual examples of WW1 aeroplanes exist today, painted, maybe repainted with the blue leading the red and up until the 70s and 80s pilots from WW1 were still around, wouldn't they have mentioned that modelers, historians, replica builders and restorers had the sequence wrong and the red should lead the blue! But, no, somebody has seen fit to re-write history, once again!