I followed this thread, and another related one, regarding the SR Eindecker E1. I’ve been working on one too, and have had enough time during the holidays to nearly finish. I purchased the kit and the accessory kit from SR last April, after looking it over at Toledo. After receiving everything, I had a couple of questions, and emailed SR. They answered nearly immediately and very professionally. I’m a longtime modeler, and have built a number of kits over the years. In general, I found the SR E1 kit design, parts fit, and instructions to be among the best I’ve ever built. The fit of the fuse parts, especially around the servo tray, wing rods, stab mounting area, etc. was outstanding. I changed very little with the basic build, and followed the instructions pretty closely. I used nearly every piece of wood provided, which is unusual for me. Everything supplied was straight, usually the right density, etc. I used the SR supplied covering, graphics, and aluminum. All were first rate, and worked exactly as intended. I liked the use of carbon fiber tubes throughout. I starting building in July, and finished this week. I'm not the fastest builder, plus my work schedule limits the time available. It's a reasonably quick build though for the size and type of model.

Details: Final weight 17 lbs 2 ozs. Zenoah G-26 with CH Electronics CDI, APC 18-6 prop, stock muffler, Airtronics Stylus PCM radio, Hitec 605BB and MG servos, 1650mah NiMH 5 Cell 6V battery for flight pack, and 1100mah NiCad 4.8V on ignition, HD switches, Voltwatch monitor, B&B Specialties 16oz tank. The white and black paint is Krylon. Balanced exactly on the CG without any weight added. Engine tuning (it hasn't been run yet) and maiden flights will be some months away, after our usual Michigan winter.

These are the changes I made (that I can remember!):

- Changed to Robart Super hinge points, instead of the supplied CA hinges. While the supplied hinges are probably OK, I just don’t use CA hinges on giant scale models.

- Changed the cross-braces in the LG from 1/32 to 1/16 wire. I had it all built and soldered with the 1/32, but I just couldn't get them straight. I ended up cutting off the 1/32 and replacing with the 1/16. Looks much better.

- Added neoprene washers between the cowl and firewall. The thickness allowed the aluminum cowl to fit a little better because the circumference of the cowl is a bit larger than the firewall. Plus, I really didn't like the cowl directly contacting the aluminum tape on the fuse.

- Moved the flight pack switch to the fuse side, rather than in the hatch, to eliminate having to plug/unplug each time the hatch is removed. In hindsight, I should have put the switch under the wing on the fuse side, rather than above it. Would have looked better. The switch for the CDI is under the RH cheek cowl.

- Replaced the balsa hatch floor with liteply. This was because I didn’t want the one with the switches already cut-out, plus it was pretty soft balsa. Also, the liteply looks better painted.

- In order to adjust the pull-pull cables for the elevators and rudder, I added Sullivan metal clevises and Dubro 4-40 rigging couplers. I put them inside the fuse on the tiller bars. They’re a little harder to reach there, but looks better.

- I added Dubro 1/4 scale turnbuckles on the lower (flying) rigging wires – again for adjustment. You can see them in the pictures.

- I replaced the supplied aileron control horns with cut-down Dubro heavy duty horns. These are a little overkill for this model, but bolt through perfectly.

- I replaced the supplied servo mount screw type screws with button head screws on the cowl, rigging connections, hatch cover, LG, etc., because I think they look better.

- Replaced the supplied nylon landing gear straps with Dubro steel straps. I wasn't planning to, but during final assembly, one of the nylon straps broke pretty easily when tightening the screws. That hasn't happened to me before, but I'm playing it safe with the metal straps, since with this design, the LG also holds on the wings.

- The instructions don't say much about the supplied Williams Brothers machine gun. After assembly, I cut some of the bottom off, and set into a rectangular hole in the top hatch. I then glued in from the bottom. Note I mounted it a little off-center. This is how the real one is. I kept the finish simple. Spray painted black, dry-brushed some silver latex, and overcoated with Testors Dullcote.

- This isn't a change, but a suggestion. The instructions say for assembly to first hook up the lower flying rigging wires, and then attach the upper landing rigging wires. I have my wires pretty tight probably, and found this nearly impossible. Attaching the upper landing wires FIRST, and then attaching the lower flying wires works much better for me. Because of the geometry, a little less slack is necessary to get the lower wires attached, plus you're pulling on only two wires at a time instead of all four.

I've attached a few pictures. The background is a little cluttered in my basement shop, but you can get the idea. I'm still finishing the paint on the pilot, then it's really done. Let me know if any questions.