I agree Abu. I just don't see how the original Short Bomber could ever balance out correctly unless the engine block was made of lead!
Blarling Bomber! And I thought I was interested in obscure subjects. A one off prototype build well after WWI (early 20's) would be a labor of love indeed. Not for me I'm afraid.
I'm a fan of big planes too but 1/4 scale is about max for me. Wing spans under 100" is about my limit. I'd love to do the FE2b but that's just too big for my comfort zone. Transporting becomes a real problem. I hate the idea of going to all the trouble to try to keep to scale but having to design in non-scale stuff to make transporting practical.
As I contemplate the list, I am sort of settling into the AVRO Triplane (a one-off prototype
), the RAF FE8, and the Albatros CIII as kit subjects. None are widely kitted. The FE8 and CIII are reasonably well known in WWI circles and the Triplane gets a "oh yeah" reaction when the movie "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" is brought up. An eclectic mix I think. A pioneering era plane, a WWI Allied scout pusher, and a WWI German two-seater.
If I do go through with these, I would want to design them so that super expert skills are not needed but not at the sacrifice of scale outlines. I am in the process of redesigning the Triplane with that in mind. So far, so good. The wings are EXACTLY scale shape (I know, because I measured the full scale plane myself!) yet it should go together with standard modeling skills. The wing is complete with the hinged spar! (More on the Triplane later and in another post.)