How good are the Reviresco kits?

[Wombat]

I have been building quite a lot of the Skytrex (Red Eagle) kits (LINK) and have found some minor problems with accuracy. The Nieuport 11 does look more like a later Nieuport variant - especially the engine cowl, the Fokker E.V/D.VIII having a fuselage that is too shallow, and the Aviatik D.I being the worst one with the lower wing too far back and the fin and rudder totally out of shape.

So, how are the Reviresco kits faring in comparison? They seem to lack some detail in some cases (lack of wing ribs for example). Are they more true to the original shape wise? What's your experience?


The Aviatik D.I fin and rudder. The lower one is the modified one. I later cut off about half a millimeter at the rear.


I had to move the wing a millimeter or two forward.


The finished result.

[Flyer53]

How good are the Revirescos kits? Well, it looks like compared to the Skytrex kits, they are probably no better. Thank you for posting the close up details of your Skytrex kit. I have purchased about six different Reviresco kits, and the level of detail varies from kit to kit even though they are from the same company. I went with Reviresco, because the customer service seems to get good marks, and it is for me a domestic product.

The first kit I have completed is an Albatros DV. I also purchased the decal kit. The decal kit allows for three different paint jobs. It is so far the only one I can comment on for construction. The first problem I encountered is the position of the V struts on the lower wing. There is a hole in the bottom wing for placement of the V struts. if these holes are used, the top wing does not line up with the fuselage. These holes are off about 1.5mm. The distance from the leading edge of the wing to the trailing edge is good. So, these holes must be filled and moved sideways the distance of the error, and redrilled. Also check to see that the fuselage can be located exactly in the center of the lower wing. If not, the hole for the alignment must be filled and redrilled. There are dimples on the fuselage for locating the inner N struts. The left and right set of dimples did not line up. Pick which ones are correct, and fill the other ones. The same thing happened for the landing gear. I think I see this problem on the photos of the Skytrex kit as well. Don't forget the lower wing has a bit of diheadral, this angle should be very close to what it should be, or there will be more problems installing the inner N struts. The lower wing might be shipped flat, the diheadral will have to be re-established so it looks like the angle in the 3 view drawing. The decals make up for the lack of detail on the aircraft, as things like ailerons are nicely outlined on the decals. The decals allow for great lozenge camouflage. Two of the three decal sets are for the DV without the head rest. The head rest is part of the fuselage casting and must be removed for use with these two decal sets. The instructions does not mention this. The decal for thr top wing was not without it's own problem. It has the radiator as part of the printed decal, yet the radiator is part of the upper wing casting. I wanted to paint the radiator, and cut a rectangular hole in the decal to let the radiator come through. Well, the printed radiator and the cast radiator did not line up. So the hole was cut in the decal, and a little bit extra was used to cover up the misalignment.

I am now starting the Halberstadt CLII. So far, the biggest problem is the alignment of the bottom wing with the fuselage. There is an alignment pin to locate the bottom wing to the fuselage. This pin, or the hole in the wing are off by quite a lot. The bottom wing is nowhere on center. I filled, and redrilled the hole in the bottom wing. This kit is not finished yet.

Even with these short commings, I must give Reviresco good marks. There were casting problems with several of the kits I received, and they were promptly replaced. I am happy with my finished Albatros DV, but it was not an easy kit to get a good result. We'll see how the Halberstadt goes.

[Flyer53]

By the way, I have several photos of my Reviresco Albatros DV, but I'm not sure how to post them. Clicking on the "insert image" asks for a URL. It is possible to just browse your own computor and insert images from your own computor? Thanks!

[Flyer53]

I Think I figured out to insert photos into my posts! Here's a few images of my completed Reviresco Albatros DV.

[somaliavet]

Thanks for posting, both of you. I've been looking into buying a few Reviresco kits, and appreciate the reviews and pics!

[gully_raker]

David thats really great work on the Albatross. Congratulations!

[Wombat]

That Albatros looks really great! Are the decals difficult to apply?

I went with Reviresco, because the customer service seems to get good marks, and it is for me a domestic product.

Yeah, it seems like us europeans go for Skytrex, and you on the other side of the pond go Reviresco.

The left and right set of dimples did not line up. Pick which ones are correct, and fill the other ones. The same thing happened for the landing gear. I think I see this problem on the photos of the Skytrex kit as well.

You can never trust that the dimples on the fuselage or holes in the wings are correct, as they usually are not on the Skytrex. Worst as of yet is the Hanriot HD.1 whose wingstruts would have leaned inwards instead of outwards if the holed would have been used! :eek2: And you can rarely use the struts as is, as they mostly are too long and too frail. I normally use some of the struts (those that fit the best) from the kit to align the wings and then use wire as a substitute for the rest of them.

The decals allow for great lozenge camouflage.

As most of the latest kits I bought are representing late war aircraft types, I will have to get decal paper to print some lozenge myself. Meaning I'll have to take that Siemens-Schuckert apart again to attach the camouflage to the wings.

There were casting problems with several of the kits I received, and they were promptly replaced.

No such problems for the Skytrex, yet.

/Jörgen

[Linz]

I have only one metal bird a reviresco Fokker DVIII. It came to me prebuilt but in a damaged codition. I only brought it to see what these metal kits were like. I am impressed with the detail and enjoyed getting it back into the air.

Linz

[Flying Officer Kyte]

I have found the same type of problem with Reviresco as already mentioned in the thread. I don't mind doing a little re modelling on either set of kits. As you know I generally use Skytrex, but use Reviresco whenever I want a kit that Skytrex do not make. The only downside is that on this side of the pond Skytrex come within a day or so, whilst Reviresco take weeks and have the added disadvantage of higher postage costs, and if a fault is found, an even longer wait whilst a replacement is sent. The range of decals available makes up for this, however. it's another question of you pays your money and takes your choice.
Rob.

[Guntruck]

I would consider Skytrex and Reviresco are on a par for quality and accuracy, both of which are adequate (just) on their older kits.

With Reviresco you have the added anticipation of guessing what bits are going to be missing or mis-cast. Sadly, quality control is not a strong suit of Reviresco. Yes, customer service is good regarding replacement parts, but it is unfortunate that you have to go down this route on a regular basis.

I've only had one problem with a Skytrex kit, when I had a set of S.S. D.III struts in a S.S. D.IV kit. These were quickly replaced, and Skytrex customer service is good - especially as they are willing to provide spare props, wheels, etc if you ask them. Skytrex however offer a different set of frustrations - mis-aligned holes for the struts, corrugated wings, wrong-shaped wings.....

I look forward to Shapeways expanding their range, as it might prompt both the above companies to pull their socks up if they start losing custom to Shapeways. Come on Roman, get cracking

[Bluedevil]

I have one HD1 Reviresco kit...I must say that I am not very thrilled about it. Can't compare with the Skytrex kits but as the situation goes with Shapeway's I think I'll spend my money there (Roman? the Hanriot is a nice little aircraft *hint* ) and maybe , if we're lucky, Nexus will come out of its coma

[Flyer53]

Here's a few photos of my Halberstadt CL-II. This is a Reviresco kit. The biggest problem with the kit was the locating hole on the bottom wing that engages with the pin on the bottom of the fuselage. It was off so much that I filled the hole in the wing with a drop of solder, filed everything back and redrilled. The locator pin on the fuselage was not centered on the fuselage, so locating the new hole in the bottom wing was critical. On the upside, the paint job is pretty wild! I like it. This was almost done entirely with the decal kit, which has the options of three different schemes. The decals are not that bad to apply, even the one on the fuselage. I use Micro-Set to help the decals conform.Also shown is the "jig" included with the kit to help position the wings. Brass wire is supplied by the builder for struts. The struts are pushed through the holes in the wings. The wires are glued, cut, and filed even with the surface of the wing. I painted the struts before installation. Decals on the "inside" surfaces of the wings are applied before they are positioned and glued. I left the "outside" surfaces of the wings unfinished until the wings were completely installed. This helps to prevent any "accidents" that might happen during assembly so these decals are protected.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Well you made a nice job of it David, considering the problems you overcame. It sounds as if your construction method is not a million miles off mine. Ialways apply decals as late as possible, consistent with the build.
Rob.

[somaliavet]

That's a fine looking crate!

[Madboyo]

Amazing job David. That's a fine beast

[Guntruck]

Excellent finish there!

[Burt]

Nice job there.
Well done
Burt

[Wombat]

That's a really nice build! Maybe I'll try a Reviresco later on.

[The Cowman]

Jörgen, I have a couple of Articles regarding Reviresco builds in the How To: Kit Building section of the site that you might want to check out. I also have a Revisresco Camel project that is not complete yet due to some unforseen medical problems delaying the build..