Eastern Express 72155 Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe — 1:72 Plastic model aircraft kit

Manufacturer: Eastern Express
Kit number: 72155
Aircraft: Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe
Scale: 1:72
Barcode / EAN: 4620748781076
Kit type: Injection-moulded plastic aircraft kit
Country represented: United Kingdom
Status: Discontinued / currently out of stock
Manufacturer and kit background

Eastern Express is a Russian model manufacturer with a substantial catalogue of Russian, Soviet and international aircraft subjects. The company has also reissued older tooling from other manufacturers, which is particularly common among its WWI aircraft.

The Sopwith Snipe is a particularly appropriate subject for the company's 1:72 range because it is an important but relatively specialised late-WWI fighter.

Kit 72155 is a compact vintage-style 1:72 model rather than a modern multi-part CAD kit. It is consequently more attractive to collectors of unusual aircraft and Eastern European model tooling than to someone looking for the latest possible representation of the Snipe.
Kit contents and modelling details

The kit provides the main components for a single-seat Snipe, including:

Injection-moulded fuselage

Upper and lower wings

Interplane and cabane struts

Tailplane and rudder

Cockpit

Pilot's position

Bentley BR.2 rotary engine

Engine cowling

Propeller

Fixed undercarriage

Machine-gun armament

Windscreen

Small external fittings

Decals

Assembly instructions

The Snipe's compact airframe means there aren't an enormous number of parts, but the wing struts, undercarriage and cockpit components are relatively delicate and should be checked carefully if buying a second-hand example.

As with most 1:72 WWI biplanes, rigging is left to the modeller. Adding fine rigging material is one of the most worthwhile improvements to the finished model.

The model's principal visual features are the large rotary-engine cowling, relatively deep fuselage and distinctive rounded upper wing.
What to check in a used kit

For a complete collector example, I would specifically check for:

Both wings

All interplane/cabane struts

Propeller

Engine/cowling

Undercarriage legs

Windscreen

Machine guns

Decal sheet

Instructions

Missing struts can be particularly troublesome because replacements are not normally included with aftermarket parts.
The full-size Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe

The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a British single-seat fighter developed during the final stages of the First World War.

It was designed as a successor to the Sopwith Camel, retaining the general concept of a compact, highly manoeuvrable fighter but incorporating a more powerful engine and improved pilot visibility.

The prototype appeared in 1918, but the aircraft arrived so late in the war that its operational career was short.

The Snipe was powered by the 230 hp Bentley BR.2 rotary engine, one of the most powerful rotary engines fitted to a British fighter.
Operational history

Although introduced very late, the Snipe saw combat with the Royal Air Force during the final weeks of WWI.

One of its most famous pilots was Major William George Barker, who flew a Snipe during an extraordinary action on 27 October 1918.

Barker attacked a large German formation while operating alone and fought several enemy aircraft before returning to Allied lines badly wounded. He was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross for the action.

The Snipe's combat career was therefore brief but historically significant.

After the Armistice, the type continued in limited RAF service before being progressively replaced by newer post-war fighters.
Aircraft specifications

Typical Snipe specifications include:

Crew: 1

Engine: Bentley BR.2 rotary

Power: approximately 230 hp

Maximum speed: approximately 121 mph / 195 km/h

Role: single-seat fighter

Armament: generally two forward-firing .303-inch machine guns

Configuration: single-engine biplane

At 1:72 scale, the completed model is only around 8 cm long and roughly 11 cm in wingspan, making the fine struts and rigging particularly important visually.