{"product_id":"eastern-express-72155-sopwith-7f-1-snipe-1-72-plastic-model-aircraft-kit","title":"Eastern Express 72155 Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe — 1:72 Plastic model aircraft kit","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer: Eastern Express\n\u003cbr\u003eKit number: 72155\n\u003cbr\u003eAircraft: Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe\n\u003cbr\u003eScale: 1:72\n\u003cbr\u003eBarcode \/ EAN: 4620748781076\n\u003cbr\u003eKit type: Injection-moulded plastic aircraft kit\n\u003cbr\u003eCountry represented: United Kingdom\n\u003cbr\u003eStatus: Discontinued \/ currently out of stock\n\u003cbr\u003eManufacturer and kit background\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEastern 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKit 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.\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents and modelling details\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit provides the main components for a single-seat Snipe, including:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Injection-moulded fuselage\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Upper and lower wings\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Interplane and cabane struts\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Tailplane and rudder\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Cockpit\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Pilot's position\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Bentley BR.2 rotary engine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Engine cowling\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Propeller\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Fixed undercarriage\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Machine-gun armament\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Windscreen\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Small external fittings\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Decals\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Assembly instructions\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model's principal visual features are the large rotary-engine cowling, relatively deep fuselage and distinctive rounded upper wing.\n\u003cbr\u003eWhat to check in a used kit\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor a complete collector example, I would specifically check for:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Both wings\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    All interplane\/cabane struts\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Propeller\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Engine\/cowling\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Undercarriage legs\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Windscreen\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Machine guns\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Decal sheet\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Instructions\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMissing struts can be particularly troublesome because replacements are not normally included with aftermarket parts.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe full-size Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a British single-seat fighter developed during the final stages of the First World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe prototype appeared in 1918, but the aircraft arrived so late in the war that its operational career was short.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Snipe was powered by the 230 hp Bentley BR.2 rotary engine, one of the most powerful rotary engines fitted to a British fighter.\n\u003cbr\u003eOperational history\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough introduced very late, the Snipe saw combat with the Royal Air Force during the final weeks of WWI.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of its most famous pilots was Major William George Barker, who flew a Snipe during an extraordinary action on 27 October 1918.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBarker 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Snipe's combat career was therefore brief but historically significant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter the Armistice, the type continued in limited RAF service before being progressively replaced by newer post-war fighters.\n\u003cbr\u003eAircraft specifications\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTypical Snipe specifications include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Crew: 1\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Engine: Bentley BR.2 rotary\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Power: approximately 230 hp\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Maximum speed: approximately 121 mph \/ 195 km\/h\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Role: single-seat fighter\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Armament: generally two forward-firing .303-inch machine guns\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Configuration: single-engine biplane\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Eastern Express","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57509849203068,"sku":"EasternExpress-72155","price":24.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/eastern-express-72155-sopwith-7f-1-snipe-1-72-plastic-model-aircraft-kit","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}