1:48 MERIT D.H. 2 BIPLANE (No number...)
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PUSHING IT!
ONE of Merit's very own in-house productions extended their 1:48 scale series and one of their best-embossed markings notwithstanding Moulded in dark green, outlines of all main parts require only minimal correction: wing ribs are on both surfaces and once the engraved roundels are erased the wings will require thinning. Surface detail elsewhere is presentable and the Monosoupape engine rotates in sync with its propeller but those big wheels will need replacing! Nevertheless, with some refining overall and a few added details the kit has a lot to offer. Plastic content of our example is mint although we cannot guarantee the decals will remain intact once immersed so an alternative, an ex-Smer DH2 sheet, is supplied. Also included, a number of parts from a spare kit which may prove useful in case of damage or loss: even an original phial of polystyrene cement is here but it's rock-hard!
WHOEVER designed the patterns for Merit's 1:48 scale Avro 504K and DH2 back in the 1950's did a reasonable job as these were among the most accurate 1/4'' WWI model kits of that period. Moulded in glossy dark green, the DH2 comprised 46 parts, one being a tiny windscreen transparency within a cellophane bag. This was Merit's final WWI subject, never making it to the universal box layout, nor was a catalogue number ever assigned. Legend has it that the model was based on drawings in Harleyford's 1946 Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War although it's actually a lot better than that. Comparison of major components with Ian Stair's drawings in DATAFILE 48 (reprinted in the WIND-SOCK Anniversary Special) reveal outline accuracy theroughout is really good with just a few caveats. Minor surgery will correct the nose contours and rear nacelle cut-outs, whilst careful re-profiling of tail surfaces and wing tips will be necessary before refining them further as the aerofioil section is rather thick. All wing struts are linked by tie-bars to ease assembly and are of surprisingly thin section as are the tail booms. Conversely the two-piece wheels are way over-scale and also feature Merit's trademarks on their inner surfaces...
Separate ammunuition pockets are provided for the four Lewis ammo' drums along with elevator control horns and a two-piece Monosoupape rotary that swings freely with its two-bladed propeller.There are a few missing aspects: nacelle fuel tank; compass fairing; pipes etc.,which all need fabricating and the upper wing gravity tank warrants attention but that's about all.
Modest decals offer plain roundels for wings and nacelle and rudder stripes devoid of serials numbers but due to age are probably unusable anyway. As with all Merit kits, instructions are above average with exploded assembly diagrams; detail sketches; painting guide and four accurate rigging schematics that could hardly be more comprehensive. All plastic parts are in first class condition -many still fastened to their hefty runners and all loose items double-checked and zip-locked.
EXTRAS! There are a number of parts from a spare kit-including:nacelle halves;wheels; some cockpit pieces;tail booms;various struts and engine pushrods. To replace the decals ,there's a relatively recent Propacteam sheet from the Smer reisuue that offers quality items for DH2s 5967 and 5991.
DH DATA: Best available reference on the type is Barry Gray's De Havilland DH2 and the men who flew them published in in 2002 by The Great War Aviation Society-over 250 pages of extraordinary and image-laden material.Then there's Barry's earlier 1994 WINDSOCK DATAFILE 48-now hard to find. *See also pages 2,3 and 4 of WIND-SOCK Special 20th Anniversary Edition (1985-2005) for a retrospective on the Merit model and pages 325-327 of Scale Models, June 1972 that describes re-working the kit with plastic card-both are available here...
