A long time have passed since I posted a review thanks LIFE .....

Building/Parts: 5/5

Thanks to some of the current changes I had quite a pause in lego set building while I still bought some of them. So I was so happy to return to building, so I am already feeling a little cheaty in this review. But let's be honest here all reviews are expression of reviewers current mind set and general happiness. But now to building I really loved the simplicity of this set and same time I thank newer instructions for making things to us much, much easier. This was a control galore sometimes because It's easy to miss something with these instructions. This set actually have a lot of parts I did not have like ropes, big plates chrome pieces and in the end everything just came together nicely. Be careful with brown pieces I learnt new things about lego this time.

Have you heard the tragedy of Brown the Brittle ???

Aesthetics 5

Which brings us to Aesthetics. This plane is absolutely gorgeous I love it, It feels menacing in the room like it wants to attack all the other sets I own. It is very well captured in lego form. Well done designers. I don't want to twist lego hand too much, but maybe we can have more of this. I know I know all about Lego not doing the military sets, but here we are.

In my point of the view the humans are bad not the machines

Playability 4

I think planes are always easier to play with it, you can just swoosh it around the room. And you know what that joystick moving all the wing parts I just give 2 extra points for that that was something that I did not expect in this lego set. Otherwise, it's just a little too big to play with. But still doable.

What does this button do - brrrrrrrrt

Value for money: 3

I feel this set is a bit of expensive side and hey I understand it was released 10 years ago so what do I actually expect If you are not a collector then have your lego fun else where. I just had to have it and I took the hit in the wallet. Bought it used though to minimise the cost.

Your brickbucks are no good here

Overall: 5

What a plane i can't give it any lower than 5. Even though it's not a perfect build in with some brown issues and other things that I mentioned in the review. So Lego it has been 10+ years I would love to have some kind of brother for this set wink wink.

Sorry for all the mild, but changed Star Wars quotes but just pointing it out Lego has a lot of war in it already. And killing a human with laser sword/gun is nothing different from a bullet or blade. Otherwise, we can edit all the world war videos to lasers and have fun. Not even mentioning the Indiana Jones sets.

There are already some great reviews out for this set, but no one seems to be mentioning how it compares to the older #3451 Sopwith Camel from only a decade prior. So for my review, I'll be drawing comparisons to that model (as well as the real thing) whenever I can. Now it's been 13 years since Lego gave us #3451 and while it was a great set then, it still looks good even now (other than the disintegrating stickers). So how did Lego convince me to buy this one? Let's see the details...

Engine
The old Camel used a very clever technique of nested 2x2 dishes to create the cylinders, of which there were six. This new one uses 1x1 round plates and the new-ish 1x1 round tiles (both in pearl silver). It's a nice effect, and being more compact, allows for eight cylinders. The actual plane has 9 cylinders, so this new design is a bit closer to the real thing. The prop on the new one is also a little more realistic--the old one actually used the airscoop parts from the Star Wars pod racers. That looked alright, but this simple wedge-plate and tile design looks more like an actual propellor. The cowling on 3451 is made up of bars whereas the one on 10226 is solid (again, pearl silver--and again, more realistic).

Wings
As gorgeous a color as Lego dark green is, I think I may prefer the brown of the older Camel--not to say the green doesn't look fantastic, but the brown just feels more authentic to me. Since Lego doesn't make olive drab, it's kind of a toss-up which color really is more authentic. The wing span of the old Camel is 58 studs while the new one is 62 studs making it only slightly larger. I prefer the look of the extra cable rigging on the older variant.

Tail
Simply put, the tail on the 10226 is superior to that on 3451 in every way. The older model used bricks built completely studs-up, and color wasn't paid much mind as a sticker was used to accomplish the effect. 10226 uses some excellent SNOT work to implement the red-white-blue pattern using only bricks. The shape of the new one also better represents the real thing, and it moves on a hinge, too. Neither model has an actual wheel on the tail, but the strut on 10226 looks more or less right.

Cockpit Area
The cockpit detail of 3451 is fine, but 10226 is definitely better. The older set's stick only moves forward and back where the new one (for good reason...) moves side to side as well. The control panel in 3451 is a printed 1x2 tile while in 10226 it's a printed 1x4 tile with more detail. There's also a smoke glass windshield on the new variant--the old one has none. Both sets use the same part for wicker-work seats, but 10226's seat also has some rounded black pieces around it giving it a lot more definition.

Other Details
I actually prefer the look of the guns on 3451. The more closely spaced guns of 10226 are more accurate to the real thing, but 3451 uses a neat flower petal-shaped part that just gives them a more distinctive look. 10226 has a novel udercarriage design which uses spring-pistons to hold everything in place. I really liked the diagonal braces of the older Camel, but once again, the newer model is more accurate to the real thing. There's just a part of me that grates against the idea of those springs being held in permanent compression like that. Still, they do allow the aircraft to rock side to side slightly, which I can perhaps imagine it doing in real life with the engine at idle while it's on the ground. The markings on the old Camel are from a very specific plane, those of Ace pilot W.G. Barker. The new model, as best I can tell, is more generic.

Functionality
I've saved the most obvious difference for last. This new model has a fully functional control stick, and it works pretty well. It's a bit stiff, but you can control both the ailerons and the elevators from the cockpit, which is pretty awesome for a Lego set. It even got me thinking how I might implement pedals to somehow control the rudder. Having recently rebuilt #8855, I'm no stranger to working control surfaces, but to have them integrated into such a compact and detailed model is just wonderful. And using wirelines instead of rigid parts is not just interesting, but again, more authentic. This feature alone blows the previous model away.

Good

• Lots of great details, particularly the engine, rudder, and cockpit. There are many improvements over the older #3451 model--quite an accomplishment given how nice that set still looks.
• If you like 1x3 dark green tiles (ok, dark green in general) this set is for you
• Lots of pearl silver, too. I prefer chrome parts, but Lego seems to be all about pearl these days. In the case of this set, for a weather exposed warplane engine, pearl makes a lot more sense.
• Despite not hitting that magical $0.10/pc mark, it still feels like a $100 set
• The control stick funtionality is awesome, and works as designed, though a tiny bit of tweaking can improve things a bit
• Instructions come as two books, neatly packed in a cardboard-backed plastic bag
• A perfect match sitting next to #10024 Red Baron Fokker Triplane

Bad

• I feel rubber bands are kind of a cheat, but I can live with them--but if you're going to use them, some spares would have been nice. At least they're fairly well hidden.
• I've been spoiled by numbered bags so it was a surprise to find these ones weren't. Still, set aside the larger plates in the beginning and you'll do alright finding the parts you need.
• It would have been great if the manual had some historical information in it about the plane's design and construction. Maybe even its role in the war, though I can understand Lego shying away from that aspect.

Neutral

• Assuming they don't disintegrate (which I haven't really seen since the early 2000's), I have no problem with the stickers in this set. There are far fewer than in #3451.
• I'm not sure what to think of the dark green. It's a great looking color, but part of me prefers the brown used in the older model.
• Aside from the usual spare 1x1's, etc, there were surprisingly two spare 2x2 round invert tiles, and a couple other bigger-than-usual spares.

Final Word
If you love the old #3451 and you don't mind the dark green of this new model (most seem to prefer the green, actually), this is certainly worth the purchase and a definite step up in almost every way. In my case it was simple--I plan to sell my #3451 to make up for this purchase. But to be perfectly fair to this model, now that I have it in hand, I think I might have bought it even without the trade-in. It's that good and I know I'd be kicking myself if this one got discontinued and I hadn't gotten it while I had the chance.

Box/Instructions

The box is simple, typical of Lego. The instructions come in two parts (two books) with a total page-count of 124 pages.

Parts

Parts come in a collection of bags, some of which seem to be more logically grouped together than others. Be careful when choosing parts for some of the steps, as the dark gray and black tones in the instructions are very close to each other.

The build

The build took me about 3-4 hours total time, most of that spent fishing for parts in the early stages of the build. Early on, with so many parts, it can be very challenging to find some of the smaller ones amongst the crowd of other parts. Had I been working in a space with more room I could probably have spread out the parts more and had an easier time of it.

Overall, the build is very straightforward. Instructions are clear on all the steps. The only issues I found with the build were:

• It is difficult to get full tension on the "rigging" parts. You have to turn the connecting parts in some cases, to create more tension. I was not able to achieve the "full" level of tension illustrated on the box/instructions.
• In step 21 (page 22 of the first book), you build the control column. One of the parts is a black rod about 1" in length, that is supposed to fit snugly into another part, while also taking a third part on the other end of the rod. But the rod itself is just a little too narrow in diameter for a snug fit, and because of this it slips out of the pilot area when you turn the plane over. Likewise, the part on the top of the rod comes off, as well. I solved this by wrapping a little bit clear cellophane tape on each end of the rod (about 1/8" on each end). Then it fit more snugly into place, and the top piece no longer came off.

Other than those two points, the build is really smooth.

The completed model

The completed model is very impressive, visually. My other hobby is building scale models of aircraft, and this is bigger than any of my other WWI kits :-). It's very sturdy, with plenty of reinforcing parts in the wings, etc. to keep it from sagging or drooping. It is sitting proudly on a shelf by my workstation in my office!

Overall opinion

Overall, this is a great kit. Especially if you're more a fan of history than fantasy, as I am. Though I cannot begin to imaging the engineering it would take, I'd love to see a Fokker Triplane to set beside this one! I highly recommend this one.

Picked up this set from an online swap site for a little more than I wanted to pay, but no regrets!

Box/Instructions

Two books, but they could probably have used one. Box is a lot bigger than it needed to be (smell that sweet Danish air!).

Parts

Not as many as you'd think, but a great variety and some novelty. Some awesome metallic-look pieces I'm surprised haven't popped up more frequently. Lots of boards, and a few technic parts for the joystick mechanism. But, if you're buying this set for parts, you're disappointing someone who wants it for display.

The build

Surprisingly simple and only a couple of "oh, wow" moments - all related to the nifty joystick mechanism and flap controls - but not repetitive. This set is well within the capability of a child - might make a cool parent-child activity? It took me a leisurely couple of hours to put together.

The completed model

Amazing. Surprisingly large given the number of pieces, and actually large enough to be somewhat difficult to display effectively - it's bigger than my 7965 Millennium Falcon. Possibly able to be hung with some slight modifications? (adding an internal anchor point around the balance point)

Very swooshable, although don't hold it by the wings lest they collapse.

Summary

Very much worth having and displaying, this set is only slightly let down by it's very simple build. Do not let this minor downside put you off owning this beautiful set!

The Sopwith Camel is a highly anticipated set, and for me at least, it did not disappoint in the slightest. For display, this is just about as good as one is going to get, and in fact there are some fun features which enhance the playability. However, this model is of course much more focused on being accurate and attractive, and in both fields it excels in my view. From every aspect this is one of my most visually appealing sets, and in fact one of the features is probably my favourite function included with any of the sets that I own. Anyway, let us get right on with the review...

Box/Instructions

The box for this set is rather nice with some lovely artwork. It features the Sopwith Camel flying high over the countryside on a background of blue sky which is very pleasant with a few wispy clouds dispersed around the landscape for good measure. This is a beautiful setting, but one cannot help but wondering how suitable clear skies are given that this British plane is most likely flying over the British countryside. In the bottom right corner is a shot of the plane from above with the dimensions shown around it (a wingspan of 50cm, and a length of 40cm.) This is held within a brass effect ring which resembles the instruments that one might have found within the cockpit of a Sopwith Camel back when these planes ruled the skies over the UK.

The back of the box shows off the Sopwith Camel from behind and has two images of the working flaps which are once again within brass rings. However here the instrument panel has been expanded and around these rings some small switches and dials on a wooden surface are printed.

There are two instruction manuals, both of which share the same artwork as the box cover. At the end of the first manual is an advertisement for the Lego VIP programme which I have not seen before. The images at the end of the second booklet are more interesting showing how having completed the build you should adjust the strings which allow the ailerons and elevators to work so that everything will work just as it should. I have never noticed anything like this before in an instruction manual which demonstrates how you must fine tune the model and I think most builders with any experience would know how to do this anyway.

Parts

There is a huge selection of absolutely brilliant parts included in this set, many of which are in rare and desirable colours. We get a large volume of dark tan bricks which are very nice indeed and useful for MOCing and plenty of tan plates of various sizes which often come in handy for desert related MOCS. There are a lot of strings of different lengths included as well. We get eight short string parts, and three very long ones, both of which are somewhat rare and very useful indeed. We also receive several rubber bands with the model and two Technic wheels, which since their release in 1977 have never before appeared in black, making these highly desirable and rare pieces.

The number of dark green parts included is just about unheard of and you will find it hard to search out any other sets with this many dark green pieces, making this probably the best set to get if you are looking for dark green, unless of course you purchase the parts you need separately from Bricklink or Lego Pick a Brick. The best components of all however are the eight metallic silver curved corner pieces which will be feverishly sought out by MOCers I have no doubt. These look fantastic, but I think anybody would find it difficult to take this set apart given how absolutely spectacular it is.

The build

There is a lot of fun to be had with this build with an excellent mix of System construction and a small amount of Technic as well. I find the construction phase of many sets to be altogether easy, but I must say that this one was occasionally challenging in places, not to the extent that one cannot do it, but it can get a little bit fiddly and adjusting everything so it works perfectly takes a bit of time. However in my opinion the fact that it is slightly difficult occasionally makes the build all the more fun and of course introduces new techniques (to me at least).

The first of these new techniques is the way in which all of the flaps have been made functional using strings which are rather ingenious. There is a reasonable amount of SNOT here and the sleek bodywork has been very accurately and impressively recreated using hinges which I like. My favourite touch however is the use of golden window lattice parts as the wickerwork chair within the cockpit, incredible work on the part of the designer!

You build the lower wings first and the front end of the fuselage, followed by the remainder of the fuselage and the tailplane. Next is the upper wing and finally the tail fin, ailerons and propeller sections. The bags are not numbered which again makes the build a bit more enjoyable in my opinion.

The completed model

The completed model is, as you may have already surmised, beyond reproach. It is possibly the most beautiful set I have ever had to look at and for display is unbeatable it seems to me. Starting at the front of the model, we have the rotating propeller, which turns along with the eight pistons visible held within the metallic silver curved corner pieces just like on the real plane. The twin machine guns are mounted in front of the cockpit which is accurate to the later editions of the plane, after the introduction of the interrupter gear which prevented the bullets wrecking the propeller blades. Prior to that, the machine guns had to be placed up on the top wing which meant that the pilot was not able to aim at all precisely making the interrupter gear a key innovation during the First World War. Beneath the engine section are the landing gear which are fitted on long stilts, raising the Sopwith Camel a great deal off the ground when landed. The wheels are very nice and accurate with rubber bands acting as tyres which mean that the wheels turn in a much more realistic manner than those without tyres, where they might simply slide on smooth surfaces.

The twin wings are absolutely lovely, almost entirely dark green, and with some wonderful details including two of the RAF Roundels, which are stickers, but nevertheless are marvellous. The undersides of each wing make use of the tan plates which is in fact accurate as on the original planes the wings were made from canvas sheets stretched over wooden panels, and these tan areas could well be the wooden panels. It is of course on the wings that we find the working ailerons which are controlled using the control yoke (or joystick) found in the cockpit. By moving the yoke towards the left, the right hand ailerons lower, and the left hand ailerons rise, making the plane bank left, which is just how the actual planes work. Moving the control yoke right does the reverse as one would expect, raising the right aileron, and lowering the left one, meaning that the plane banks to the right. The strings allow these to function and it will require some fine tuning from time to time to keep everything working perfectly. Another string means that the ailerons on both the upper and lower wings work at the same time which is very realistic indeed.

The inside of the cockpit contains the control yoke, the charming wickerwork chair, and an instrument panel which is lovely. As far as I am aware no figures really fit inside this vehicle, no matter what the size or scale of them. By pushing the joystick forwards or backwards you can raise and lower the elevators on the tailplane just like the real plane. The sides of the fuselage have two more Roundel stickers on them and two brick built white stripes, which act as the unique number just like the ones you see on actual aircraft of the time for identification purposes. At the back of this fuselage is another identification number, which has no significance as far as I can tell, it is simply the set number, 10226, with the letter B before it, perhaps an initial of the designer. On the tailplane we can see the word ' Sopwith' and of course the adjustable rudder, the only one of the seven flaps on the model which cannot be controlled from the cockpit. A really superb touch is the inclusion of two round one by one plates placed on top of the fuselage to represent battle damage I believe, which are frighteningly close to where the pilot would sit! All in all, an absolutely delightful model.

Summary

This is without a doubt, the greatest model for display that I own. I highly recommend it to anybody who wishes to display their sets, and for those of you who play with your sets, this is also an appealing model, but perhaps some other sets at this price point might be a little bit more attractive from a playability perspective. Nevertheless, this set has my very highest recommendation and I strongly suggest you purchase it at the first opportunity. I do not own the previous incarnation of this model, but having looked carefully at many images of it, I can safely say this model is far better than the older one making it just about perfect in my opinion.

Overall - 10/10