Snoopy’s nemesis, the Red Baron, has joined the dogfight. The Red Baron Fokker Triplane Model Kit by Atlantis went together easily in about 35 minutes. If you have the Snoopy kit, the Red Baron is the perfect pairing for your collection. I love that the two planes are distinctly different enough and not just red and yellow versions of the same plane. Read about building the Snoopy and his Sopwith Camel Model Kit…
Nostalgia
Back in 1971, Monogram Mattel first released these popular Snoopy and Red Baron kits. Snoopy and his Sopwith Camel features his yellow bi-plane displayed above his doghouse. The Red Baron kit features Baron Von Richthofen in his red tri-plane above an iron cross base. Both of the kits feature a motorized propeller for those recreated World War I dog fights. Monogram Mattel came out with a variety of kits featuring Snoopy and are now being reproduced by Atlantis. They will soon be releasing Snoopy Joe Cool with his Surfboard and Snoopy and his Race Car, both motorized.
Building the kit
Snap-tite is right! This kit went together smoothly. There was very little extra plastic from the molding process. The only part it affected was the peg on the stand that goes into the Red Baron’s plane. With a bit of Exacto knife work, it was easily removed. Only other item to note when building your model kit is the stickers. They can be very delicate, especially where they’re not fully cut. Handle with care.
With the Snoopy kit, there were some problem areas. When building the Red Baron, I didn’t encounter any of the same problems. The two that are parallel between the two are the engine bay and the wing struts. The Red Baron engine bay went together quickly, so I know the Sopwith Camel was a little off. The Red Baron wing struts visually seemed the same as the Sopwith Camel, but the method of attaching them was different on the bottom wing. I suspect that things weren’t quite right on the Sopwith Camel when I put it together. I believe I put it together wrong, but the pieces may have also been a little off leading down the path to the wrong fix. Also, the directions are worded differently between the two kits with the Red Baron being a little more straight forward.
Suggested Tools
I found a nipper made for plastic* to be really handy for getting the parts off the plastic tree. We just have a generic one that came with a 3-D printer, so I have no recommendations to make for brands. An Exacto knife* or craft knife could come in handy if your kit needs some tweaking. It can also be used to clean up the remnants from the plastic tree.
Where to Snoopy Model Kits
To buy direct, visit Atlantis online. Plus, they are available on Amazon and your purchase helps support this site. Find vintage Snoopy Monogram kits and new Atlantis kits at eBay.com and also supports the site. Thank you!
Let’s build together!
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