Rolladen-Schneider LS8-T Glider

[Mike]

Rolladen-Schneider LS8-T Glider

1:32 Revell

Brief History

The German company of Rolladen-Schneider was based in the town of Egelsbach near Frankfurt, run by Willi and Walter Schneider and originally manufactured high quality roller-shutter doors. Walter Schneider was a keen glider pilot and with the help of sailplane designer Wolf Lemke built their first sailplane in 1967, under the name Segelflugzeugbau Schneider OHG. Sailplane production began in 1968 with the all new LS-1, and in the same year, the type took both first and second places in the German national championships with both designers at the controls.

By 1980, development of this initial design led to the highly successful LS-4 which was to become one of the worlds’s most widely produced civil gliders, with the company now operating under the name of Rolladen-Schneider. Further development resulted in the LS-6 which also proved to be a highly successful design. The economic climate at the time prevented the company from developing a totally new aircraft, though it was realized that in order to maintain its position in the sailplane market-place, the LS-6 had to be improved. As a result, and in view of the success achieved to date, it was decided to modify the LS-6 wing by simply removing the flaps and altering the wing incidence. This meant that significant improvement could be achieved without the costly design and development associated with a totally new and re-profiled wing. The new design was a great success and with the addition of winglets it was able to out-perform newer designs by a significant margin even though it still retained the original LS-6 fuselage. Further modification to the main spars enabled the wing span to be increased to 18metres (LS-8-18), and the fuselage was modified to accommodate the 23hp sustainer motor.

Despite being a commercial success, the Rolladen-Schneider company failed to prosper, and the design was taken over by DG Flugzeugbau and continues in full production alongside the DG range.

The Kit

The component parts are supplied on four beautifully moulded sprues in white styrene, along with the crystal clear canopy.

Revell have moulded the wings in much the same way as the full size aircraft and provide both the standard 15metre wing and the 1.5metre tip extensions together with the winglets associated with each configuration. It will therefore be possible to build not only the intended LS-8t, but also the open class LS-8-18 and the standard class 15metre span LS-8

Following the standard Revell instructions, the cockpit is the first of the various sub-assemblies to be constructed, followed by the undercarriage and the pop-up motor assembly. Careful cutting along the engraved lines will be required if the undercarriage and motor are to be modeled in the extended position. Detail is represented by both raised and recessed moulding, and this adequately represents the full size subject though there is still scope for the individual to add more. The canopy can also be posed in the open position

Painting of the sub-assemblies is well illustrated in the usual way and again is referenced to the Revell paint range.

The main components, namely the wings and fuselage, are totally devoid of panel lines as one would expect on a kit of this particular subject, however, finely engraved lines are used to represent the control surface hinge lines. These are particularly well done, and will accurately replicate the original once painted and treated with a light wash to highlight the detail. The control surfaces can be easily separated and posed in a more animated position if desired, and with a little surgery, the top surface air-brakes can be cut out and modeled in the open position.

Little trouble should be experienced when joining the main fuselage and wing halves together though I would recommend that plenty of tape be used to secure alignment whilst the glue cures. This does not mean that I anticipate a problem here; however, careful alignment at this stage will save having to eradicate any join line and thus mar the perfect finish of the styrene.

Colours & Markings

Modern sailplanes are predominantly factory finished in the white gel-coat associated with composite structures. It was found particularly with the “first generation” glass ship, that the better reflective qualities of the light colour reduced expansion and contraction of the airframe. This minimized the crazing of the gel-coats and thus extended the life of the finish before the need for an expensive re-finish. Unfortunately this leaves the modeler with slightly limited options when choosing a colour scheme, and while there are some colourful schemes to be found, they are all more or less based on the standard white with a splash of colour here and there. Revell have done well in this department, having provided no fewer than seven options from which to choose.

The basic white starting point applies to all options, though each is decorated differently. The decals are designed by DACO as appears to be the norm of late, and these appear to be up to the usual standard associated with the company.

Conclusion

As mentioned, there are seven colour options to choose from, and the option to build the 15, 18 or 18t version. Added to this, one could also build the kit in its de-rigged state as part of a gliding diorama.

This would appear to be another superb addition to Revell’s growing range of 1/32 scale sailplanes, and one that I would like to build as soon as possible.

I would therefore recommend this kit without reservation.

Original text by Chris T (Stringbag), an experienced glider pilot & restorer.

Review sample courtesy of

[Dads203]

Looks like a nice kit, might have to try one of these.

Regards

Dan

[nick]

Nice review Chris. You haven't adequately explained why this glider appears to being piloted by a guy from Easter Island though, maybe you just solved the mystery of where they all went. Gliding.

Nick