Up | Chez Marc Flake | Gallery | Home
This is the second of the three TOKO Nieuport 11s, in Belgian livery. I used the decals by Warbirds.
The TOKO Nieuport 11 is a honey of a kit. It goes together well with no problems. I understand that it has some accuracy problems, but once its together, it looks like a Nieuport 11 to me. I bought three of them and built this one straight out of the box in Georges Guynemere's livery. It does not have the black border seen on most French N. 11s because the instructions don't call for it and because I found a photo of a Guynemere N. 11 without the borders.
After building the N.16, I had a nifty ski undercarriage left over. I also had one more Toko N.11 kit to build and decided to put the skis on it. Of course it had to be a Russian aircraft, so I used the skull and crossbones squadron marking. No photos were used in the construction of this model. It was conjecturally constructed from the skis up to the Russian "Colt" machinegun.
Kit: Eduard (1:48)
This is the Eduard Limited Edition Profipak Nieuport 16 kit modeled as a Belgian Nieuport 11. Although Eduard would have you build this as a 16 (flipping the engine around), photographic evidence indicates to me that this aircraft was an 11. A detailed build of this model is available in the May Internet Modeler.
Kit: SMER (1:48)
While building the two Eduard kits (N.11 and N.16), I had some left over parts that I decided to use to spruce up the SMER N. 11. Most of these parts went into the interior, but on the outside, I used the Lewis and the interplane struts from Eduard. Building this alongside the Eduard kits really emphasized it shortcomings. On the plus side -- the kit fit together better than the more modern ones did. It represents Raoul Lufbery's Lafayette Escadrille mount with decals from Americal-Gryphon.
As part of their Nieuport 11 offerings, Toko also produced a N.16 kit which used most of the same sprues as the N.11. I bought this one while in a Nieuport building frenzy. In the midde of the build, I discovered that Toko had not printed the decals correctly, leaving me with an all-white serial number. After posting a plea on the list, Grzegorz Mazurowski sent a replacement all the way from Poland!
While building the Eduard Profipak kit as a Belgian N. 11, I decided to build my Nieuport 11 as a 16, using bits and pieces of both kits -- a mini-kitbash, if you will. I have modeled Lafayette Escadrille airman Bert Hall's mount using decals from Americal-Gryphon. I have tried (vainly I think) to replicate the unusual upper wing camouflage that was applied to this airframe. Being color-blind, it is extremely difficult for me to see any difference between the dark green and the dark brown paints that I have used. However, I used the FS# call-outs in the Windsock Nieuport Special Volume One to select the paints.
While experiencing Nieuport fever and building whatever kind of varient I could, i decided to rehabilitate two Nieuport 17s I had built several years ago. This is the ESCI with Nungesser's decals, bult out of the box withouteven detailing the interior. Rehab consisted of re-rigging with .005 tippet line and steel wires.
This is the second ESCI rehab project. Rehab consisted of taking off the top wing, re-painting and redecalling. Rigging is .005 tippet line and steel wire. This is an aircraft from "C" Flight of 29 squadron -- but don't look for a photo of the prototype, it doesn't exist. I armed it with a Vickers and a Lewis because some were armed that way.
Just as I was starting the Eduard N.21, I found an old 1/72 scale ESCI N.17 model in the back room of a local hoby shop. The owner only wanted $3 for it, so I bought it. I decided to build it as an N. 21 at the same time I was doing the Eduard kit. I located the appropriate machinegun, engine and cowling in my spares box and the result is how you see it here. Regarding the decals--they're from the Toko N. 16 kit. I seem to remember a debate on the list that the N.16 decals with the knight's head for the Russian aircraft were actually for an N. 21. So that's how I chose this scheme.
Right in the middle of my Nieuport frenzy, I purchased the 1/48 scale Eduard N. 21. As far as I'm concerned this is a viceless kit. The only heavy filling and sanding that I needed to do was on the bottom seam of the fuselage. I picked Lufbery's scheme as I intend to build all of that ace's aircraft. This is the first.
Late last year while prowling the aisles of a local hobby shop (With 10 stores not counting Hobby Lobbies and Michael's, Dallas/Fort Worth has got to be hobby shop heaven) I found one of the few Revell Nieuport 17 kits that Matt hasn't got his hands on. As I had already done three N.17s, I decided to do this one as a Belgian 23. The deccals came from the spares box, and I used a slightly modified Warbirds decal from it's N. 11 pack. The gun mounting was modified to represent the 23's off set arrangement. I used the profile in the Windsock Datafile Special as a painting guide.
I had been on the list for six months and was beginning to realize I wasn't able to see the rigging on my 1/72 aircraft as good as I could when I was 15-20 years younger.
With all the praise for Eduard 1/48s, I decided to give the "Balloon Scale" a shot, using an inexpensive Glencoe kit -- the Nieuport 28.
I had a great time fixing up the interior, using the NASM Web site as a reference. I added aftermarket extras like the Aeroclub engine, propellor, seat and machine guns; the Copper State Models instruments; and the Roseparts cowl, wheels and tail.
I have a collection of "Shark Mouth" aircraft, so I chose the toothy decal option depicted. It's rigged with .008 guitar string. This is still the only WW 1 1/48 model in my collection, but I've got quite a few in the closet now.
This is the 1/72 Revell N. 28 with the Rosemont cowl, Aeroclub guns and a replacement propeller. Decals are from a couple of Superscale sheets for the USAS in WW 1.