*(107-69) SPAD XIII, 1957
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AURORA KIT NO.107-69,SPAD XIII
AMONG the most successful Allied fighters of WWI, the SPAD XIII remains one of the most popular, and one of the rarest 'Famous Fighters' produced by Aurora. Contains 41 glossy olive and black parts and is reasonably accurate overall with a few outline deviations that can be remedied by competent modellers. Kit is complete and the plastic content is mint: less so the original decal sheet which has been paired with a second more recent and viable version. Resident Aurora artist Jo Kotula presented a surreal semi-nocturnal duel with a maroon coloured DR.I and it's truly a memorable image! The box itself is in near perfect condition other than a small missing area from the top left corner-a new perfect duplicate lid is enclosed which may be 'suitable for framing'! Decal sheet carries markings for a well-known SPAD XIII flown by the 22nd Aero Squadron USAS in 1918.
*CONTAINS EXTRA PARTS & DECALS!
AURORA lost little time adding a SPAD XIII to their 'Famous Fighters' series and this 41-piece kit is arguably one of their better efforts. Moulded in glossy olive with the usual black runner of 'accessories' it builds into a reasonably accurate miniature of an aircraft that became a firm favourite with French aces and American airmen of AEF Pursuit Squadrons in 1918. The kit looks to be based on Bill Wylam drawings published in Model Airplane News during the early 1950's and represents the late version with squared-off wing tips. Comparing major components with Doug Carrick's excellent GAs in WINDSOCK DATAFILE 32 highlights some anomalies. The main-plane and lower wing are nearer to 1:45 scale but these can be trimmed. Outlines of tail-plane are accurate in outline and to 1:48 as is everything else including the integrally- moulded fin/rudder that match Doug's plans almost exactly. The Eclair airscrew is well-proportioned with both upper and lower forward fuselage panels bearing realistic details. Exhaust pipes are individually moulded, if overlong, whilst wing struts; undercarriage legs and fuel/water pipes are finely replicated. Rather than choosing Eddie Rickenbacker's well-trodden 'Old No.1' for their decals Aurora went with S.18869 flown by 1/Lt. Jacques Michael Swaab, a 10-victory ace of the 22nd Aero Squadron. His SPAD bore the legend 'Mayer III' below the cockpit-not on the sheet-and an excellent image of his Bleriot-built aircraft appears on page 14 of the DATAFILE. The original decals of our kit are beyond redemption so we have included a better quality duplicate that will nevertheless benefit from a pre-sprayed acrylic coating...
EXTRAS! Our kit includes several additional struts,tail parts and figures left over from a used kit, along with a rare clear-moulded Aurora display stand that the original owner has enthusiastically over-glued!
SPAD sources:Jack Bruce's DF 32 is a prime reference with over 65 archive images and 28 close-ups of a restored XIII. Also includes detailed GAs, colour profiles and 1918 camouflage diagrams. *See also Profile Publications No.17 by C F Andrews published in 1965 with many clear photos and colour profiles on inner covers. Both titles are available in store-please see links below...
