1:48 HAWK NIEUPORT 17 C-1,(613-50),1958
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SILVER HAWK!
This is an early 22-piece Nieuport 17 from the pioneering Hawk Model Co. of Illinois and one of the best WWI plastic aircraft kits of the 1950s period. This mint example is moulded in silver and boasts accurate outlines in most every respect other than lower wing tips that require attention. It's a simple model with a partial Le Rhone engine forming part of the cowling moulding; rudder and tail skid are integral to the fuselage halves and the etched decal positions will need removal along with the Hawk registered legend on lower wing! All struts are finer than most-but the rear Vee strut forward of the cockpit needs to be created in lieu of the separate vertical versions offered. If skinning the fuselage sides to disguise the stringer detail, the plastic card should be devoid of detail -the vertical spacers only become apparent in flight as the fabric was pulled in-see page 6 of Nieuport Fighters Vol.1...Decals provide RFC markings combined with a Lafayette Indian head motif-somewhat confusingly-so we have included a 1998 sheet of Guynemer's markings from one of the Eduard Nieuports. Condition of this Hawk kit's content, decals and box belies its venerable age-it almost looks brand new!
*CONTAINS EXTRA DECAL SHEET!
THE earliest plastic WWI aircraft kits were produced by Hawk of Chicago, USA in 1953 -or thereabouts-a Nieuport 17 and SPAD XIII in 1:48 scale. Our kit of the Nieuport dates from 1958 and contains just 22 parts in a glossy silver plastic.Despite its age, the kit's outlines are pretty accurate compared with recent scale drawings, the wings feature sharp leading and trailing edges with fuselage halves being correctly asymmetric, the port side wider to contain the internal ammunition drum. Rudder is integral with both halves, the tail skid to port: bogus 'stringer lines' represented by engraved lines need removal along with the etched markings or simply skinned with 5 thou. plastic card. Finely raised lines double for rib stations on wings and tail-plane which can be lightly sanded to represent tapes. Both Vickers and Lewis guns are provided, the latter being best of the two, whilst the wheels and airscrew are acceptable. Hawk also deserve praise for not moulding heavy fabric straps to their kit's 'Vee' struts which is frequently the case with other models-even the more recent ones! Cowling is true to scale, although some modellers will drill out its integrally-moulded Le Rhone and replace it with something more suitable. There remains only one issue, the lower wing tips which although correct in span will benefit from small plastic sheet extensions to blunt them as the rake is too acute.
Hawk's Nieuport offers considerable conversion potential:Types 17bis; 23; 24; 25 and 27 can all be produced from it with relative ease. Colour scheme options are almost limitless thanks to the type's broad service with British; Belgian; Italian; Russian; Estonian and American forces-and others- both during the war and l beyond it. Overall, this simple kit remains one of the best of its kind from the early years of scale modelling and re-surfaced in 1978 with new decals beautifully packaged by Testors. Our venerable example is in excellent condition, including its well-preserved box, featuring above-average instruction leaflet with decals bearing RFC roundels, rudder stripes and a Lafayette Escadrille indian head 'added for appearance'...
EXTRA! The kit includes an additional 1983-dated decal sheet with full markings for Georges Guynemer's iconic N1530/N1531 Vieux Charles with two styles of Cigognes insignia,serials and rudder legends-strut pennants also feature on this excellent Eduard set from their kit 8023.
Nieuport notes: Currently available from our store in limited numbers are the final copies of Jack Bruce's acclaimed Nieuport Fighters Vol.1 which includes over 105 photos; exhaustive data; 1:48 scale plans of Types 11, 16 and 17 with four pages of international colour profiles. *See also Profile Publications No.49 The Nieuport 17C.1 by C F Andrews,a 1965 publication with colour profiles; concise narrative and over 20 photos. Copies of both can be purchased from stock-please see the links below.
