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In Autumn 2022, Special Hobby is to release a 1/48th Potez 631 kit - ref. SH48221 Surprisingly announced as new tool in the Hannants eshop and not just a rebox from the AZUR kit. To be confirmed. Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/SH48221 V.P.

AZ Model is to release a 1/72nd Potez 540 (Heller/SMER plastic + new parts) kit - ref. AZ7576 Source: http://www.modelarovo.cz/transportbni-potez-540-od-az-model-spoluprace-pokracuje/ Markings V.P.

Potez 25 B2 Polish Jupiter "Against The Tide" (SH72416) 1:72 Special Hobby The Potez 25 was a French single engined, two-seater biplane designed in the interwar period and used widely by air forces around the world. A flexible design, the Potez 25 was used in a variety of roles, including as a fighter, bomber escort, light bomber and reconnaissance platform. The A2 variant was primarily a reconnaissance aircraft, powered by either a 520hp Salmson 18Cmb radial engine, a Lorraine 12Eb inline engine or a Hispano Suiza 12Jb engine. The Potez 25 had a range of 373 miles and a maximum speed of 132 mph. Armed with 7.7mm machine guns, it was also capable of carrying 200kg of bombs. Curiously, the aircraft could quite easily be converted from biplane to parasol-winged monoplane and served with the Romanian Air Force in this configuration. In total, over 4,000 examples were built, including many under licence. The Aircraft was license built in Poland for the Polish Armed Forces. 47 aircraft were powered by a 313 kW (420 hp) Gnome-Rhône 9Ac Jupiter radial, as the original engines were unavailable in Poland. They were in service at the time of WWII where they were outclassed by more modern German Aircraft. The Kit The Potez 25 has not been brilliantly represented by kit manufacturers over the years. The last time I remember reviewing one was a fancy mixed media kit released by Grand Models around three or so years ago. Now Azur Frrom have stepped up to the plate with a modern, injection moulded kit of the type that offers both Hispano and Lorraine engined versions, this is now followed by is new boxing from Special Hobby featuring the Jupiter engined aircraft as used by Poland. Inside the box are five frames of grey plastic and a single clear frame, as well as photo etched parts and decals. The plastic parts are all nicely moulded and have plenty of fine detail. Construction starts with the well-detailed cockpit. This sub-assembly is made up of the floor detail, seats, instrument panels, control columns, rudder pedals and the podium and machine gun for the observer/gunner. The cockpit sidewalls are packed with detail too. Once complete, the cockpit detail is sandwiched between the fuselage halves and the underside of the fuselage, which is separately moulded. The engine cowling is next. The inner struts fit inside this structure and tiny holes must also be drilled in pre-marked points in order to accommodate the rigging. Once complete, the cowling/forward fuselage can be joined to the main section of the fuselage which, in turn, can be joined to the lower wing (or blanking piece if building one of the Romanian parasol-winged monoplane versions). The upper wing joins to the fuselage and lower wing via a system of struts. There are different struts for the monoplane version. No jig is provided to help with alignment, so this model may be better suited to experienced biplane builders. The landing gear uses a similar system of individual struts. The instructions recommend making pins from brass rod to strengthen these parts and you will need to source this yourself as none is supplied. The main wheels benefit from some photo etched detail to represent the spoked wheels. More photo etched parts are used to represent the elevator control parts and the locating points for the rigging. Finishing touches include auxiliary fuel tanks and four small bombs. A choice of three different propellers is included, with helpful notes to explain which belongs to which of the different aircraft represented on the decal sheet. Decals Three decal options are provided; White 26 - Training Sqn, 1st Air Regiment Polish Air Force, Deblin 15th September 1939. Captured by the Germans. White 188, Polish Air Force. This Aircraft was damaged and subsequently captured by the Germans. Probably 42-285 Damaged at Torun Airfield during a German Air Raid on the last day of the war with Poland. Later captured by the Germans. The decals are nicely printed in house, and the colours look nice and bold. Conclusion The kit is very nicely detailed indeed, although I have to say it probably isn't ideally suited to biplane virgins. That said, if you take your time and pay attention to the instructions, you should be rewarded with a really appealing model. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Potez 25 A2/B2 'Hispano' and 'Lorraine' Decals (FR0X04) 1:72 Azur Frrom The Potez 25 was a French single engined, two-seater biplane designed in the interwar period and used widely by air forces around the world. A flexible design, the Potez 25 was used in a variety of roles, including as a fighter, bomber escort, light bomber and reconnaissance platform. The A2 variant was primarily a reconnaissance aircraft, powered by either a 520hp Salmson 18Cmb radial engine, a Lorraine 12Eb inline engine or a Hispano Suiza 12Jb engine. The Potez 25 had a range of 373 miles and a maximum speed of 132 mph. Armed with 7.7mm machine guns, it was also capable of carrying 200kg of bombs. Curiously, the aircraft could quite easily be converted from biplane to parasol-winged monoplane and served with the Romanian Air Force in this configuration. In total, over 4,000 examples were built, including many under licence. The Potez 25 haf not been brilliantly represented by kit manufacturers over the years. until Azur Ffrom stepped in with their new kits in 2019 which we reviewed here. These new decal sheets are for this kit (and the special Hobby boxing of the kit) and come with detailed instructions. FR0X04 This sheet is for the export versions of the Potez 25 which were sold around the world as well as French Aircraft serving overseas. The options on the sheet are; Aeropostale & Air France No.1520 F-AJDX Buenos Aires 1929 - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 No.1521 F-AJDY (before Air France - no other details given but in South America) - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 No.1522 F-AJDZ June 1930 South America - Using kit SH72407 No.2036 F-AJZS - No details given) - Using kit SH72407 No.1521 F-AJDJ in 1934 (no other details given) - Using kit SH72407 Uruguay B1-2 L182 1930's No other details given - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 B1-5 1936 - No other details given - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 White 8 TOE - No other details given - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 White 1 First Potez 25 In Uruguay - Seen 1934 - Hispano Engine but with a Lorraine type cowling - Build from FR0037 There has been some debate about the blue used here but with no conclusion I have seen, some details can be seen here on markings of the period. Paraguay White 3 - Puerto Sastre 1933 - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 Greece Sigma 14 - Captured in Eleusis 1941 - Hispano Powered aircraft using FR0038 (Sigma 4 can be built but the modeller will have to rearrange the decals) - Aircraft camouflaged. Sigma 14 - Larissa mid 1930s - Hispano Powered aircraft using FR0038 Poland 42-68 White 4, 34th Sqn, 3rd Aviation Regiment, Poznan - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 42-295 White 3, 55th Sqn, 5th Regiment, Lida 1934 - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 42-310 White 7, 55th Sqn, 5th Regiment, Lida 1934 - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 Croisiere Noire No.2221 Code V489 Adj Chef Mayadox, Cne Pennes - Using kit SH72407 The decal are Printed in the UK By Fantasy Printshop so there should be no issues with them at all. The printing looks first rate with minimal carrier film. The instructions are 12 pages long with detailed histories (where available) and they quote references for the aircraft. There are also detailed notes about the individual aircraft about how to build them from the kit specified as some had minor differences. Conclusion Three cheers for Azur Frrom for taking the initiative and producing additional decals for their great kits. Highly Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Potez 25 A2/B2 'Hispano' and 'Lorraine' Decals (FR0X03) 1:72 Azur Frrom The Potez 25 was a French single engined, two-seater biplane designed in the interwar period and used widely by air forces around the world. A flexible design, the Potez 25 was used in a variety of roles, including as a fighter, bomber escort, light bomber and reconnaissance platform. The A2 variant was primarily a reconnaissance aircraft, powered by either a 520hp Salmson 18Cmb radial engine, a Lorraine 12Eb inline engine or a Hispano Suiza 12Jb engine. The Potez 25 had a range of 373 miles and a maximum speed of 132 mph. Armed with 7.7mm machine guns, it was also capable of carrying 200kg of bombs. Curiously, the aircraft could quite easily be converted from biplane to parasol-winged monoplane and served with the Romanian Air Force in this configuration. In total, over 4,000 examples were built, including many under licence. The Potez 25 has not been brilliantly represented by kit manufacturers over the years. until Azur Frrom stepped in with their new kits in 2019 which we reviewed here. These new decal sheets are for this kit (and the special Hobby boxing of the kit) and come with detailed instructions. FR0X03 This sheet is for the export versions of the Potez 25 which were sold around the world as well as French Aircraft serving overseas. The options on the sheet are; Ethiopia / Abyssina, 1. White 1 "Nessre Tafari" - Addis Ababa August 1929 - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 2. White 2 "Nessre Asfawossen" - Addis Ababa September 1929 - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 3. White 3 "nessre Makonnen" - Addis Ababa September 1929 - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 4. Hispano No.2 - Jan Meda 1930 - Hispano powered aircraft using kit FR0038 French West Africa (AOF) White 12 No.822 Dakar 1934 - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0038 White 5, No.1303 Seen at Atar (Date not specified) - - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 White 1, No1299 (no details given) - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 Manchria White P.2 - Mukden September 1931 - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 White P.15 - Mukden September 1931 - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 White P.9 - No details given - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 (Aircraft later used by the Japanese as were most Manchurian Aircraft- you can use the decals in FR0037 for a Japanese aircraft)) Indochina Yellow 3, No.1981 from 1933 - Using kit SH72407 Yellow 9, No.201 Bien Hoa 1933 - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 Yellow 5, No.1451 Bien Hoa 1935 - Using kit SH72407 No.201 No details circa 1930 - Lorraine powered aircraft using kit FR0037 Levant (French mandate in Syria & Lebanon) White 5, No.737 In service from 1924 - Using kit SH72407 Nationalist Spanish No.2353 Spanish Morocco Aug 1936 (Possibly) This was an aircraft which absconded to Spanish Morocco as the pilot wanted to join Franco's Forces) The decal are Printed in the UK By Fantasy Printshop so there should be no issues with them at all. The printing looks first rate with minimal carrier film. The instructions are 12 pages long with detailed histories (where available) and they quote references for the aircraft. There are also detailed notes about the individual aircraft about how to build them from the kit specified as some had minor differences. Conclusion Three cheers for Azur Frrom for taking the initiative and producing additional decals for their great kits. Highly Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Potez 25TOE 'For France - anytime, anywhere' (SH72407) 1:72 Special Hobby The Potez 25 was a French single engined, two-seater biplane designed in the interwar period and used widely by air forces around the world. A flexible design, the Potez 25 was used in a variety of roles, including as a fighter, bomber escort, light bomber and reconnaissance platform. The TOE variant was originally designed for use in French colonies and featured a Lorraine engine with a deeper belly and extra fuel capacity. Armed with 7.7mm machine guns, it was also capable of carrying 200kg of bombs. For an aicraft that was so widely used, the Potez 25 has not been brilliantly represented by kit manufacturers over the years. I reviewed a fancy mixed media kit from Grand Models around three or four years ago, before Azur Frrom came with a brand new injection moulded kit a year or so ago. Now Special Hobby have released their own version based on the Frrom collaboration. Inside the box are five frames of grey plastic and a single clear frame, as well as photo etched parts and decals. The plastic parts are all nicely moulded and have plenty of fine detail. Construction starts with the well-detailed cockpit. This sub-assembly is made up of the floor detail, seats, instrument panels, control columns, rudder pedals and the podium and machine gun for the observer/gunner. The cockpit sidewalls are packed with detail too. Once complete, the cockpit detail is sandwiched between the fuselage halves and the underside of the fuselage, which is separately moulded. The engine cowling is next. The inner struts fit inside this structure and tiny holes must also be drilled in pre-marked points in order to accomodate the rigging. Once complete, the cowling/forward fuselage can be joined to the main section of the fuselage which, in turn, can be joined to the lower wing (or blanking piece if building one of the Romanian parasol-winged monoplane versions). The upper wing joins to the fuselage and lower wing via a system of struts. No jig is provided to help with alignment, so this model may be better suited to experienced biplane builders. The landing gear uses a similar system of individual struts. The instructions recommend making pins from brass rod to strengthen these parts. If you choose to do this, you will need to source the rod yourself as none is supplied. The main wheels benefit from some photo etched detail to represent the spoked wheels. More photo etched parts are used to represent the elevator control parts and the locating points for the rigging. Finishing touches include four small bombs. Four decal options are provided, which is pretty generous for a kit of this size: Potez 25TOE No. 2113 'White 6', escadrille 1/41, La Chau, French Indo-China, March 1942; Potez 25TOE No. 1489 'White 5', 3é escadrille GB 11/39, Rayake, French mandate of Lebanon, 1933; Potez 25TOE No. 1618, 3S5.3 escadrille 3S5, base aérienne Hyéres Aéronautique navale, September 1939; Potez 25TOE, 3. escadrille GB 1/17 Picardie, FAFL, Damascus, 1944. The decals are nicely printed and the colours look nice and bold. Conclusion It's great to see Azur-Frrom and Specal Hobby collaborating to produce a good quality, injection moulded model of this attractive and important interwar type. The kit is very nicely detailed indeed, I have to say it probably isn't ideally suited to biplane novices. That said, if you take your time and pay attention to the instructions, you should be rewarded with a really appealing model to which a huge variety of marking schemes can be applied. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Potez 25 A2 Avion Grecque 1:72 Grand Models The Potez 25 was a French single engined, two-seater biplane designed in the interwar period and used widely by air forces around the world. A flexible design, the Potez 25 was used in a variety of roles, including as a fighter, bomber escort, light bomber and reconnaissance platform. The A2 variant was primarily a reconnaissance aircraft, powered by either a 520hp Salmson 18Cmb radial engine, a Lorraine 12Eb inline engine or, as in the case of the Greek machines such as that depicted by this kit, a Hispano Suiza 12Jb engine. The Potez 25 had a range of 373 miles and a maximum speed of 132 mph. Armed with 7.7mm machine guns, it was also capable of carrying 200kg of bombs. In total, over 4,000 examples were built, including many under licence. Grand Models are a relatively new name to me, but if this kit is anything to go by, the Greek firm have made a pretty promising start in the business. The kit arrives packed into a very sturdy box (with one of those box lids that fits so tightly, removing it is akin to performing a complex multi-point turn in the road), inside which are multiple layers of laser cut foam that hold all of the parts. So well packed is this kit, that even the most wilfully butterfingered courier would struggle to do any damage. The immediate impression on prising off the lid is therefore very positive; so far so good. All told, there are 24 resin parts, a handful of cast metal struts, a small sheet of photo etched details and a fairly large decal sheet. The quality of manufacture looks excellent. The resin parts are nicely case and many of the smaller details have clearly been mastered using 3D printing technology. The decals look excellent and it is likely that the only parts that may need more serious clean up are the cast metal struts. They will at least be nice and strong, however. There has been considerable discussion about the shape of the forward part of this kit's fuselage, with many taking the view that the nose/cowling area is too deep. The Greek Potez 25s had a different engine fitted, so it's hard to make a definitive judgement based on a rather limited number of available photographs, but I have to say that in comparison to most photographs of Greek machines, it does look a little too deep. Some work with the sanding stick will therefore be required to improve matters as far as possible. As this is a resin kit, the part count is fairly low, with much of the cockpit detail cast in place inside the fuselage. Once you have removed the parts from the casting stubs, assembly should be fairly straightforward. The cockpit itself just needs the windscreen (made from folded photo etched brass and clear plastic) fixing in place alongside the crew seats, control column, rudder pedals and instrument panel. The rear-firing 7.7mm machine gun can be fitted at this stage, but it looks so delicate, I would recommend leaving it until the end. The lower wing is cast as a single part, as are the elevators. The vertical tail, however, has been cast with a separate rudder. The upper wing is also cast as a single, solid piece of resin, but the parts for the aileron control mechanism are picked out in photo etched brass. As mentioned above, the struts have been made from cast metal. Don't worry too much if that pile of parts looks intimidating though – only eight are used for joining the upper and lower wings together. The rest are for the undercarriage and tail skid. The propeller has been cast in three parts, with separate hub and blades. This part is bound to be delicate once finished, so take care and use nice strong glue. A comprehensive rigging diagram has been included and it seems to recommend rigging the aircraft before the upper wing has been attached. Of course it's entirely up to you if you want to go with this recommendation. Grand Models have included two decal options, and as the title on the box suggests, both are for the Hellenic Air Force. Colour diagrams have been provided, alongside three small photographs of the actual aircraft depicted, which is is very helpful. No specific historical notes on the aircraft are included, but the preamble to the instructions includes a nice history of the type's use by Greece in the early stages of the Second World War. As mentioned above, the decals looks excellent. Conclusion At first sight I thought this was a rather unconventional model, but once it has been laid out on the bench it appears to be a fairly typical resin/multi-media kit – albeit one that has been packed and presented extremely well. Whilst resin isn't for everyone, I can see nothing about this particular kit that would present any particular challenges for the experienced modeller, particularly given the low part count and lack of seams to clean up. It is clear that a great deal of enthusiasm and pride has been put into this product, and that hopefully rub off on the eager recipients. It is a shame therefore that the nose appears to be slightly off. I'm reluctant to make a definitive judgement about this given my lack of familiarity with the subject, but I would certainly want to do some work to reduce the depth of the underside of the cowling, as well as sanding back the front of the upper cowling to match photographs a little better. If you're prepared to get stuck in an do a little of bit of work to address these issues then you will be rewarded with a rather nice little model. Review sample courtesy of

Potez 25 A2/B2 'Hispano' and 'Lorraine' (FR0037 and FR0038) 1:72 Azur Frrom The Potez 25 was a French single engined, two-seater biplane designed in the interwar period and used widely by air forces around the world. A flexible design, the Potez 25 was used in a variety of roles, including as a fighter, bomber escort, light bomber and reconnaissance platform. The A2 variant was primarily a reconnaissance aircraft, powered by either a 520hp Salmson 18Cmb radial engine, a Lorraine 12Eb inline engine or a Hispano Suiza 12Jb engine. The Potez 25 had a range of 373 miles and a maximum speed of 132 mph. Armed with 7.7mm machine guns, it was also capable of carrying 200kg of bombs. Curiously, the aircraft could quite easily be converted from biplane to parasol-winged monoplane and served with the Romanian Air Force in this configuration. In total, over 4,000 examples were built, including many under licence. The Potez 25 has not been brilliantly represented by kit manufacturers over the years. The last time I remember reviewing one was a fancy mixed media kit released by Grand Models around three or so years ago. Now Azur Frrom have stepped up to the plate with a modern, injection moulded kit of the type that offers both Hispano and Lorraine engined versions. Inside the box are five frames of grey plastic and a single clear frame, as well as photo etched parts and decals. The plastic parts are all nicely moulded and have plenty of fine detail. We'll take a look at the Hispano version first, before covering the differences with the Lorraine version. Construction starts with the well-detailed cockpit. This sub-assembly is made up of the floor detail, seats, instrument panels, control columns, rudder pedals and the podium and machine gun for the observer/gunner. The cockpit sidewalls are packed with detail too. Once complete, the cockpit detail is sandwiched between the fuselage halves and the underside of the fuselage, which is separately moulded. The engine cowling is next. The inner struts fit inside this structure and tiny holes must also be drilled in pre-marked points in order to accommodate the rigging. Once complete, the cowling/forward fuselage can be joined to the main section of the fuselage which, in turn, can be joined to the lower wing (or blanking piece if building one of the Romanian parasol-winged monoplane versions). The upper wing joins to the fuselage and lower wing via a system of struts. There are different struts for the monoplane version. No jig is provided to help with alignment, so this model may be better suited to experienced biplane builders. The landing gear uses a similar system of individual struts. The instructions recommend making pins from brass rod to strengthen these parts and you will need to source this yourself as none is supplied. The main wheels benefit from some photo etched detail to represent the spoked wheels. More photo etched parts are used to represent the elevator control parts and the locating points for the rigging. Finishing touches include auxiliary fuel tanks and four small bombs. A choice of three different propellers is included, with helpful notes to explain which belongs to which of the different aircraft represented on the decal sheet. Four decal options are provided, which is pretty generous for a kit of this size: Potez 25 B2, Royal Hellenic Air Force, coded Sigma 3, Athenes-Tatoï airfield, end of April or May 1941; Potez 25 A2, Royal Romanian Air Force, Little Entente and Poland Air Race (placed 6th if you're wondering), Prague, August 1928; Potez 25 A2, Royal Romanian Air Force (monoplane configuration), Little Entente and Poland Air Race (placed 4th), Prague, August 1928; and Potez 25, Yugoslav Army, Little Entente and Poland Air Race (not placed), Prague, August 1928. The decals are nicely printed and the colours look nice and bold. Potez 25 A2/B2 'Lorraine' This version of the kit is virtually identical to the Hispano-powered version, but obviously has different parts for the engine cowling and radiator, which is at the front of the cowling rather than underneath. There is also no parasol-winged version in this boxing. The decal options provided with this version are: Potez 25 A2 Nr 2054, White RF 22, Aéronautique militaire, Rochefort training unit, France, 1937; Potez 25 B2 Nr 42.216, White 6, 34 th Squadron, 3 nd Regiment, Polish Air Force. Aircaft built by P&L. Poznan, Poland, 1932; IAR-Potez 25 B2 Nr 211, Romanian Air Force. Aircraft built by IAR in Brasov probably in May 1934; and Potez 25 A2 in French Indochina, captured by the Japanese in March 1945, sent to Thailand when the Japanese forces surrendered. Don Muang (Thailand), Autumn 1945 Conclusion Three cheers for Azur Frrom for taking the initiative and producing an injection moulded model of this attractive and important interwar type. The kit is very nicely detailed indeed, although I have to say it probably isn't ideally suited to biplane virgins. That said, if you take your time and pay attention to the instructions, you should be rewarded with a really appealing model to which a huge variety of marking schemes can be applied. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi, I just started doing some Potez XXV family. Digging in net for some photos I have found very nice quality set of photot of mainly French colonial avaiation in thirthies of xx C. taken at Madagascar: https://www.bibert.fr/Joseph_Bibert_fichiers/Jean ASSOLLANT_fichiers/Madagasacar.htm Besides very sharp and nice shots on Potez XXV, 29, 33 as well as some Caudrons there are few nice shots of Caproni 111 and DH Leopard Moth. Cheers J-W.

Here's the box art from the future Grand models' 1/72nd Potez 25 A2 resin kit. Source: https://www.facebook.com/grandmodels.gr/photos/a.867064526735791.1073741828.801311263311118/894749783967265/?type=3&theater Manufaktura Modelarska is also working on a 1/72nd Potez 25 resin kit http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235004373-172-potez-25-a2b2jupiter-resin-kit-by-manufaktura-modelarska-mm-release-soon/ V.P.

Manufaktura Modelarska or MM (homepage, Facebook??) from Poland is to release very soon a 1/72nd Potez XXV A2/B2/Jupiter resin kit. This kit is reported to be in the last stage of development. Source: http://www.modelarstwo.koszalin.pl/sokol/modelarstwo.koszalin.pl/index.php/wystawy-mainmenu-36/31-wystawy/468-v-batycki-festiwal-modelarski-podsumowanie Grand Models is also working on a 1/72nd Potez 25 resin kit: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235000776-172-potez-25-a2-resin-kit-by-grand-models-box-art-coming-soon/ V.P.

FGMmasterdujin (http://fgmmasterdujin.e-monsite.com/) is to re-edit the Dujin 1/72nd Potez 566 T3 resin kit - ref.? Source: http://fgmmasterdujin.e-monsite.com/ V.P.

JMGT (http://www.jmgt.fr/ site is down for the moment) has juste released a 1/48th Potez 53 - winner of the Deutsch de la Meurthe contest in 1933 - resin kit - ref. AR22. Source: http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/JMGTAR22 V.P.

Hi, I have this Heller old kit in my stash. What are main issues with that? I don't have proper reference material about it, so any information will be good. Br. Vesa