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Potez 25 TOE +++ FINISHED+++


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Evening all. I shall be having a crack at this.....

Potez-25.jpg

I will be doing the Paraguayan version (No. 11). Typically, it's the dullest!

Potez-25B.jpg

Looking forward to it! smile.png

Cliff

Edited by CliffB
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Cracking subject! I will follow with interest.

I have one of these started, to make a civilian aircraft of Aeropostale.

(let me know if you need something from the book in the above picture)

Carlos

Edited by CarLos
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Thanks Mikkel and CarLos - I think the HitKit is going to be 'interesting'.

Azur have been threatening a Potez 25 for some years now, so no doubt it will be released just after I finish this one!

CarLos, I'd be interested to see a picture of the Aeropostale Potez if you have one to post?

Cheers

Cliff

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CarLos, I'd be interested to see a picture of the Aeropostale Potez if you have one to post?

Cliff,

This is probably the most famous Potez 25! The famous Henry Guillaumet was flying F-AJDZ with mail over the Andes when he was caught by a snow storm. He tried to land but the aircraft turned over. He remained two days behind the airframe until the storm calmed. He then walked four days and four nights non-stop before he was found, exhausted, by a sheppard. If you put "Potez Guillaumet" in Google you'll find many more pics of this aircraft.

Good luck with the HitKit kit... I only glued the lower wing halves in my kit after a long session of sanding and scrapping with a curved blade... The upper wing must suffer the same treatment.

With 3 HitKits, 2 Broplans and one resin, I can go well without MPM...

F-AJDZ%20Potez%2025-55%20cn1522%20Guillaumet%20en%20Laguna%20del%20Diamante%2013jun1930.jpg

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This one is definitely going to be interesting. That's a really rather obscure aircraft as it stands, but to portray it in Paraguayan markings as well.. :thumbsup:

:popcorn:

The Potez 25 can hardly be called an obscure aircraft! It played for France and many other countries the same Jack-of-all-trades role of the Fairey IIIF or the Hawker Hart family. About 4000 were built, many were licence built in other countries.

See the Wikipedia article to have an idea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potez_25

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Thank you everyone for the support so far! :)

I'll post more details on the HitKit at the weekend (CarLos obviously knows what's coming!), and I promise to post a group photo of the 'Potez in context' when I finish.

Thanks for the photo and link CarLos - fascinating stuff. I've got a Broplan and a Czech Master XXV A2 too - although the CMK version seems way underscale. I hoping that some of the bits (wheels etc.), can be used to bolster the vacform. ;)

Cheers

Cliff

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As the gang have said this is an unusual and interesting machine from a lesser known period and theatre of combat. Pity the kit requires considerable modelling to get any result from but will be interesting to watch your progress.

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So we are off!

As others have said, the Potez was probably the most widely used aircraft of the interwar period, with 4,000 produced, serving with 21 air forces worldwide. It first flew in 1924 and in 1928 (as hostilities were starting with the Bolivians in the Gran Chaco region), Paraguay took possession of seven of the popular A.2 variants. Potez marketed the 25 as a 'two-seat observation, long-distance reconnaissance, light bombing or fighting biplane' and with the Paraguayans it was used in all of these roles.

It's CAS role started in 1932, when bombing raids were carried out in support of the conflict's first full-scale ground action at Boqueron and these contributed to the Paraguayan's ultimate success in taking the fortress there. This action also saw the first air combat of the war, between a Paraguayan Potez and a Bolivian Vickers Type 149 'Vespa III'. The Potez came off worse, but managed to return to base with its pilot wounded.

In 1933, Paraguay purchased another seven Potez 25s, the majority of the which were TOE variants (standing for Theatres d'Operations Exterieures). These were characterised by an enlarged radiator and the addition of a prominant under-belly fuel tank (the Paraguayans nick-named them 'Panzones' ('Big Bellies')).

The Potez's continued to provide CAS to Paraguayan ground forces until the Armistice in 1935 and although there were inevitable losses, they fared remarkedly well against their Bolivian opponents, even in the later years of the war when the Bolivians were flying the latest Curtiss types including the potent Hawk II.

P1070234.jpg

The resilience of the Potez 25s against such opposition is believed to have been due to their relatively heavy defensive armament (two forward facing and two rearward facing machine guns), combined with an ability to fly incredibly slowly!

The HitKit kit was produced (I believe), in the late 90s and was an early Polish multi-media offering. Originally released as the more common A.2 variant, HitKit later produced the TOE variant via the inclusion of the necessary radiator and fuel tank parts.

P1080268.jpg

On opening the box, the kit initially impresses with an expansive decal sheet for 13 different aircraft (mostly French, but including Paraguayan, Brazilian and Uruguayan machines too).

Potez-25c.jpg

There is also a nice PE sheet,

P1080269.jpg

Soon, however, the awful truth dawns on you - the plastic is dire! These sprue shots give you a feel.

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Here's some more detail, the four parts of these fuel tanks are supposed to all look like the one on the top left.

P1080272.jpg

Sink marks abound.

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and critical surface detail is pitted and scarred.

P1080273.jpg

I do generally enjoy a challenge, but I am worrying slightly about this one. We'll see how it goes.

Cheers

Cliff

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Sheesh Cliff!

Bin it and find another type. Save youself before it's too late.

It's not that bad Don! Besides, I've got a couple of other Potez 25s in my stash that may be persuaded to part with a wing or two if needed ;)

WOW that looks....like a challenge :D

How many Chaco aircrafts do you have?? the Curtiss looks very cool!

Thanks Mikkel. There were 45 or so aircraft types that took part in the Chaco War, of which just over 30 appear to have been kitted in 1/72 at some time or other. I've managed to track down and acquire all bar one of these :)

My build total is less impressive - I've just made seven to far, this Potez will be my eighth!

Cheers

Cliff

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Hi Cliff

This is a fantastic subject with this between the war French best seller.

I was told that an Azur new kit is in the pipeline. But as a rule it will be after you have finished this one !

I love your Bolivian Hawk too.

Patrick

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Hi Cliff

This is a fantastic subject with this between the war French best seller.

I was told that an Azur new kit is in the pipeline. But as a rule it will be after you have finished this one !

I love your Bolivian Hawk too.

Patrick

Thank you Patrick - I'm also waiting for Azur's promised Breguet 19!

I've made a start today on the interior, which builds into a complex 'cell' involving 9 plastic parts and 20 pieces of the PE fret.

So far I've only managed to clean up the plastic parts. In addition to the expected tidying up, a couple of the pieces have required reconstructive surgey to re-build missing sections.

The before photo:

P1080275.jpg

and after:

P1080276.jpg

The plastic is quite soft, making it easy to cut but difficult to sand smooth. It's also very weak and all of the thin sections broke at some stage or other (thank goodness for superglue and zapper!), which discourages too much fettling. The part with the ladder in was the worst, with a total of seven fractures (that's why it looks so rough). ;)

The bits that I've rebuilt from plastic strip look much better, so really that's the way to go - scratch build the lot, using the original kit parts as masters. Having spent a long time looking for a 25 TOE though (I got this one via Old Plastic Model Kits in the US), I am really keen to make it using as many of the original parts as possible. As most of these bits won't be too visible once in-situ, I've decided to go with them, warts and all. The control column was, however, beyond help (at least by me), so I've replaced it with one from my spares box.

Cheers

Cliff

Edited by CliffB
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Crickey! I somehow feel quite lucky that I have missed out on one of these to add to my Finnish biplane collection.

Plastic reminds me of Broplan. On those kits the injected parts are very rough looking indeed, but once all the awful flash and sink marks have been removed, the fit is actually ok.

Here's hoping for you!

Will

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Plastic reminds me of Broplan. On those kits the injected parts are very rough looking indeed, but once all the awful flash and sink marks have been removed, the fit is actually ok.

Here's hoping for you!

Will

We can hope Will!

Unfortunately the omens are not good. I came home this evening looking forward to a couple of hours fixing PE to the plastic bits I'd worked on over the weekend. In the instructions it looks soooo easy!

P1080277.jpg

However, in reality none of the PE fits - some bits are too short, others too long. The other problem is that the completed cockpit 'cell' would be way too wide to fit into the fuselage anyway.

Fortunately, HitKit give you the option of chosing a simpler route, using a crude plastic component instead of all the fancy stuff. You can see in the photo how much narrower it is - it does at least fit.

I'll sleep on it tonight. :sleeping:

Time for a Stella....

Cliff

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Hah! I love the huge ?-mark in the instructions. Do you think it means "fit the optional parts" or "your guess is as good as ours"?

Could this be a good candidate for a soldered brass rod construction for the cockpit framing? I tried it on a Fokker DVII a year ago and it was much easier than I thought it would be.

Will

Edited by Killingholme
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Thanks Don and Will,

I am pleased to say that things are a bit rosier today :)

I decided to go with the solid floor and build up the framework in-situ, using microstrip (the Potez has a wooden frame, I think).

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I even managed to sneak in a couple of bits of the PE strutwork.

Still plenty to do on the interior, but at least most of the structure is now there :thumbsup:

Cheers

Cliff

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looks spot on to me! I don't think you're going to get many super-geek modelers peering in with a torch and saying 'ermm, :confused: Actually I don't think that stringer is located in the proper position for a late 20s built Potez 25 A2 in Paraguayan service... :hmmm: '

Will

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