Heather Kay Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Morane-Saulnier MS-406C.1, No 1019, Groupe de Chasse 21, June 1940 Although lacking in performance compared to its contemporaries, the MS-406 was the most numerous fighter to serve the Armée de l'Air at the beginning of the Second World War. Powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Y.31 V12 engine, this oddly dumpy little aeroplane could achieve a maximum speed of 486kph. It was armed with a Hispano-Suiza 20mm cannon firing through a hollow shaft in the engine and through the propeller spinner, and a pair of wing-mounted 7.5mm machine guns. Aircraft No 1019 was flown by General Armand Pinsard, and was nicknamed "Le Pirate". It carried a non-standard overall matt black finish. A decorated hero of World War One, Pinsard had been credited with 27 victories in that conflict. Pinsard commanded Groupe de Chasse 21 from the start of the Second World War. He was returning from a mission when his airfield was bombed by approaching German forces on 6 June 1940. Pinsard was seriously injured and had a leg amputated. According to Wikipedia: "After the war, Pinsard was convicted of collaboration with the Nazis and sentenced to life imprisonment. He had served as Inspector-General of the Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism, which had served with the Nazis on the Eastern Front. He was later pardoned." Essentially out of the box, I replaced antennae, pitot tube and wing machine gun barrels with brass wire stock for durability. The main black camouflage started out as Humbrol 85 Satin Black enamel, the undersurfaces painted with ColourCoats enamel. As ever, my paint finishing needs work, and I should do a lot better than this. The work in progress thread for this model is shared by a selection of French types feeding my 1940 obsession. 36 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horatio Gruntfuttock Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 "I see an M-S and I want to paint it black" Now that is different Heather - well executed model of an unusual scheme. I do like your modelling theme as it intersects with my own, much wider set of interests. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 (edited) I think you have done a good job of the painting. Black can't be easy to brush paint. What I think would help is some exhaust stains on the fuselage to break up the black area a bit. Just a thought. Mine you I can't talk, as you will see from my frog Blenheim I am very close to finishing. Edited February 16, 2019 by Greg Law Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 Very nice...each of the models I have seen that you have built get better and better. Keep at it! One of my favorite airplanes- they were ugly little spuds, but the Finns managed to get good results with theirs, especially the Morko-Moranes with the uprated engines. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 Another great looking build with some history Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 For no readily explicable reason, I really like the 406, and this is a super example. Thanks for sharing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsaircorp Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 And now, your Battle of France serie is on its way ! Well executed kit with an unusual paint scheme !! Congratulations ! CC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyTiger66 Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 I’m another of those fans of the way the 406 looks, that doesn’t really understand why 🤔! This looks great. Good choice to replace those gun barrels and the other details with fine wire. I have never seen one in black! A very difficult shade to attempt in scale. I too have become fascinated by French WWII aircraft; I will follow your thread now for a mojo boost; something to force me to build some. I like the photographs and setting, is it real grass? TonyT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kay Posted February 16, 2019 Author Share Posted February 16, 2019 20 minutes ago, TonyTiger66 said: I like the photographs and setting, is it real grass? Thanks! The grass is that stuff some folk use for model railways, only vet been at it with various paints and sharp implements. I'm still not happy with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Mc Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Very nice. I'm glad someone is taking the time to build these French fighters. They were pretty decent aircraft (except perhaps the Bloch which was a bit of a bus). The interesting thing is what the pilots did after France surrendered. Some ended up flying with the Free French or RAF and others stayed with the Vichy French Air Force and ended up fighting against the Allies in North Africa. It just shows you how politically fractured France was before World War 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kay Posted February 16, 2019 Author Share Posted February 16, 2019 2 minutes ago, Eric Mc said: It just shows you how politically fractured France was before World War 2. Indeed. My original intention with my 1940 obsession interest bubble was to just build the obvious candidates from the RAF and Luftwaffe. It soon proved hard to reconcile that as my interest spread from the main summer of 1940 to encompass the whole year. Along with French planes, I plan to add Dutch, Belgian and Norwegian types into the mix - which proves interesting in many ways. Someone will, no doubt, encourage me to look at the Mediterranean and North African theatres in due course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Mc Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Yes - don't forget the Italians. They even participated in the Battle of Britain (not terribly successfully either). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapam Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Beautifully done! I also enjoy the information about these 1940/BoB types - lesser known (to me at least). A fine job on this French fighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now