156 - Dewoitine D 500/501

[Richard Humm]

As several other people are doing the 510, I thought I'd start with the other variant.

 

The box - despite it being the black box, I bought it from Pat Lewarne (AKA Collectakit) at the RAF Museum show on 20 May 2012 for a fiver.

 

The box contents - still sealed in the bag!

 

I'm going to have to take the sprues out to build it.

 

Instructions and somewhat yellowed planche de décoration

 

Some aftermarket decals I bought a few years ago. I'm pretty sure I've got that cockerel design on a Mirage sheet somewhere as well.

 

Edited September 27, 2020 by Richard Humm
Kit number changed to first release one

[Wez]

Welcome Richard, this kit was first released in 1977 although that black box edition was released in 1980.

 

It's a lovely kit, I have one in the Heller Hoard, I did think of digging it out for this GB but I don't think I will now, I've given myself enough to do as it is!

 

I have some LF decals for my kit too albeit a different set, so I'll be interested in seeing how they work too.

 

Good luck with this one.

[JOCKNEY]

Great choice Richard

I wasn't aware of aftermarket decals for these thanks for the heads up.

Cheers Pat

[Rabbit Leader]

Yes, glad to see one of these sweet little things as well. Both those crisp parts and decals look sensational and I’ll be watching with keen interest to see how this comes along. Welcome to the GB and best of luck. 
Cheers.. Dave 

[Richard Humm]

Getting started.

 

I decided to do this straight from the box, as I haven't been able to find much in the way of cockpit detail (just a couple of cutaway drawings of the D510). Kora does do a resin cockpit set, but I want to get going as I have at least one more kit to do in the build.

 

The instrutions start by adding the manche à balai (control column) and siége(pilot's seat) to the plancher (cockpit floor). It suggests there should be a mark on the floor for the seat, but  there wasn't one I could see on mine, just three ejector pin marks on one side (so I treated that as the bottom). I dry fitted the floor to the fuselage and worked out where to put the seat so that it matched the cockpit opening. There was also an ejector pin mark in the seat, which needed a bit of scraping with a number 15 scalpel blade to get rid of it. Silver plastic doesn't make it easy to see when the pin mark has gone!

 

The fuselage side interiors also had ejector pin marks in the cockpit area, so those got scraped away with a number 10 blade. There seems to be some debate about the cockpit colour, with aluminium and dark blue being mentioned, but Heller call for Vert Nil (couleur 7021), which the conversion chart I posted in the reference section gives as equivalent to Humbrol 90 Beige Green, so I used that Humbrol acrylic. The control column and instrument dials were done in Citadel Abaddon Black, which I ha on my wet palette from a wargaming project I'm working on.

 

So this is as far as I've got

[JOCKNEY]

Hi Richard

Have you had a chance to make any more progress with your lovely Dewoitine ?

Cheers Pat 

[JOCKNEY]

Hi @Richard Humm

When we last heard from you you had made a start on this kit and had sourced a cracking set of aftermarket decals. 

Not sure if you are aware we have been given a 2 week extension to this GB.

I would be brilliant if you were able to return to this one and finish it.

Cheers Pat