Eastern Express 1/72 Morane Bullet

[stevehed]

Originally from Temek this kit is regarded as more dimensionally accurate than the Revell version.  It represents the later J model with a synchronised Vickers and more powerful 110hp Le Rhone rotary. These machines seem to have been sent to Russia where they were still active as late as September 1917. On the Western Front the French were using the N which was powered by the 80hp Le Rhone and armed with a Hotchkiss mg with deflector plates on the prop. They were active over Verdun and some machines were later transferred to the RFC and fought at the Somme. I'm going to build this version. It will be mostly OOB with the few changes all at the front end. So far I've joined the fuselage and painted most of it HU121 for CDL. The cockpit is small and I like a pilot who would hide any extras so all that's been added is a plastic plank a la old style Airfix for the seat. I have a resin Hotchkiss in the spares and a Revell prop with deflectors. I should be able to get an 80hp rotary from an Airfix Pup. The kit has a raised section that housed part of the Vickers. This has been ground off to match the flat N profile.

[JOCKNEY]

Looks terrific and a great start already.

 

Cheers Pat 

[Bertie McBoatface]

15 hours ago, stevehed said:

I like a pilot who would hide any extras

 

That's a sound approach to 1/72 interiors in my opinion.

[stevehed]

Thanks Gents. Shifts have been getting in the way but have got a little more to show. Haven't got any French Morane roundels so dug out an old Revell Nieuport 17 set. Had to sun bleach them for a few days but went on without any problems. Original box so they may be 50 plus years old.

[Brandy]

That looks a lot less work than the Revell one, which was not even close. 

Nice start!

 

Ian

[stevehed]

4 hours ago, Brandy said:

That looks a lot less work than the Revell one, which was not even close. 

Nice start!

 

Ian

Thanks Ian. It is. The Revell kit is far too long. In the past I used it a the basis for the P type parasol and the BB biplane. Both are two seat recce versions.

[stevehed]

The end is in sight. Once the bracing posts are secure I'll add some rigging. WW1 monoplanes are the perfect introduction to rigging I think. You can usually get the wings done with two long single lengths of invisible thread, that's one for the front wires and one for the rear.

[stevehed]

Finished and posted in the Gallery. I fitted a spare resin Hotchkiss mg with a short length of rod at right angles to represent the magazine. These were only 25 round I gather so not the best armament to be fitted. Those machines sent to No 60 RFC on the Somme seem to have been so fitted. Probably why some machines are quoted as having Lewis guns. I used the kit bracing pylons. They are slightly oversized but were too useful not to use. I simply sawed a cut into the top,bottom of the pylons so I could run the wires through. Not perfect but OK from a respectable distance. I had a tiny windscreen fitted but it fell off and disappeared.