The prototype airplane is a fairly large two bay, two seat Biplane with a 36 ft wing span. It has ailerons on both upper and lower wings, which are rigged with considerable dihedral and two sets of struts on each side. It uses a conventional tail with a very low aspect ratio horizontal stab/elevator. The most distinctive characteristic is a single skid placed between the wheels, extending forward of the propeller.

The construction of this model is fairly simple because of a relative lack of complex curves. The design does not include connecting strips but I recommend creating them to secure any joint where two surfaces adjoin.

There are many struts and I like to mass-produce these by laminating a group of them before final cutting. I use three sheets of card stock to get a good compromise between strength and scale appearance. The kit provides left and right sides for all the struts, but I only one side since I always paint the struts anyway. This way I end up with twice the number of struts needed, which can be saved for a second build-up. The wheels are also built up in this way, but require about 8 layers to get enough thickness. Be sure to dry all the laminations under a heavy flat object until thoroughly dry. Trim with a sharp knife and sand to the correct profile. I use a 1/16th drill to create the hole in the wheels for mounting to the axle.

Speaking of axles, I generally ignore the paper axles and substitute a heavy, soft wire like florist #18. The wire is easier to make, stronger, and looks more realistic. If you want the wheel to turn, use an aluminum or paper tube and attach the wheel to a wire running through the tube.

The engine cowling offers a bit more challenge because it’s built up from a number of thin strips to give a complex shape. After gluing up the cowling, I lightly sanded the assembly to blend in the seams a bit, then painted it with two or three coats of primer with light sand between coats. I finished it with a coat of gold enamel spray paint. The museum example has a gloss black cowling but I really like the way the gold looks against the green fuselage. If you want the black finish, you could spend more time filling and sanding the cowl to get a perfectly smooth base for the finish.

The engine was detailed with bits of wire and was also sprayed gold. I used a thin black wash to give the engine a bit more depth and interest.

Not included in the kit, but easy to scratch build are control horns for the ailerons, rudder, and elevators. With all the references available, and the large scale of this kit, it’s easy to accurately rig the model and this make a big improvement in the final effect. My favorite technique is to simply tie a knot around the base of each strut with the rigging thread, adding a tiny drop of glue at each joint as I go along. Sometimes a needle is helpful. This is one of the few places where I’ll use super glue on a card model. White glue also works but takes a bit longer to dry. Try to find a coated thread without the typical fuzz. A nice final touch is to paint the loop around each strut the same color as the strut, making the attachment method a bit less obvious.

Go over the model one last time, touching up any bare white card edges that might be showing.

Specifications

Gnome Monosoupape, rotary, 100 hp
Le Rhône, rotary x 1, 110 hp
Clerget 9B, 130 hp