Nieuport 28 Nr. 607 Swiss AF

RODEN 1:48 SCALE INJECTION KIT RO0403 NIEUPORT 28 C.1 OF THE SWISS AIR FORCE

UNDER CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #2

7 and 8 November 2010

The cockpit sub-assembly has been inserted into the fuselage after all details were added and painted where appropriate. Nieuport fighters had the smallest cockpit opening and this hides a lot of otherwise nice detail.

The rotary engine sub-assembly has been glued to the front of the fuselage. Other details for the forward fuselage include the removal of the machine gun support "trays", the addition of the main fuel tank filler cover, Venturi tube, and carburetor air intake pipe (the latter two will be seen in the following photos). An oil filler cap needs to be added after the cowling has been positioned and glued.

Landing gear was built up using the kit's plastic parts and heavily reinforced with scale steel piano wire (see next photo).

The tail unit was glued in place and allowed to dry thoroughly. Two control horns were glued to the rudder, two .009 piano wire supports were glued to the upper surface and vertical fin, and (not shown here) two "Strutz" brass rods were glued to the underside.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #2a

7 and 8 November 2010

This photo details the landing gear construction showing the .007 steel piano wire reinforcement cables and tail unit reinforcement brass supports (underside) and .009 steel piano wire braces (upper side). Note the brass Strutz tailskid. Jutting out from the fuselage is the carburetor air intake pipe and just above it (partially hidden by the starboard tail brace) is the Venturi tube.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION PHOTO 3

7 and 8 November 2010

Right rear view of Nieuport 28 Nr. 607

UNDER CONSTRUCTION PHOTO 4

7 and 8 November 2010

Right front view of Nieuport 28 Nr. 607

UNDER CONSTRUCTION PHOTO 5

22 November 2010

This left side view of Nieuport 28 Nr. 607 shows the application of the basic color scheme for this aircraft. The aircraft was painted aluminum dope (Misterkit MKFC01 French Aluminum) all over except for the blue-gray at the front of the fuselage (Misterkit MKFC02 French Roundel Blue). The propeller has been painted in yellow ochre, then dark brown to simulate the laminations, and then rubbed down with six shades of colored pencil.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION PHOTO 6

27 November 2010

This close-up view of the right front of the model, shows the fixing of the top wing to the cabane struts. The wing struts will be glued in place and allowed to dry thoroughly. Most of the rigging will be .005 monofilament thread except for the landing wires which were doubled and slightly heavier gauge wires wrapped together. To simulate this and add strength to the wings I will use .009 steel piano wire. Note the carburetor intake and, above it, the Venturi tube on the right side of the forward fuselage. Both of these were closer (shorter) on the original Nieuport 28s. Swiss modification of Nr. 607 extended both out well into the prop wash.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION PHOTO 7

8 December 2010

This photo shows how I fabricated the dual wrapped landing wires so prominent on the aircraft. I had to figure out a way to show the two rigging wires at each end and the flattened look of these wrapped wires. I used Griffon GMBH02 Brass Tube OD .5mm, ID .33mm. I cut to length four of these tubes shorter than needed to span the distance between struts. I inserted two short .005 monofilament threads at each end. The photo above could have been clearer, but the two pieces on the right show the steps so far. Carefully fitting each tube onto an small anvil, I flattened each one as shown by the two on the left. These were the last sets of rigging glued in place into small holes drilled adjacent to corresponding struts (upper cabane strut locations to lower wing strut locations).

UNDER CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS 8 & 9 *10 December 2010*

The model is completed except for the application of Swiss Air Force decals. Note the prominent dual wrapped landing wires compared to all of the other single unwrapped rigging wires.

COMPLETED PHOTOS 10 and Up *12 December 2010*

COMPARING THE NIEUPORT 28 WITH OTHER AIRCRAFT *12 December 2010*

Comparing the relatively small overall size of the Nieuport 28 to the Nieuport 16 (left) and to the AEG J.II (right)

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NIEUPORT 28 C.1 Nr. 607

FLIEGER-FLAB-MUSEUM, AIR FORCE CENTER, DÜBENDORF, SWITZERLAND

This 1:48 scale model is based on three photographic sources: 1) private photographs taken by the collector (for whom this aircraft model is built) of the surviving airframe Nr. 607 currently displayed in the Flieger-Flab-Museum in Dübendorf, Switzerland; 2) photographs of the original aircraft appearing the Jon Guttman's Nieuport 28, Windsock Datafile 36; and 3) additional photos of the original aircraft appearing in Theodore Hamady's Nieuport 28 - America's First Fighter.

This aircraft was flown by American pilot 2/Lt James F. Ashinden of the 147th Aero Squadron, Nieuport 28 serial N.6212. Ashinden crash-landed on 25 une 1918 at/near Derendlingen, Switzerland, 20 miles north of Bern and 130 miles southwest of the 147th's aerodrome at Toul, France. Ashinden was unhurt and the aircraft was only slightly damaged. The Swiss re-built N.6212, re-numbered it Nr. 607, and placed it in service as a Swiss Air Force trainer until 1925 when it was retired and placed in storage at Thun, Switzerland. It now hangs in the Flieger-Flab-Museum, Air Force Center, Dübendorf, Switzerland.

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Guttman, Jon. Nieuport 28. Windsock Datafile 36. Berkhamsted, UK: Albatros Productions Ltd, second edition, 1998.

Hamady, Theodore. The Nieuport 28 - America's First Fighter. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 2008.