by George Grasse

SPECIAL HOBBY 1:48 SCALE INJECTION KIT EU8099 OF MORANE SAULNIER TYPE A.1

SPECIAL HOBBY  EU8099 BOX ART

MORANE SAULNIER TYPE A.1 THREE-VIEW DRAWING

This 3-view drawing is credited to Dennis Punnett which appeared in French Aircraft of the First World War (see bibliography).  The Type A.1 was an advanced fighter when introduced in early 1918.  It equipped three escadrilles: MS.156, MS.158, and MS.161.    Consult French Aircraft of the First World War by Dr. James J. Davilla and Arthur M. Soltan or Windsock Datafile Nr. 58 by J. M. Bruce.

THE MODEL TO BE BUILT

The model to be built is Morane Saulnier Type A.1 (MS.1591) of Escadrille MS.156 flown by Sergeant Walter John Shaffer.  He enlisted in the Aervice Aeronatique 1 August 1917 and trained a various flying schools in France until he received his flying brevet on 7 October 1917 as a caporal pilot.  His first assignment was directly to Escadrille Spa.156 which flew Spad 13 fighters until the early months of 1918 when it was partially or wholly equipped with the new Morane-Saulnier Type A.1 parasol fighter.  However, several weeks of combat flights proved to higher authorities that there were too many questionable flight characteristics with the Type A.1 and it was eventually replaced with Spad 13s.  Shaffer is credited with two aerial victories with Spa.156 both in August 1918 flying Spad 13s.  He was shot down, captured, escaped, re-captured and held as a POW until the Armistice.  More on his career is available in the book The Lafayette Flying Corps by Dennis Gordon (see bibliography below).

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 1

Just getting started.  Top is the cockpit interior about 1/2 finished.  The PE instrument panel is used with additional gauges ready to be installed.  Interior of the forward fuselage and the cowling and 'metallized'.  Other fuselage interior painted to represent fabric.

 

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 2

Fuselage interior completed and halves glued together.  These were held with rubber bands over night.  Fuselage seams were sanded roughly with 220 grit and fine sanded with 800 grit.  Cowling had its bottom piece glued and the two side Morane-Saulnier PE logos attached.  The twin machine gun cover plate was glued and a PE plate behind the cockpit.  The rotary engine had fine copper filament strands attached to the hub and will but cut to size and glued to the top of the cylinders.  Machine guns are pinned for painting purposes.

 

 

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 3

The tail unit is reinforeced by substituting the kit's plastic struts for brass.  The filament thread is holding the fuselage up for the photo.

 

 

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 4

This view shows the attached tail unit components.  The machine panel has and the underlying internal structures have been pre-painted.  Note that the cabane struts are glued in place.

 

 

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 5

Brass substitutes for the cabane struts.  To insure a rigid structure, I replaced the kit's plastic cabane struts with 1.3mm brass tube with brass rod insert.  This process took a while being mostly a cut-and-fit process mostly to insure that all struts were cut evenly, especially the brass rod.  The foot step was the simplest of the group and replaces the kit's plastic foot step.  The landing gear struts are also brass tube and rod.  The size was determined from the kit's struts and also Windsock drawings.  The axle is a simple brass rod to which are glued two smaller rods along the axle's length.  The kit's absorber parts and inverted 'V' support were added.  The tailskid was made from an old scrap piece of Strutz (why aren't these available?)  supported by a thin brass rod.

 

 

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 6

This side view shows all of the brass substitutes added so far.  How much of the remaining wing support struts in brass will be discussed in the next panel.  Note the Morane-Saulnier logo on the side of the cowling provided in the PE fret.

 

 

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 7

All of the brass substitutes are installed using 1.3mm tubing with brass rod and then carely flattened to an aerfoil shape.  The darker item partially wrapped around the fuselage is the PE simulated fabric stitching.  The only plastic strut parts used were the 'N' struts showing here as light gray.

 

 

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No.8

This ground level left front view shows the completed wing support structure.  Not quite visible are the .005 MFL 'wires' supporting the tail unit.  Additional wiring is required for the wing struts.

 

 

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No.9

The model has received its first coat of French 1918 5-Color Camouflage less the matte black.  Colors are usually referred to as brown, dark green, light green, and beige.  The underside has already recieved a coat of blanc bleute, a mix of white, aluminum powder, and a faint touch of blue.  It gives off a light grey finish.

 

 

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No.10

The model has received its second coat of French 1918 5-Color Camouflage less the matte black.  All wing rigging is completed.  Underside blanc bleute was touched up.  Tailskid needs to be painted, final touchup, then decals.

 

 

FINISHED PHOTO No.11

 

 

FINISHED PHOTO No.12

 

 

FINISHED PHOTO No.13

 

 

FINISHED PHOTO No.14

 

 

FINISHED PHOTO No.15

 

 

FINISHED PHOTO No.16

 

 

FINISHED PHOTO No.17

 

TABLE OF FRENCH 1917-1918 5-Color CAMOUFLAGE PAINTS and BLANC BLEUTE

French Color	English Color	Paint Mixing Formulas
Vert Fonce	Dark Green	VC0896 Extra Dark Green (9 parts) VC0864 Natural Steel (2 parts)
Vert Claire	Light Green	VC0886 Green Gray (9 parts) VC0888 Olive Gray (2 parts) VC0967 Olive Green (2 parts) VC0864 Natural Steel (2 parts)
Braun	Brown	VC0825 German Pale Brown (9 parts) VC0872 Chocolate Brown (2 parts) VC0992 Neutral Gray (2 parts) VC0864 Natural Steel (2 parts)
Jaune	Beige	VC0819 Iraqi Sand (9 parts) VC0837 Pale Sand (2 parts) VC0988 Khaki (2 parts) VC0864 Natural Steel (2 parts)
Noir	Black	Andrea 3/4 Flat Black + 1/4 Gloss (aluminum powder not added)
Blanc Bluete	Pale Gray	Andrea 1/2 White + 1/2 Steel (a touch of VC0965 Prussian Blue)

----- finis-----

Bibliography:

Bailey, Frank W.  The French Air Service War Chronology 1914-1918.  London: Grub Street, 2001.

Bruce, J. M.  Morane Saulnier Type A1, Windsock Mini Datafile 5.  Berkhamsted, Herts: Albatros Productions, 1996, 2000.

Davilla, James J. Dr. and Arthur M. Soltan.  French Aircraft of the First World War.  Boulder, CO, Flying Machines Press, 2002.

French Escadrille 156 website page - http://albindenis.free.fr/Site_escadrille/escadrille156.htm (site under construction).

Gordon, Dennis.   The Lafayette Flying Corps: The American Volunteers in the French Air Service in World War I.  Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 2000.

Hayez Lt. Colonel (French Air Force Historical Section), translated by H. D. Hastings.  French Escadrilles in World War I.  Cross & Cockade (US), Volume 7, Number 3, pages 205-231.

Lamberton, W. M., Compiler, and E. F. Cheesman, Editor.  Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War.   Los Angeles, CA: Aero Publishers, 1962.