Morane Saulnier Type L (MS.29) Escadrille MS.26

EDUARD EU8007 BOX ART

MORANE SAULNIER TYPE L
THREE-VIEW DRAWING

This 3-view drawing is credited to J. D. Carrick or F. Yeoman and appeared in Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War compiled by W. M. Lamberton and published by Harleyford Publications Limited. The Type L was produced in moderate numbers, around 600. Its intended use was reconnaissance and bombing but certain individuals in escadrilles equipped with the Type L used the aircraft in the fighter role by mounting a Hotchkiss machine gun over the cowl to fire through the propeller arc. Special metal plates were attached to the propeller to deflect rounds that hit the blades there being no synchronizing or interrupter gear available. Consult French Aircraft of the First World War by Dr. James J. Davilla and Arthur M. Soltan or Windsock Datafile Nr. 16 by J. M. Bruce.

THE MODEL TO BE BUILT

The model to be built is Morane Saulnier Type L (MS.29) of Escadrille MS.26 flown by Sous/Lt Roland Garros, eventually a four-victory ace. On 18 April 1915 after shooting down an Albatros two-seater, his aircraft was hit by AAA fire and forced to land behind the lines. Garros and his "secret" Hotchiss machine gun were captured. The serial number "MS. " was not known at the time. From the French escadrille cited in the bibliography for Escadrille MS.26, Garros' Type L serial is given as 'MS.29' which I will use on this model. The color profile above is by Ronny Bar taken from Wilburg's book (see Bibliography under Wilburg)

The early aircraft of MS.26 in 1915 did not display any unit insignia until the white torch was seen on Nieuport 11 aircraft late 1916. MS.26 was eventually equipped with Spad 7 fighters and joined the famous Groupe de Combat 12 'Les Cicognes' (composed of Escadrilles Spa.3, 26, 73, and 103)

Lieutenant Roland-Adrien-Georges Garros

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 1
21 April 2023

Just getting started. . . . . . . . I'm showing the kit's plastic sprue and top wing. Also in the kit besides instructions, decals, and full color painting guide three aircraft are metal rotary engines (two types), two PE sheets, and a small packet of steel rods and pins. The latter items are shown below in photo #2.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 2
21 April 2023

Now we'll look at the metal components. On the left is the larger PE fret. The gaps are PE parts shown at the middle top in some stage of cockpit assembly. The bottom fret contains all of the strut material for wing bracing and landing gear. In the middle is the cockpit assembly. To the right are the pins and rods included in the kit. At far right are my clamps.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 3 & 4
22 April 2023

Two views of the completed PE interior: left side at top, right side at bottom. The protruding PE parts are the seat belts. I used a combination of soldner and super glue to assembly this structure. The long tray protruding at the rear is for two bands of "stick" ammunition for a rear-firing machine gun.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 5 & 6 25 April 2023

Two views of the painted PE interior placed inside the fuselage: view from the rear on the left, view from the front on the right. The instrument panel was scratch-built from plastic sheet (for the panel) and Eduard 1:48 scale WW1 instruments. The irregular shape of the PE interior will be straightened once the fuselage halves have cured.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 7
28 April 2023

The putty on the fuselage is cured and sanded. I tackled the tail skid sub-assembly next. I made an effort to work with the PE parts but eventually had to alter the construction using brass rod for the inner support and then soldering all of the joints. The tail skid was fashioned from brass rod and soldered to the support structure. I painted the metal parts in semi-gloss black.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 8
3 May 2023

Looking more like a bug than a model, this view of the Type L shows the extensive PE components just for the underside. Now we'll look at the metal components.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 9
3 May 2023

This is a more traditional photo of the model. The next step will be the cabane struts which are the only supports for top wing except for rigging wires.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 10
13 May 2023

Major progress and significant changes. The support structure of the model including the landing gear and the wing was modified to include brass rod enclosed in brass tubing. Originally, I used only the PE parts to build up the landing gear but could not tolerate the flimsy structure. Most of the PE parts were used but reinforced with brass.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 11
13 May 2023

Left side photoe: The top wing was pre-drilled with twelve holes for the wing rigging using a photo copy of the top wing from Windsock Datafile 16 (see bibliography). The wing profile from the photo copy was cut to size, fitted over the model's wing, and pencil marks were made to located each of the holes. Note the foot steps for climbing into the cockpit, one forward and one rear on each side at the bottom of the fuselage (made from brass wire).

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 12
13 May 2023

Right side photo: note the complex landing gear structure with the attendent wing bracing pylon just to its rear. The top wing bracing pylon is clearly shown. Still a lot more work to be done. The overall color was applied before assembly using a light sand color spray.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 13
12 June 2023

French insignia wing decals are applied. Wheels and prop are positioned but not permanent. All of the metal work has been primed.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 14
14 June 2023

All metal parts were painted semi-gloss black except the upper wing structure. Barely visible are the windscreen and machine gun on the top forward decking, the gun barrel extending slightly over the cowling. The rudder has been hand-painted in French colors. Note the side wood panel.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 15
6 August 2023

All of the wing rigging is completed. Remaining metal struts were painted semi-gloss black. The kit's poor rendition of a machine gun was built and glued in place. I could not find a 1:48 scale French machine gun.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 16
6 August 2023

Rudder markings include kit-supplied decals (charge maxime & 275k) but the 'MS 26' was home-made.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 17
6 August 2023

The first finished photo (five more follow). The overall paint used is Humbrol No. 74 'Linen'. The panels on both sides of the front fuselage were hand-painted in various light to medium earth colors. On the wood panels I drilled one hole on each side to accomodate a small diameter brass tube to represent the exhaust which was not included in the kit. The back side of the propeller has a deflector on each blade to ward off bullets from an unsynchornized machine gun. All rigging was done with .005 monofilament thread (MFT).

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 18
6 August 2023

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 19
6 August 2023

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 20
6 August 2023

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 21
6 August 2023

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 22
6 Agusut 2023

Bailey, Frank W. The French Air Service War Chronology 1914-1918. London: Grub Street, 2001. (Note: Garros" four aerial victories are recorded in April 1915 on the 1st, 8th, 15th, and 18th.

Bruce, J. M. Morane Saulnier Type L, Windsock Datafile 16. Berkhamsted, Herts: Albatros Productions, 1998.

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

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.

Wilberg, Jim. Jean Navarre - France's Sentinel of Verdun and the First French Fighter Pilots. Marceline, MO: Aeronaut Books, 2010.

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