FINISHED! - SPAD XIII 1/32 Mission-Ready....
Just started on my latest WW1 project, with my all-time favorite Hobbycraft 1/32 SPAD XIII to be done up in the markings of the Smithsonian NASM's beautifully-restored Kellner-built a/c, the original flown by long-lived ace Arthur Raymond Brooks of the American 22nd Aero Squadron 'Shooting Stars.' This a/c was acquired by the museum after their 'first choice'---that flown by leading ace Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker---was accidentally destroyed in a fire while being displayed in the Midwest. Smith IV was a fortunate second bid, being nearly complete...but she suffered quite a bit over the years in periodic storage and semi-neglect, with her canvas rotting away to a significant degree. [It is worthwhile to recall that these a/c were originally designed to last for months in combat, not for decades in storage!]
I first 'met' (and fell hopelessly in love with) Smith IV when she was still a battered and tattered hulk at the Silver Hill storage facility in the 1980s...and was tremendously excited when the docent leading our tour shared the news that this very a/c was slated for an imminent full restoration to near-original condition, in her original markings. [Needless to say, I have 'visited' this beauty in her spiffy new colors a number of times since.]
(Copyright Smithsonian Institution, photo by Mark Avino; used under terms of fair use for non-commercial, educational purposes; https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/spad-xiii-smith-iv)
Some years after that original visit, I built a super-detailed Revell 1/28 version as my first major project with the newly-discovered magic of home-printed decals. That bird was subsequently lost to the whimsical misfortunes of cruel fate...but I knew I'd build another eventually, content to bide my time in the near-certainty that someone, somewhere, would come out with an excellent aftermarket set of markings for what is perhaps the most well-known original SPAD XIII still in existence.
[Cue the crickets chirping....]
So it's back to MS-Paint and my faithful HP inkjet...this time with somewhat more complete information from the World-Wide Web (and following several rounds of correspondence over the years with the patient and very helpful folks at the Smithsonian). I decided to go a bit smaller this time, with Hobbycraft's really excellent 1/32 offering. It's what the automotive folks would call a 'curbside' model---no engine to have to deal with---but otherwise quite petite and well-detailed, and an excellent basis for adding more stuff.
Beyond simple detailing, two basic modifications to the kit will be required, both relatively minor.
First, Brooks' a/c as she survives has 'mismatched' wings, most likely indicating that (at least) one set or the other was replaced in service---a very common occurrence. The upper wing is the later 'squared off' SPAD wingtip design that was implemented at the factory to increase handling by adding wing area. The lower wings are the original 'rounded' style---to which the French retro-fitted a field-modification of 'pocket' extensions made of formed plywood, to achieve nearly the same profile as the updated components. These extensions were basically laced right to the tips of the earlier wings. [The good news is that, since the kit's wings are the later 'squared' style, only the lower wings will have to be modified. No control surfaces to work around. The better news: Tom's Modelworks has produced a set of photo-etched extensions, complete with scale-sized templates included.]
The second major deviation is a matter of armament: as Vickers machine guns were in painfully-short supply when the AEF squadrons took the field, an American-made Marlin design was substituted in many US-operated aircraft. Smith IV has these very distinctive-looking guns. No aftermarket help here---although I've heard Wingnut Wings supplied them in some of their kits---but they're relatively easy to scratchbuild (...he says, having done it once before in 1/28).
Enough blather, let's see some photos. The kit:
And some of the the 'stuff': Eduard's 1/32 p-e set (designed for Roden's SPAD VII, but some of the components and fittings are useful or can be modified for the XIII); and the Tom's 'wing pocket' set---which also includes some nifty screens to replace the solid engine-access panels, a common swap-out also seen on Smith IV:
And my real 'treasure chest'---the second set of scratchbuilt cockpit components I turned out at the same time as last year's build of the same kit, as Charles d'Olive's 93rd Aero bird:
And last but certainly not least, a sampling of my decals:
So much for the long-winded tedious introduction. Next post will be the wing mods.
Thanks for looking in.