Spanish Civil War Whifs

[Old Wombat]

 

[stevehed]

Thanks All,
                An enjoyable build brought about by having complementary parts at the right time. Just got lucky this time.

[stevehed]

Recently I lost out on eBay trying to get an AZ Spad 51. Including postage it went for about £20. Being tight I want a bit more for my money than a tiny single seater. I wondered if a kit bash would be possible and thought the fuselage from the Heller Nieuport 62 might be useful. The wings from the Willow 93 had possibilities too. However, instead of trying to build a 51 I decided to use this type as the basis for another SCW whif. This way I can reduce the amount of work that the lower wings required and use the Willow engine rather than seek out a Jupiter radial. The back story originates from Turkey. In 1935 France imposed an arms embargo on Turkey. This prevented the sale of Dewoitine 510 monoplane fighters. The Turks eventually purchased PZL 24 gull wing fighters from Poland in the following year but a locally built temporary stop gap was offered. This aircraft was an improved version of the Bleriot Spad 51. Airframes had been acquired from Poland and the original Gnome Rhone licence built Jupiters were replaced by Czech built Mercury IV 560hp radials. A couple of feet was added to the upper wings and the chord was increased along the lower. The Turks decided to wait for the P24's and the Spads were placed in storage until the Spanish Republicans showed interest. It is believed that six aircraft arrived in Spain in early 1937 and they were sent to oppose Nationalist forces in the south of the country. None survived the war.

[stevehed]

I managed to find a plan form of the Spad 51 on the net and scaled it to 1/72. Sizing the 62 fuselage along the sideview showed greater depth was required and most of the engine compartment had to be removed. I installed the kit cockpit and added a section of card to fill in a gap at the front of the upper fuselage. To increase the depth I cemented 60thou plastic card along the full length of the lower fuselage. Once it was secure filler was pressed between the card and the fuselage. When dry I used a grinder and file to create a rounded appearance similar to the Spad 51. Plastic card was used to block off the open end of the engine compartment. The engine will be cemented to the card so I made a hole in it to accept the back of the propeller pin.

Next job was to make locating slots for the lower wings. I drilled holes which were then merged together with the side of the drill. Not the neatest method but filler can hide most sins. Finally, so far, I've modified the elevators and removed the fin/rudder. The fin will be repositioned a little further back with a new rudder scratched. The lower Type 93 wings are the same span as the Spad although the chord would need to be reduced. On this version that is not necessary. The upper wing is four feet greater span and I may reduce it slightly.

[stevehed]

Managed to get the main fiddly bits done. I used the kit windscreen which has a nick in the centre and allowed a crude Aldis sight from rod. The tail planes were trimmed a little but the wings have been left at original span. I added cabanes from rod then mounted the wing into pre-drilled locating holes. Keeping to the Spad design the interplane struts are thick Aeroclub stock. The wider span meant they had to be splayed rather than straight but it wasn't uncommon on thirties French machines. A bit of rigging on the wings and the undercarriage is next.

[NARSES2]

Coming along nicely sir 

[stevehed]

Thanks very much. Construction is almost complete. There's only an oil cooler between the undercarriage legs and under wing machine gun pods to add. With the orange plastic from the Type 93, yellow oleo legs from a Boeing Kaydett and a blue tail skid I found in the spares, probably ex Matchbox, and not forgetting the red, yellow and purple rudder, it's looking a little psychedelic before the final paint job.

[Old Wombat]

Should look nice when finished.

[stevehed]

Thanks and all done and dusted. This is the Bleriot Spad 51TH with the T standing for Turkey and the H signifying an aircraft supposed to be civilian. I reckon it would have been able to take care of itself against the Nationalist Heinkel 51 and improved the survival odds if a Fait 32 turned up. Last photo has a Spanish Nieuport 52 conversion from the Heller French 622 version. The leading edge wing tips were rounded and the radiators attached to the undercarriage legs was replaced with a chin type. The fuselage should have horizontal panel lines but I couldn't find a way to hold the fuselage parts securely without breaking them. Then I would have to score the lines along the fuselage in such a way that the blade wouldn't slip. It proved beyond me so I hid everything under a coat of improvised camouflage.

[63cpe]

Ooooooeh, I like both Bleriot-Spad and the Nieuport Delage. The Spanish Republican camouflage look good on both of them.

Have a NiD 622 in the stash and still figuring what to "do" with it.

Cheers David aka 63cpe

[zenrat]

Nice.

[NARSES2]

That really has come out well 

[stevehed]

Thanks Gentlemen, appreciated.

[Glenn Gilbertson]

They look really good!

[stevehed]

Still working on the back story but I wondered how British aircraft might have ended up in Spain despite the embargo. The kit is the Novo issue of the Frog Wallace PV6 which flew over Everest. It was developed into the Wallace which replaced some of the RAF Wapitis. The later mark II had an enclosed cockpit so I'm going to try and adapt the kit to something similar. Most of the build will be OOB but the rear cockpit needs modifying to accept weaponry and I have a spare vac canopy from a Russian RZ Natasha which I hope to adapt. Progress so far required the rear occupant to be reseated to face to the rear, a floor of sorts and some gun mags on the sides. A rib was sited along the cockpit edges to accept the gun ring and mounting rail and she's got a green coat of paint.