Amodel 1/72 Spad A2

AMODEL 1:72 SPAD A2

Reviewer: Richard Stracey (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: 4 April 2004 (#101)

Kit Details:

A MODEL # 7260 1/72 -- SPAD S.A.2

Aircraft History:

The first ariel combat consisted of throwing bricks and shooting at each other with revolvers. It soon became obvious that the best method of attacking another aircraft was to aim the entire machine at the target using a modified machine gun conveniently mounted but this couldn’t be done as the propeller got in the way. A crude answer came in the form of steel deflector plates bolted on to the propeller at the point where the bullets from the gun would intersect the blades. The only solution was to somehow mount the gun in front of the propeller. The British solved the problem in the most obvious and simple way by mounting the entire engine and propeller in the pusher style as in the DH2 and Vickers Gun Bus. The French took a far more complicated path with the Dufaux Scout (actually Amand and Henri Dufaux were Swiss) and the Spad S.A.2. The Dufaux could be described as “mid engined” and first flew in early 1916. The Spad was a conventional tractor bi plane but with an additional “pulpit” in front of the propeller containing the observer/ gunner. Flying for the first time in 1915 it was too late as the interrupter gear had, by then, been invented much, I am sure, to the relief of French aircrew! However, the Russians both in WWI and the following civil war used it. The S.A.2 was powered by a Le Rhone 9C 80hp rotary engine and had a span of 9.55m and a length of 7.30m.

The Kit:

This Polish (it doesn’t actually say where it is made) limited run kit consists of fifty two parts in soft grey plastic on three sprues. Decals are supplied for one machine with reasonable instructions that give Humbrol names and numbers.

Construction:

As with most limited run kits care must be taken in removing the parts from the sprue. As many of the struts, had locating points in inconvenient places, it proved much simpler to substitute these parts with wire or plastic rod. Some of the parts that I replaced were 39, 40, 19, 26 and 27. I added #24 to the pulpit and left the gun till much later and certainly the pulpit can be added to the rest of the aircraft after all the painting and decaling has been completed. There is nothing difficult or unusual in the construction except that as the carbane struts are part of the foreword fuselage (3 & 4) so they dictated the position of the wings. I built the wings in the opposite way to the normal biplane in that I added the top wing first. I then fitted the inner main struts (18) to the top wing and then trimmed and fitted the lower wings. After all was dry I “clicked” the outer struts (14, 15 & 17). into place. Easy!

Colour Schemes:

The paint job is simple in that it is all over clear doped linen. Rather than the recommended Humbrol 74, I painted it Humbrol 148 / Testors 1709 (FS33613) Radome Tan then rubbed in powdered brown chalk in the direction of the airflow. This not only gave it a natural uneven finish but also the illusion of wing rib detail that the kit lacks. Not that I am complaining as I prefer too little than too much, just compare this to the Airfix Spad S VII that looks like it is made from corrugated iron. I finished it off by painting the woodwork brown and the tyres light grey.

Decals:

The decals are fine except that four 20mm wing roundels are provided. This is OK for the top wing but the lower one is only 18mm chord! You will have to find a couple of 17mm roundels in your decal bank. The only clue to the rigging is in the box art.

Overall Recommendation:

I was very satisfied with the result as I just love these oddball aircraft and we have to be thankful that there are companies like A Model who are prepared to take the risk in producing them. They also make a S.A.4 (#7261) and a S.A.4 (#7273) on skis, both in Imperial Russian markings. The S.A.4 was “an improved S.A.2” whatever that means. I don’t know if the “improvements” were obvious in this scale so possibly all three kits are the same but with appropriate decals. Naturally, there is little information on these machines. A bit can be found on the internet an in the Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Aircraft V12 p.2859. Go out and buy (and make) at least one.

RHS / 101

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