Thought I’d share a pair of Dodos - Swedish Phönix C.I:s, which also became license-built in Sweden. The colourful bird is an HR model kit, the aluminium-doped a Choroszy resin kit. It’s a surplus WWI type, so I thought it fitted here despite being 1920s machines:
In 1919 the Swedish army air force purchased, as well as acquired license to build, Phönix fighters and two-seat recon aircraft. The latter, the Phönix C.I, was quickly dubbed ”Dront” (Dodo) by the Swedes. The official designations were E 1 or E 2 for the escort versions and A 1 respectively Ö 4 and Ö 5 for attack and trainer versions, but ”the Dodo” was the only real name the type got. The name came from its ungainly appearance - in fact it was well-liked and easy to fly. A bit more on the history of the type in Swedish service can be found here:
https://www.avrosys.nu/aircraft/Flygkomp/019_dront/19Dront.htmIn 1926 the Navy and Army aviation companies merged to create an independent air force. In connection with this a number of Wings were created, one of them F4 on Frösön, to which Dronts were transferred as their first aircraft. I intended to build one of these, but the HR model Phönix C.I that I had bought apparently had the wrong engine. In the mid-20s the workshops of the Army aviation company (Sw. Flygkompaniet) ended up sitting with a bunch of war surplus Hispano-Suiza engines and decided to mate the engines with Phönix C.I airframes, creating the Hispano-Dront, officially E 2. The F4 machines were of this variety. I considered scratchbuilding the frontal section, but then I found that Choroszy Modelbud had a Hispano-Dront in their catalogue and bought one, thus ending up with two Dodos.
The HR model kit was finished as number 0124, a pre-Air Force Dront, in the camoflague of the Army Aviation Company on Malmen, close to where the Swedish airforce museum is located nowadays. The exact colours are unknown, shades of middle green and light and dark brown. Below is a contemporary photo of a mock dogfight between two army Dronts, ca 1920:
The resin kit was finished as an E 2 (later changed to A 1)in F4 wing livery. The number 626 was later changed to 458, but in winter ’27/28 it was still 626 as evident from a film documenting bombing exercises on the frozen lake near the base (about two minutes in):
https://www.filmarkivet.se/movies/flygvapnet-25-ar/Despite both kits being boxed with Swedish markings, they both needed some work to be moulded to Swedish versions:
HR models (E 1):
-ailerons completely remade
-engine is mirrored regarding intake and exhaust
-Observer cockpit coaming (0124 did not have a gun mount)
-Almost all hatches moved around
-markings were masked and painted - flag on the rudder from Bluerider decals
Choroszy (E 2):
-Ailerons replaced
- centre wing section should stick out in front where the radiator is
-The parts of the two wing tanks that are underneath the wing are missing, including lots of piping
-Section in front of engine was entirely different and was completely made from scratch
-kit decals were used, except rudder bands which had the colours reversed
-Scarff gun ring from Eduard. I suspect the Swedes copied it based on British surplus equipment. The gun is a Swedish copy of the Browning machinegun
Enough rambling, here are some images:
