Author Topic: Copper State Models 1/32 scale Nieuport XVII Late  (Read 4701 times)

Offline Dave W

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Copper State Models 1/32 scale Nieuport XVII Late
« on: January 04, 2019, 11:15:19 AM »
Copper State Models Nieuport XVII (Late)



REVIEWED BY David Wilson

Scale:          1/32nd
Price:         €62 Euro (Export price) ($US 71; $A101). Within Europe €75 (includes VAT).               
Stockist:   Review Sample provided by and available through Copper State Models at: http://www.copperstatemodels.com
Contents:   Four sprues in grey plastic; decals for four marking options; full colour 22 page instructions booklet; photo etch fret; clear film (windscreen)


Background:

Spad and Nieuport contributed some of the most famous French fighters of the First World War and for plastic modellers the Nieuport 17 seems to have been around since the birth of the hobby.
The first plastic kit I ever recall making was a Hawk 1/48th Nieuport 17 in screaming yellow plastic back in the mid 1950s.





It was rudimentary to say the least but it is remembered with great affection and did much to popularise WW1 models. Over the years Nieuport 17s in various scales have hit the market, and in 1/32 scale the industry “standard” for quite some years has been Academy/ Italeri/ Hobbycraft’s 1/32 Nieuport kit.

Fortunately with the arrival of the Copper State Nieuport XVII, the old Academy model moulds can now be retired.
Finally we have a 21st Century Wingnuts- like quality Nieuport XVII from a manufacturer that has astonished the hobby world with its high quality model kits that seem to get even better with every new release.

Comment:
                       
I had hoped that our Forum would be among the first hobby sites in the world to receive and review the new Copper State Models Nieuport 17 kit. Unfortunately due to the late arrival of the review samples coupled with Christmas, this did not happen.
So we are somewhat late to the party with our evaluations but the upside of that is we have been able to let the review dust settle elsewhere and offer a broader look at Copper State’s first 1/32 scale kit in both its Early and Late incarnations.
We don’t do “kit of the year” ratings here but if we did, the Copper State Nieuport would be a front runner for the title. If Wingnuts did a 1/32 Nieuport 17, this is what you would expect the kit to look like.
Given the small size of the Latvian CSM team, their output is phenomenal and of world class quality at an affordable price.
Their initial 1/48th scale Sopwith Dolphin, Caudron G.4 and Armstrong-Whitworth F.K.8 releases were outstanding and this was followed by a stunning debut in 1/35th scale with the Lanchester armoured car.

Many hoped Copper State would expand into 1/32 scale aircraft and the Nieuport, released in Late and Early variant boxings just before Christmas, has quickly claimed the mantle of the best Nieuport XVII kit on the market in any scale.

Contents:

Copper State Models' 1/32 scale Nieuport XVII Late comes in the now familiar packaging of a solid flip top- opening cardboard box beneath a separate lift off box top featuring some distinctive artwork.



The individually bagged sprues within are well protected from damage and our review sample travelled from Latvia to Australia’s Gold Coast in pristine condition -  a crucial factor in today’s mail order-heavy hobby world.
All of the plastic parts, and the decals and small photo etch are individually bagged.



As we have come to expect, the moulding quality is superb, there’s no flash to worry about and the sprue attachment points are small and thus far easier to gently remove from the sprue- other manufactures take note!.
Copper State are employing a kit designer who delivers very subtle surface textures and even the delicate fabric stitching is depicted. Wing trailing edges are beautifully thin.









As a modeller who finds cockpits the most interesting stage of any model, the cockpit interior for the Nieuport is outstanding. It has over 40 parts plus the photo etch seat harness. The seat back comes fully perforated, a nice detail touch.


This is a model that should look like museum quality out of the box, no need to rely on aftermarket here!
All the parts needed for a Late Nieuport XVII are here and this includes options for top wing centre-sections to allow for the two styles of mountings for the Lewis machine gun.

The Le Rhone 110hp engine is nicely detailed and ready for some extra detailing, although much will be hidden when the engine cowling is installed.



Instructions:

The instructions booklet cover resembles a vintage Nieuport technical publication, a nice evocative touch.
The instructions booklet, in an A4 format, is well illustrated in colour and clearly shows where rigging and control cables are needed during the build process.





There’s a lot about this kit to like and the parts breakdown looks pretty straightforward to assemble aided by easy to follow instructions.

Photo Etch:

Photo etch quality is good and not overdone. A single small photo-etched fret contains the seat harness straps as well as the windscreen frame and wing mounts for the rear cabane struts and a detail item for the Vickers gun. Copper State seem to be aware that with photo etch, less is best.



Decals & Colour schemes:

The Late variant offers four colour schemes.
1. Nieuport XVII flown by Lieutenant Charles Nungesser, November 1916
2. Nieuport XVII flown by Sous-lieutenant Fernand Chevillon, spring/summer 1917
3. Nieuport XVII  flown by Adjutant Paul Tarascon, August 1916
4. Nieuport XVII flown by Lieutenant André Herbelin, , autumn 1916



However while the instructions note where particular colours should go, there are no hobby paint number callouts provided and this means modellers have to find this information somewhere else.

This is the one niggling aspect of an otherwise outstanding model kit. There’s a world of difference between being a keen modeller interested in WW1 aircraft, and an expert on the colours used by the French.
The instructions booklet features colour depictions of the four schemes but is maddeningly vague on the best paint or mix to use. “Medium blue” or “aluminium dope” is too generalised.

The decals are printed by Cartograf of Italy, regarded by many as the best in the world. They are perfectly in register as expected.



Conclusion:

Copper State Models’ debut in the 1/32 scale field is a bold venture given the dominance by Wingnut Wings and Roden in this scale but there’s plenty of room for everyone to play. The secret for CSM is maybe picking the subjects the others won’t do, then doing it better than them.

If Copper State can maintain the quality of the Nieuport kits with future releases, combining fine detail and moulding quality with easy to follow instructions and top quality decals, they will have a licence to print money.

Verdict:

Highly recommended.

(Review kit kindly supplied by Copper State Models. Please support the businesses that support this Forum.)




« Last Edit: February 21, 2019, 04:39:36 PM by Dave W »
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