Changes to RFC Nieuport 17's

[WD]

I'm currently working on three 1/72nd Eduard Nieuport 17's, one of which I plan to do as an RFC machine. I have the Cross & Cockade book on Nieuports in RFC, RNAS, and RAF service, but it's a little thin on details, at least so far as I've read.

- Did the RFC change out seatbelts from what came with the Noops as they got them from the French? If so, what did they look like?
- Did the RFC change out the instrumentation from the French instruments I'm assuming they came with?

Thank you all,

Warren

[DaddyO]

Hi Warren

Don't know for sure but currently working on an RFC Nieuport 27 and lacking any evidence to the contrary I've gone with French belts (rather than the RFC wide lap belt) Instruments were pretty much to pilots taste in terms of layout on these anyway (bar across front of cockpit with a few main instruments attached to)
Interestingly the photo's I've got (of the 27) show French proportions, but British colours on the roundels.

Paul

[WD]

Thanks Paul. Yeah, I figure it's a matter of do whatever I want within reason, who can prove me wrong, right? 

Thing is, I'm not entirely sure about the French seatbelts in these things. I have images showing the back of the seat with the two pieces of belting leather coming together in the center back to form a V, but no idea on what type of buckle arrangement it had. I've also got images of seatbelts attached to the lower sides of the seat, but again, no image of the business end. I'm not exactly feeling warm and fuzzy about what Eduard included in the Profi-Pack kit, but those will definitely have to go on the sides.

Just wondering aloud.

Warren

[PiotrM]

Hi,

British Nieuports had British, not French, weapons.

Piotr

[Davos522]

Hi Warren, in the course of researching my N.16 interior I seem to remember seeing a photo of an RFC 16—Ball's, maybe?—that had an actual solid wood dashboard/instrument panel instead of the usual curved bar and haphazard scattering of instruments. Can't cite any sources beyond that one photo, but that kind of leads me to the belief that field mods weren't all that unusual in the Nieuports.

And (likewise just thinking out loud), correct me if I'm wrong here, but wouldn't the British have swapped out the instruments for ones using Imperial measurements rather than metric?

Dutch

[WD]

Dutch,
         That's why I was wondering about the instruments in my original post. Good interior shots of Nie.17's in service are rare enough, but those in RFC hands are rarer still. I've seen a dashboard or two on 11's/16's, but never in a 17. I'm still not sure how they carried multiple drums for the over wing Lewis MG, assuming they did. (I feel like they'd have to.) I've seen photos showing a shelf in a Nie.11/16, but nothing in a Nie.17.

Warren

[Davos522]

Warren, do you have any WWI Aeros? I’ve got about ten years’ worth, if you don’t have them I’ll check my indexes and see if there’s anything pertinent.

Dutch

[WD]

Thanks Dutch!

I don't have any WWI Aeros. However, the fuselages are closed up, so there's no need right now at this point. It is what it is now, but I really appreciate your offer.

Warren