Special Hobby 1/72 Potez 25A2 “Jupiter Version”Reviewed by Brad Cancian
Item: SH72420
scale: 1/72
Price: 24.69 Euros, direct from Special HobbyReview kit kindly provided by Special Hobby at
https://www.specialhobby.eu/potez-25a2-jupiter-versionThe WorkhorseAfter the conclusion of the First World War, France looked to a new type of aircraft to fulfil the Reconnaissance (“A2”) and Bomber (“B2”) roles which had been so crucial to the success of that campaign. A competition was held in the early 1920s, and the Potez 25 design was the winner. The design was based on previous Potez 15 and Potez 24 designs, being of a semi-sesquiplane layout, with its lower wing of narrower chord and span than the upper wing. The design introduced a number of innovations, most notably regarding its simplicity and ruggedness, and ability to accept almost any engine type with sufficient power. Accordingly, the versatility of the design saw it used by many international customers, sporting many different types of powerplants. For this reason, the Potez 25 saw steady production from 1925 through to 1934, and was built under licence in Poland, Yugoslavia, Portugal and Romania.
One export version, powered by a 313 kW (420 hp) Gnome-Rhône 9Ac Jupiter radial, was the Potez 25A2. This version was built under licence by Ikarbus in Yugoslavia and OGMA in Portugal, and exported to Estonia and Switzerland.
The KitSpecial Hobby released the base moulds for the Potez kit back in 2020. The kit is essentially a repackaging of the Azur kit, itself first released in 2019. Accordingly, the kit and moulding technology is quite modern in nature, as we’ll see. We previously reviewed the Potez 25TOE boxing on this forum, and accordingly, much of this review draws on the review of the previous kit, given much of the commonality in sprues. For those interested in having a look at the Potez 25TOE, I recommend having a look at our previous review, here -
https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=13791.0The kit is moulded five sprues of grey plastic, a single clear sprue, an etched fret, and three 3D printed parts. This kit shares many parts with the other variants previously released; accordingly, there are quite a few parts that aren’t needed in this boxing.
Sprue A contains the fuselages halves, and upper engine cowls.
The floor part on this sprue is required for this variant, however the cowling parts will be surplus to requirements. The fuselage halves are crisply moulded, with crisp panels and panel line detail. Comprehensive internal sidewall detail is provided, which include throttle quadrants on the port side and an antenna reel on the starboard side. There are some mould release pin holes but these should be tucked away out of view on the finished model.
Sprue B contains the major flying surfaces, and wheels:
Rib detail is nicely done, but perhaps just a little over done in this scale. The wings and vertical stabiliser have a nice subtle texture to them, which is oddly absent from the horizontal stabiliser and elevators. The horizontal stabiliser and elevators also seem to have a different representation of ribs than the other flying surfaces (I am not sure if this is accurate; I presume the difference is for a good reason). Control surface demarcations are nice and crisp, which should make cutting and repositioning the control surfaces quite easy, for those so inclined. Holes for wing struts look suitably deep, and should provide sound mounting points. The wheels are also nicely done, though there is a little flash here and there.
Sprue C contains the detail parts, noting that a good deal of these are not used for this variant. We do get a lovely representation of the Jupiter engine, which is crisply done. We also get a set of skis for one of the versions. Moulding is generally crisp, though some seam lines are present, and care will be needed to remove parts from the sprues.
Of note, the undercarriage legs are commendably thin, but as above, care will be needed during clean up and assembly.
Sprue D contains further detail parts; the same comments apply here as to sprue C, with many of the parts not required for this version.
Sprue I is the sprue specific to the Jupiter powered 25A2 variant. It contains the curved nose side panels (I1 and I2), upper cowling (I3) and propeller (I4). Note though that the instructions show these parts during assembly in steps 15 and 16, but for some reason don’t call out the part numbers themselves (a minor one to watch for, though it’s reasonably obvious which parts are which even without the parts callouts). Again we get nice and crisp mouldings here.
A single clear sprue is provided, containing five windscreen parts, three of which are not used.
An etched fret is provided, containing aileron control horns, rigging attachment points, and some other details. Unfortunately, no seat belts are provided.
Lastly, we get 3D printed parts for the underwing lights, and a spinner for the Finnish version. These little parts are exquisitely done.
InstructionsSpecial Hobby’s Instructions are provided in their modern, high-quality booklet. Presented in 15 glossy pages, construction occurs over 42 steps. The instructions are comprehensive (noting above comments about the cowling part number callouts), with a parts layout, clear instruction and paint call outs (in Gunze and Mr Colour paints), and full colour four angle painting profiles. Thankfully, a rigging diagram is also provided.
Three colour schemes are presented, one Estonian, one Finnish, and one Yugoslavian. Each of the schemes is relatively simple yet sufficiently different to provide some good options for the modeller. The schemes are:
• Potez 25A2, 2nd Division, Estonian Aviation Regiment, Tartu, 1930.
• Potez 25A2, Finnish Air Force, 1928. This was the sole aircraft acquired by the Finnish and carried ski undercarriage during its service.
• Potez 25A2, Royal Yugoslav Air Force, Yugoslavia, 1933.
DecalsThe decals, like all recent Special Hobby releases, are crisply printed with solid colour and excellent register. Interestingly, these appear to have been printed by Eduard, and thus have the same removeable decal carrier film as Eduard decals. National marking for the Finnish machine have their centres printed separately. Colour density, fine detail and register is excellent, so I envision no problems with these decals whatsoever. Sadly, no decals are provided for seat belts, so the modeler will be left to their own devices here. The decal film looks nice and thin.
Accuracy and Buildability:My comments here reflect the same comments as my review on the Potez 25TOE kit. Not having any detailed publications on this aircraft, and not being a particular expert as to this aircraft, I can’t comment conclusively about accuracy, however it looks to scale well based on dimensions and general arrangement drawings that I can find. The detail looks comprehensive; the cockpit is certainly well detailed, plenty of ordnance is provided, and it looks like Special Hobby have done their research for this variant. As such, I can reasonably assume that this kit will produce a good representation of the Potez 25A2. The only downside that I can see detail wise is the lack of seat belts, but this is remedied relatively easily.
Given the complex parts layout, number of parts, and relative complexity of the build, I would recommend the modeller proceed with some care. There are no jigs for the angled struts, so it’s recommended that some kind of supports or home-made jigs be used during this crucial step in construction. The usual adage of being careful whilst removing and cleaning up parts, and test fitting before reaching for the glue, applies here.
ConclusionsIt’s wonderful to see Special Hobby and Azur continuing to join forces to create an excellent package of a rare inter-war piece of aviation history. As with many of their releases, Special Hobby are to be commended for tackling such a subject, and presenting a package that is of solid quality that should build up very nicely out of the box. There will be some things to watch out for in construction, but again, nothing that can’t be handled by someone with a little bit of experience. Of note, this boxing is less expensive than the Potez 25TOE boxing, so this boxing also provides excellent value. When built, the model will definitely have shelf presence and provide something different and interesting - I’m looking forward to building the Finnish version on skis, in particular
Highly recommended!
Our very sincere thanks to Special Hobby for the review sample!
