Breguet XIV B2 (Hi-Tech 1/48)

[andonio64]

Hallo friends,
here I am with a new project (a big one seen the dimensions of the plane!).

I have no French plane in my showcase and I decided to build a bomber.

Here is the well known box



And here we go with all the box details:

Instructions:



Very basic, not so easy to understand, but there is a very clear rigging scheme.

Decals:

There are 3 different possibilities:

1. The first is the one provided by the kit: the no.3 plane (B2) of the Escadrille 117 (s/n 1333).
This plane is documented by the photo which is on the box top and is also shown in the extremely useful webpages by Denis Albin.
This is a typically 5 colours camouflaged plane.
The problem with these decals is that the "LEVER ICI" stencils are black and should go on dark areas (back part of the fuselage)

2. I also have the Blue Rider sheet with the decals of a plane (B2) belonging to  Escadrille 504. The well known "Léon" (the name could be a tribute to Sgt Léon Diéval who died after his wounds in May 1916).
This plane served in Greece on the Serbian border.
Here we have another problem: the s/n on the decals is 1223 while Denis Albin writes it was 2883. Unless there were more than one "Léon" planes... who is right?
The colour scheme of this plane is plain CDL with darker areas I imagine over the metal parts of the fuselage (engine cowling).

3. I also found interesting the 96th Aero Squadron of the USAS, whose nice emblem was the Devil with a bomb in his hand in a triangle.
I have drawn the emblem in vectorial form:

CLICK here to download the SVF file (only for non commercial purposes)

Again this would be a camouflaged plane and, although I could print myself the devil's decals and the fuselage number, there is the problem to get some white "LEVER ICI" stencils which I am not able to print.
The photos that are found on the web and on other reference books show both A2 (without observer windows) and B2, in this Squadron.

At the moment I prefer version n.1, probably using wing cockades from the Blue Rider sheet.
I would reuse also the stencil on the rudder from the Blue Rider sheet (I prefer to paint the three bands on the rudder), I will need a surgical intervention to replace the s/n.

Any suggestion and advice at this stage is more than welcome!

Antonio

[andonio64]

Here are some more photos of what is in the box.

SPRUES:



Lot of flashes, plastic is soft, the detail is good.

PHOTOETCHED FRET:

Very nicely done, lot of pieces.

RESIN PIECES:

...average quality

WHITE METAL PIECES:

I think I will replace the Vickers and the twin Lewis with some Gaspatch items. The Scarf ring can be done adding some scratchworking to the PE and plastic pieces

OTHER STUFF:
One plasticard rectangle, one acetate square piece, a couple of strange pieces I don't know their use...

Antonio

[andonio64]

Here are some references I am already using:

- WINDSOCK DATAFILE Special
- An article by Harry Woodman (thanks to Jamo!)


The big book!

Antonio

[xmald]

Antonio, seems like an another interesting build. I have the XIV in my stash as well - looks like a crude kit but with a 'little" effort can be turned into a great model, which you will surely do.
The XIV is a beautiful aircraft. I will keep an eye or two on that build 
PS. Do you have any pics of the cockpits apart from WS? If you do, are you willing to share?

[andonio64]

PS. Do you have any pics of the cockpits apart from WS? If you do, are you willing to share?

Sorry, I have only the photos from the sources you see above... I was not able to find other pictures than those in the books.

The work by Harry Woodman has interesting clues in it.
Go to Jamo page to download the pages.

Thanks again

Antonio

[Juan]

Looking forward to your efforts on this kit Antonio.   

[coyotemagic]

What a great project, Andonio!  Can't wait to see what you do with this one.  I've got both versions in my stash and will be following along with great interest.
Here are some photos that might help:
http://www.wwi-models.org/Photos/Fre/Bre14/index.html
http://www.wwi-models.org/app/sbj/srch/Macn.php?action=uArchList&subjId=63

Cheers,
Bud

[lone modeller]

Great to see you on another project Andonio. I always enjoy your builds and I am certain that this one will not be an exception.

Stephen.

[Des]

Looking forward to seeing you make a start with your build, I'm sure it ill be up to your usual high standard.

Des.

[RAGIII]

I am looking forward to seeing your build Antonio!
RAGIII

[lcarroll]

   Nice choice Antonio, and sure to be a winner with your treatment of it. I always enjoy your Builds and this will be no exception I'm sure!
   Looking forward to seeing this large beauty unfold.
Cheers,
Lance

[andonio64]

Thanks everybody.

There is a first issue that I would like to solve before starting with the real plastic works:

Harry Woodman in the center top picture on page 473 notices the two long aluminum trapdoors on the plane belly.

In the bottom right picture of the same page (there is a zoom on jamo's post) we can see those doors open.

There is a drawing better showing how those doors were shaped on page 475.

What is not clear to me from the drawing is the meaning of the dark rectangles drawn on both sides of the trapdoors.
Were they openings? Maybe tey were grids allowing to look down when the trapdoors were closed?

There is a nice photo in the Windsock Datafile Special: pic 41 on page 24 showing an USAS B2 fallen on her nose. On the belly the doors are clearly visible, they appear to be larger than those in HW drawing and there seems to be 4 doors andon the external ones a sort of "box" appears as extruded from the fuselage surface.

Does anybody have more info about this?

Thanks for helping!

Antonio

[andonio64]

Hallo,
I further studied the Windsock Datafile and found photo no. 66 on page 49 where is clearly visible the opening of the trapdoors, but on their sides there is nothing visible.
The comment to the picture says: "This machine did not have internal bomb cases, so probably the dark rectangles Harry Woodman drew on his schema are the openings for the bomb cases.

So I decide to scribe on the plane belly just the trapdoors lines.

Antonio

[andonio64]

Hallo,
here is the trapdoor panels scribed on the plane belly.

I first cut the HW drawing to measure


then made the lines


I also traced the doors on the inner face of the floor, although they did not come out very well...


I decided to make some bombs to load beneath the wings.
I secured some 2.5 mm diameter plasticard rod to my drill and worked with files to get this shape:

I also used some 0.5 mm thin plasticard to work out the little wings on the tail of the shells


Fixed the photoetched Michelin bomb racks to the lower wings


here are the bombs dry fitted to the rack



Then I scratch made this small generator to be glued to the starboard side of the fuselage:


Now I will complete the 4 long bombs with their small wings and try to make 4 small bombs.

Any idea about the colour of the bombs?

Thanks for whatcing

Antonio

[Borsos]

Very promising start, that looks like a fascinating project. I also have this kit in my stash so I'll follow closely.
Borsos