Miscellaneous French

Dorand AR.1 A2 by JOYSTICK MODELS 1/72 scale, Vacuform.

The AR types were designed to replace the older Farman 40's serving on the Western Front. The first planes were delivered in the spring, 1917 and servied until the end of the war. Eighteen French escadrilles were equipped with the AR1 and AR2 and five escadrilles served on the Italian front.

The AR type was slow but they were well armed and carried a useful bomb load. They were being withdrawn from active service toward the end of the war and were replaced by the Salmson.

This model depicits AR1 No.309 captured by the Germans and subject of a detailed technical report. This report is the only surviving detailed description of the AR.1. Reference material is found in Windsock Vol 6, No.5 Sept/Oct 1990 and Vol 7 No.1 Jan/Feb 1991.

Bleriot XI by NOVO AIR KITS 1/72 scale, Injection Mold.

On July 25, 1909, Louis Bleriot made the first crossing of the English Channel. The 40 kilometers flight took 36 minutes 30 seconds at an altitude of 100m. The flight not only put an end to isolation of the British Isles but the military experts of the nations were forced to recognize the great improvements achieved in heavier-than-air flight.

This kit is a re-release of the FROG kit and is built OOB.

Dufaux Fighter by Scaleplanes. 1/72nd scale vacuform

Designed by Armand Dufaux in the spring of 1916, the Dufaux Fighter was a bizarre two seater pusher with the airscrew in the middle of the aircraft. It had a 110 hp Le Rhone rotary engine mounted within the forward fuselage with the propeller mounted some distance behind and above the engine, driven by a shaft and gear transmission.

The pilot and gunner sat side by side, with the gunner slightly forward of the pilot. It was armed with a single Lewis machine gun mounted on the cockpit floor.

The aircraft was tested at Chateaufort in 1916. The military decided that its structural complexities and perils presented were unnecessary. The aircraft was not tested further.

This is a basic vacuform kit built sometime after about 1985 and was a spin off of Libramodels. This was the first model for Scaleplanes and they went on to produce many interesting kits. It was a very simple kit to build. I believe the engine and prop are from Aeroclub. The decals may be Americal.