In Box Review of Hobbycraft of Canada 1/48th Scale
French Morane MS 406 Fighter
Kit no. HC1587
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Copyright 1991. I paid $10.98 back in the 90's.
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Copyright 1991. I paid $10.98 back in the 90's.
HISTORY:
The M.S.406 was a French Armee de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically, it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of WWII, but was under-powered, weakly armed and lacked full armor protection when compared to its contemporaries.
Most critically, it was out-performed by the Messerschmitt Bf-109E during the Battle of France. The M.S. 406 held its own in the early stages of the war (the so-called Phony War), but when the war restarted in earnest in 1940, 387 were lost in combat or on the ground (for various reasons) for 183 kills in return. The type was more successful in the hands of Swiss and Finish air forces, who developed indigenous models.
In 1934, the Service Technique Aeronautique (Aeronautical Technical Service) of the Armee de l'Air issued a requirement for a new and completely modern single-seat fighter (what they referred to as a C1 design), with a monoplane layout and retracting landing gear.
Morane-Saulnier's response was the M.S. 405, a low-wing monoplane of mixed construction, with fabric-covered wood tail, but a bonded-metal/wood material (Plymax) fixed to duralumin tubing.
Plymax consisted of a thin sheet of duralumin bonded to a thicker sheet of plywood. Morane-Saulnier had a long history of producing warplanes dating back to pre-World War 1 years, but in the inter-war period they concentrated on civil designs.
The aircraft was a departure for them, their first low-wing monoplane, first enclosed cockpit and their first with retracting gear. Prior to this, their most modern designs were fixed-gear parasol-winged monoplanes.
The new 860 hp (640 kW) Hispano-Suiza HS 12Y-grs engine driving a two-pitch Chauviere propeller powered the first M.S. 406-1 prototype, which flew on 8 August 1935.
Development was very slow, and the second M.S. 406-2 prototype with a 900 hp (670 kW) HS 12Y-crs engine didn't fly until 20 January 1937, almost a year and a half later.
With the new engine the fighter reached 275 mph (443 km/h), which was fast enough to secure an order for a further 16 pre-production prototypes, each including improvements on the last version.
The M.S. 406 had a parallel career in Finland, during the Winter War, and in modified form, during the later Continuation War total Finish kills amounted to 121.
The top Morane ace in all theatres was W/O Urho Lehtovaara with 15 of his 44 1/2 total kills achieved in Morane's. The Finnish nicknames were Murjaani (Blackmoor), a twist on the name, and Matimaha (roe-belly) and Riippuvatsa (hanging belly) for its bulged ventral fuselage,
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: fighter
Manufacturer: Morane-Saulnier
First flight: 8 August 1938 (M.S. 405)
Introduced to service: 1938
Primary users: French Air Force, Finnish Air Force, Swiss Air Force, Turkish Air Force
Number built: 1,176
The M.S.406 was a French Armee de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically, it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of WWII, but was under-powered, weakly armed and lacked full armor protection when compared to its contemporaries.
Most critically, it was out-performed by the Messerschmitt Bf-109E during the Battle of France. The M.S. 406 held its own in the early stages of the war (the so-called Phony War), but when the war restarted in earnest in 1940, 387 were lost in combat or on the ground (for various reasons) for 183 kills in return. The type was more successful in the hands of Swiss and Finish air forces, who developed indigenous models.
In 1934, the Service Technique Aeronautique (Aeronautical Technical Service) of the Armee de l'Air issued a requirement for a new and completely modern single-seat fighter (what they referred to as a C1 design), with a monoplane layout and retracting landing gear.
Morane-Saulnier's response was the M.S. 405, a low-wing monoplane of mixed construction, with fabric-covered wood tail, but a bonded-metal/wood material (Plymax) fixed to duralumin tubing.
Plymax consisted of a thin sheet of duralumin bonded to a thicker sheet of plywood. Morane-Saulnier had a long history of producing warplanes dating back to pre-World War 1 years, but in the inter-war period they concentrated on civil designs.
The aircraft was a departure for them, their first low-wing monoplane, first enclosed cockpit and their first with retracting gear. Prior to this, their most modern designs were fixed-gear parasol-winged monoplanes.
The new 860 hp (640 kW) Hispano-Suiza HS 12Y-grs engine driving a two-pitch Chauviere propeller powered the first M.S. 406-1 prototype, which flew on 8 August 1935.
Development was very slow, and the second M.S. 406-2 prototype with a 900 hp (670 kW) HS 12Y-crs engine didn't fly until 20 January 1937, almost a year and a half later.
With the new engine the fighter reached 275 mph (443 km/h), which was fast enough to secure an order for a further 16 pre-production prototypes, each including improvements on the last version.
The M.S. 406 had a parallel career in Finland, during the Winter War, and in modified form, during the later Continuation War total Finish kills amounted to 121.
The top Morane ace in all theatres was W/O Urho Lehtovaara with 15 of his 44 1/2 total kills achieved in Morane's. The Finnish nicknames were Murjaani (Blackmoor), a twist on the name, and Matimaha (roe-belly) and Riippuvatsa (hanging belly) for its bulged ventral fuselage,
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: fighter
Manufacturer: Morane-Saulnier
First flight: 8 August 1938 (M.S. 405)
Introduced to service: 1938
Primary users: French Air Force, Finnish Air Force, Swiss Air Force, Turkish Air Force
Number built: 1,176
THE KIT:
Hobbycraft of Canada was located in Ontario, Canada. I believe they went out of business?
The kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a M.S. 406 dog-fighting with a German Bf-109 above the clouds.
The 406 is in a wave pattern of chocolate brown (FS 30108), light-gray (FS 36328) and light-gray-green (FS 34201) over a light-gray under- carriage.
It has a black devil's head on the side of the fuselage behind the roundel. There is a blue circle with a white 6 on it on the rudder and a lot of black lettering.
The aircraft was with GC III6, France, 1940 and was flown by Chief Sergeant Pierre Le Gloan, Chartres, France (18 victories)
Hobbycraft of Canada was located in Ontario, Canada. I believe they went out of business?
The kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a M.S. 406 dog-fighting with a German Bf-109 above the clouds.
The 406 is in a wave pattern of chocolate brown (FS 30108), light-gray (FS 36328) and light-gray-green (FS 34201) over a light-gray under- carriage.
It has a black devil's head on the side of the fuselage behind the roundel. There is a blue circle with a white 6 on it on the rudder and a lot of black lettering.
The aircraft was with GC III6, France, 1940 and was flown by Chief Sergeant Pierre Le Gloan, Chartres, France (18 victories)
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
The kit contains 2 light-gray trees and a clear tree in a sealed clear cello bag, the decal sheet, instructions, a postcard to use to suggest future kits for Hobbycraft to manufacture and a slip of CAUTIONS - that the kit is not suitable for children under 3 years because it contains small parts.
The kit contains 2 light-gray trees and a clear tree in a sealed clear cello bag, the decal sheet, instructions, a postcard to use to suggest future kits for Hobbycraft to manufacture and a slip of CAUTIONS - that the kit is not suitable for children under 3 years because it contains small parts.
The instructions consists of a single sheet that accordion-folds out into 6 pages in 8 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over a one-paragraph history of the M.S. 406 five languages, including English and international assembly symbol explanations, also in the five languages. Hobbycraft's street address in Ontario, Canada is provided.
Page 2 has READ BEFORE YOU BEGIN instructions at the top.
The bottom of page 2 through to page 4 gives a total of 5 assembly steps.
Page 5 is the camouflage and markings guide. It shows three 2-views.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over a one-paragraph history of the M.S. 406 five languages, including English and international assembly symbol explanations, also in the five languages. Hobbycraft's street address in Ontario, Canada is provided.
Page 2 has READ BEFORE YOU BEGIN instructions at the top.
The bottom of page 2 through to page 4 gives a total of 5 assembly steps.
Page 5 is the camouflage and markings guide. It shows three 2-views.
1. Is the box art scheme. (already described above)
2. A M.S. 406 in the same camouflage pattern as the box are scheme with a red rudder with a white half moon and star on it. It has a fuselage no. in white of 25 and black letters S.N.C.A.O. It was with the Turkish Air Force in 1940.
3. A M.S. 406 also in the same camouflage pattern as the above 2 schemes. It is in captured Luftwaffe markings, showing a swatica on the tail and small black serial no. NO 648 on the rear of the fuselage side. It has a yellow fuselage band. It was in Germany 1941.
Trees are not alphabetized or illustrated in the instructions. There are part number tabs next to parts on the trees however.
The first light-gray tree holds the fuselage, seat, air scoop, wheels, tail skid, exhaust pipes, propeller, landing gear legs and their pants, joy-stick, cockpit floor, spinner, dashboard etc. (42 parts)
2. A M.S. 406 in the same camouflage pattern as the box are scheme with a red rudder with a white half moon and star on it. It has a fuselage no. in white of 25 and black letters S.N.C.A.O. It was with the Turkish Air Force in 1940.
3. A M.S. 406 also in the same camouflage pattern as the above 2 schemes. It is in captured Luftwaffe markings, showing a swatica on the tail and small black serial no. NO 648 on the rear of the fuselage side. It has a yellow fuselage band. It was in Germany 1941.
Trees are not alphabetized or illustrated in the instructions. There are part number tabs next to parts on the trees however.
The first light-gray tree holds the fuselage, seat, air scoop, wheels, tail skid, exhaust pipes, propeller, landing gear legs and their pants, joy-stick, cockpit floor, spinner, dashboard etc. (42 parts)
The second light-gray tree holds the wings (3 parts)
The clear tree holds the canopy (3 parts)
The decal sheet, a postcard to send to Hobbycraft to suggest future kits for them to manufacture and the warning slip completes the kit's contents.
There is no pilot figure included. Details are engraved and all flaps are molded solid.
Recommended.