Kit: No. 8018
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Eduard Model Accessories, Obrnice 170, 43521 Obrnice, Czech Republic .
Price: $19.98
Comments: Injection molded, 54 parts, decals.
Pros: Ease of assembly, good detail, good decals, recommended modeling paint chart.
Cons: Cabane strut alignment holes positioned incorrectly, paint chart not on the same page as color diagrams.
The Hanriot HD.I was developed in Belgium in 1916. A Le Rhone rotary engine powered the single-seat scout, which was armed with a single, fixed Vickers machine gun. It entered the war in 1917 and was immediately adopted by the French when production of the Spad VII was delayed. The Hanriot HD.I was so popular that it was built under license and flown by the Italians.
Eduard's Hanriot HD.I is crisply molded in gray and clear parts with no surface blemishes. The top wing has the correct radical dihedral this aircraft featured. The single-piece clear windscreen is packed in a separate plastic bag.
The seven-step, two-page instructions are clearly illustrated with part numbers called out that correspond to the sprues. Two separate four-view drawings for painting and decaling are included at the end of the instructions, but the color identification numbers correspond to a paint chart at the beginning. To avoid constantly flipping the instructions during painting, I jotted down the color names next to each number.
The excellent decals provide markings for the colorful aircraft flown by Squadron 9 Escadrille Belge, along with one of the licensed Italian-built aircraft of the 78 Squadriglia.
Eduard's kit was a joy to build. Assembly was fast and easy - I was ready for painting in just a couple of evenings. The only problem I encountered was that the upper-wing's attachment holes were not aligned with the cabane struts. I had to elongate the rear center hole to get the wing to sit square with the fuselage when viewed from above.
Otherwise, I had no assembly problems. I built the HD.I in stages, leaving off the upper wing, vertical tail, engine, and cowl to ease painting and decaling.
I painted the seven-color Belgian camouflage pattern using Polly Scale paints from its WWI line. After a coat of Polly Scale clear gloss, the decals went on with only a touch of Micro-Sol to pull them into recesses.
I finished the HD.I by rigging it with one-pound-test clear fishing line that I painted black. I skipped a flat coat, leaving the finish semi-gloss to better depict the doped cloth of that era.
The kit scales well to the measurements in Argus Books' Aircraft Archive, Aircraft of World War One Vol. 2. I spent 81/2 hours on the Hanriot HD.I, a tad less than usual.
The kit is simple enough that beginners won't be overwhelmed, and detailed enough that advanced builders will find it refreshing to build straight from the box.
- Phil Kirchmeier