One of the more obscure fighter aircraft to participate in World War II, the Caudron C.714 was a relatively modern design based on Caudron’s racing experience and built with the lightweight fighter concept in mind. Initially rejected in its own country, the C.714 was built for Finland and Yugoslavia. It did eventually enter French service with a few squadrons, including one made up of Polish pilots.
Azur’s all new C.714 Cyclone is the first time this aircraft has been kitted in 1/32 scale. The kit features well-detailed parts that are cleanly molded in plastic, as well as photoetched-metal and resin parts.
Looking over the parts count and instructions, this is a fairly simple kit. I started with the cockpit, which I found to be the most complex area of the kit. Photoetched-metal, resin, and plastic pieces add significant detail, which is good, because the large canopy thoroughly exposes the cockpit. The photoetched metal includes the pilot’s safety harness.
After installing the cockpit floor, resin engine front, and exhausts, I found the fit of the two fuselage halves was fine. Clarity of the clear canopy pieces is excellent; the canopy is assembled in three sections, and there is a part for an open canopy included.
Checking the fit of the individual canopy parts, I did not see any problem. But when I placed all three parts on the fuselage, it was obvious everything was too long to fit into the fuselage. I decided to cautiously reduce the length of the center section and back deck/scanning window section by sanding.
The wings went together easily but needed some filler and sanding. I was pleased to see molded-in wheel wells, as opposed to the usual resin inserts found in these short-run kits. The rudder and elevators are separate, making them posable.
The landing gear struts and doors have a lot of parts. I studied the instructions carefully before starting their assembly. Make sure the landing gear legs are firmly glued into place; the attachment points are a bit shallow.
I airbrushed my Caudron with combinations of Gunze Hobby Color paints. The colors noted on the instructions looked a bit dark compared to my references, so I worked with slightly lighter versions in this range. Decals cover four aircraft. The decals are quite thin and must be applied carefully, but they conformed well with only a small amount of decal solution.
My primary reference was War Planes of the Second World War: Fighters; Volume One, by William Green (Macdonald & Co. Ltd., ISBN 978-0-356-01446-3). I also found very useful Camouflage & Decals No. 1: Caudron Cr.714, Morane MS 406, Curtiss Hawk H75A, by Bartlomiej Belcarz (MMP, ISBN 978-83-61421-22-1).
I completed my C.714 in 22 hours. It was a fun build, and I give Azur high marks for offering such an interesting aircraft. It would be a good choice for anyone who would like to try a multimedia kit, and I highly recommend it to all builders of 1/32 scale aircraft.
A version of this review appeared in the December 2011 issue of FineScale Modeler.