BattleAxe 1/48 Morane-Saulnier M.S.225

By Tom Cleaver

The Airplane

The parasol monoplane fighter was a World War I innovation, an outstanding example being the Fokker E.V/D.VIII. The design provided a pilot with downward visibility hampered only by the struts anchoring the wing to the fuselage. Additionally, it was more stable than the low-wing monoplane, due to the center of lift being above the center of gravity. Following the war, however, the only country that continued to develop the parasol monoplane as a fighter was France. Morane-Saulnier, which ad become well-known as one of the major producers of parasol monoplanes during the war, continued to be a major aeronautical supporter of the concept during the 1920s.

By the late 20s, the leadership of the Aviation Militaire saw that airframes were becoming too heavy for the available powerplants, and issued what was known as the "Jockey" specification for lightweight fighters. Among the three fighters submitted was the Morane-Saulnier M.S.221, which - though it had the lightest wing-loading - turned out to be the slowest of the three, due to such things as lack of a cowling for the radial engine and a very non-streamlined landing gear.

The entire "Jockey" program fell apart with the failure of any of the submitted designs to achieve the desired performance. Morane-Saulnier persisted with the basic design and came up with the M.S.223 and M.S.224, which still did not meet air force needs. Finally, in 1932, the M.S.225 was first flown. This had a streamlined landing gear and a full NACA low drag cowl for its 600 hp Jupiter radial, and top speed approaching 200 mph.

Fifty-five M.S.225C1 fighters (serials N500-N554) were ordered as interim equipment. These were completed and delivered during the first half of 1933, equipping the 7e Escadre of the newly-created "Arm'ee de l'Air" at Dijon. 12 additional M.S.225.C1s were ordered for the Aviation Maritime, equipping Escadrille 3C-1 at Hy`eres. Three MS 226's were completed as carrier-based fighters: a similar model with folding wings was designated MS 227, for a total of 16 naval machines.

The excellent maneuverability of the MS 225 is reflected in its adoption, after withdrawal from first-line fighter squadrons, by the celebrated "Patrouille de Dijon" aerobatic team, and also by the "Patrouille de l'Ecole de l'Air." In June 1934 an MS 225 flown by Michel D'Etroyat gained second place in the World Aerobatic Championships.

The Kit

"Battle Axe" is an outgrowth of the French J.M.G.T. company, which since the early 80s has been known for creating vacuforms of French aircraft subjects, following this in the 90s with a move to all-resin kits, and now into limited-run injection-molded plastic. This M.S.225C1 is the first kit released by Battle Axe since their multi-media F-84G.

This is a fairly simple model, and appears well-engineered in terms of construction. The quality of the plastic molding is good; the surface detail reveals in its heaviness the kit's vacuform and cast-resin ancestry, but it looks like the deep engraving will be acceptable under a coat of paint. The company is to be commended for the fabric effect on the fuselage, horizontal stabilizer and lower wing, which looks very accurate; the vertical fin and the upper surface of the wing suffer from over-emphasized rib detail, but this can be sanded down easily, which will make the final look very acceptable.

The decals provided allow the modeler to make one of two different M.S.225C1 fighters - an Arm'ee de l'Air aircraft from Groupe Chasse I/7, or an aircraft of Escadrille 3C-1, the only Aviation Maritime unit to operate it. The latter has a very nice-looking shark as the unit insignia. The modeler will have to paint the rudder stripes, as no decals are provided.

Overall Assessment

For a modeler who likes aircraft from The Golden Age, this kit is an important contribution to any collection, and the built-up model will look good sitting next to the Boeing P-12E and F4B-4, as well as a Hawker Fury. It's a prime candidate for the use of SnJ polishing powder on the forward half of the fuselage, to get that "shaving mirror" finish peacetime fighters flew with in those days.

As with most JMGT products, the M.S.225 is not cheap. It is marketed by Squadron Mail Order for US$46.96, which means a modeler must really want to have it. While more expensive than other limited-run kits, it provides good value for the money for the modeler who enjoys working in this period of aviation history.

Thanks to Squadron Mail Order for providing the review copy.