Eduard 1/48 Hanriot HD.1 "Weekend Edition" First Look

Introduction

This is a first look a the Eduard "Weekend Edition" release of the 1/48 Hanriot HD.1, catalog number 8412.

This is a nice kit for anyone who wants something a little different, an Italian aircraft! It would also be very good introduction to the WWI genre for a modeller as it is a simple build and would be good rigging practice without being too complicated. The kit comes without and PE frets or express masks and the single decal sheet provides a single marking option as the other kits in this series.

There is a simple 4 page black and white instructions sheet which includes a rigging diagram and a four view painting profile, augmented by colour renderings on the box top.

History

Hanriot produced a series of pioneering monoplanes pre-war, but had settled down as a licence manufacturer, notably of Sopwith 1½ strutters, up until the HD.1 was produced in 1916.

It was not particulalry fast, but it was very maneuverable and proved popular with pilots as a safe and pleasant aircraft to fly. The gun(s) were fitted to the side of the cockpit, and were accessible to the pilot without the butts being directly in front of his face in the event of a crash.

Sprue A

Unwanted by the French, who favoured the SPAD, most of the early production was diverted to the Belgians, who notoriously had to make do with aircraft unwanted by their allies. With the Belgian fighter squadrons the HD.1 proved surprisingly successful – and the type remained the standard Belgian fighter for the rest of the war.

The type was also supplied in small numbers to the Italians – who manufactured it in quantity and used it to replace not only Nieuports but even SPADs in their service. The type was considered (by the Italians) to be a better all-round fighter than even the SPAD S.XIII and it became the standard Italian fighter – equipping 16 of the 18 operational Italian fighter squadrons by November 1918. In fact, the Nieuport-Macchi company of Varese, Italy, built almost 900 HD.1s between 1917 and 1919, actually more than the parent firm.

For more history see the Wikipedia article, and as a wonbderful reference Windsock Datafile #12 from Albatros Publications.

Instructions

Spue B

There is a simple 4 page black and white instructions sheet which includes a rigging diagram. Although the four view painting profile is in black and white the profile drawings are augmented by colour renderings on the box top, so you get an idea of the camouflage colours.The first page handles the interior and engine assemblies. The engine is a simple affair, but even for a weekend kit the interior has 11 parts and an instrument decal, so there is plenty of scope to create a beautiful interior. The 2nd page deals with the struts, wing and undercarriage assemblies and includes a rigging diagram. The last page is the painting and decal guide.

Sprues

Each kit comes in 2 of the traditionally tan coloured styrene sprues. I couldn't see sink or pin marks in visible places. There was absolutely no flash on any of the sprues in my kit.

Markings

Decals

Markings for 1 camouflaged aircraft are given, from the Italian 81 Squadriglia Caccia. Te markings call for aluminum on the under surfaces with roundel decals on the lower wing. You might want to check your references to see if that aircraft was actually marked that way or if it had the more common red and green paint of the Italian flag on the wing lower surfaces.

Conclusion

This is a lovely little kit. Every collector of WWI era aircraft should get one for the display cabinet, or at least for their stash. It would make a great rainy day project, or a good introduction to WWI aircraft.

Thanks to Eduard for the review sample.