New Releases For August 2015 - Knights Of The Skies (1 Viewer)

[jjDesigns]

KNIGHTS OF THE SKIES

April 1915, a German 2 seater plane fell in flames before the guns of French Ace Roland Garros’s monoplane. This was the beginning of a new technique in aerial warfare. It was achieved by firing a machine gun between the blades of a spinning propellor. Although crude it was successful mainly due to small steel plates attached to the propellor blades. The bullets which did not pass between the blades were deflected by the plates without harming the propellor. A new degree of accuracy was made possible by aiming the entire airplane at the target.
The Morane-Saulnier N was one of the few operational monoplanes of WW1. It had an extremely sensitive elevator response and fast landing speed but was considerably more manouverable than its German opponents at the time. The Aileron control was achieved by wing warping.
In addition to the french, 2 British squadrons flew Morane-Saulnier N’s where it was nicknamed the “Bullet” due to th large spinner fitted on the nose.




ACE-18
KNIGHTS OF THE SKIES,
MORANE-SAULNIER Type N,
ESCADRILE MS.12, MS 394,1915
(1pc)


Model height 3 1/2” x length 8” x width 11”

A large metal "casserolle" spinner designed to streamline the aircraft caused the engines to overheat because the spinner deflected air away from the engine. In 1915, the spinner was removed from the design and no more overheating problems were found. The removal of the spinner caused very little loss in performance.
The Type N was not particularly successful. Only 49 aircraft were built and it was quickly rendered obsolete by the pace of aircraft development.













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[chalklands]

Super looking aircraft!
Pete

 

[lancer]

Now this is an 'outside the box' production. Oddly, it is more famous than the MS Type L (a high wing parasol design) in which Garros scored his early victories. The N model is more commonly connected to Navarre, but especially Eugene Gilbert in his personally marked N, named 'Le Vengeur' (The Avenger). Even so, the French made minimal use of the N as the majority of them were purchased by the RFC, with several going to Russia. The French used the N in small numbers, attached in twos or threes to MS 12, 23, and 49, with one each or so going to MS 3, 37, and 48. It was a demanding and dangerous aircraft to fly and was found inferior to the Nieuport 10, and especially the Nieuport 11 that was coming into service by late 1915. As a result the MS Type N was gone from French service by the end of 1915.
The RFC, desperate for any aircraft to fight the Fokker Scourge, purchased some 26 of the N's (of a total production of around 49). The first 3 went to 1 and 3 Squadrons in September 1915 and the rest were in service by June, 1916 with 1, 3, and mainly 60 Squadron. Some went to 24 Squadron as they were replaced in the other mentioned squadrons. One of the problems with the N model, besides being difficult to maintain in the field, was it's resemblance to the Fokker Eindecker, which led to many cases of mistaken identity (thus the reason for the broad blue/white/red stripes found on many French N's and some RFC N's). All N's were withdrawn from RFC service by October 1916, almost a full year after the French had deemed them inferior and withdrawn them.
Some N's were still in service as late as spring and summer of 1917 with Russia in the east.
The MS N was powered by a 9 cylinder, 80 HP Le Rhone rotary engine that allowed it to attain a maximum speed of 145 KPH. It was armed with the 8mm Hotchkiss machine gun, fed by 24 round stripper clips. The RFC mounted Lewis guns in lieu of the Hotchkiss on many of their N's.
This is a very nice looking model with what looks to be the correct number of wing ribs and a very nicely done fuselage, which was oval shaped in cross section, formed by wooden stringers and fabric covered. Typically well done and detailed JJD aircraft, and, as I said, a highly unusual choice. ^&cool -- Al

 

[egonzinc]

Wow! This release looks fantastic. Unusual and awesome!

 

[Terp152]

Interestingly this acft still employed wing warping for longitudinal control (inaccurately called Aileron Control by John). Ailerons were almost universally in use by this time. May be one of the reasons (as well the primitive weapon system) the aircraft was outperformed by opponents and quickly became obsolete.

Very intriguing model and look fwd to adding this one to the collection.
Chris

 

[ivanmoe]

View attachment 175851

Darned if that fuselage doesn't look as though there's a SPAD lurking around inside.

-Moe

 

[lancer]

Darned if that fuselage doesn't look as though there's a SPAD lurking around inside.

-Moe

Don't know about the Spad, though construction technique looks similar, but it's sure fortunate that the MS N showed up for that French pilot to lean against. It's almost like it was planned... -- Al