Mal etwas mit Retro-Charme...
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion)[/url] by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
Some Background:The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalating international tension during the 1930s the Air Force was reorganized and expanded from four to seven squadrons.
One of the various types introduced at that time was the French Dewoitine D.401. It was an all-metal, open-cockpit, fixed-undercarriage sesquiplane fighter aircraft, developed as a more conservative export alternative to the very modern D.500 monoplane that was under development for the French Air Force in the 1930s.
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
The D.401 was designed by Émile Dewoitine and used many elements of the D.500, which was based on C1 specifications issued in 1930 by the French Air Ministry, and was to be a replacement for the Nieuport 62.
The D.401 prototype first flew on 2nd of February 1932, soon to be followed by the D.500 which was faster, but the D.401 had a better rate of climb. Both aircraft were, as a novelty, armed with a 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub, plus a pair of 7.5mm machine guns mounted in fairings under the wings, outside of the propeller disc.
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
Sweden was one of the few countries (including Latvia, Denmark and Norway) to order the D.401. In 1934 twenty of these aircraft were delivered to the Swedish Air Force, they received the local designation "J5" and served alongside a mix of Bristol Bulldogs (J7), Gloster Gladiators (J8) or Hawker Harts (B4).
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
In service, the D.401 revealed some flaws. The liquid-cooled engine was troublesome during winter, as well as the open cockpit. Furthermore, the novel all-metal construction (esp. for a sesquiplane) created a weight penalty, compared to types of mixed construction.
On the positive side, though, the 20mm cannon proved to be highly effective against air and ground targets, so that the Swedish J5 were primarily relegated to the ground attack role, where its speed penalty was not as severe as in direct aerial combat.
Anyway, the monoplane was the aircraft concept with more potential, and even the D.500 and its derivatives were soon replaced by a new generation of fighter aircraft with enclosed cockpits and retractable undercarriage, like the Dewoitine D.520.
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
When World War II broke out in 1939 further expansion was initiated and this substantial expansion was not finished until the end of the war. Although Sweden never entered the war, a large air force was considered necessary to ward off the threat of invasion and to resist pressure through military threats from the great powers, so that the D.401 was kept in active service until 1943, and even thereafter some aircraft were kept as trainers until 1948.
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
General characteristics: Crew: one
Length: 7.94 m (26 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 10.18 m (33 ft 4 in)
Height: 2.42 m (7 ft 11 in)
Wing area: 18.50 m² (198.5 ft²)
Empty weight: 1.566 kg (3.449 lb)
Loaded weight: 2.179 kg (4.799 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs V12 engine, 640 kW (860 hp)
Performance: Maximum speed: 370 km/h (201 kn, 230 mph) at 5,000 m (16,405 ft)
Range: 700 km (380 nmi, 435 mi)
Service ceiling: 11.500 m (37.770 ft)
Rate of climb: 15.35 m/s (3.016 ft/min)
Wing loading: 117 kg/m² (23.9 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 330 W/kg (0.20 hp/lb)
Time to altitude: 1.32 min to 1000 m (3,280 ft)
Armament: 1× 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.9 cannon, 60 rounds, mounted between the cylinder banks, plus
2× 7.5 mm (.295 in) MAC 1934 machine guns, 300 rpg, under the upper wings
Nur um Zweifeln vorzubeugen: ja, das ist ein Whif, und ja: der Antrich ist echt!
Die Dewoitine D.401 gab es nie, und tatsächlich ist dies eine rückgebaute Eindecker-Dewoitine D.501 von Smer, der ich einfach untere Flügel und die notwendige Verstrebung für den zusammengesetzten oberen Flügel implantiert habe.
Neu sind auch die Skier (von einer russischen I-15bis von ICM), ansonsten blieb fast alles OOB.
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) - WiP by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) - WiP by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) - WiP by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
Der Anstrich stammt von einer echten finnischen Fokker D.VII - wegen der Hoheitszeichen gibt's hier aber keine Bilder davon.
Farben sind Humbrol 128 (Ghost Grey), 86 (Light Olive Green), 77 (Navy Blue) und ein Mix aus 33 und 184, für ein sehr dunkles Grau (im Original soll es Schwarz gewesen sein). 128 wurde auch von unten verwendet.
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) - WiP by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
Aufkleber sind improvisiert - so sind die Hoheitszeichen runde, weiße Blanko-Startnummern für Slotcars(!), auf die die schwarzen Kronen (von einer Matchbox Gloster-Gladiator) aufgeklebt wurden.
Et voilà:
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), aircraft "4/9" of Swedish Air Force, Jämtlands Flygkar F-4; Frösön, Ostersund; 1937 (Smer kit conversion) by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
Thema: What if? 1:72 Dewoitine D.401 (J5), Schwedische Luftwaffe; F-4 Jämtlands Flygkar, 1937 (Gelesen 4182 mal)