Nieuport 11 Escadrille Americaine

[Lone Star Models]

This model was built over 30 years ago using the Aurora Nieuport 11 kit. I grew up interested in WW-I aviation and loved the Lafayette Escadrille story and it's somewhat romanticised history.

My model is built to represent a Texan Clyde Balsley. He had a rather lack luster career with the unit. He was seriously wounded and spent most of the remainder of the war in hospital.

[Tailspin Tom]

I grew up with the old Aurora kits. They fired my imagination and helped create my life long interest in WWI aviation.

 

Tom

[sundance]

Very nicely done. I loved making models when I was young but shifted around as my interests changed, modern military planes, WW2 planes, ships, vehicles, rockets as the space race was underway and so on . Maybe when I retire I'll get back into it.

[Lee Ragan]

I grew up with the old Aurora kits. They fired my imagination and helped create my life long interest in WWI aviation.

 

Tom

I grew up with them also. They were simple and pretty easy to build and their WWI planes were MUCH better quality than the WWII series. I still to this day remember the smell of the plastic as you opened the box. Lots of fond memories and the start of a life long love of old airplanes, especially WW One types.

That color scheme on the model is most unusual especially considering no French national markings except the rudder stripes were carried.

[Tailspin Tom]

Lee:

 

Like all the nations during WWI, French camouflage and markings evolved over the course of the war. There was a period when French cockades were not applied to the upper surfaces — I suspect to enhance the effect of the camouflage. Getting attacked from above was always a concern.

 

However, the undersurfaces always displayed cockades. Probably to avoid friendly fire from the ground. The Nieuport (because of its reduced lower wing cord) had cockades on both the underside of the lower AND the upper wing.

 

Tom