SNCASE 535 Mistral, 'Normandie-Niemen'

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Spaceowl
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SNCASE 535 Mistral, 'Normandie-Niemen'

Post by Spaceowl »

SNCASE 535 Mistral, GC1/III 'Normandie-Niemen' Oran-La-Senia Airfield, Algeria, 1954

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Normandie-Niemen's first jet - the SNCASE Mistral, otherwise known as the good old De Havilland Vampire FB.VI with an uprated French engine and (an important consideration with the Vampire which was virtually impossible to bail out of normally) an ejector seat. Like most early jets it only had a short service life (1954-1957) and only seems to have been an interim type until the new wave of French designs got off the drawing board.

This was the old Heller kit from the early 80s, still the only game in town for this type without resorting to resin. Thankfully, like most of its labelmates, it has stood the test of time well and didn't need a lot of input from me. I detailed the cockpit with side consoles scratched from plasticard, tape seat belts and an ejector seat loop of fuse wire, only to find out when I got the lid on that everything was virtually invisible. Doesn't matter, I know it's there :grin: . No amount of material, even depleted uranium, was going to make this one sit up on its nosewheel properly, hence the rod under the rear fuselage.

The shaky bit was the :roll: Carpena decals, as broken as all the others on this sheet but held together with a spray of gloss varnish. I used the kit decals where I could, and they, like the rest of the kit, stood up well.

So, subject seven in the bag. Something big and impressive coming up for subject eight.
Overhead a rainbow appears...in black and white.

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DavidWomby
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Re: SNCASE 535 Mistral, 'Normandie-Niemen'

Post by DavidWomby »

Lovely and you're making fast progress through the types they flew.

David
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Re: SNCASE 535 Mistral, 'Normandie-Niemen'

Post by celt »

Magnificent Mistral Spaceowl,look forward to more models in this collection.
Regards
Ken.
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iggie
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Re: SNCASE 535 Mistral, 'Normandie-Niemen'

Post by iggie »

Very smart little build, and yet more interesting information about the French airforce
Best wishes

Jim
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Re: SNCASE 535 Mistral, 'Normandie-Niemen'

Post by shangos70 »

That's come up really well. I've 2 stashed , one RAF and this version. Any fit issues with the booms?
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Spaceowl
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Re: SNCASE 535 Mistral, 'Normandie-Niemen'

Post by Spaceowl »

shangos70 wrote:That's come up really well. I've 2 stashed , one RAF and this version. Any fit issues with the booms?
Not really, but getting the dihedral right was a bit of a pig. I think that's common to all of the Vampire family though. Other than that, just a touch of filler around the wing/boom joint.
Overhead a rainbow appears...in black and white.

Current Projects:
Aircraft of VMA-542, USMC
Peru-Ecuador War 1995
THK 1939-2023
Polish Air Force 1939
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Re: SNCASE 535 Mistral, 'Normandie-Niemen'

Post by ShaunW »

Nice one, Spaceowl, that really looks good. My knowledge of early British jets is embarrassingly bad as I didn't know the French did their own version of the Vampire - being a self-confessed post-war jet enthusiast, I should know that really :oops:
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FAAMAN
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Re: SNCASE 535 Mistral, 'Normandie-Niemen'

Post by FAAMAN »

Very nice indeed :beer: :beer:
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Spaceowl
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Re: SNCASE 535 Mistral, 'Normandie-Niemen'

Post by Spaceowl »

ShaunW wrote:Nice one, Spaceowl, that really looks good. My knowledge of early British jets is embarrassingly bad as I didn't know the French did their own version of the Vampire - being a self-confessed post-war jet enthusiast, I should know that really :oops:
Not just the Vampire - The French Navy used their own version of the Sea Venom as well, known as the Aquilon. It must be something about twin boom De Havillands. :)
Overhead a rainbow appears...in black and white.

Current Projects:
Aircraft of VMA-542, USMC
Peru-Ecuador War 1995
THK 1939-2023
Polish Air Force 1939
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Re: SNCASE 535 Mistral, 'Normandie-Niemen'

Post by ShaunW »

Spaceowl wrote:
ShaunW wrote:Nice one, Spaceowl, that really looks good. My knowledge of early British jets is embarrassingly bad as I didn't know the French did their own version of the Vampire - being a self-confessed post-war jet enthusiast, I should know that really :oops:
Not just the Vampire - The French Navy used their own version of the Sea Venom as well, known as the Aquilon. It must be something about twin boom De Havillands. :)
I didn't know that either! Many thanks for filling in a gap in my knowledge :grin:
Doing - Tamiya 1/35th Universal Carrier.

Work is the curse of the modelling classes!
IPMS#12300
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