Hanriot HD.I by Eduard
1/48 scale
Kit No. 8018
Cost: 28.00
Decals: Two versions – for Belgian and Italian Air Services
Comments: Engraved panel lines, choice of Vickers machine guns
History
The Hanriot HD.I was intended as a replacement for the Nieuport 17, to which it bore a passing resemblance. The first aircraft produced by Hanriot-Dupont, a company formed at the beginning of World War I, the HD.I was not ready for service until after the appearance of the highly capable SPAD VII, which proved so popular that it overshadowed the late arrival. For this reason, the Hanriot HD.I saw only limited action with the French Aviation Militaire, having been largely rejected for French service in favor of the SPAD. However, it was purchased in significant numbers by the Belgian and Italian Air Services. Over 1,000 HD-1s were built, but the bulk of them saw action at the hands of Belgian and Italian pilots. One Belgian aviator, Willy Coppen, achieved a string of victories in the nimble fighter, while Italian HD-1s shot down eleven German fighters without losing one of their own during the Battle of Istrana on December 26, 1917.
The first fighter to be produced by the Societe anonyme des Appareils d’Aviation Hanriot, the HD.1 was designed by Emile Dupont and was built in the Summer of 1916. Powered by a 100hp Le Rhone rotary engine and carrying an armament of one synchronised 7.7mm Vickers machine gun (although a few aircraft were later to be fitted with two Vickers’), the HD.1 was an extremely compact and agile single-seat fighter. Though not as fast as the German Albatros scouts or the Hansa-Brandenburg D.I, it was sturdy, reliable and very maneuverable.
Appearing later than the SPAD S.VII which was already in production, it was adopted by Italy, and license manufacture was undertaken by the Societa Nieuport Macchi which delivered 125 to the Aeronautica del Regio Esercito in 1917, 706 in 1918, and a further 70 after the Armistice. The HD.1 was also adopted by Belgium, to which country Hanriot supplied 79 fighters of this type from August 1917. The HD.1 continued in service in both Italy and Belgium into the mid-1920’s. In 1921, Switzerland purchased 16 from Italian war surplus stocks and retained these in service until 1930.
The Kit
Eduard’s Hanriot HD.I is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 53 parts, including a single clear acetate part for the cockpit windscreen. Although a decal is provided for the main instrument panel, the cockpit is otherwise fairly detailed with a separately mounted seat, control yoke, rudder controls and other basic instrumentation. No provision is made for the pilot’s seat straps, so these will have to be made from scratch or pulled from an aftermarket set for those modelers so inclined.
Once the fuselage is sealed up, the kit looks as if it will come together rather quickly, with single parts for the vertical tail and horizontal stabilizers. The upper and lower wings are likewise each a single part, which will facilitate proper alignment, particularly in the case of the lower wing which attaches directly to the fuselage (not always the case with WWI aircraft). The Vickers gun is mounted to the upper right side of the forward upper decking of the engine, beneath two triangular supports for the upper wing. A total of four cabane struts and four interplane struts complete the wing assembly.
The kit features separately mounted aileron actuators, which are quite small and will be easy to lose — this may be the reason why although only two are to be used during assembly, a total of six are provided. The landing gear assembly consists of five parts and appears to promise trouble-free assembly, and a tail skid is provided which thankfully is a more robust part than it appears to be in the kit instructions. A rudimentary rigging diagram is also provided.
Markings
The kit decals have vibrant, realistic colors and are fully in register. The first of two versions is an Italian machine license built by Macchi and assigned to 78 Squadriglia from 1917 to 1918, which replaced its Nieuports with Hanriots beginning in November 1917. The red lily on the fuselage of this aircraft is a symbol of the City of Florence. This aircraft has a paint scheme of overall aluminum with a black vertical tail and the red, white and green Italian tricolor on the rudder. The outer sections of the lower surfaces of both the upper and lower wings are painted red (starboard) and green (port).
The second version is for a Belgian aircraft assigned to 9 Escadrille “Le Chardon” (the Thistle) and is the mount of Adjutant Willy Coppens (37 confirmed kills, 35 of them observation balloons) at the start of the Summer of 1918. On May 19, 1918 he became an ace, shooting down his fifth balloon over Houthulst from the cockpit of Number 24. His plane is painted a camouflage scheme of black, sandy yellow, brown, dark green and light grey, and includes a decal for a blue and white sunburst on the upper surfaces of the horizontal stabilizers.
Conclusion
This is an excellent rendition of a lesser known WWI fighter. Since it offers an economy of parts for a kit of this scale it should be an enjoyable weekend build. Highly recommended.
References
theaerodrome.com
avistar.org
https://www.history.navy.mil
military-history.fandom.com