Loire 130 by Azur

1/72 scale
Kit No. 004
Price: $28.00
Decals: Three versions by AviPrint – 2 Aeronavale; 1 Luftwaffe
Comments: Raised and engraved panel lines; photo-etch details; vacuform canopy

History

The Loire 130 was a French flying boat that saw service during WWII that took its maiden flight on November 19, 1934. Designed and built by Loire Aviation of St Nazaire, it originated from a 1933 specification issued by the French Navy for a reconnaissance seaplane or flying boat that could also serve aboard French battleships and cruisers. The Loire 130 beat out four competitors (Bréguet 610, Gourdou-Leseurre GL-820 HY, Levasseur PL.200, and Potez CAMS 120) to win the Navy contract, and would ultimately replace most shipborne seaplanes and flying boats then in service.

However, before it entered service persistent stability problems delayed development and it was not until August 1936 that an initial production order was placed for two versions, the Loire 130M (Metropole, for use in France) and Loire 130C (Colonie, for Colonial service), the latter being strengthened and equipped for use in tropical climates. Power was provided by a Hispano-Suiza engine mounted in a pusher configuration on struts over the hull, similar to the British Supermarine Walrus.

The Loire 130 did not reach French Navy escadrilles until 1938. By 1939 it equipped Escadrille 7S2 aboard the seaplane carrier Commandant Teste and 7S3 and 7S4 embarked on various capital ships and cruisers. Overseas the Loire 130 was with 8S2 at Fort-de-France, French Antilles, 8S3 in West Africa, and 8S4 in the Levant (now Lebanon). In 1939-40 the type went on to equip several newly formed shore-based and shipborne units and also equipped Armee de I’Air units, including 1/CBS in French Indo-China (now Vietnam). After the June 1940 armistice with Germany, an undetermined number of Loire 130 were repainted in German markings and used by the Nazis. The type saw service during the Franco-Thai War in early 1941, performing reconnaissance duties during the battle over disputed provinces in the south of the colony.

Not all the Loire 130s on order had been completed by the time of the June 1940 armistice with the Germans, but permission was given for 30 more of the type to be built under the auspices of the Vichy regime. It is believed that overall nearly 150 examples of this efficient aircraft were delivered, performing a range of duties which included reconnaissance, observing and ranging for naval guns, coastal patrol and convoy escort, as well as liaison work. In this last capacity the Loire 130 could carry up to three passengers. From November 1942 all catapults were removed from French ships, the Loire 130s thenceforth being shore-based. Production was restarted with a limited number being manufactured in Vichy-run factories. A handful of the flying boats even remained in service following the end of the war, and the last Loire 130 in flying condition, with Escadrille 8.S in Indo-China, was withdrawn and scrapped in late 1949.

The Kit

Azur’s Loire 130 is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 68 parts, combined with a photo-etch fret containing an additional 22 metal parts and two vacuform canopies. The kit features raised and engraved panel lines, plain bucket seats for the cockpit (which will be complemented by PE seat straps), a separate bomber-style control yoke and separate rudder pedals. Two plain plastic parts are provided for instrument panels, to be detailed by corresponding PE parts. An interior flight deck is provided featuring a part for sidewall detail, but it features only the barest raised relief.

The underwing struts call for minor additional detail (not provided) in the form of four 0.2mm metal cross-bracing wires for the inboard struts supporting the two floats. The wings feature nicely done stressed effects. The engine nacelle mounted above the center line of the wing is a seven-part assembly containing no actual engine; in fact there is not even a propeller shaft. The prop and spinner are molded as a single piece, cemented to a base, which is in turn cemented to the front of the closed engine face. A rear facing machine gun mounted in a small aft bay in the fuselage completes the kit.

Markings

The kit decals are by AviPrint and provide markings for three versions. They are crisply registered with realistic color and have a semi-gloss sheen, so should not posed any problems for the modeler. First is a Loire 130, serial HS 44 operating from the deck of the French cruiser “Gloire” in 1939; it is painted in overall aluminum with black on the undersides of the hull/fuselage and floats. Second is a machine in German markings operated by the Luftwaffe, circa 1941, painted in overall French Sea Blue Grey. Third is a Loire 130 of Escadrille 3 HS, operating from the deck of the cruiser La Marseillase. No date given but it is clearly during the period 1940-44 based on the multi-colored Vichy markings on the tail surfaces; other than this, it too is painted in overall aluminum with black on the undersides of the hull/fuselage and floats.

Conclusion

While it is not packed with detail, this kit will build up into a fine example of a World War II era French seaplane, and an interesting departure from typical warplanes of the period. Highly recommended.

References

• military.wikia.org
• pacificeagles.net
• aviastar.org