Special Hobby 1/48 Morane Saulnier AI

I couple of days ago, I received Special Hobby's Morane Saulnier AI. Despite their short-run nature, the parts are finely detailed, especially the fuselage side panels.

There are no visible sink marks but there is a little flash present, particularly on smaller parts. The fabric surfaces are very finely done, but the fabric wrap reinforcement strips on the struts are a bit overdone.

The wings are thin and warp-free.

The kit includes pieces to do the one gun version (Type 27 C.1) or the two gun version (Type 29 C.1). The problem is that the fuselage side panels were different between the two versions. The kit depicts Type 29’s side panels, but I least one of the markings provided is for a Type 27, the plane of the Escadrille MS156 flown by the Sgt.Walter Shaffer

The kit also includes two types of propellers: an Eclair and a Gremont. Their hubs are not very well molded but this is a minor issue because both propellers rotates in the wrong direction they should rotate clockwise from the pilots perspective.

The PE parts are a soft nickle-steel and very cleanly etched with some extremely small parts.

The decal sheet is by Aviprint, is in perfect register and the colors appear solid and well defined with the option to use tail serials printed integrally with rudder stripes or by separate. Markings are supplied for three French aircraft: two of the escadrille MS156 and one of the MS158.

Instructions come as a nice little booklet of ten pages beginning with a good historical back ground of the type in both English and Czech. Following this is a complete parts map. There are nine exploded view assembly steps that are very well illustrated and include several color call-outs by Gunze-Sangyo. A rigging diagram is also included. The instructions are printed in black and white only, but you can go here so see the color profiles:

Probably, you will need to take a little more time cleaning up, aligning and test-fitting the parts, but at the end of the day you will have an authentic and well detailed little model of this attractive fighter.


Hece unos días recibí de la gente de MPM/Special Hobby uno de mis aviones de la Primera Guerra preferidos. El Morane Saulnier Tipo AI.

Lo primero que me impresionó fue lo mucho que ha progresado Special Hobby en cuanto a calidad. El nivel de detalle general es muy bueno sobre todo en los paneles laterales del fuselaje y la representación de la tela.

Las calcas son finas cuentan con un soporte minimo y una muy buena densidad de color.

El motor se encuentra finamente detallado. Mientras que la plancha de fotograbado provee las piezas necesarias para lograr un excelente modelo directo de la caja.

El problema principal de la maqueta es que las dos hélices provistas giran en la dirección equivocada ya que deberían girar siguiendo las agujas del reloj (desde el punto de vista del piloto) y no al revés.

Hay un problema secundario ya que una de las versiones provistas, la del Sgto. Walter Shaffer, pertenecia al subtipo 27 C1 equipado con una sola ametralladora. Sin bien la maqueta cuenta con las piezas para hacer tanto la version de uno o dos ametralladoras, no se tomó en cuenta que las paneles laterales son diferentes ni se incluyó la designación en el timón.