The Little World

People who google images of this French early-war bomber may see something stuck underneath it.

There is a dust-bin turret that drops down from a position just aft of the cockpit to allow an unfortunate crew member to fire a single short machine gun at attackers under the plane.

It is included in the kit, but once assembled, I found the thought of destroying the sleek lines of the LeO with it worse than leaving it in the supposed ” up ” position. It is marked with panel lines so we will assume it is stowed. There is only so much ugly I can take…

I was stretched to my limit completing the upper defensive position. The glazing fits where it touches but this is an accurate reproduction of the open position – it, too, rises out of the smooth contour. The gun chosen was a 2omm Hispano auto-cannon – later to be seen in various forms on British fighters. Here it looks to be the size of the Paris Gun out over the dorsal curve of the fuselage. I suspect the use of this gun is what decided the upside-down design of the twin rudders.

The Art Deco refers to the colour scheme. I was sceptical about it, but it does appear in several references – most notably the Heller sheets – and it does disguise the beauty of the aircraft…

The complex mudguard assembly of the landing gear was never going to be added successfully, so it has been edited out. Otherwise, the build has been rewarding.