Modelling > 2018 Clear your workbench GB

Caudron Simoun resurrected

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Robomog:
The Back Story

The Honourable British Zip Fastening Company was almost caught out by the sudden take up and interest in their product in 1937, particularly in France where demand was almost outstripping supply.

As a stopgap they purchased a small French light aircraft called a Caudron Simoun. It had the perfect balance of payload, range and economy which fulfilled a number of needs, primarily as a transport to get product into other countries when demand was high or for special orders that demanded short delivery times. It was painted in the company’s black and red colours, but retained its French registration.

Later, when other aircraft were added to the fleet it became an executive transport and general runabout.

The aircraft served the company admirably until 1939 when war broke out. The Caudron was undergoing routine maintenance when war was declared and the company instructed the pilot to abandon the aircraft and either make his way back to England or remain in France and disappear or join the French military.

The pilot ignored them.

He patiently waited for the servicing to be completed then flew the aircraft into the French countryside and landed at a farm he knew. On landing the aircraft was towed into a barn and hidden behind a wall of hay bales.

The Caudron languished in the barn for over a year waiting until life had returned to some sort of norm then the pilot contacted the French Resistance and offered his services. The offer was snapped up and after repainting the Caudron overall black to hide the markings the pilot proceed to make supply flights from France to England and back.

These flights continued for the next year and a half but eventually they were betrayed and returning to France the aircraft was ambushed and fired on as it landed one night.

 The poor little Caudron was hit repeatedly but the pilot was unscathed and was able to take off again.

Coaxing the mortally wounded aircraft as far as he could away from the ambush the pilot crash landed in a field. After changing out of his flying suit and into civilian clothes he set fire to the aircraft and made his escape.

He eventually reconnected with the resistance and made his way back to England to retrain to fly Westland Lysanders and continue his work supporting the resistance.

Although some photographs exist of the Caudron nobody will ever know of its wartime record or final fate.

Mog
>^-.-^<

Robomog:
The Build History

Ok as some of you know, I spent six weeks working away from home, brought a number of boxed kits off a mate and found  some more at reasonable prices in a collectables shop in Plymouth then lost my modeling mojo, not good
.
 So what better way to get your mojo back than to finish a project that has been stalled for over a year.

I’m doing this  post warts and all so if I really screw up I will proudly show a really screwed up model.

  A sort  of thoughtful side note that not all builds go to plan.

The project was sparked by these decals.....

by Robomog, on Flickr

They were intended for ladies nails, but as I found out later they were not waterslide as advertised but were self stick, more of that later when I actually use them.

Originally I intended this build for a light twin engined aircraft, but I had a problem here, the civilian side of the modeling world is very under supported or out of production and those that are available are being touted at stupid prices on evil bay.

So the Beagle 206, Skyvan and islander were out. Moving my time frame backwards I did buy an AZ Airspeed Oxford for this paint whif but one of the possible colour schemes on the box caught my eye so I’m going to build that one OOB.

(uninteresting aside: - in my younger modeling life I sought  the biggest/fastest aircraft, dripping with armament. Nowadays I’m attracted by the pretty colours and snazzy camouflage, sad ? I’ll let you decide )

Eventually I settled on the Heller Caudron Simoun c.630, the small history above popped into my head a little later.

This is the culprit thats stalled......

by Robomog, on Flickr

by Robomog, on Flickr

Up until this point the build had gone  quite well with basic trimming and very little filler. However I managed to screw up the paint work and also realised it had the dreaded split cockpit transparency.

Taking into account the transfers faux pas and with the group builds starting to call more loudly it all went back in the box and into the pending drawer.

My Caudron Simoun is now out of the drawer and  back on the work bench.   Rock and roll............

Brian da Basher:
I've always had a soft-spot for the Caudron Simoun (hey what's not to love?) and I'll be looking forward to seeing one with that great Mog treatment!

Brian da Basher

Frank3k:
I have this kit as well. Neat looking plane. Brian, it has spats!

Robomog:
I'de completely forgotten about Brian's Spat fixation.

Lap it up Brian !  Enjoy !

Mog
>^-.-^<

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