Azur's 1/72 Loire 46
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
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During the early 1930s, it seemed that every country was building its own parasol fighter, many of which featured inverted gull wings mounted at the fuselage shoulder. This offered great all around visibility, but required fixed landing gear because of the high wing. One of the French parasol fighters was the Loire 46, which first flew in 1934. With an open cockpit and a big radial engine up front, the Loire 46 resembled many biplanes of the era, and performed similarly, only with one wing. Initially the Loire 46 packed quite a punch, with two 20mm cannons in the prototype. This was changed in the production run to four 7.5mm machineguns, mainly due to their higher rate of fire. The life span of the modern parasol fighter was limited, though, and the Loire 46 only served in front line service for a couple of years before being replaced by the much more potent Morane Saulnier MS.406. The Loire 46 was relegated to the training role, where it did an admirable job of converting pilots from basic trainers to their The Azur kit is fairly well done, with finely recessed panel lines throughout. It is an injection-molded kit, but it features a resin engine, brass details and a vacuformed windscreen. The resin engine is very well done, and all that's missing is the ignition harness. The odd shape of the Loire 46 is captured, although some interesting engineering was employed. The vertical tail is a separate piece designed to rest upon the horizontal stabilizer, which in turn rests on top of the fuselage. This arrangement looks to be the best solution to the complex tail shape of the Loire 46, but it will require some delicate dry fitting and filler work afterwards. The inverted gull wing is one piece and includes a sliver of the upper fuselage. The cockpit area is a combination of brass and plastic, and a very good representation can be had out of the box. With the small cockpit opening, there isn't much else to add that can be seen, unless you walk around with a flashlight and a dental mirror. Even then, the mirror won't fit, so you're still safe. A lot of attention went into this kit, and while the moldings may not be up to current Japanese standards, the level of detail given is great. The tail skid is made up of three parts, and after some careful cleaning it will really look nice. All of the landing gear and bracing struts are thin and will only require some basic cleanup. Other nice touches are the radiator screens and seat belts, provided in brass.
Once finished, the Azur Loire 46 promises to be a welcome addition to any pre-war collection. The choice of markings in the kit offer two very colorful options, and that coupled with the unique aircraft design will give the builder a great-looking model to put on a shelf. |
eventual fighter mounts. Five of the first six Loire 46s were also delivered clandestinely to the Spanish Republican Air Force in 1936, where they saw limited service against the latest German types. But their era had already passed—within two months two were shot down and two more were destroyed in accidents.
Nothing is provided to help with alignment, so some care will be needed to ensure that the wings remain perpendicular to the fuselage. The cowling is split in two to facilitate the engine mounting, but that also introduces another seam to work on. Care will be needed here as well to make sure that the cowling remains round.
The decals are another high point, providing options for a French Loire 46 of the 6éme Escadrille and a Spanish Republican Air Force Loire 46. The French fighter is camouflaged in a three-tone brown and green camouflage over a light blue undersurface. The Spanish example is natural metal overall. The decals include full rudder markings—the French blue/white/red and the Spanish red/yellow/purple. The roundels are very well done, with perfect registration, and the fine text is very legible, even from a distance.