SPAD XIII
Weekend Edition

Eduard, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brad Fallen

Eduard's 1/48 scale SPAD XIII is available online from Squadron.com for only USD$24.47!
 

The Spad XIII was powerful, well armed and arguably the best French fighter of World War I.  It entered service in mid-1917 and, with 8,500 examples built, accounted for over 12 per cent of France’s wartime aircraft production.  On top of ubiquitous Armée de l'Airservice, the type was flown by a number of allies including the United States, Belgium, Great Britain and Italy.

Given the number of Spad XIIIs built, changes during production were inevitable.  These included ongoing refinements to the troublesome Hispano-Suiza engine, and abandonment of the type’s original rounded wingtips in favour of the squared-off tips seen on the earlier Spad VII.  Camouflage adapted too:  while some early Spad XIIIs were finished in clear doped linen, most wore the five colour camouflage common to French aircraft in the war’s final year.

Modellers interested in the Spad XIII have been reasonably well served over the years.  In 1/48 scale the 60-year old Aurora/Glencoe kit builds into a good-looking model, errors and simplified detail notwithstanding.  The Dragon/DML kit from the late 1990s also goes together well, and is more accurate. 

Best in scale, however, is Eduard’s Spad XIII family that was released between 2008 and 2011.  First out was the late version that Eduard has produced in Profipack, Limited Edition Dual Combo, and Weekend Edition versions; it’s also been reboxed by Revell.  Nearly three years later, Eduard followed up with an early Spad XIII with, amongst other differences, rounded rather than square wingtips. 

Reviews of these kits on Hyperscale and elsewhere were almost universally positive.  Rob Baumgartner’s conclusions about the early version Profipack are typical:

Eduard has produced a finely detailed kit that breathes new life into this subject….[and] without doubt … is destined to become a favorite amongst aircraft enthusiasts.  Despite the large count of parts, the kit is relatively easy to put together. This kit sets new standards for Eduard in both detail and assembly.

The only drawback of this quality is that the original kits aren’t always easy to find – they are no longer available from Eduard’s web store or most major mail order sites.  Fortunately Eduard has addressed this problem, at least in part, by re-releasing the late version Weekend Edition in August this year.

The stylish new-style Weekend Edition box displays prominent artwork of the kit’s two marking choices:  Rene Fonck’s Spad XIII from Escadrille 103 in autumn 1918, and Frank Luke Jr’s machine from the 27th Aero Squadron in September 1918.  These are predictable subjects, perhaps, but attractive nonetheless; the combination of famous pilots with colourful late war markings and camouflage should make this a strong release for Eduard. 

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Thumbnail panels:

The main differences between this and Eduard’s first Spad XIII Weekend Edition in 2009 are that the earlier kit only contained markings for Fonck’s aircraft, and the current release isn’t clearly identified as a late version of the Spad XIII.

Inside the box are three sprues of well-moulded grey parts.  The Spad XIII may have been fast and strong but it was still a small aircraft, which in 1/48 translates to a wingspan of about 17 cm (6 ½ inches).  Speaking of wings I like Eduard’s subtle depiction of ribs and stitching that with appropriate painting and weathering will look excellent.  Also worth mentioning is the one-piece structure of the lower wing which will greatly assist with alignment.

The fuselage parts have been engineered to preserve, so far as possible, details that might be damaged or lost in cleaning up a traditional clamshell assembly.  To avoid this Eduard has moulded the fuselage in four main parts.  The fuselage halves mate conventionally but the only seam that needs to be cleaned up is along the lower rear section.  The fuselage is then sandwiched between a one-piece lower cowl and a full-length upper deck that runs from the gun troughs up to and including the horizontal tailplanes.  A dry fit suggests this approach will deliver good results while minimizing cleanup.

Roden made a similar decision on parts breakdown when it engineered the fuselage of its 1/32 Spad VII.  But comparing the two kits side by side, it’s clear that much of Eduard’s moulding detail is superior.  On the fuselage, Eduard’s representation of fabric, panel and cooling vent details on the fuselage is particularly good.  The vents on the upper and lower cowls are too small to have been moulded open, but as with the wings will look convincing after painting and a wash.

As this is a Weekend Edition kit, there are no photo-etched details to supplement the plastic parts.  However the latter deliver plenty of detail even without assistance.  For example, more than 20 parts come together to make up the cockpit, not including a number of individually printed instrument dial decals.  The pilot’s harness is also provided as a decal; while this is better than nothing at all, it would’ve been nice to see a set of HGW harnesses included as occurred with the Fw 190 A-8 Weekend Edition reissue.

The instructions are in Eduard’s usual clearly illustrated style.  I prefer the A4 format of Profipack instructions to the smaller page size used here, but that may be more a comment on my aging eyes than on the quality of the instructions.  To assist with painting and decaling there are full-colour four view drawings of both marking choices, and scrap drawings of the lower wing.  Paint colours are called out in Gunze numbers.

Markings

The decals have been produced by Eduard and, to my eye and on the sheet, look amongst the best of their in-house productions that I have seen. 

Printing is crisp, registration is spot-on and the fine production data lettering that’s overlaid on the tricolour rudder markings is very well done.

This is the best 1/48 Spad XIII produced to date, so it’s good to see it being reissued by Eduard.  The revamped Weekend Edition package with its additional marking choice and inclusion of a seat harness (albeit in decal form) is also welcome.  Highly recommended!

Thanks to Eduard for the sample.

Review Text Copyright © 2015 by Brad Fallen
Page Created 11 December, 2015
Last updated 11 December, 2015

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