Caudron C.450

S.B.S. Model, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Graham Carter

Eduard's 1/48 BRASSIN Bf 109 F Engine and Fuselage Guns
are available online from Squadron.com

SBS has an enviable reputation for high quality resin kits of rather esoteric aeroplanes. They are on par with Chorozny-Modelbud and ahead of Dujin.

This Caudron C450 is one version of a series of racing aircraft from the early 1930s (C 362, C366, C450, C460, C461), the latter having retractable undercarriage.

There are a couple of flying replicas of the later versions, q.v. They were quite successful and set many speed records.

Ultimately the design led to the Caudron C.714 light fighter used by French and Polish pilots in the Armee de l’Aire in the early years of WWII.

The small very strong top-opening box is decorated with a colour illustration of this 1934 French racing aeroplane. Inside are 35 grey resin pieces, one tiny transparent clear resin canopy, a 14-piece photo-etched fret, a small decal sheet, an instruction sheet on quarto paper folded into A5 and a colour sheet of schemes.

Instructions show exploded views with arrowed locations and cross sections to show completed sections. The rear of the sheet gives tips for constructing resin kits - very useful!

The only issue is that there are no interior colour details. My research indicates that these were a silvery grey with instruments and levers in black, and buff seat belts.

Parts are exquisitely cast with no sign of any bubbles or flash and they are generally attached by fine webs to quite massive beams that eliminate the chance of warpage. The webs make separating parts easy with a fine razor saw, just take care with the small square pillars on the fuselage halves.

There are a couple of pin-and-hole locating features to help alignment. As usual wash all parts in warm soapy water before starting construction to get rid of any release agent.

The fuselage interior is beautifully detailed, far better than the Dujin release of the C460.

It includes internal structure cast into the fuselage halves and separate floor, seat, panel (transparent dials, resin and PE), stick and PE seat belts.

It would be a crime to seal it all behind the tiny clear resin canopy and the modeller can mount it forward to reveal the interior, and I would cut out the small entrance door on the port side as well.

A self-adhesive, die-cut masking sheet is also included for the tiny canopy.

Markings and Instructions

There are no specific colour call-outs.

Decals are printed in-house and look great with even the tiny printing being legible and it is good to see that the thin tri-colour stripes that go on the fuselage are printed in two pieces to avoid register problems. The decals are for one aircraft at two different times in its career - 1934, pilot Helene Bouche and 1935, Maurice Arnoux in the Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe. The difference is only one small decal. No other information about the aircraft is given.

Getting references is not that easy, apart from Prof. Wiki, and Dr Google, but I did find some drawings in Bill Hannan’s “International Peanuts and Pistachios” Volume 5, 1990 ( don’t ask where on earth I picked up this one!) and Replic #202, June 2008 ( French magazine covering the Dujin C460 kit). Mr Hannan says the aircraft were painted a “medium blue-grey” but it is in the latter magazine that Francois-Regis Binder gives a paint mix of Humbrol 14 ( French Blue) with a dash of 98 ( RAF blue-grey) to give it some depth and reduce the sheen.

In summary, this is a wonderful replica and highly recommended if racing aircraft are your thing.

It is also a pretty easy introduction to resin kit building

Purchased by the reviewer from SBS Model

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2020 by Graham Carter
Page Created 14 January, 2020
Last updated 14 January, 2020

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