Dewoitine D.520

by Ian Robertson

Tamiya's 1/48 scale D.520 is available from Squadron.com

The D.520 was the French Air Force's best fighter at the outbreak of WWII. However, they were too few in number to stem the onslaught of the advancing Luftwaffe. With the fall of France in June 1940, many surviving D.520 aircraft ended up serving with the Vichy Air Force. These aircraft can generally be recognized by their striking yellow or yellow and red markings. My model depicts a Vichy aircraft serving in Morocco.

The Model

My only alternations to Tamiya's 1/48 kit were the inclusion of etched brass seatbelts and crosshairs on the cowl. The prowling feline decal came from Aeromaster. Although I usually paint with Polly Scale acrylics, for this model I used Model Master enamels (French aircraft colors). Prior to painting the yellow on the tail and underside of the cowl I used a base of light grey. I find that yellow paint adheres better to a base paint.

Exhaust stains were made using highly thinned black paint. Chips were simulated with a silver pencil. Chalk pastels were used to lightly weather the model.

Figures and Diorama

The figures are Jaguar's 1/48 Italian pilots representing Vichy French pilots. Jaguar's figures are excellent quality - highly recommended!

I used celluclay covered with very fine sand for the groundwork. When the celluclay and sand dried I painted the surface light brown. The fence in the background was made from thin wood strips and electrical wire. The dried grass behind the fence is hair (purchased as a diorama accessory at a hobby shop). The resin oil drum was made by Custom Dioramics.

Click the thumbnail to display the larger image below:

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2001 by Ian Robertson
Page Created 05 August, 2001
Last Updated 04 June, 2007

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