Azur-FRROM Hobby Plastic Model Kit Nieuport-Delage NiD 29 — 1:72

Manufacturer

Azur, associated with French modeller and manufacturer Gilles Fontaine/FRROM, specialised in less-common aircraft subjects, particularly French and European aircraft. FR008 is a limited-run kit of an important but relatively obscure inter-war French fighter.

The kit was added to the Super-Hobby catalogue in December 2009. A contemporary review described it as a short-run injection kit and, at the time, noted that it was the only injection-moulded kit of the NiD 29 available in this scale.
Kit contents

The FR008 is a 1:72 short-run injection-moulded kit. The documented boxing contains:

Injection-moulded plastic components

Fuselage and biplane wings

Open cockpit

Engine and cowling

Fixed landing gear

Tail assembly

Struts and small detail components

Decal sheet

Three marking options

Assembly instructions

A contemporary review specifically records three decal options and identifies the kit as a short-run injection moulding.
History of the full-size aircraft

The Nieuport-Delage NiD 29 was a French single-seat biplane fighter developed by Gustave Delage and Nieuport-Delage during the final stages of the First World War. Although the prototype first flew in 1918, the aircraft did not enter French service until 1922, making it one of the first important French fighters of the post-war era.

The prototype was an equal-span biplane with a nose-mounted engine, fixed tail-skid undercarriage and an open cockpit. Early testing showed that it performed well but initially failed to achieve the required altitude. A second prototype received an increased wingspan, allowing it to meet the requirement. The resulting aircraft was ordered into production and was regarded as the fastest operational fighter in the world at the time.

The production NiD 29 was powered by a Hispano-Suiza 8Fb liquid-cooled V-8, generally rated around 300–320 hp, and was armed with two 7.7 mm Vickers machine guns. The aircraft had a wooden monocoque fuselage and fabric-covered wings.
Service history

The first production deliveries went to the French Air Force in 1922. The NiD 29 became an important French fighter during the 1920s and was used to equip a substantial proportion of France's fighter units. Contemporary accounts note that pilots generally liked the aircraft, although it had a known tendency to enter a flat spin.

France was not the only operator. The NiD 29 was exported or licence-built in several countries:

Belgium — 108 aircraft, including licence-built examples

Italy — 175 aircraft, produced by Macchi and Caproni

Spain — 30 aircraft, including licence-built examples

Sweden — 9 aircraft, designated J 2

Japan — 608 licence-built aircraft by Nakajima, designated Ko-4

These international versions made the NiD 29 one of the more widely distributed fighters of the 1920s.

The aircraft also saw combat after the First World War. Three NiD 29s were modified for operations in Morocco in 1925, carrying racks for six 10 kg bombs and flying approximately 70 sorties against insurgent forces. Spanish NiD 29s were similarly employed in North African operations.
Racing and record aircraft

The NiD 29 was not limited to military service. Several aircraft were modified for racing and record attempts.

The lightweight NiD 29V had a reduced wingspan and achieved remarkable performance. On 12 December 1920, French pilot Joseph Sadi-Lecointe flew the NiD 29Vbis to a world speed record of approximately 313 km/h (194.5 mph).

Racing derivatives of the aircraft subsequently achieved several significant victories and speed records, including the 1920 Gordon Bennett Trophy and the 1922 Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe.