{"product_id":"kpm-kovozavody-prostejov-hobby-plastic-model-kit-nieuport-triplane-france-1-72","title":"KPM Kovozavody Prostejov Hobby Plastic Model Kit Nieuport Triplane France — 1:72","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKovozávody Prostějov (KP Models) is a Czech manufacturer with a strong catalogue of unusual European military and civil aircraft. The company has produced numerous subjects from the First World War and inter-war period, including aircraft associated with Czech, French and British aviation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis kit was released in September 2021 and represents the experimental Nieuport Triplane in French markings. HobbySearch identifies the kit as KPM0256, while European retailers catalogue it as KOV72256.\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe KPM0256 is a compact 1:72 injection-moulded plastic kit supplied with:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Injection-moulded plastic components\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Fuselage and triplane wing assembly\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Cockpit and pilot's position\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Landing gear\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Engine and propeller\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Tail surfaces\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Interplane struts and associated flying surfaces\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    French national markings\/decals\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Assembly instructions\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit includes one French decal option. The boxed kit is approximately 25 × 17.5 × 4 cm and weighs about 101 g.\n\u003cbr\u003eHistory of the full-size aircraft\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Nieuport Triplane was an experimental French fighter design based on the successful Nieuport 10\/17 family. It was developed during the First World War at a time when aircraft designers were experimenting with increasingly sophisticated wing configurations in an attempt to obtain greater lift and manoeuvrability.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDesigner Gustave Delage modified a Nieuport 10 in 1915 to test a three-wing arrangement. The aircraft used an unusual fore-aft-fore stagger between the three wings. The concept was sufficiently unusual that it was subsequently patented in 1916.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe attraction of the triplane arrangement was its ability to provide a large lifting area without requiring an exceptionally long wingspan. This could potentially produce excellent climb and manoeuvrability while keeping the aircraft compact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, the additional wing structure also introduced drag and structural complexity. As fighter development accelerated during the war, designers increasingly looked for ways to obtain the benefits of high lift without the aerodynamic penalties of multiple wings.\n\u003cbr\u003eRoyal Naval Air Service testing\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Nieuport triplane experiments included aircraft derived from the Nieuport 17. The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) tested two Nieuport 17s modified with a triplane arrangement. These aircraft incorporated reversed stagger on the upper mainplane and were armed with a Lewis machine gun.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnother triplane was subsequently tested and assigned to No. 11 Squadron RNAS, where it remained until approximately June 1917.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe experimental aircraft was based on the Nieuport 17bis. Despite the testing and operational evaluation, the design never received a formal production designation because it was never ordered into series production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eConsequently, the Nieuport Triplane represents an interesting dead-end in First World War fighter development: it demonstrated the potential of the triplane arrangement, but the concept was soon overtaken by other approaches to fighter design.\n\u003cbr\u003eImportance in aviation history\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Nieuport Triplane is particularly interesting because it illustrates how rapidly aircraft design was changing between 1915 and 1917.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe period saw an enormous amount of experimentation with wing arrangements, engines, armament and aerodynamics. Designers were trying to balance:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Climb rate\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Manoeuvrability\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Speed\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Structural strength\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Pilot visibility\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Armament\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Aerodynamic drag\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Nieuport triplane offered excellent theoretical lifting characteristics, but the extra wing surfaces and associated struts increased drag. Conventional biplanes ultimately offered a more practical compromise, while later aircraft moved toward increasingly refined single- and two-wing arrangements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBecause the Nieuport Triplane never entered mass production, it is an especially unusual subject for a scale-model collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"KPM","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57504169197948,"sku":"KPM0256","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/kpm-kovozavody-prostejov-hobby-plastic-model-kit-nieuport-triplane-france-1-72","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}