{"product_id":"rs-models-leo-c-30-autogyro-kit-92190-1-72-scale-plastic-model-kit","title":"RS Models LeO C.30 Autogyro Kit 92190 — 1\/72 Scale Plastic model kit","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer: RS Models\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKit number: 92190 \/ RSM92190\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAircraft: Loire et Olivier LeO C.30\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eScale: 1\/72\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEAN: 8594183911908\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRelease: 2016\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKit type: Injection-moulded plastic aircraft model\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCountry of subject: France\n\u003cbr\u003eRS Models\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRS Models is a Czech specialist model manufacturer based in Janovice, Czech Republic. Its catalogue has become particularly well known for unusual and relatively obscure aircraft subjects, especially inter-war and Second World War types that receive little attention from the major manufacturers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe LeO C.30 is a very typical RS Models subject: rather than choosing a familiar fighter or bomber, the company produced a model of a small French military autogyro that existed in only a few dozen examples.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit was added to the Super-Hobby catalogue on 23 March 2016, with the Japanese HobbySearch catalogue giving an early July 2016 release date.\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents and characteristics\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit represents the Loire et Olivier LeO C.30, a French military autogyro derived from the Cierva C.30 design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt 1\/72 scale, the finished model is quite small in fuselage length but has a surprisingly large rotor. Based on the dimensions of the real aircraft, the model works out at approximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Fuselage length: 8.3 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Main rotor diameter: 15.6 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe catalogue weight of the boxed kit is approximately 100–101 g.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eI have not found a dependable published parts count for 92190, so I would not quote one as fact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model is particularly distinctive because it represents an autogyro rather than a conventional aeroplane. The main rotor provides lift through autorotation, while the engine drives a conventional propeller to provide forward thrust.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe LeO C.30's unusual configuration makes this a particularly interesting collector's kit: the finished model looks quite unlike almost anything else in a conventional 1\/72 aircraft collection.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe real Loire et Olivier LeO C.30\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe LeO C.30 was a French licence-built development of the Cierva C.30 autogyro, produced by Loire et Olivier during the 1930s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Cierva C.30 was developed from the work of Spanish aviation pioneer Juan de la Cierva, whose experiments with autogyros had demonstrated the possibility of obtaining controllable vertical and low-speed flight without using a powered helicopter rotor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe LeO C.30 incorporated a more powerful engine than the original British-built Cierva aircraft. RS Models' catalogue description identifies the engine as a 175 hp Salmson 9Ne, and gives the aircraft's length as approximately 6 metres with a rotor diameter of about 11.25 metres.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eApproximately 60–65 LeO C.30-family aircraft were produced.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat makes the real aircraft considerably rarer than most subjects represented by 1\/72 plastic kits.\n\u003cbr\u003eHow an autogyro worked\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe LeO C.30 should not be confused with a helicopter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe engine drove the aircraft's forward propeller, rather than directly powering the large overhead rotor. As the aircraft moved through the air, airflow caused the rotor to autorotate, producing lift.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis arrangement gave the autogyro excellent low-speed and short-field characteristics for its era. It could operate at speeds and altitudes that made it useful for observation, while its ability to fly slowly was valuable for directing artillery fire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe technology was consequently attractive to military planners during the inter-war period, before practical helicopters became available.\n\u003cbr\u003eFrench military service\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe French military employed the LeO C.30 primarily for observation and reconnaissance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of its most important potential uses was artillery direction. The aircraft's relatively low-speed capability made it possible for an observer to remain over an area while watching artillery impacts and communicating corrections.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe type was operated by both the French Army and French Navy, according to the RS Models catalogue description.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere was no permanent built-in armament, reflecting its reconnaissance rather than fighter role.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeveral related variants and experimental aircraft were produced, including the C.30S, C.301 and C.302 developments.\n\u003cbr\u003eSecond World War\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe timing of the LeO C.30's service was unfortunate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBy the outbreak of the Second World War, the autogyro concept was still useful for specialised observation, but conventional aircraft had developed enormously. The German campaign against France in 1940 rapidly overwhelmed the French military aviation system.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to RS Models' historical description, all LeO C.30 aircraft were destroyed or lost during the 1940 campaign.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eConsequently, unlike some contemporary French aircraft, there was no substantial surviving fleet that could continue into the later war years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe LeO C.30 therefore represents an interesting dead end in aviation development: the autogyro offered some capabilities that conventional fixed-wing aircraft could not easily duplicate, but the rapid development of aircraft performance—and subsequently the helicopter—ultimately made the military autogyro obsolete.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"RS Models","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57512971927932,"sku":"RS-92190","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/34AB2018-30E4-4159-8CCB-B814A513EF76.jpg?v=1790663887","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/rs-models-leo-c-30-autogyro-kit-92190-1-72-scale-plastic-model-kit","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}