Toko 129 Nieuport 11 Bebe — 1:72 Plastic model aircraft kit

Manufacturer: Toko
Kit number: 129 / TOK129
Aircraft: Nieuport 11 “Bebe”
Scale: 1:72
Barcode / EAN: 4820015440204
Kit type: Injection-moulded plastic
Manufacturer origin: Ukraine
Release: 1997
Status: Discontinued/vintage
Manufacturer and kit history

Toko was a Ukrainian model company that became particularly well known among collectors of early aircraft and other less-common subjects. Its kits from the 1990s are now regarded as vintage Ukrainian tooling, and several were subsequently reissued by other manufacturers.

The Nieuport 11 kit was released in 1997 and is one of Toko's WWI aircraft subjects. It was later also issued by Eastern Express using the same basic mould, making the Toko boxing the more historically interesting version for collectors of the original Ukrainian production.

The kit is relatively small and simple, but the subject was unusual enough that it has remained sought after by WWI aircraft modellers.
Kit contents and features

This is an approximately 40-part injection-moulded kit, according to an IPMS Netherlands assessment of the Toko tooling.

The kit contains:

Injection-moulded plastic parts

Fuselage

Upper and lower wings

Interplane and cabane struts

Rotary engine and cowling

Propeller

Undercarriage

Cockpit components

Pilot/crew-related parts

Lewis machine gun

Windscreen

Tail surfaces

Decal sheet

Instructions

The kit's four documented decal schemes are particularly interesting. IPMS confirms four schemes, while another retailer documents five possible historical subjects for the product, suggesting that boxing/decal-sheet variations may exist.

Documented subjects include:

French Nieuport 11 of Georges Guynemer

Imperial Russian aircraft associated with Eugraph Kruten

Imperial Russian aircraft associated with Alexandr Kazakov

Ukrainian Army aircraft

Belgian aircraft associated with Chouteau Johnson

Mould quality

This is definitely a 1990s short-run/vintage kit, rather than a modern finely engineered 1:72 release.

IPMS notes approximately 40 parts, some flash, and parts that can be difficult to remove cleanly from the sprues. The cockpit is quite basic and the instructions do not show the wing rigging. The lower wing has also been criticised as potentially slightly short, while the upper-wing geometry and ailerons are not completely convincing.

A separate builder describes the mould as old, with fairly coarse parts and considerable sanding required.

Nevertheless, the kit has a useful advantage: the basic shape is sufficiently good to make an attractive model, and the simplicity makes it suitable for a modeller wanting an inexpensive vintage WWI project.

The rigging is not supplied, so a finished model benefits substantially from aftermarket thread or fine wire. The cockpit can also be enhanced with an instrument panel and additional interior detail.
The full-size Nieuport 11

The Nieuport 11, affectionately known as the “Bebe”, was a French WWI fighter derived from the earlier Nieuport 10.

The prototype flew in 1915, and the aircraft entered frontline service in early 1916. It was a small, lightweight biplane with a distinctive sesquiplane arrangement: the upper wing was much larger than the lower wing.

Its combination of low weight, manoeuvrability, climb performance and speed made it particularly important during the period of the Fokker Scourge. Nieuport 11s were first used operationally in January 1916, and by February approximately 90 were reportedly at the front.

The aircraft was not originally equipped with a synchronised forward-firing machine gun. Instead, the Lewis or Hotchkiss gun was mounted above the upper wing, firing through the propeller arc without needing a synchronisation mechanism. Later installations used the Foster mounting/rail, which allowed the gun to be raised for upward attacks.

The design was built not only in France but also under licence or by other manufacturers in Italy, Russia and the Netherlands, and it served with several Allied air arms.
Operational significance

The Nieuport 11 helped restore Allied air superiority during early 1916. Its appearance forced German pilots to respond with improved fighters and tactics.

It also became the starting point for the development of the later Nieuport 16, which used a more powerful engine. The Nieuport 16 was externally similar but heavier, and its increased engine power led to changes intended to compensate for the additional weight.

Several famous WWI pilots flew Nieuports, including Georges Guynemer, Albert Ball, Billy Bishop and Eugène/Nungesser-era French aces, making the type especially attractive to modellers looking for colourful individual aircraft histories.
Aircraft specifications

For the Nieuport 11, published specifications include:

Length: approximately 5.8 m

Wingspan: approximately 7.55 m

Engine: Le Rhône 9C rotary

Power: approximately 80 hp

Maximum speed: approximately 156 km/h

Range: approximately 330 km

Ceiling: approximately 4,600 m

Crew: 1

Armament: normally one Lewis or Hotchkiss machine gun

At 1:72 scale, the real aircraft's dimensions produce a model approximately:

Length: 8.1 cm

Wingspan: 10.5 cm

Its small size makes the considerable amount of rigging and wing bracing especially noticeable on the finished model.