1/72 Hobbyboss Morane Saulnier MS.406

Gallery Article by Greg Kerry (chinagreg) on June 1 2015

 

      

This is another of the Hobbyboss Easy Build kits that I like for these kind of dioramas. Idea is that the plane has come down low scraping the treetops in an effort to support French troops attacking the dastardly Nazis sometime in 1940.

 

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The MS.406 kit is unremarkable in everything but decal choice: it doesn't include French markings! Sacre bleur! How is this possible? What it does have is a Finnish scheme and a second for an RAF captured Vichy machine - all quite interesting but it meant I had to find French markings in my spares box and there wasn't much choice. Otherwise, the kit went together quite easily except for a bit of misalignment at the upper wing roots, and the fact that the canopy framing is almost non-existant (making masking/painting difficult). Painting was by brushed Tamiya acrylics, washes and drybrushing with tubed artist acrylics.

The infantry are from Pegasus and quite nice. The Panzer I from S-Model and is excellent. Groundwork is my usual glue-soaked tissue paper but with dried/used tea (Jasmine is recommended) for texture. Trees are just likely twigs with foam rubber scrap leaves. Actual base is an old chocolate box lid.

Greg Kerry

Photos and text © by Greg Kerry