1:72 CAUDRON C-714

The Caudron C.714 Cyclone in brief

This light fighter built mostly of wood was meant as an insurance policy in case French industry could not keep up with deliveries of all-metal machines. It came out of the Caudron-Renault family of racing aircraft and carried an inverted Renault 12R engine of around 450 horsepower. The armament consisted of four 7.5 mm machine guns housed in pairs in gondolas under the wing. In level flight it passed 480 km/h, but its rate of climb and agility lagged behind contemporary opponents and the French Air Force command stopped its further introduction.

Where it fought

It left its strongest mark in the spring of 1940 in the hands of Polish airmen of the GC I/145 group, who took off on it over France against a numerically stronger enemy. A smaller delivery also went to Finland. Only a few dozen machines were brought into service, which makes the type a rewarding and not overly familiar subject for a display case.

How the templates are used

The films are die-cut to the exact shape of the glazing frames and of the tire outlines. They are applied to the clear part, the surroundings are sprayed over, and after removal the glazing is left free of haze and with a sharp frame edge. Covering by hand with tape does not give such a result in this scale, because the cockpit frames are narrower than a millimeter. The material holds on the surface by pressure alone, thinner does not run under it, and once the work is finished the remains can be lifted off without soaking. Besides the glazing, the templates also cover the wheel hubs, so the rim and the tire are created in two coats of paint without tracing by brush.