Avion Grec – A Royal Hellenic Air Force Adventure
Acknowledgements
Firstly I'd like to start with thanks to Spiros Pendedekas (@fiveten) and Giannis Asimakos (@mfcg). Without either this project could not have been finished. The help Spiros gave was invaluable and his willingness to answer my questions and use his contacts was awe inspiring. Giannis let me have access to his Potez 25 photo file and arranged the decals so I could build an accurate Greek Potez.
Model
There are currently two suitable models in 1/72, the Grand Models resin Greek Potez 25 and the Azur Frrom Hispano boxing of their Potez 25. There have been others but they really aren't up to the standards of these two. Both have their issues but the Azur model is hands down the most accurate in shape. The Grand Models kit suffers from various shape issues particularly round the nose whereas the Azur version accurately captures the slightly rakish look of the prototype.
Assumptions
There isn't much information out there and through Spiros and Giannis I can safely say I had access to everything known. The Greek Potez were different to the French ones, so much so that there was a separate manual issued covering just the Greek aircraft. However, not enough information has survived from the period to be definitive on layout. The underside is basically unknown (a not uncommon situation with interwar aircraft). I eliminated the rear gun cutout and the camera window as I couldn't find any evidence to confirm they were there. The aircraft I chose to model was the first Greek Potez, Σ1 (Sigma 1). Apart from it's existence nothing is known about the aircraft. There are no known photos and it isn't even known if the aircraft survived into the Second World War.
The Model
I like to model very early examples of aircraft and so I chose to model Σ1 in 1931 when it had just entered service and received it's Greek markings. I have no information on where it was based. Greek Potez 25s were split into two groups and based in either Athens or Salonika.
Greek Potez 25s were delivered in overall green which, according to Yiannis Tripitsis article in 'Model Expert', corresponded to FS34096. There are some usable photos of very early Greek Potez 25s in an article by Nicolas Protonotarios and Michel Ledet. As AK Interactive do this colour I used that one and I must say it looks appropriate. The very early photos show a very dark green. The blue used by the Hellenic Air Force corresponds to true blue and the decals provided by Giannis were perfect. In addition they were in Greek - a vital feature. To be honest I'm rather surprised that Azur did not provide these in either the kit or the supplementary decal sheet they do for Potez 25s (and they do include extra decals for the Greek Potez 25s on that sheet).
The interior was simplified and all traces of dual controls, cameras and the like were deleted. The plywood interior was fashioned from AK Interactive wood decals and matt coated. I filled and eliminated a lot of the panels to align the surface with the photos of Greek Potez 25s. In addition I filled the forward firing machine gun cut out as photos don't show it in the form Azur mold it. In fact extant photos don't show it at all. The various holes and vents on the Hispano cowling were also drilled out and increased in diameter. The venturi tube needs moving to the starboard side to be correct for Greek aircraft. A fuel tank was added to the underside and the metal panels at the wing roots extended. The spoked wheels on Greek Potez 25s were normally exposed but for the early aircraft the covers were retained. Azur offers both options so it was a simple matter of following the photos. Whilst being a pleasure to build like it's Lorraine counterpart, the Hispano Potez isn't quite as well fitting. I had to extend the engine cover as there were some significant gaps. Once again clean up is essential on all parts to eliminate mold seams. Patient assembly wins the day. Rigging is 0.2 mm Infinity brass rod which is a devil to work with but looks good when finished. I painted it with Mr Color dark iron (MC214) and was very pleased with the end result. Greek Potez's also had the extra wire missed by Azur so this was also included. The wire attachment arrangements are different so careful study of photos is essential. Also added were the minimalist mudguards and the navigation lights. The early windscreen (see photos above) was simply a kit windscreen with a painted panel added.
Final thoughts
Once again the Azur kit comes up trumps. These aircraft are fun to build and produce very impressive results. I found it very rewarding to take my time and enjoy the process. And once again thanks Spiros and Giannis for making this possible.
That's really impressive, Christopher @christopher. Not something you see every day, that's for sure! A super result.
And you can never go wrong when @fiveten is on the job. 🙂
Thanks Tom - it's a fun build as well. Spiros's help was essential.
Nice job, Christopher!
It is a great when our like minded community jumps in and lends a hand.
Again, well done.
Many thanks Gary - I agree totally.
Excellent build and realistic appearance Christopher!
Many, many thanks Giannis and thanks for all the help.
Nicely done Christopher.
Many thanks for the kind comment Allan
Beautifully researched and built, as always, Christopher, and hats off to your helpers @fiveten and @mfcg, that’s one of the things that makes iModeler such a great site.
Thanks so much George. I agree totally.
This is a superlative result, Christopher! You took the most out of the good Azur kit and came up with an extremely realistic representation of the iconic Potez!
Thanks for all kind words, it was a pure pleasure to do my limited research on the Hellenic Potez 25, Giannis Asimakos's @mfcg material and overall assistance was supreme.
Despite the type's popularity, you don't see too many Potez 25s built, let alone Hellenic ones, making your superb result even more remarkable.
Congratulations!
Thanks Spiros - your comments mean a lot to me. I really appreciated all the help you gave. The Potez 25 suffers from the 'interwar curse' which is a pity as there are so many variants and it was a very exciting period for aviation.
That’s an outstanding and interesting model, Christopher!
Many thanks John - I do like the Azur/Special Hobby Potez 25s and there are so many interesting colour schemes and variants.
Such an amazing result on this very unique subject, Christopher @christopher
With Spiros @fiveten and Giannis @mfcg, you did get the best possible help you can get.
Hi John
Thanks for the kind comments and yes both Spiros and Giannis's help was essential
Outstanding work!
Thanks very much for the kind comments Dale
Excellent build on a subject that I have never seen built before.
Many thanks Bob. The Potez 25 lends itself to a lot of these types of build.
Great build Christopher 😊 always good to see superbly finished biplanes 👍 well done
Hi Guy - thanks for the kind comments. This was a really enjoyable kit to build
Outstanding build of an interesting subject - we don't see one of those every day!
Many thanks for the kind comments, Chas - there aren't many of these built it's true which is a pity as they make nice models.
A great project, and came out beautifully. Always a great community to help with getting builds done well!
Hi Greg - As ever your kind comments are really welcome. As you say, the help I received was essential.