Hi Troops:
Paid my usual Friday visit to my local plastic emporium and all kinds of goodies. First I grabbed was the new AZUR 1/32 scale Morane-Saulnier
406C.1 kit. These guys get better and better. 64 injected plastic, 13 resin and 28 etched metal and three clear injection molded parts. Also 7 photo negative instrument panel pieces. Decals look to be correct colors, cover two aircraft, 1 aircraft each from 3 Esc., GC II/7 and 1st Esc., GC I/2. Both aircraft are from the period of the Battle of France, not the later Vichey period, so no red/yellow "Slave Livery". The bird comes with two different propeller/spinner combinations and no indications which goes with which markings set. This may mean further issues of the kit with different decals. This bird was used by several other nations besides France so the aftermarket decal companies should have a ball here, although they seem to have ignored the AZUR 1/32 scale Dewoitine 520 and Polikarpov I-16 kits so far. The plastic is quite smooth, not the grainy surface you are used to from short run molds. Rudder and elevators are separate parts, ailerons and flaps are molded into the wing. Someone will sooner or later match the kit parts to a set of drawings and comment on accuracy, but "in the box" it appears that a very nice representation of the 406 is possible.Bill Shuey