COBI Nieuport 17 C.1 Guynemer Set 2997

COBI's Nieuport 17 C.1 in Georges Guynemer's markings is a 1:32 model built from 277 blocks, 19 cm long with a 25.5 cm wingspan. A figure of Guynemer is included with two interchangeable headpieces — a shako and a flying cap with goggles — plus a plaque with the aircraft name, scale and French flag. All markings are printed; the set contains no stickers.

Look at the lower wing

It is much smaller than the upper one, and that arrangement has a name: sesquiplane, meaning one and a half wings. The lower wing was narrow enough to need only a single spar, which is what made the Nieuport so good — less drag than a full biplane, and a clear view downward for a pilot trying to find something to attack.

It also had a flaw that pilots knew about. A single-spar wing twists under load, and in a steep dive the lower wing could flutter and in some cases fail. Men flew it anyway, because the climb rate and the handling were worth it.

Guynemer

Georges Guynemer was rejected by the French army five times as physically unfit before he got in as a mechanic and talked his way into flying. He finished with 53 confirmed victories, second only to Fonck among French pilots, and became a national figure while still in his early twenties.

He disappeared over Belgium on 11 September 1917. No wreck and no body were ever found, and French schoolchildren were told that he had flown so high he could not come back down.

In the COBI range

Set 2998 is the same aircraft in the markings of the Polish Air Force.

Specifications

Pieces: 277 · Figures: 1 with two headpieces · Scale: 1:32 · Age: 9+ · No stickers
Model dimensions: 19 × 25.5 × 9.5 cm (7.5 × 10.0 × 3.7 in)