Italian Hanriots, any known photos?

[Familyman]

Dear Folks!

I just purchased Eduard's Hanriot HD.1 in Italian Service edition. I'm especially interested in two decal options, the 76 squatriqlia mottled camo plane with black skulls flag on the fuselage sides and H.d.7501 with dragons on the fuselage sides.

There is Alberto Casirati's good article about Italian Hanriots in general and color profiles of both of these particular planes in Windsock Int. vol 18, no 6. There is no photos of these particular planes however. If there is profiles there must be some kind of photos somewhere. Does anyone of you gentlemen know where I could find those?

Thanks in advance

Mikko

[StephenLawson]

Windsock Datafile on Hanriots!

[Familyman]

Originally Posted by StephenLawson

Windsock Datafile on Hanriots!

Both of them? Great! I knew I have to get that WS Datafile!

Yours Mikko

[Gregvan]

Hello,

The superb WS Datafile #92 on the Hanriot HD.1/HD.2 by Gregory Alegi does indeed contain one of the photos of Tenente Mario Fucini's Hanriot (78a Squadriglia) marked with the twelve black skulls on the banner on the camouflaged fuselage. It does not contain the photo of Franco Sarocchi's HD.1 7501 of the 85a Squadriglia, marked with the dragon and photographed as Piskupi Airfield, Valona, Albania Oct. 1918. However, the Datafile does contain numerous photos of other colorful Italian anriots, and many fine details of construction, etc that makes it very valuable for anyone modeling the Hanriot.

Actually, photos of both Fucini's and Sarocchi's machines were published in "Over the Front" Vol. 11 No. 2, Summer 1996, in a fine article by Alan Durkots, on modeling the Hanriot. The back cover also contained three beautiful profiles of Hanriots in color by Durkota, including Sarocchi's.

You can also find the same photo of Fucini's Hanriot - along with another superb shot of the same machine - on page 218 of the terrific Italian Aces of World War I and their Aircraft, by Roberto Gentilli, Iozzi and Varriale, published by Schiffer in 2003, along with a profile. I imagine the same photos appear in the previous Italian version of this work, but I haven't seen it. The Schiffer book may be expensive, but it is well worth it.

Very best regards,

Greg VanWyngarden

[StephenLawson]

Another reference is Colour Profiles of WWI Combat Planes by Apostillo Bignozzi. He is of course Italian and so are many of his references.

[Familyman]

Thank you very much indeed Greg and Stephen!

If so happens, that I won't be able to get any of the references you mention about Franco Sarocci's 'Dragon Hanriot', could you please tell me, if there is any hint in the picture about the colour of the plane. Does it look silvery or more like painted with one light colour? In the aluminum doped Hanriots the front fuselage metal parts were usually left unpainted, so you usually can see some metallic shine on them at least!


Yours Mikko

[GrahamB]

Hi,

although I haven't seen a photo of Sarocci's 'Dragon Hanriot' there is a reasonable way of 'guessing' the colour. If the oval air intake aft of the square panel behind the cowling is more or less in line with the middle of the panel it is a later Italian-built Hanriot and it looks as if most were finished in the light brown (beige) colour topsides (metalic areas slightly darker shade). This could be modified with application of green or brown mottles etc. If the air intake is more or less level with the bottom of the panel then it is an early Italian-built aircraft (or Hanriot-built if HD serial is on fin). These seem to have been finished in overall aluminium. The Eduard kit is pretty weak in this department and the configuration of the panels and air intake needs to checked and modified as necessary for an accurate model. Even later Italian HD1s had a circular air intake.

Purists might think that Eduard have botched the decals because the shade of insignia green is too light and bright. You might be inclined to use aftermarket decals for these (Blue Rider, Americal etc). I hope this helps.

Best wishes and pedantically yours,

Graham