Based on the Caudron racers of the late ‘30’s, the Caudron C.714 was an attempt to make a lightweight fighter out of non-strategic materials that could compete with modern German combat aircraft.  However, the modest engine power that could be installed and the four .30 caliber machine guns that could be carried made the Caudron an ineffective weapon.  After a few aircraft were manufactured, C.714 production was halted.  The aircraft produced found themselves flown in combat by free Polish pilots more brave than successful.

The Heller kit is typical of the first wave of Heller models produced in the early ‘70’s in the manly and correct scale of 1/72.  Well molded for their time, with rich detail on the outside, but lacking in interior detail, the Heller kits can be turned into excellent replicas by those who still remember how to experience the fun of modeling by adding their own skill to a good, but basic kit. 

Armed with French modeling research materials and the excellent French Aircraft From 1939 to 1942 Volume 1, published by Histoire & Collections, I started in.  The photos show the changes that were made to the kit before painting. 

• The nose intake piece was drilled out and contoured and a white card radiator was added inside the main intake.  The smaller carb (?) intake was also drilled out. 
• The upper cowl piece lost its port engine bulge.
• The ailerons were removed and improved
• The gun ports were drilled out, and the raised shell ejection chutes were sanded off on the outside and re-added by carefully working with a hot needle and knife to fashion the openings.  The results were closed off with two bits of plastic card on the wings’ inside surface. Gun barrels were made from fine wire insulation.
• The flaps were scribed and separated with a razor saw. 
• On the center section of the wing, I added a cockpit floor, heel runs, rudder pedals, and actuators. 
• Cockpit side structure was added, together with throttle and side instruments (in the photo, some are still on their plastic rod for easier handling), and an instrument panel. 
• The extensive asymmetrical rear cockpit glazing design is much like the Curtiss P-40.  Therefore I added interior blanking, angled to a bulkhead behind the seat, which came courtesy of Aeroclub.
• One of the best things I ever did was to invest in the long gone Falcon series of vacformed canopies. (Editor's Note: Falcon is still a going concern and a google will get their website)  Their Caudron canopy is much better than the kit canopy, but it still follows the incorrect contours of the kit windscreen, which you are supposed to paint to match the correct contour.  I added two bits of card to the forward area on the fuselage and cut away the corresponding fuselage area on the canopy.  Then I cut the canopy up into its component pieces so I could duplicate its complex open configuration – something that really makes the model come alive. I used decal strips for the canopy structure, which I find to be much easier to use than masking, giving similar, if not better results.
• The balance area of the rudder was enlarged and cut away from the fin, and the old hinge line filled in at the top.  A trim tab was added to the trailing edge of the rudder.
• A trim tab was added to the port elevator.
• Major panels were scribed, but some excellent (although raised) detail was kept in selected places.  Since, for the most part, this was a wooden and fabric aircraft; there is not that much scribing work to be done.

 After the interior parts were added, the fuselage was put together and the wings checked against the fuselage for correct fit.  Then the major customization of the kit was made.  On the actual plane there was a complete gap in the forward fuselage just aft of the exhaust stacks.  This most likely is the exit for the cooling air from the radiator.  To duplicate this feature, a right angle cut was made to the underside of the fuselage, followed by two angled cuts from the top of the nose just aft of the stacks.  This completely severed the forward inch or so of the lower fuselage.  The main fuselage and lower nose pieces were cut and sanded to duplicate the unusual opening.  The forward edge of the severed rear fuselage was chamfered on its ventral surface.  Then a band of plastic card was added to the interior of the rear assembly to prevent see-through.  The top cowl piece was added next to reestablish and retain the correct fuselage length.  Finally the front fuselage piece was glued to the top cowl leaving a convincing gap in the front fuselage.

Construction continued until the aircraft was ready to paint.  The C.714 was painted with a Pasache SA single action air brush in the random French manor using their standard four color scheme as shown in the French Aircraft… book.  I used the Xtracolor gloss French colors plus Humbrol Kaki.  Markings came from the Decals Carpena sheet 72.15 “Bataille de France” depicting an aircraft assigned to the Free Polish squadron flying this aircraft. (The kit decals were a simplified version of these markings, but were too far gone to use).  The Carpena roundels were unsatisfactory (as they all are, regardless of sheet) and were replaced by ancient ABT roundels, which worked fine after more than 25 years in the decal file.  I decided to depict the Caudron early in its life, when it carried a distinct white Polish design painted over the French roundel which was dulled by overpainting with Kaki colors.  The decals omit the underwing buzz number, which I created using Modeldecal British underwing serial numbers.

Next the canopy pieces were decaled and added to the fuselage.  The whole thing is asymmetrical and hangs all over the plane.  The Caudron wasn’t that small compared to other early war fighters, but it has its own virtually level sit.

A very interesting airplane and a very interesting build.  These older Heller kits were the Tamiya kits of their day and still can be used to make an outstanding model if the modeler is willing to put in some extra work.

Tom Draper

September 2008