The Azur-FRROM 1/72 scale Potez 25 Salmson 18CMb plastic model is the second in a series of the interwar, two-seat fighter-bomber designed in the 1920s. Powered by a number of engines, including those by Renault, Lorraine, and Hispano-Suiza, this model replicates the version equipped with a Salmson 18Cmb. Many considered the Potez 25 to be one of the most successful French airplanes. More than 2,500 were built in France, and other countries produced more under license.
The Salmson 18Cmb was a water-cooled, 18-cylinder, radial engine that could produce 550 horsepower. The aircraft wore a more rectangular tailfin, making it easily identified from other Potez 25 models. Some of these planes ended up in civilian service. Others served in the French air service and for the Spanish Republican government during Spain’s civil war there.
Azur-FRROM’s box shows good color images of the three marking options inside. The parts come packaged in resealable plastic bags, and the clear and photo-etched metal (PE) parts are bagged separately. I found the instructions well illustrated, including color guides and decal placements.
The cockpit does not feature much detail. Even with PE, the kit didn’t provide seat belts, and the instrument-panel decals didn’t line up with the molded details beneath. I used a setting solution to get the decal to form adequately, but don’t look too closely.
The rear cockpit contains a small clear window on the floor and a downward-firing Lewis gun. Quite delicate, be careful when gluing the halves of the machine gun together. The three parts of the fuselage needed filling at the attachment point on the bottom. Be aware, you’ll have to drill several small holes in the fuselage and other parts before assembling them. If this sort of work worries you, consider yourself warned.
The engine cowling soaked up time, but this was my fault. I did not pay attention to the instructions and assumed all seven parts were the same. Wrong. I removed them from the sprue without numbering them and had to guess by trial and error to fit them together. My method required a lot of filler — I don’t know if the proper assembly does, too, but you know not to do what I did.
You’ll have to drill holes in the landing-gear axles and insert brass rod in the ends to accept the PE wire wheels. I opted to use plastic rod for the axles and used only PE wire parts (Part 8) instead of parts 6 and 7 because they looked fine, and the additional parts were a pain to glue.
I painted the engine Tamiya Silver (No. TS- 30) before attaching it to the fuselage and before painting the rest of the Potez 25 Tamiya NATO Green (No. XF-67). The kit decals went on well with a gloss coat underneath and accepted a dull coat on top without silvering.
The Azur-FRROM 1/72 scale Potez 25 Salmson 18Cmb plastic model kit is an interesting, unusual subject and would be great if you’re interested in between-the-wars topics in small scales. The most time-consuming part of the build, for me, was rigging with stretched sprue, although you could use EZ Line or similar products if you prefer. If you read my review of the Potez 25 Renault 12Kg [[MAKE HYPER LINK]], then you know Azur-FRROM plans to produce a number of these airplanes with different engines. It would be cool to have a fleet of them and be able to compare them to one another. However, this kit, like the Renault, is not a simple build, so I recommend it for builders with a few years of scale modeling experience.