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« on: January 16, 2023, 11:15:04 AM »
Alfred Renard, Belgian aircraft manufacturer, produced a superb fighter just before the Second World War on his own funds, the Renard 36 which was then declined in 37 and 38 versions (the latter with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine). Despite the qualities of the aircraft whose performance placed it between those of the Hurricane and the Spitfire, the Belgian government preferred to buy Hurricanes. English lobbying was powerful and Belgian politicians clueless!
The French government, for its part, had asked Alfred Renard to study a high-altitude fighter with an ejection cabin. Following the German attack and the defeat of 1940, none of these planes were produced in series.
Alfred Renard also realized in 1942 a sketch of the Renard 42, an aircraft somewhat similar to the P38 Lightning or the Messerschmitt 109Z and whose fuselages would have been those of the Renard 40.
At the hobby level, these planes were made in resin by Dujin, the same molds being used by Vami Models, HR Models and have been reissued for a couple of years by FSC Dujin.
Dujin and Vami are more or less of the same quality; from the point of view of the resin I find HR a bit below and FSC Dujin very below with a lot of air bubbles and defects but a small photoetched sheet is provided with the seatbelts and the instrument panel as well as two canopies instead of one for the others.
As an example to determine the age of the kits, the Renard 37 is marked "1997".
I got these kits in different ways: the Renard 36, 40 and 42 were bought from a friend who was liquidating his stock. Another friend sold me his Renard 38 from FSC Dujin at a good price (bought just for a replacement canopy he needed for his Renard 36) and offered me as "spares" the parts of his incomplete Renard 40. I got the Renard 38 directly from FSC Dujin. As documentation, I not only have two books ("Renard 36/37/38&40" by Nicolas Godfurnon and "Les Avions Renard" by Andr? Hauet and Guy Roberty) but also good contacts at the Brussels Air Museum and with members of the Foundation Renard.
I specify that you have to really like Renard planes to buy these kits and especially want to build them!
Indeed, regarding the Renard 36-37-38-40, the right wing is not as wide as the left wing (whose width is correct according to my documentation); this is the most striking defect. But there are plenty of others...
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