Description
This is a paintable 1:144 scale model of an F.B.A. Type H flying boat. Since many painters choose their own mounting system, no peg is included on the plane. Pegs can be purchased separately in the Accessories section of this catalog.
Hydravions Franco-British Aviation (F.B.A.) built several flying boats during WWI, and the F.B.A. Type H was the most numerous. In fact, it may have been the most numerous flying boat of the entire war, with 982 built in Italy and several hundred in France. It was a development of the Type B airframe, but a 150hp Hispano-Suiza vee engine was used for increased power. The wings were redesigned and about half a meter wider, the tailplane was altered, and the hull was strengthened. A crew of three was carried: two flight personnel and a nose gunner. They were also used in small numbers by Belgium, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.A.
In Italy, at least 982 were built: 38 in 1916; 367 in 1917; and 477 in 1918. A handful of Italian Type H’s were shifted to the R.N.A.S. at Otranto. A full 28 squadriglias used the Type H, mostly supplied under license by SIAI (Societa Idrovolanti Alta Italia). These latter machines used a 170hp Isotta-Fraschini engine. SIAI could not keep up with the demand and spread production over six subcontractors. The Type Hs were used all along the Italian coast and by war’s end there were still 382 in service.
For more data and gaming info on this plane, see https://linen.miraheze.org/wiki/F.B.A._Type_H.
Shipping: Shipping varies from about US$7 to US$15 per order, depending on the destination country. See your cart for an exact number — the prices may vary with currency fluctuations. Orders over US$300 may get free shipping (but see the note on mixed materials).
Mixed Materials: Nylon prints are shipped from a different factory than resin prints, so if you place an order with a mix of Nylon and Resin, you will be charged shipping for each material, and each will arrive separately.
Taxes: Sales tax — where applicable — will be added for U.S. shipments. Value-added taxes (VAT) may (or may not) be collected by your postal carrier on receipt, which is known as “Delivery At Place”. Unfortunately, since my printing and shipping partner has no way of marking shipments as VAT-paid, this website cannot collect VAT on your behalf.
Customs: Most orders should be small enough to avoid customs duties, but you may want to check your local regulations. If duties are due, they may be collected by your postal carrier. E.U. customers may be able to avoid duties by keeping their order under €150.
No refunds are available, because your order is custom-printed when it is received. There is no inventory or stock to which it can be returned.
Reprints are available for planes damaged during shipping. See https://www.greatwarplanes.com/refund_returns/ for details.
Grey Resin: Models printed in Grey Resin material are printed with sprue-style supports while they are printed. The supports are removed in the factory before shipping. But be aware that some of the supports might be missed if they are mistaken for plane parts, and some of the attachment points might need smoothing before painting. I have seen good results — with almost no visible leftovers — in test prints. But this may not be universal because it depends on whoever is operating the printer the day your miniature is printed.
Bent Wings: Due to the need to protect miniatures during shipping, the miniatures may arrive with wings that are not perfectly straight (or, in the case of wings with dihedral, at the right angle)¹. If the warping is too severe, or if correcting it results in a broken plane, you can apply for a reprint as outlined above. To correct modest warping, you can heat the model with hot water or with a blow-dryer until the wings become pliable, straighten them, and then cool the model with cool water or room-temperature air. (I have used the blow-dryer method with good success.) I do not know what temperature is best — you’ll have to experiment, starting on the low side and using only gentle pressure. You just want to make the model pliable without it melting (too hot) or breaking under gentle pressure (too cool). Please use the normal precautions you’d use with any operation with hot water, air, and plastic.
Since — as you have gathered — you can bend the model when it’s under high temperature, I would suggest avoiding leaving your prints in a very hot environment such as a locked car under the summer sun.
¹ This was especially true during a period when the planes were shipped in a clamshell-plastic case, which should no longer happen.
