When American aero squadrons entered the war, they were desperate for functional fighter aircraft. While the SPAD 13 was an excellent choice, all SPAD-producing firms were fully engaged in trying to produce aircraft for French escadrilles. The Nieuport firm, however, had excess capacity, since their Nieuport 17-27 designs were being replaced by the SPADs. So America turned to Nieuport and their newest design, the Nieuport 28.
While the Nieuport 28 had avoided the twisting of the lower wings of its predecessors, it suffered from its own problems: shedding of fabric from the wings during fast dives and problems with problems with catching fire due to the poor venting of fuel fumes. It was never popular with America units, but it was better than nothing, and it provided valuable experience to American pilots until the Nieuport 28s could be replaced with SPAD 13s after four months of service.
Six new full-color Nieuport 28 miniatures representing all four aero squadrons that used it are now available from Great War Planes by Reduced Aircraft Factory, as well as a paintable model in grey resin and grey nylon.
