This fighter was based at Norrent-Fontes on May 10, 1940. GC (Groupe de Chasee) III was active from December 15, 1939 until it was dissolved on August 12, 1940. The unit scored 27 kills between May 10 and June 19, 1940, while losing five pilots. Another four were captured by the Germans (www.cieldegloire.com/gc_3_01.php). The group consisted of two Escadrilles, 5eme and 6eme, and it fielded in all 62 MS.406 shortly before the German invasion of France.
The MS.406 was heralded as the best fighter in the world at the Brussels Air Show in 1937, but it was sadly outdated by 1940. It was slow, unarmored and just not up to par with the Bf109E, but it was the most common fighter in the French Armee l'Air, with more than 1,000 equipping twelve Groups. After the end of the French campaign, the MS.406 continued to be used by Vichy France, the Free french forces (FFI), Croatia, Italy, and Finland. The fighter was also used by Switzerland.
The model kit itself is a Heller kit from what assume to be the 1970s. I added details to the cockpit, but besides that it is basically out of the box. The surface detail is nice for an old kit, but the landing gear and the wheels in particular lack detail.
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