SPAD XIII and Charles Nungesser

Charles Eugène Jules Marie Nungesser (1892-1927), pilot, daredevil, womanizer, party animal, and the third ranking French ace after Fonck and Guynemer with in all 43 victories. His many exploits won't be listed here, but suffice to say that Nungesser flew a Nieuport for most of the war until August of 1918, when he finally upgraded to a modified SPAD XIII. The modifications included an early gun camera on the top wing and a smaller wind screen, both of which can be found on the model below. By the way, the model is an old SPAD kit re-boxed by Italieri, with all the quirks of the 1960s, I am also quite certain that the scale may be a bit smaller than 1/72, perhaps 1/75 or 1/76. The engine louvres were also removed, as per photographs of Nungesser's SPAD. Also, the pilot's head was repositioned to make the figure look a bit more lively. Painting was done with Vallejo acrylics, and the plane was finally rigged and mounted on a piece of plastic card. The decals came from the spare box, since there's no shortage of aircraft with somewhat morbid Nungesser's personal markings, the black heart with the elements of a funeral inside the heart, a memento mori that contrasted rather well against the extravagant lifestyle of the ace.