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Copper State Models 1/48 Caudron G.IV Late Version

by Tim Upson-Smith

T

his model has been on my

bench on and off for just

over a year; there are many

reasons for this, some of which we

will explore during this article. But

before I begin the build portion I’ll

start with a quick look at surviving

examples of the Caudron G.IV.

If you want to see a Caudron

G.IV you will have to visit either

the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace,

Le Bourget, in Paris, France, or the

National Air and Space Museum

in Washington, DC. The Paris

example has been beautifully

restored, whilst the Washington

example has been conserved so it

still retains as much as possible of

its original finish. I have not, as yet,

been lucky enough to visit either

of these museums, but both are

certainly on my list! (The Caudron

G.IV in Paris, C.1720, is Option B

in the colour schemes offered by

the Copper State Models kit.)

We may not have a Caudron G.IV

in the UK, but we do have a Caudron

G.III displayed at the RAF Museum

Hendon, which is a single-engine

aircraft on which the twin-engine

G.IV was based. There are some

similarities between the two, so

where the two types share parts I

have provided some detail photos of

the Hendon exhibit in this article.

The Caudron G.IV is perhaps

not the most well-known First

World War aircraft, but it was a

surprisingly useful type, with a

good rate of climb, a modest bomb

load of c. 100 kg, and a machine

gun for the observer on a flexible

mount. The type entered service

with the French Air Arm in

November 1915, staying in front-

line service for just over a year.

It was licence-built in Italy and

the UK, and in 1918 the American

CAT’S CRADLE

A FRENCH

22 • SEPTEMBER 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

BY SACCO DE VRIES

CAUDRON G.IV

BY TIM UPSON-SMITH

1/48

022-29-FEAT-Caudron-0918.indd 22 16/08/2018 17:12