The Breguet 14B2 was a day bomber developed for the French AirForce, and had was used by them until the end of the war. It was also chosen by the American Expeditionary Force,and used during the last year ofWorld War I. It's water cooled engine could carry it to a maximum speed of 118mph at sea level. Maximum load was about 660 pounds of ordnance. In addition tothe bomb load, the pilot and rear gunner each had one Hochkiss or Vickersmachine gun.

While rather ungainly looking, the 14B2 was extremely rugged andprobably the best tactical bomber that the US and France had. The Breguet bombercarried on in great numbers after the war, finding their way into the fledglingair arms of a number of other countries.

I came upon this kit  just a few weeks ago along with anumber of other Aurora and K&B models. K&B is actually a subsidiary ofAurora and to my knowledge, only released Aurora molds. Unlike the Aurora kits Ibuilt as a kid, this one is in a relatively 'normal' plastic. It is completewith all you need to build a fine model, and includes two crew members and avacuform base so that one can do a diorama.

The kit is in remarkable shape for its 27 year age and thedecals still look in very good condition. The wings are in one piece with gooddetailing of the covered fabric. Remarkably, what little panel detailing existsis engraved, though a bit heavyily done. The cockpit section is probably theleast detailed, though there is a pilot's seat, control stick and instrumentpanel. The observer has nothing but the gun and mount. Of course, thelocations for the upper and lower wing insignia are helpfully engraved on thewings!

Wheels, prop, guns and exhaust are done in black plastic(undoubtedly to save us from having to paint it. There are no paintinginstructions at all so one would have to find another source in order to be ableto properly paint this aircraft. The decals are very flat, but despite theirage, appear to be quite usable as yellowing is minimal.

What is really surprising to me is the display base. It isvacuformed and is to be the basis for a diorama. This is a really great idea andone that I'm surprised someone doesn't do in modern kits today. Of course, itmay be considered gimmicky and does take up a lot of space in the box, so Iwouldn't look for this to be in vogue any time soon.

Looks like an easy to build and fairly accurate kit. If you canfind one and afford it, add it to your collection.

Review copy courtesy of me and my wallet!! If any of youmanufacturers or shop owners want to send products for review and building,please contact me.