Bloch MB.152-C1 released by Captain Kurt!

[Captain Kurt]

Lot's to do yet, but the main model and VC models are complete. It's ready to have the texture mapping done which is followed by painting. The LODs get done after the painting. But first I need to do the pilot figure and add him.

Fortunately Morton did a 2d panel for Dickens' Bloch which works with some gauge replacements. As part of the VC I will still have to place the gauges. Unfortunately, some French gauges simply do not exist, so I will need to coble up some dummy non-working gauges to take their places.

[Ludo]

Damn this one looks nice as well, with the textures I am sure it will be beautiful (these barrels are quite long, impressive )

[Captain Kurt]

Ha! I can see y'all are real excited about this one.

[Roxane-21]

Ha! I can see y'all are real excited about this one.

Yes we are!!!

But hey! Some of us are not old retired fellas. We have job, life and family. Therefore, most of us are not scrolling flight simulation forums every minute of every hour of every day of the week.

[Roxane-21]

(these barrels are quite long, impressive )

IIRC, this caused aiming problems since the long barrels used to bend down with high G-factor.

[Rami]

Kurt,

Thank you very much for these~ I am currently populating Battle of France missions with your exquisite 109 Emils, and am learning to fly all over again!

[Browncoat]

Howdy Capt.

I'm looking forward to this. I still have William Dickens's 152 in my library.

[huub vink]

CK, the model looks great as usual. For FS9 there is the French Restauravia MB152 already, which has (some) French gauges (see screenshots). I don't know whether they will work in CFS2, but I think it is worth the try as the combined instrument at the top of the instrument panel might be hard to do.

When they work, it might be a challenge to reach somebody from Restauravia who can give permission to use these gauges, but I have been in contact with them, so I could give it a try (when they work in CFS2 of course).



Regards,
Huub

[Allen]

Didn't the French use pull throttle? Way back in 2016 I found CFS2 can do this by adding the below to the aircraft.cfg

[Controls]
throttle_reverse= //0 normal and 1 reverse

Huub:
CFS2 can't use XML gauges so they may not work. I think there are some MAPE French gauge around for CFS2 as well.

[Captain Kurt]

Thanks Huub and Allen

Yeah they are probably .xml gauges which CFS2 doesn't read, but it can't hurt to ask. We do have some French gauges which I am using but the ones outlined in red below are not available. I can adapt some CFS2 gauges and use some analog gauges so I'll get by. But some of the gauges will be non-functional such as the rounds counters.

[skylane]

This already looks great, Kurt.
Seems the French had their own way of doing things, with the reverse throttle and so on. I can't quite figure out what that big gauge in the center of the panel picture actually is...

[Klein]

Hello gents
If it's of any use and Restauravia allows it, I can make a C .gau with the .cab XML one.
Let me know if you are interested.

Cheers
Martin

[kdriver]

Hi Chaps,

Here is my collection of CFS2 WW2 French gauges. Hopefully they will cover most of the Bloch's panel.

Cheers,
Kevin

[huub vink]

@ Allen, Yes the throttle on French aircraft works reversed.

@ skylane, the big gauge is indeed the airspeed indicator (Anémomètre), the bar on the left is called variomètre (variometer) and the bar on the right is the clinomètre (inclinometer).

Cheers,
Huub

[Captain Kurt]

Klein

Yes that would be very helpful. Huub, would you ask them for us then?

Kevin, thank you, that matches my collection too. Those don't provide the ones I outline in the pic above unfortunately.

[Captain Kurt]

This is what I have put together so far. Lots of substitutes and/or non-working, and some still need bezels added in the image.

[huub vink]

Huub, would you ask them for us then?

No problem, as I already did . As I didn't know how to contact the original author (Emmanuel Geoffrey) I contacted the webmaster from the restauravia site, with who I had contact before.

Cheers,
Huub

[Captain Kurt]

This is the final VC instruments layout unless we get the ability to convert some of the .xml gauges.

The reverse throttle is not the only oddity. They used 2 airspeed indicators. The one in the center of the panel called the Anémomètre was for speeds above 100 kmh. The one just to the left of that was the Anémomètre d'atterrissage, or landing airspeed indicator which was for just that, landing. It was for speeds from zero to 200 kmh. Why you wouldn't combine the functions in one instrument like every other air force did? But that's France.

[Klein]

That's why I'm French, Kurt

Cheers

[Ludo]

The VC looks really nice

As for the 2 airspeed indicators maybe there was one that was more precise than the other? I also remember that the bf-110 had 2 altimeter (maybe I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure about that) but with some quick google search I can't get a clear answer for that, maybe again a matter of precision.

[Allen]

IIRC German night fighters used a normal altimeter and radio altimeter. While this means they did use 2 altimeters but they worked completely different.

[mikezola]

Hello, sorry I'm late...

If you still need gauges, look about for Alain Breton's Breguet 691-695s... they came with a working set of French gauges. Who made them, his docs don't say... perhaps he did! But, they work in CFS2...

- Mike Z.

[Captain Kurt]

A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category CFS 2 Aircraft - France

Description: Bloch MB.152-C1


MB.152 No. 198 (Y-685),
Unit: GC II/9 1re escadrille, September 1940
Pilot: unknown




The M.B.150 series began life in answer to the same 1936 specifications that led to the Dewoitine D.520, although Bloch elected to use a relatively untried Gnome-Rhone radial engine. It was designed from the outset as a bomber interceptor, not a pure fighter. The first prototype MB 150 proved to be a disappointing performer. But it was only one of two designs coming close to the specifications and with tensions rising with Germany, it was deemed too late to return to the drawing board. In a series of modifications in 1938-39, first the MB.151 and then the MB.152 with a slightly more powerful engine version were developed. While the MB.151 didn't provide what was wanted, the MB.152 got a little closer. Regardless, in an effort to fill the gap, orders were placed in 1939 for 400 planes, 60 of which were the MB 151 while the rest were the MB.152.


The first planes entered French squadron service in November 1939, while early in 1940 several MB 151s went to the Greek Air Force. When the Germans invaded France in 1940 the MB 151/152 equipped II/1, III/9, II/10, III/10 and II/6 Groupes of the Armee de l'Air and Escadrille AC-3 of the Aeronautique Navale. The MB.152 was effective against the Do-17 and He-111 when it could intercept the bombers without their Bf 109 escort, but it even had difficulty in fighting the Bf 110C. Following the armistice, it was one of the allowed types to equip the Vichy l'Armee de l'Air de l'Armistice. In 1941, it was removed from service and replaced completely by the D.520.




Credits


Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, VC, paint textures, aircraft flight files, and .dp
The pilot is a mashup of Captain Kurt, Wolfi and Dave Eckert
Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture
The panel is by Morton, with CK modifications by permission
A special credit goes Klein who converted the FXS Restauravia MB152 gauges to CFS2 gauges and to Huub Vink who arranged the Restauravia permission.


Thank you to all of them for their hard work and creativity.

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit Bloch MB.152-C1
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.

[Rami]

Kurt,

Oh, boy! Many thanks, buddy....she'll get used right away and get her feet wet! Thanks for this new gem!

[kdriver]

Thanks very much Kurt for your latest beauty and thanks Martin for the gauge conversion - well done chaps!