Azur is part of the MPM family of limited run, injection-moulded kits. The tooling and moulding are done in the Czech Republic, based on design and research done in France. The main parts of the kit are produced by low pressure injection moulding, giving parts with lightly recessed surface detail, some minor flash, and a fine, pebbly texture on most surfaces. There are no alignment pins for any of the parts, and large ejector pin stubs are found on the insides of many parts. A small photoetched fret (by Eduard)provides instrument panels with relief bezel detail, seat belts, rudder pedals, flap hinges, and external control linkages for the rudder and elevator. Film instruments are also included. Some small parts must be added by the builder, including the bracing wires.
For the most part assembly looks straightforward. The wing is moulded in an upper and lower half, eliminating the need to carefully align each wing, with no mounting aids. The outrigger floats and the engine nacelle will require a great deal of care to ensure proper alignment, though the instructions provide some small 4-view diagrams that should come in handy. The instructions are well printed, but installation of some of the bracing wires is unclear. Another area that will require some further study is the fuselage to wing pylon. The fuselage pylon has scribed outlines of windows (or portholes), two of which are shown as windows on the box art. No clear parts are provided, and there are more scribed outlines than there are windows on the box art. There are no detail painting istructions for the interior parts, or prop.
Cleanly printed Propagteam decals are provided for three aircraft; a/c no. 56, HS4, aboard the cruiser Gloire in 1939; Vichy Air Force no. 53, HS3, aboard the cruiser la Marseillase; and a Luftwaffe machine in 1941. Both French aircraft wear aluminum over black schemes, with yellow and red ID stripes on the tail of the Vichy machine. Model Art sheet 72/030 covers the Loire 130, including a Cambodia-based pre-war example from HS6 aboard the cruiser Suffren.
My references on the Loire 130 are virtually nil, with only two photos. I have nothing on either of the machines operated by Flotille 8S, until their replacement with Sea Otters. I assume they would still be in prewar colours, as depicted in the kit, but aside from that, some further research is necessary.