The change of the
Nieuport 17's Alkan-Hamy synchronizing gear to a newer synchronizer necessitated offsetting the Vickers gun to the starboard, and a new 120hp Le Rhône 9Jb was frequently fitted, resulting in the
Nieuport 23. It was introduced in the spring of 1917. The wings and fuselage were substantially the same as the Nieuport 17, although in autumn of 1917
Aviation Militaire 23's had their lower wings replaced with those from the Nieuport 24, which had a stronger fitting of wing to fuselage.
A good guess is that 150 Nieuport 23's served with the French (because that is how many replacement wings were ordered), but Russia also purchased or built at least 70, Switzerland 5, and the UK about eighty, where they served alongside Nieuport 17s. Like the Nie.17, RFC Nieuports 23s would have had their Vickers removed and replaced with a top-wing Lewis on a Foster mount, making them almost indistinguishable from a Nieuport 17.
This model comes in two scales: 1:144 and 1:285 (aka 6mm or 1:288).
The 1:285 product comes with two aeroplanes and each uses a detachable, translucent propeller disk instead of propeller blades. They are joined by disposable links to keep the price down, since single-part models are more affordable. You can break the links with nail clippers, wire cutters, or similar.
DESIGNER NOTE:
Models at scales smaller than 1:144 may no longer be available. Shapeways discontinued the material for which they were designed, and the newer materials require that each and every model be adjusted to thicken surfaces like wings. If you are interested in a particular model in a small scale, please let me know and I will prioritize it higher in the queue.
For more details and gaming information, see
https://linen.miraheze.org/wiki/Nieuport_23