Aeroplane In A Bottle --- And A Pretty Small Bottle Too (Pictures)

Some of you know of my eccentric hobby, and I thought I would share with friends here this result of it, recently completed. It is a first for me, as this is not an assembly or conversion of a kit, but is made completely from scratch, being carved out of various sheets and laminates and rods of stock plastic. It is in 1/72 scale, meaning an inch of model is six feet of actual object, and the length of the thing is a touch over three inches, and the wing-span a touch over four inches.

The machine represented is the prototype of the Morane-Saulnier Type N (militaire), which was flown in combat over the Vosges front by Sgt. Eugene Gilbert of Escadrille M.-S. 49 in early June of 1915. Its delivery seems to have been a private arrangement between the company and Sgt. Gilbert, who had been a racing pilot of wide celebrity before the Great War using the company's machines, for it did not receive a serial number until after it was no longer flying. Sgt. Gilbert sought the machine in order to wreak some vengeance for the capture of his racing team-mate, M. Roland Garros, in mid-April of that year, and on receiving it had the legend "Le Vengeur" inscribed on its fuselage. He is officially credited with having destroyed two German aeroplanes using this machine, but in the fight with the second, 'Le Vengeur' was damaged badly. While it was under repair, Sgt. Gilbert flew another machine on a bombing raid, and engine trouble forced him to land in Switzerland, where he was interned. The production version of the Type N differed greatly in appearance from this prototype, most of the changes being aimed at simplifying construction, and making easier maintainance in the field. 'Le Vengeur' was probably the first aeroplane intended from the start of its construction as an armed single-seat fighter to be delivered to a combat unit, and was certainly the first such to be employed with success.

How many hours do you think it took ? Do you have any ideas for your next project ?

Here's one of my favorite aircrafts, the P51 Mustang:



I would love to fly this baby !

Sixty hours would seem a reasonable estimate.

The current project is an F.E.8, an English machine from 1916, with the motor in the rear of a small nacelle and the tail supported by converging struts.

The Mustang is a handsome machine, but a bit modern for my taste in this matter, which run towards the days when the whole business was a new-fangled novelty....

A Morane Bullet that's barely bigger than... a bullet.

I commend thee, wing-warping artiste. :applause:

:hi:

The machines were a childhood fascination, and it relaxes me to do small, precise work with my hands.

from scratch :wow: :thumbsup:

Coooooool! :thumbsup:

What other hidden talents do you have? Thanks for sharing, just got a lesson in planes from my bil. :D

:hi:

I am impressed. Very nice work.

It doesn't look that small at all. I would have figured by the detail that it was at least 12 inches long.

Extremely........... not...an easy thing..

:woohoo:

Glad you enjoyed it.

Gotta be a Wizard....:D....Magic Wands..or dedication so minutely "dedicated" that ordinary minds.......sort of have to bow in "awe."

Only our Nipponese from other centuries could do minutia like that...???:shrug:

nt

wood grain on the prop is nice attention to detail

And I'm not easily impressed, as you probably know from your Mod experience.

Nice work, that. Indeed.

Redstone

I have heard of the place, and it seems they have a number of useful photographs.

they do the Snidely Whiplash, Dudley Doright type show...it brilliant.

You obviously have infinite patience. :)

Not with your patience, I've always appreciated that. Your skill and talents are remarkable. It is so itty bitty, yet perfect.

is how you'll show me what you've added to the cockpit - the control panel, the ammunition strip, the thingabob, the whatchamacallit - and all I can say is "I'm sure I'll see it once we take the closeup shots" because some of them are too fucking small to see with the naked eye. I don't know how you can see some of those things when you're working on them, much less build them.

You even add details that are covered up by other details, but you put them in because you'll know they're there. You're insane, Dear, but I love you.

:loveya:

And for all the other things you put up with as well....

That's really a lovely little thing you've made there. Such fine and intricate detail...the control wires on the wings, the insignia on the engine shroud, the cylinders visible behind the propeller...very fine job indeed.

(I have to say I'm more used to seeing the Bullet in RFC livery, thanks to a flying simulator I used to play called "Aces of the Great War" or something similar...I think that's the first time I've seen an Aviation Militaire version in colour.)

To do all that from scratch is truly amazing to me. Well done, good Sir.

...O...

and the attention to it's history is also well done.

People seem to forget that the French were airplane crazy around that time and made many of the advancements in military aviation during WWI...the US bought airplanes from France and Great Britian as I recall.

Again, nice work, sir.

Oh yes, and Happy Holidays Mr Magistrate!