Misc.

[Balsabasher]

The attention to detail is incredible,I wonder how the aircraft are controlled on the ground so precisely to line up with the walkways etc ? very clever.
Barry.

[Will]

The attention to detail is incredible,I wonder how the aircraft are controlled on the ground so precisely to line up with the walkways etc ? very clever.
Barry.

I think they use a version of the Faller "CarSystem" where a magnet follows a steel wire embedded in the roadway.  Some of the other YouTube videos (Gerrits Tagebuch) show details of the work involved.  Very impressive.

Will

[Balsabasher]

So that is how they achieve it ? I noticed the piece of wire on the nosewheels of the airliners,it works really well.
Barry.

[Mark Braunlich]

Rare to find a 1930s vintage solid in this condition.  Boeing P-12, currently on ebay from a 1932 Ideal kit, balsa construction, 6" span (1:60 scale).  Even more remarkable is the original plan that comes with it.   There were civil Boeing P-12s, called Boeing 100 I believe.

[Balsabasher]

I have just purchased a Fokker D.8 1=48th scale kit on E-Bay,the plan has had to be repaired as it was so fragile and falling apart,the acids react in the paper over time like the pulp magazines and are self destroying,that is why our archives are so important to preserve this social history.
Well found Mark.
Barry.

[Mark Braunlich]

Last collection of operating tramp freighters in the USA.

Enjoy:  http://www.michaelprophet.com/News_articles/OPS.html

[Balsabasher]

Quite a few of these old propliners are no longer operational since this site was made,operating costs and attrition have made their numbers dwindle,one of the DC-6's shown in Michael Palins adventure to the North Pole where it made a dramatic landing on the ice plane was written off.
In the UK the last operational DC-3's in passenger service were made the subject of a stainless crew door,passenger escape chute mandatory certification,unfortunately the extra weight of the anti terrorist door plus the chute would reduce the passenger numbers,the idea is ludicrous on the DC-3 as everyone knows the wheels protude and a belly landing means that anyone can easily jump out of the passenger door ! classing old props in a commercial jet category just does not work.
Even the Colombian meat freighters ( Curtiss C-46 Commando's) have dwindled in recent years,along with the oil dripping from the radials and the red blood running through the floorboards from the carcases made for a unique sight !
An era in aviation is fast vanishing,Barry.

[Mark Braunlich]

Anyone working in industry today knows that pattern making or model making is now done 100% with computers and various technologies that convert the computer models into actual 3D solid objects.  Not to promote such modeling here at SMM but to expose some here to the modern realities, I provide this link as we should all be able to relate to what's explained there:  http://www.mikejamesmedia.com/cessna_t50_01.html

[Balsabasher]

Wow that is beautifully done ! but I think I will stick to a sheet of cartridge paper,a pencil and an eraser,it is just too much for my brain to take in.
Barry.

[Mark Braunlich]

Korean War (Conflict) solids!

Here's a model P-51D made from one of the last solid kits made, a Monogram Superkit from the mid '50s.  There were lots of plastic parts in these kits but the main components were balsa.  Monogram's first kits were balsa but this model represents that brief era when plastic was held in scorn but the manufacturers were starting to see the "plastic" future.   These shots taken of a model offered in on-line auction.   Scale is 1:57.

Link to more info on the Superkits:  http://www.philsaeronauticalstuff.com/oldmodels/monogramsuperkit/monogramsuperkit.html

Mark

[lastvautour]

Odd scale but looks pretty good. Thanks for sharing.

Lou

[Mark Braunlich]

Okay, they're not solid but pretty close and certainly amazing.

79-year-old Phil Warren from the UK spent 62 years to build this incredible fleet of 432 ships. All vessels are built entirely of matchsticks and boxes of wooden matches. The collection includes nearly 370 American and 60 British ships.

Although now has 79 years of age, began creating his first boat in 1948, when he was only 17. This uses a razor blade, tweezers and sandpaper to carve the pieces and boxes, then stick with balsa wood glue. In total more than 650,000 used matchsticks to create an amazing collection of 1:300 scale models. Even 1,200 aircraft made ??even more realistic appearance to dress the decks of aircraft carriers.

[Mark Braunlich]

More Matchstick Navy

[lastvautour]

Awesome to say the least. He must have slept, ate and lived at the work bench.

Lou

[Mark Braunlich]

Here's link to artist in Italy selling solid models as artwork or sculpture: 
http://www.artmajeur.com/?go=artworks/display_mini_gallery&login=lampons&mini_gallery_id=4643&artist_id=3553&image_id=148533&disp_m=normal&serie=1

Some nice models there.