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Bleriot type aircraft of the era.


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This seems about right.Cheers! John.

This is an Amati kit which is not available anymore thank goodness as it is a terrible kit.The wings and engine are pretty straightforward but the rest is very poorly explained.This is no step by step.I am an experienced modeler and I have almost given up twice.The instructions are in Italish and hardly understandable.The drawings are just as bad so I am pretty much winging it.

Unfortunately, before I realized it there were mistakes made that I can't repair however this will not be a stand-alone model but only part of a diorama that I am planning where it will be placed high above the ground hanging from the ceiling just like I used to do when I was a kid.

 

Edited by John W Reid
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This is the floatation device in case Bleriot had to ditch at sea on his crossing of the English Channel.

 

I had to break the fuselage in two because it was just too big anyway.Knowing me it would have got broken by accident somewhere along the line.On the 1:1 scale airplane where there is a scarph joint you would see you would see rope wound around the longeron.

Here you can see one of the problems with the kit, eyebolts for securing the wires and no plates to strengthen the structure.The longerons are continually breaking away from the frames.I could make my own but when I install the wires you will never see it from its ultimate position in the air.This piece is meant for a large home or a museum.

Edited by John W Reid
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Well as far as the cockpit arrangement is concerned my research tells me I don't think anyone really knows for sure.Most of the Bleriots today have modern instruments in them.I have had resort to other aircraft of the era and to what Shep Paine used to say a little" gizmolagy"

I am mostly doing this for the fun of research as it propably won't be visible anyway.

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The upper cockpit parts are the manual pump for pressure (oil or gas?)on top and a little "gizmology" on the bottom.Shep calls this reprentative modeling especially appropriate for dioramas although he did a lot of it for his stand-alone models too such as his aircraft engines.

 

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Well, I have finally made the decision to downscale this airplane.Due to the manufactures lousy quality control, it is not worth my time to try to continue with this is the third time. I have had to suspend the build due to poor quality and lack of plans and instructions.This time it is for real and I don't give up easily.It is not a total loss as I will retain the engine mostly because I like it.    I will check the wings and if they are not the Bleriot type I may mount them as typical wings of the era.

This thing is just too frustrating especially at my age when I should be enjoying my fading into the sunset of model building.The hands and eyes are still good so I plan to continue with my almost 40-year modeling experience and end it on a good note.

 

I bought a Wright Flier from Arizona model kits years ago in 1:12 scale.It looks like fun with everything the Bleriot didn't have "good quality ." I will be opening a new thread for this build.Cheers! John.

 

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