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Scratchbuilt 1/72 Paulhan-Tatin aero-torpille, 1911


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A model built eleven years ago, makes me smile now.

Another pioneer design for those who seem to be enjoying the latest string of posts.

I only hope that our gracious hosts won't be getting tired of these.

Here we go again:

 

The Paulhan-Tatin aero-torpille (aerial torpedo) of 1911 is the perfect example to illustrate the word “fuselage”, a French-coined term meaning spindle-shaped, originated from the Latin “fusus”, spindle.

This is one of the many aviation-related terms being established at the time to name the parts of the flying wonders in the Dawn of Airplane Era.

If you look around among the planes of that time, you will see that what we now give for granted regarding shapes and aerodynamics wasn’t a common sight then, a period of flying forests of struts, wires and exposed structures, hence the importance of the “aero-torpille”.

The pusher configuration was elected in order to further increase the cleanness of the design, aimed to offer the less possible resistance to the air.

The engine, a Gnome of 50 hp, was enclosed in the middle of the fuselage and a transmission going all the way down moved the pusher propeller.

The whole machine was canvas-covered save the section where the engine was, which had louvered metal plates all around.

From period photos you can tell that the machine was slightly modified along its life: wheels being canvas-covered or not, tail skid reinforcements had variations, a minor alteration of the tail shape, the presence or not of a mast at the very front tip of the fuselage, etc. At 9.00 meters of span, in 1/72 it is a small model.

The machine looks very modern, especially when compared to planes of the same era: streamlined, monoplane, fully enclosed engine…and it flew! reputedly to a speed around 150 kph –about ninety-something miles per hour.

Monsieur Paulhan and Monsieur Tatin knew what they were doing!

 

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Edited by Moa
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Amazingly 'modern' design, especially with regards to contemporary messy constructions. No doubt, Messrs Paulhan and Tatin had all the right ideas.

 

Though I have to wonder about engine cooling and potentially serious vibrations in that long shaft from engine to airscrew…

 

Beautiful model!

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

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Brilliant - again! I'm watching and learning. Some questions:

 

1. What method did you use to create that fuselage, and keep it straight?

2. Are the wings each made from a single piece of plastic card, or do they have separate top and bottom pieces?

3. How did you get the wings to curve upwards so smoothly?

 

Thanks for posting your builds of these first-generation aircraft; I'm guessing that I'm not the only one who is thoroughly enjoying seeing them.

 

Jon

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Scratch built?  I give up.  :wall:  Maybe I'll try macrame.  Another California Cracker, Mr Moa.  And another oddball... It looks like a model of a model, like the original subject was an old Kiel Kraft or somesuch rubber-powered semi-scale job about thirty inches in wingspan rather than an actual, operational aircraft.

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16 hours ago, Moa said:

I only hope that our gracious hosts won't be getting tired of these.

Don't worry about that, Mike's not that gracious :giggle:, the more the better as far as most of us are concerned.

 

That is amazingly futuristic for the age. If they had continued down the same lines, we could have had the Spitfire for the first world war and the Harrier for the second. But that's probably not a good thing.

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That the model is a work of art is almost a given, by now. 

I'd like everyone to pause to consider the photography. Nothing complicated but the excellent, well composed, perfectly exposed and focused photos using simple props and great framing really make your models come to life. 

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11 hours ago, Jonners said:

1. What method did you use to create that fuselage, and keep it straight?

2. Are the wings each made from a single piece of plastic card, or do they have separate top and bottom pieces?

3. How did you get the wings to curve upwards so smoothly?

 

Thanks for posting your builds of these first-generation aircraft; I'm guessing that I'm not the only one who is thoroughly enjoying seeing them.

 

Jon

Hi Jon

1) I made a form in FIMO, a bake-able plastic, iirc, I put a rod in the middle (built long ago).

2) Two parts, upper and lower, separate spar and leading edge.

3) I don't recall (I built more than 300 models just the last 10 years, it's kind of a blur), most likely using a cardboard or fiber or foam cradle to set the lower half in place with the spar and L.E., then gluing on the pre-curved upper half.

Cheers

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Another of your most remarkable builds. This is one I had heard of - a design that could potentially have gone further, but.... Early aviation history is so interesting because so many ideas were being tried, many of which were too advanced for the technology or materials of the time. Please keep these coming - they are so much more interesting than the standard fare of WW2 and later.

 

P

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