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Scratchbuilt 1/72nd Gee Bee Ascender - 1931


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Model built 5 years ago.

 

The Gee Bee Ascender.

Less traditional spellings of the last word of its name have been frequently quoted.

Not the chubby racer that the household name Gee Bee would normally evoke, but an experimental plane of canard (duck, in French) configuration (stab first), reputedly built from some Aeronca parts, and propelled by an Aeronca engine of mere 26 hp, according to Aerofiles.

In case you are interested, Bill Hannan dedicated an article in one of the issues of his publication Hannan’s Runway. It was translated and reprinted in Le Fanatique de l' Aviation, No 161.
And yes, you skeptics, it flew, and well.
There is a Youtube clip here:

 

The model was scratchbuilt using the common techniques. As you can see, the engine and prop are tiny. Small wood blocks were carved to get the contours on a couple of places on the fuselage.

A door was opened and an interior was created.

 

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What a fascinating little aeroplane and a colourful one at that. 

I love to see your work displayed here and each one is a work of art and all are beautifully presented and photographed. 

 

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9 minutes ago, Moa said:

You are very kind, thanks!

Moa, it's just credit where credit is due my friend. 

There are a number of skilled modellers who display their finished models to extremely high standards on this site and I believe that yours are up there with the very best of them. Given that many of your models are entirely scratch built and come with an interesting back story, we'll, that just makes them even more exceptional in my book. 

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Hello Moa,

 

Another lovely and interesting model. Do you mind me asking about the colour scheme – was that conjecture on your part, or did you have other information?

 

Regards,

David

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17 hours ago, Dazey said:

Hello Moa,

 

Another lovely and interesting model. Do you mind me asking about the colour scheme – was that conjecture on your part, or did you have other information?

 

Regards,

David

Hi David

The source cited above, Bill Hannan, has the colors described in his publication. He had access to the Granville family members.

 

Edited by Moa
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Another cool subject well executed!

 

Moa (what is your real name, if this is not a secret? ), have you ever thought about making a "family picture"? 

You are teasing us model by model, I think that a couple of photos of your shelves will be just as impressive and appreciated

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12 hours ago, Moa said:

Hi David

The sourced cited above, Bill Hannan, has the colors described in his publication. He had access to the Granville family members.

Thanks Moa!

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