Bellanca CF, 1/72 scratchbuilt

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Well, this a bit like rasping the bottom of the pot for the last bits of stew.

These are all old builds, and in retrospect should have been posted at the beginning of these series. They often represent the first, hesitant steps on scratchbuilding.

Here is another from 2007, 12 years ago:

 

The fluid, graceful lines of Giuseppe Bellanca’s designs have always captivated me.
From his drafting board took off many inspired creations of the sort of what has come to be known as a “Classic”. 

The Bellanca CF of 1922 was based upon the then in vogue “limousine” configuration, a sort of extrapolation of the coach or carriage arrangement, with four passengers inside the fuselage in two rows facing each other, being the pilot, of course, facing the wind in an open cockpit. The wing was reinforced with what will become a Bellanca trademark, the treatment of the wing struts integrated in a sort of smaller, auxiliary wing. 

The CF was the first in a series of cabin planes, and soon after being flown for the first time it was presented at a series of events where it earned a very good reputation for its reliable and remarkable performance. 

No series production followed, but undoubtedly it spawned a line of successors and inspired more than one aircraft designer. 

The model represents an early version, with squared wing tips and a small, slightly displaced to the left cockpit opening. 

The interior was allotted with the passenger seats and basic paraphernalia for the pilot.

The only tiny decal on the rudder was made to match a photo of the real plane, not the beautifully restored machine at NASM. 

Besides the canvas, the airframe was partially covered in mahogany.

All components were scratch-built, but the wheels came from a donor in the small pile of my “normal” kits, now lying hopelessly at the bottom of my closet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wlad]

Very nice Moa, especially being one of your first scratch builds. And you've captured the offset on the propeller blades, well done. I've seen the restoration at  the Udvar-Hazy and have a picture of it.  Your kit answered a question I had: why the windshield and windows were so small. Answer: What I thought was the cockpit is the passenger cabin. I could not see the pilot's station in the real item.

 

Cheers,

Wlad

[jeaton01]

I've always liked this one.  Well done as your usual.