Bleriot XI

[Torbjorn]

Heavy workload is preventing modelling, but I did bite the sour apple and started fixing the wings. The curved cut was extending beyond the first rib wherebtge sharp cut ends, so some patching is required. I think it will be decently hidden except when the light is shining through - the patching will show up darker. No biggie though.

 

[Torbjorn]

 

 

The XI went through many different tail skid configurations. “Oluj” had one of the “big boomerang” versions, free to swivel around the centre-point with bungee-cords restraining the upper end. I made mine from hard wood and brass sticks. I also finished all the bracing wires (up, down, left, right+insides) keeping the fuselage frames together.

 

 

These were fastened on brackets, which will be simulated with dark grey paint. The rudder control cables can be seen lying loosely on the bottom frames, while the elevator cables are seen pointing in all directions.

Edited December 3, 2020 by Torbjorn

[Mjwomack]

That is so fantastically intricate, will you be doing an advert for Specsavers?!!

 

[Torbjorn]

On 11/3/2020 at 9:10 PM, Mjwomack said:

That is so fantastically intricate, will you be doing an advert for Specsavers?!!

 

Why not:

 

 

 

They may be older than me, but I’m catching up, because I feel I need them more and more.

 

 

[Torbjorn]

 

 

 

I certainly needed the optivisors while adding the 6 control cables. They all pass through the cobweb of wires on the fuselage, lots of naughty words were thought before they all went through the maze on the correct locations. The four elevator control wires passed through pulleys mounted on the same frame as the tailskid - I merely glued them on and dabbed some paint on top. 

 

Aft half almost done. Only missing some brackets (to be painted on) and supporting struts for the tailplane. The holes on the upper side of the tailplane indicate their position, the other ends to be attached on the upper longerons.

 

 

 

The Bleriot was steered by wing warping. Above the pilot was a support frame with a pulley and mounting locations for the warping wires. I wanted this sturdy so I soldered a few homemade eyelets to a brass support frame along with the mounting for the pulley wheel (a piece of plastic rod):

 

The directions of the 4 eyes will of course be altered to point along the wires. There is a corresponding frame under the pilot/fuselage, which I made in a similar fashion.

 

The machine gun in the BW photo looks like a watercooled Schwarzlose, googling tells me. I made one from styrene bits and mounted it on a brass rod frame. The barrel is 0.3 mm Al tube, coolig jacket 2mm diameter styrene rod.

 

 

Started on the undercarriage too, but will post separately once it’s all there. Current state - not far to go now!

Edited November 6, 2020 by Torbjorn

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Good looking work, never have seen that version of Tamiya extra thin ? I wonder if its allowed in the States after the infamous 1970’s Orange glue debacle ? 

[Torbjorn]

It’s this:

 

https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/87113limonene_cement/index.htm

 

Sold as a non-toxic alternative to the green stuff. It behaves quite the same, maybe needing a little longer time to bond. I would switch completely if I hadn’t bought so many green-cap bottles on a sale a while ago.

 

And it does smell lemon-ish.

Edited November 5, 2020 by Torbjorn

[Torbjorn]

The undercarriage is decidedly the most complicated landing gear I’ve tried to reproduce so far. Wooden spars, metal tubes, cords and wires. The wheels were attached with forks, the top ones mounted on a sliding bracket providing some rudimentary suspension by bungee cords.

 

The undercarriage looked quite the same on all Bleriot XI two seat versions and can be seen on several of the photos on the previous page, but the number of bungee suspension cords seem to have varied between 2 and 4 per side. I made 8 but only used 4 eventually. They were made by threading .3 mm Al tube and adding   blobs of PVA to similate the bell-shaped holders. The wooden parts were prepared quite a while ago, from styrene. Care was necessary to make everything aligned. 

 

 

The main metal spars were made from steel needles to provide some robustness. The forks were made by  aluminium tubes with the ends flattened and holes drilled to hold the wheel axle - these were not quite as robust... Here are the main ingredients, wheels, ”bungee cords”, forks and wheel axle with wooden beam (the forks are on a rod to keep track of them):

 

 

After some very fiddly assembling the end result is near:

 

 

Then  remained to add the wings and rigging. There’s quite a lot of the latter consider on few of the former there is. Which is good, because they are needed to keep the wings in place: there is no possibility of using strong dowels because the inside of the fuselage is completely open.

 

Normallly I avoid turnbuckles as overscale turnbuckles have ruined many models (in my eyes), but those on the Bleriot were huge so I used some from an Eduard PE sheet. I made them a bit more three-dimensional by beefing up the turning part with PVA. I also found and borrowed a PE ammo band for the gun.

 

 

Edited November 8, 2020 by Torbjorn

[Torbjorn]

Found a suitable propellor in the spares box, and the model is now drying in the cabinet after spraying a protective coat. And on armistice day no less. The air war was of course a tiny part of the ugly slaughter happening both on and off the battlefields in this theatre (Serbia had about a tenth of all Entente military casualties, and including civilian deaths they lost up to a quarter of their entire  population), and the model may not much of a memorial but can at least serve as a reminder to those who ask.

 

I should manage to get pics in the gallery before the due date.

[JOCKNEY]

Absolutely stunning, really enjoying following this one.

Cheers Pat 

[CliffB]

It looks fantastic in the Gallery.  An amazing project.