Lee-Richards annular wing - Modified Avis 1/72nd injected kit

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

 

Alternative thinking and unusual ways to solve problems have always fascinated me.

A large part of my model collection is constituted by what in general is shallowly thought as "aviation oddities", many of them scratchbuilt. It is a bit unfortunate that most modelers are seldom exposed to things others than the well known "one design solution fits all" school of aviation.

But aviation at large is full of lesser-known types that offer visual diversity, innovative research, and a glimpse at how other minds, with creative thinking, face the problems of the field.

As I mentioned, I mostly have to scratchbuilt what I want, since hardly ever manufacturers would venture out of the easily marketable types (I don't blame them much, since most modelers tend to be conservative). Thus I was gladly surprised when I saw the annular wing offered by Avis, a type I scratchbuilt many years ago (*See point 9 on the list somewhere below) on next posts).

(the link to that scratchbuilt model is in the WiP):

Therefore congratulations to Avis for their boldness and the breath of fresh aviation air!

Rather than rewrite here a potted history of the type, I would encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and do a bit of Internet navigation to explore this and other aviation inventive and out-of-the-ordinary types.

I modified a few things in the kit to obtain a more accurate reproduction, all explained in the WiP.

-replacement of incorrectly shaped prop

-modified undercarriage (re-shaped front wheels, new struts with shock absorbers)

-fill/re-contour the front of the teardrop engine fairings on the fuselage sides, which photos show had no opening

-replacement of rigging mast with brass Strutz

-cut-out for engine on fuselage belly

-added Aeroclub engine (modified to fit)

-added front passenger position and fuel tank

-added wind-driven fuel pump

-added photo-etched control horns

-added minor details on elevons seen in photos: additional rigging and a small stiffener mast.

I am truly happy to have now a better representation of the incredible annular wing, provided by a good kit with a fair price, good level of detail and relative easiness of construction.

Once again, well done Avis! This one goes to join the Avis fleet with the Short Cockle and Satellite, Bristol M1D, Bristol Racer, Mig 8 Utka, and American Gyro Crusader on the shelves. I have in the stash their D.H.60 and am eagerly waiting for their Stout Skycar to reach the hobby shops. What a fine stable of appealing civil aircraft by a manufacturer that ventured to go above and beyond!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

 

1) Forget about what you painfully learned with your previous models. There is always room for invention –and oblivion.

2) Collect a reasonable number of references. Don’t even look at them until you are finished.

3) If you want to try something risky, and you got that very complex and time-consuming model almost ready, now it’s the time.

4) Write-down a suitable sequence for painting and gluing parts that will alleviate your burden during building and save you time. Leave it underneath some reference books and forget about it until (see point 2)

5) Glue the interior parts using the cement sparingly, as not to make a mess. Knock the model against a hard surface when close to completion. Now you are in the possession of a  very musical maraca.

6) Set-apart the more delicate parts in a separate tary. Go and do something. Anything will do. Come back and sit on top of them. That’ll teach’em.

7) For painting your painstaking, beloved masterpiece, choose a windy, dusty day. Do it out there, on the balcony or in the garage with the gate opened. Ah, fresh air. You may feel as if you were Lawrence of Arabia making models in the wild. And you will probably obtain alike results.

😎 Do start a model and once you are half-way, meticulously store the thing in the darkest crag of your closet/cabinet. Come back to it by the time you have forgotten all the insights you had regarding construction and ways to correct/improve it.

9) Scratch-build that model you always wanted, and carefully finish it by the time a kit is finally mass produced and on the shelves for a ridiculously low price

10) Need the right tool but it's out of reach? Nah, use the other one that’s just on the bench. It won’t work the same, or probably won’t work at all, but in the process you will manage to ruin the part. That will give you the chance to get more practice time doing it all over again or even learn how to scratch-build it!

11) Get carried away and glue all the pointy/fragile bits before you are completely finished, let’s say before painting or decaling. Then look at the model in a state of dismay. Put it in abox until the next season (see point 8).

12) Run out of the paint you were using in the middle of the job? May be you can use that similar one at the back of the drawer; then you will achieve two things: the colors will never match and the coat underneath will crackle/blister/melt and/or otherwise produce remarkable –although not necessarily desired- special effects.

13) Go back to 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Learstang]

A beautiful build of a remarkable little aeroplane, Claudio! Let's indeed hope that Avis continue with their kits of these very interesting, lesser-known types. I, for one, would love to see them continue with more racers. A Verville-Sperry R-3, anyone?

 

Best Regards,

 

Jason

[Bengalensis]

Fantastic work as usual, and once again an interesting subject that stands out from the ordinary. Master class; both in taste, build quality and photography. Amazing!

[Wlad]

Well @Moa you now have outdone yourself. After all the scale toilets you made for your airliner models, you now have a flying toilet seat. I won't ask what is next... 🤪

 

Amazing build as usual.

 

Cheers,

Wlad

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

58 minutes ago, Learstang said:

Let's indeed hope that Avis continue with their kits of these very interesting, lesser-known types.

Amen!

[Work In Progress]

It's lovely. I always appreciate the things you bring us, always something in the top tier of interestingness

[Sky Keg]

Moa..........I`m running out of adjectives to describe your outstanding works of art.  I was dumbfounded to know that “Flying Saucers” had rigging and open cockpits.  😉

 

Bravo my friend!!!!! 

[Baldy]

2 hours ago, Learstang said:

A beautiful build of a remarkable little aeroplane, Claudio! Let's indeed hope that Avis continue with their kits of these very interesting, lesser-known types. I, for one, would love to see them continue with more racers. A Verville-Sperry R-3, anyone?

 

Best Regards,

 

Jason

There is a 1/48 scale model of this by LF Models!

 

Cheers

 

Malcolm

[Baldy]

Fascinating, novel and innovative all at once. Can't have worked too well or there would have been thousands of them but it is certainly different. Love your model and I'm sure I can remember your scratch build a while back. 

 

Cheers

 

Malcolm

[Vesa Jussila]

Again brilliant work and never before seen model.

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

1 hour ago, Baldy said:

There is a 1/48 scale model of this by LF Models!

 

Cheers

 

Malcolm

SSSSHHHHHH!!!!

Don't encourage the heretics, please!

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

53 minutes ago, Vesa Jussila said:

Again brilliant work and never before seen model.

Thanks very much!

But "never" is a strong word... 😉:

(Of course, being an early scratch, it was a bit of a brute)

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

1 hour ago, Baldy said:

Fascinating, novel and innovative all at once. Can't have worked too well or there would have been thousands of them but it is certainly different. Love your model and I'm sure I can remember your scratch build a while back. 

 

Cheers

 

Malcolm

Thanks, Malcolm.

We should remember that many of these airplanes were not judged by their performance or engineering, but for their appearance, being the government, general public and even aviation enthusiast the highly prejudiced entities they many times are.

If it were for the "experts", "aviation sages" and the "holders of the common sense" we would still be flying biplanes, or actually, not flying at all.

 

[Newbie(kinda)]

That is really lovely; as a model and as a tribute to the open-mindedness of those early pioneers. 

[72modeler]

What an amazing journey- looking at the first WIP photos and the last boggles the mind. (and my feeble mind isn't easily boggled!) The work you have done is even more incredible when I look at the photo of you holding it in your hand- that's one small little flying frisbee! Thanks for sharing your passion and modeling skills/techniques with the rest of us! Hoping you are still on the mend.

Mike

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

40 minutes ago, 72modeler said:

What an amazing journey- looking at the first WIP photos and the last boggles the mind. (and my feeble mind isn't easily boggled!) The work you have done is even more incredible when I look at the photo of you holding it in your hand- that's one small little flying frisbee! Thanks for sharing your passion and modeling skills/techniques with the rest of us! Hoping you are still on the mend.

Mike

You are more than kind, Mike.

Yesterday and today I felt very good, if still weak, let's hope the process is over so I can recover my proverbial superpowers that allow me, among other things, to take the trash out without having to rest on the way 😝

Cheers

55 minutes ago, Newbie(kinda) said:

That is really lovely; as a model and as a tribute to the open-mindedness of those early pioneers. 

Thanks Andrew!

[spiton]

interesting and unusual as usual. I love your models

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

13 minutes ago, spiton said:

interesting and unusual as usual. I love your models

Thanks for your kind words!

Cheers

[Abandoned Project]

Genius. It's all I can say.

[Courageous]

Beautiful work Claudio.

 

Stuart

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

11 hours ago, Abandoned Project said:

Genius. It's all I can say.

Thanks! (you are mistaken, but I won't tell you)

9 hours ago, Courageous said:

Beautiful work Claudio.

 

Stuart

Thanks Stuart!

 

[Bangseat]

Beautiful, and so intriguing! I love the way the shadows of the bracing wires dance and play, satyr-like, on the annular wing..:) I don't think you'd see that on a Sopwith Camel. 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

3 minutes ago, Bangseat said:

Beautiful, and so intriguing! I love the way the shadows of the bracing wires dance and play, satyr-like, on the annular wing..:) I don't think you'd see that on a Sopwith Camel. 

It's almost an objet d'art