Etrich Taube, five-country flight, 1913 - Airframe 1/72nd vacuformed

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

 

This build will represent the Etrich Taube 1913 civil machine that piloted by Alfred Friedrich performed a five-country flight that encompassed Germany, Belgium, France, Holland and England.

 

It stemed from a visit to this Etrich Taube thread by @FPDPenguin where posting lead to retrieving and continuing with the build of my own:

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235076655-etrich-taube-148-flashback/

So thanks Penguin for providing the necessary nudge!

 

Airframe vacuum-formed kits were made by the late John Tarvin from Canada, and are what might be considered a vintage kit.
The objective is to make of this vintage kit something a bit better, but within the boundaries of what can reasonably be done from such starting point.

I have built and posted two Airframe models here:

A Supermarine S-4:

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235041072-supermarine-s-4-schneider-cup-1925/

and a Gee-Bee:

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235053027-the-other-vac-gee-bee-r1-racer-airframe-172/

Many of the Airframe kits belong to a category I like to characterize as "Wishful Thinking Kits". The plastic is usually quite thin, no accessories of any type like (usable) wheels, engine, prop, struts, etc., and no decals (at least on my samples).

They do have detailed plans, a somewhat simplified construction guide, and they do provide interesting subjects.

Engineering-wise they have in common the use of a construction device that could be called a keel, a centerpiece that has a cutout for the cockpit (and/or cabin) and is sandwiched between the fuselage halves, thus helping with rigidity and providing a "lip" as additional gluing surface.

It's not fabulously convenient, and can be a hindrance, thus it's better substituted for normal bulkheads and floor if preferred.

Wheels, props, and other small details are provided as too generic shapes, completely useless, to be frank.

At this point it's necessary to clarify that it may seem not very fair to evaluate a vintage kit against today's standards, but on the other hand I am building the kit today, and not 40 years ago, and so will those who have, or may acquire these kits to build them.

Summarizing: not the easiest kits, and somewhat below other contemporary manufacturers of vacuformed kits.

They are buildable, none the less, and as can be seen this is my third, but they are not easy, and require some skills, a bit of ingenuity, and the addition of many missing things.

Just to give you an idea of the task ahead, the instructions lightly and mother-of-factly tell you to deal by yourself with the extremely complex undercarriage and wing-supporting structure using wire and stretched sprue. Now I call that optimism. But I could call it many other things.

 

The parts separated from their molded backing sheet:

 

Wheels, radiators and prop to go to the trash can:

 

Very good plan (the plane I am representing diverged from this plan in a few things, there was a very visible gap between wing root and fuselage, and both spars and leading edge are seen exposed in that area in photos):

 

Instructions:

 

Some preliminary work on the parts:

 

The wings are treated -as in the original- like what we would call today a Jedelsky airfoil, some other contemporary planes like the Caudron biplane used that arrangement too,  with upper and lower surfaces in the first 2/3rds and one surface after. Problem is that there is no great match between the two parts:

 

And here is why: the manufacturer used the same top part, resized, for the lower part, so when located with the furrows up if fits, bummer it has to go relief up to be effective:

 

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

 And what do you know, a clever manufacturer that presents a plan to scale, not in a different scale to fit the print like many contemporary manufacturers:

 

Very detailed front view, a must.
And the vintage: 1973!

 

Here is how that keel I was talking about fits (dry-run):

 

The lip:

 

and the lip below:

 

 

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

The scallops are made better with the very judicious use of a rotary tool:

 

Pitiful engine blob is removed. Cockpits locations hollowed:

 

Replacement prop and wheels, Aeroclub items ( Ave, @John Aero!) from a hoard I have that is kept safe by a dragon:

 

The Taube wings have a particular curvature, with a bit of wash-out/reflex at the tips, a carried-on feature that echoes Etrich's original "zanonia" wing glider, based on the seed of the zanonia tree.

The kit's parts are flat, therefore they have to be imprinted with the appropriate curvature by the modeler:

 

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

 The kit's radiators are substituted for more defined home-made items:

 

Seats for pilot and passenger and control wheel are prepared from other sources:

 

A little furrow was engraved inside the vertical tail halves to trap a piano wire once the halves are glued together:

 

Another furrow is made for the horizontal tail wire:

 

 

 

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

The back seat was also round on D2, so this has to be corrected on the kit:

 

The tank shaped like a fish this plane had between the cabane struts is fashioned from styrene rod:

 

The wing surplus is cut off. In this plane there was a noticeable gap between the wing root and fuselage, and both spars and leading edge, partially exposed, connected both.

Spar locations are marked:

 

Again the spar locations is engraved to be able to lock in place the brass tubes:

 

The shape of the aft cockpit (pilot's) was corrected by adding styrene, blend, and the re-shape:

 

The cutouts are performed on the tail for their insertion:

 

[Bengalensis]

This will be a nice treat to follow. Good see such old vac forms given some thorough work.

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

1 hour ago, Bengalensis said:

This will be a nice treat to follow. Good see such old vac forms given some thorough work.

I hope so, Jörgen , let's see where the wind takes us.

Cheers

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

The spars are glued in place:

 

The bottom skin of the wings is glued and secured.
The bulkheads are fabricated:

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

 I found among the spares an engine candidate that may do with a tweak or two:

 

To show how crowded eventually the sky was with Taubes (Doves), here are a couple of pages from L'Aerophile, courtesy of Gallica:

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Here are some links that may help the builders of the more civilized versions (after all, a Taube, a Dove, it's a symbol of peace, Nicht wahr?)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/etrich-taube-monoplane-in-a-hangar-news-photo/622342810

 

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-home-coming-of-the-aviator-alfred-friedrich-1913-37002735.html

 

This is an unusual photo of D4 (not D2 as the intended model, but yet another in "civil" marks:

https://twitter.com/EarlyBirds11/status/1099924964021551104/photo/1

 

Here is a good info on Kees Kort photostream (please be respectful of the Copyright thing, I think to post the link is ok, so it goes to the source, but do not post the images unless they are not copyrighted):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/varese2002/40224872415

 

A view from below that may help you (and others), although it's a small and not very clear image:

https://antiquitaeten-antiquariat.de/buecher/Autogramm---Autograph/Alfred-Friedrich-ber-hmter-Pilot--18--M-rz-1891-erster-deutscher-Pilot-die-Route-Berlin-Paris-London-Berlin-flog-SW-AK-Postkarte-handsigniert-um-1963--kein-Druck-Autogramm-Autograph-handsigniert.html?language=de

 

And here images 16, 17 and 19:

http://flyingmachines.ru/Site2/Crafts/Craft25595.htm

and

http://www.kerstinullrich.de/Fam1-Geschichte/Schlesien/Etrich10.jpg

 

https://www.agefotostock.com/age/en/Stock-Images/Rights-Managed/MEV-10423919

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Well, it seems that the basis for a model is there:

[Quiet Mike]

4 hours ago, Moa said:

 And what do you know, a clever manufacturer that presents a plan to scale, not in a different scale to fit the print like many contemporary manufacturers:

 

Very detailed front view, a must.
And the vintage: 1973!

 

 

A very good year ...

Following with interest, another fascinating aircraft, like all from this era.

 

And you reference to the Gallica archive, it's a splendid resource isn't it? I have spent days on there over the lockdown! But I didn't realise there was aviation material on there, I was purely looking at early cycle racing photos from a similar period.

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

34 minutes ago, Quiet Mike said:

And you reference to the Gallica archive, it's a splendid resource isn't it? I have spent days on there over the lockdown! But I didn't realise there was aviation material on there, I was purely looking at early cycle racing photos from a similar period.

Yes Mike, I discovered it many years ago, and have found in that cemetery many an exquisite corpse!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_corpse

 

I could have not completed many arcane and esoteric projects without material from them, Vive La France! a country that has faith in its people's intelligence and free knowledge, unlike Dismayland®, where everything is monetized and you have to pay for health and education, thus perpetuating a system of privilege (not that you yourselves don't have...ahem...free-loaders)

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Not bad...not bad at all:

 

I feel like a Young Frankenstein, cutting and splicing...

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Exhaust stacks added:

[Pin]

Very cool, as usual.

I always liked bionic shape of Taube airplanes. Of course, whatever Moa does is in my "ToDo" list, the difference is that he builds and I watch. 

[Andwil]

1 hour ago, Pin said:

he builds and I watch.

and at a great rate.  I’m sure he can accomplish in one session what would take me a month.

 

AW

[FPDPenguin]

Nice work. You've put me to shame already 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

9 hours ago, FPDPenguin said:

Nice work. You've put me to shame already 

Thanks, Penguin, but I don't believe that for a second, and I think you are trying to encourage me, which is appreciated.

They are different scales, different media, and require different techniques and approaches, I thought they could illustrate two facets of the hobby, and again, thanks for the inspiration to retake this kit assembly, which I had left lying on the shelf unconvinced of its future.

This one is more like a divertimento, given the shortcomings of the kit, but one I plan to have fun with.

Cheers

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

11 hours ago, Pin said:

Very cool, as usual.

I always liked bionic shape of Taube airplanes. Of course, whatever Moa does is in my "ToDo" list, the difference is that he builds and I watch. 

Thanks, Alexey, I think it's called "modeling voyeurism" 😁

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

10 hours ago, Andwil said:

and at a great rate.  I’m sure he can accomplish in one session what would take me a month.

 

AW

One of the many advantages of Multiple-Personality-Disorder.

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

The wheels are ready, and the wings too, but the locations of masts and struts for the structure -under and on it- still need drilling. All the "metal" parts were painted gloss black in preparation for the Alclad hues that correspond them:

[Brandy]

This looks interesting! I started on the Pegasus kit but ground to a halt because I want to add a Choroszy engine and Poland's postal system shut down. 

Very useful having the wings in two sections like that to add the spars!

 

Ian

[Marklo]

Nice work. I’m now printing off plans  and figuring out what size it should be in 1:48 ( my default scale)

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

13 hours ago, Brandy said:

This looks interesting! I started on the Pegasus kit but ground to a halt because I want to add a Choroszy engine and Poland's postal system shut down. 

Very useful having the wings in two sections like that to add the spars!

 

Ian

Hi Ian

You could still add the spars and L.E. as seen in photos on a solid wing, but have to be careful, this gap was present on some Taubes, not all, and I have no idea which Taube the Pegasus kit represents:

11 hours ago, Marklo said:

1:48

Oh, my ears! 😁