fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 A Golden Eagle flies yonder The base for this model was a vintage RarePlane vacuform kit, rather basic and with a problematic "clear" acetate fuselage that gave more than one headache. Fortunately a beautiful set from Arctic Decals helped with the build. Much had to be improved on and added to the basic vac, and for those curious here is the step-by-step building post: The first ever built Lockheed Vega was presumed lost at sea on its way to Hawaii during the Dole air race. This competition attracted many pilots and designers, many of which had ad-hoc machines created for this event, not always blessed with sound engineering or aerodynamic qualities*. The news of the time tended to minimize the ill fate of many of the competitors and a number of the planes, centering in the achievements of the winners. Many of the participants paid a heavy price, and some of them the ultimate price. It's interesting that this very public setback did not affect the career of the Lockheed Vega, nor Lockheed's name, both on their way to fame, recognition, and achievements. In an era of clumsy biplanes (and even a few stubborn triplanes**) the elegant, refined, and harmonious lines of the Vega easily overshadowed almost all contemporary planes. The aesthetic qualities of the design are evident, even today. Aviation wasn't then mature enough to accomplish the feat of a completely safe flight in mass to an archipelago situated in the middle of the Pacific, something Dole shamelessly ignored -or chose to ignore- (too much money and power almost invariably produce selective blindness) so many participants ended up paying with their lives. But times were rapidly changing, and records, competitions and extraordinary feats of design, piloting and navigation will eventually open the world to the wings of mankind. Here is a photo of the race start lineup: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dole_Air_Race#/media/File:Dole_Air_Race_-_8091692321.jpg *Among them the Bryant Monoplane, something I would very much like to scratch: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/8091680924 **One of them, the Catron & Fisk "Pride of Los Angeles", notoriously trying to participate in the race: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catron_%26_Fisk_CF-10#/media/File:Pride_of_Los_Angeles.jpg 24 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 36 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 Wow, your builds continue to Impress Moa, this one oks to have been particularly challenging but as always you have mastered it. Cheers John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 Beautiful work! Truly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesa Jussila Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 Impressive model. And again real monk quality. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 Wow! Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 First class modelling! A very impressive result from the hard work. Very well done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 Another cracking build Moa with some cracking photos and info. That Bryant machine certainly does look very interesting especially the side view whilst being worked on , can't wait to see you build that one. Great work as usual Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 Simply Gorgeous!!! I can always count on you to bring a smile to my heart! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul I Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 As always, stunning. interestingly stalky tailskid, I wonder how long they lasted in the real world..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 Superb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busnproplinerfan Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 Sunshine, I’m jealous. To bad there isn’t races like this anymore. She looks good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 2 hours ago, Viking said: Wow, your builds continue to Impress Moa, this one oks to have been particularly challenging but as always you have mastered it. Cheers John Thanks, John. It's a blessing that we forget (almost) all the grief once it's done 😄 2 hours ago, dnl42 said: Beautiful work! Truly. Appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 2 hours ago, Vesa Jussila said: Impressive model. And again real monk quality. 😁 Yeah, sometimes modeling feels indeed like a priesthood... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 1 hour ago, dogsbody said: Wow! Chris Thanks, Chris! Must confess I am glad this one is over. It would be have been wiser to start with the available injection kit, of which I have two. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 1 hour ago, Bengalensis said: First class modelling! A very impressive result from the hard work. Very well done. Thanks, Jörgen. Yes, a bit laborious... redeeming old kits has its merits, but sometimes.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abandoned Project Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 6 minutes ago, Moa said: It's a blessing that we forget (almost) all the grief once it's done You make it sound like childbirth! As usual you have a priceless masterpiece. Bravo Sir. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 53 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said: Another cracking build Moa with some cracking photos and info. That Bryant machine certainly does look very interesting especially the side view whilst being worked on , can't wait to see you build that one. Great work as usual Chris Thanks Chris. I am so attracted to that Bryant contraption, it should be as fun as the EMSCO flying wing I built some time ago: 40 minutes ago, billn53 said: Simply Gorgeous!!! I can always count on you to bring a smile to my heart! Glad to do so, Bill! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 31 minutes ago, Paul I said: As always, stunning. interestingly stalky tailskid, I wonder how long they lasted in the real world..... Well spotted, Paul. I have to trim that back a bit, it's standing too proud. Among the things that are revealed during the photo session. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 48 minutes ago, RMCS said: Superb Very kind of you. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 45 minutes ago, busnproplinerfan said: Sunshine, I’m jealous. To bad there isn’t races like this anymore. She looks good. You are very kind, and agreed, but I am afraid that golden zeitgeist will live only in memory. We are lucky to be able to somehow recreate some of the magic in small form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 34 minutes ago, Abandoned Project said: You make it sound like childbirth! Well, not as bad, but surely with much more profanity! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andwil Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 Very nice indeed Moa, but I do wish you’d stop throwing your beautiful models up into the air for inflight photos.... AW 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted November 23, 2020 Share Posted November 23, 2020 1 hour ago, Moa said: I am so attracted to that Bryant contraption, it should be as fun as the EMSCO flying wing I built some time ago: I don't blame you they are captivating machines. The EMSCO you built is stunning too. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted November 23, 2020 Share Posted November 23, 2020 Beautiful build and display as always. I'm curious to learn where you find the background information and how you know so much about airplanes otherwise so little known. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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