AviS, 1/72nd Lee-Richards Annular Monoplane No3

[general melchett]

Hi all, here's something a little different in the form of the slightly off-the-wall Lee-Richards Annular Monoplane. This model represents the third iteration of the aircraft which flew early 1914. An advanced design for it's time the aircraft actually flew pretty well. Unfortunately, due to the advanced concept and centre of gravity/fuel flow issues, all three prototypes crashed.  Monoplane No.1 was taken for its maiden flight in November 1913 by Gordon England, who found it stable to fly but tail-heavy, resulting in a crash following an engine failure, the aircraft stalling shortly after take-off and falling some 150ft into telegraph wires. England survived to fly a second example, which was built with modified biplane tail surfaces. The design was easy to fly and control, with a good all-round view for the pilot, but this machine also crashed, England surviving yet again. The subject of this model, the third and final example, was modified further, being used regularly until the outbreak of World War One in 1914. Lee then tried to fly it himself but only succeeded in crashing into a lake, before safely swimming to shore. Two further examples were under construction in 1914 but neither were completed.

 

Although a fun little model as supplied out of the box I decided to heavily modify it for better accuracy as there were a few errors in the kit (ie missing under nose slot to allow the Gnome Lambda engine to rotate, under fuselage wind driven pump, correctly shaped tail skid, undercarriage leg bungees etc). This involved adding a 3D printed Gnome engine and prop, replacement undercarriage structure and tail bumper, (all resin 3D printed by AIM), full scratch built interior (using wood veneer and Evergreen rod) a new fuel tank, the missing under-fuselage wind driven pump, scratch built upper rigging point pylon and a pair of lovely resin wicker seats, courtesy of Barracuda Studios. Uschi Van der Rostern 'Standard' elasticated line was used for the rigging. The model was painted using MRP lacquer paints and finished with AK weathering products.

 

The model was built for the August issue of Airfix Model World.

 

Thanks for looking, hope you approve.

 

Melchie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wulfman]

Superb modelling , a rigging masterpiece !
 

Wulfman

[general melchett]

Thanks chaps, always appreciated.

 

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How long have you been building aircraft models?

 

Now that would be telling.......put it this way, Methuselah was still in shorts and Ethelred the increasingly Unready was well on his way to the Isle of Wight festival.   

[pheonix]

It reads as though you scratch built more than half of this one: first class result. The rigging is superb and the overall finish something to die for.

 

P

[Spitfire31]

Superbly executed conversationpiece!

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

[Horatio Gruntfuttock]

Now that is just too silly for words so I won't use any, apart from just a big "WOW"

[Learstang]

Now how did I miss this oddity? Odd, very, very odd indeed. The aeroplane, not the fact that I missed it. Superbly odd in fact, and a lovely job on it, old horse! Still, it doesn't quite have the absolute oddness I'm looking for. I suppose the Bartini Beriev VVA-14 has ruined things for me forever when it comes to sheer, complete, it was too outre for Thunderbirds oddness. Still, I might eventually have to pick up one of these Annuli, although I do wish Avis would do the staggeringly magnificent Stipa, which was evidently designed after several bottles (cases) of vino had been consumed.

 

Yours, etc.,

 

Jason

[Remus389]

Thank you for sharing this one of a kind aircraft, never seen it. 

 

Good to learn something new.

 

And the quality of the model seems flawless.

 

👍🏅

[general melchett]

Thanks chaps, appreciated as ever. 

 

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Still, it doesn't quite have the absolute oddness I'm looking for. I suppose the Bartini Beriev VVA-14 has ruined things for me forever when it comes to sheer, complete, it was too outre for Thunderbirds oddness. Still, I might eventually have to pick up one of these Annuli,

 

If you're going to get one of these little fellas you may want to look at the 1/48th version...same errors and omissions as the tiddler but a lot bigger oddness.

 

I guess, old fruit, that you were looking for something more along these lines, scanned from an old magazine, the Vedovelli V.3 (hate to think what the two earlier versions looked like!).........It couldn't decide whether it wanted to be an aeroplane, lawn mower, garbage compactor or scene of an accident.........well, three out of four ain't bad. 

 

 

 

It always ends in tears, (mercifully no one was hurt)...the only aeroplane, and I use the term lightly, whose appearance was actually enhanced following a catastrophic accident. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2021 by general melchett

[Learstang]

Being the aficionado of the obscure and weird that I am, old cabriolet, believe it or not I have actually seen piccies of this aerial beauty before. I believe your description is quite apropos. It appears to have an enclosed cockpit, or is that a garden room? Still, I suppose it's better than that multiplane thingy, I'm sure you've seen the video, which had about twenty thin wings and looked like nothing so much as an attempt to make Venetian blinds fly, which upon its first attempt promptly collapsed in upon itself. Ah, those magnificent men in their absurd, not-quite-flying machines!

 

Bestest,

 

Jason (it's still not weird enough for me!)

[Hamiltonian]

Oh my. That's gorgeous. Beautifully done.

[general melchett]

 

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 Still, I suppose it's better than that multiplane thingy, I'm sure you've seen the video, which had about twenty thin wings and looked like nothing so much as an attempt to make Venetian blinds fly, which upon its first attempt promptly collapsed in upon itself

 

Yes, the magnificently inept Gerhardt Cycleplane of 1923...apparently, due to the sun being in the pilot's face he decided to pull the cord and this was the result...nearly had someone's eye out!

 

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by general melchett

[Maginot]

What a fascinatingly unusual subject very nicely modelled. One of the cleaner forms of its era. Of particular note is your excellent job of the rigging, which gives me crossed eyes looking at it, let alone attempting it.

[Learstang]

Yes, your Generalship, that's the very one! I should have known that you would have the footage of that 'multiplane'. I'm glad the chap who was in it was unhurt, but did he really think it was going to fly? And that was in 1923, not 1905? Why there were real aeroplanes by 1923! Modern ones - look at the Dayton-Wright RB. Amazing little aircraft, fully cantilever wing and tail plane, enclosed cockpit, and retractable undercarriage. And it predated this contraption by three or four years! Oh well, I suppose no era has a monopoly on foolishness, as much as it might seem as if our present era has cornered the market.

 

Best Regards,

 

Jason

 

P.S. I see our friend Maginot has a proper appreciation of aerial beauty - note the picture of the Blackburn Blackburn floatplane as part of his 'signature'.

[corsaircorp]

Impressive model my Dear General

I don't know how I managed to miss such an eyecatching piece of modelling...

On second thoughts, has it been inspired by one of the Martian visit in UK ??

More seriously Congratulations !!

Sincerely.

CC

[general melchett]

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On second thoughts, has it been inspired by one of the Martian visit in UK ??

 

Thanks CC, my old Belgium Waffle, indeed it may have been..... something caused poor Cedric Lee to fly into a lake and that's as good a reason as any!