Author Topic: Bleriot XI, 1/72  (Read 3672 times)

Offline torbiorn

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 194
Bleriot XI, 1/72
« on: November 22, 2020, 04:58:59 PM »
Recently finished this Bleriot XI - thought I should share it, having picked up a few tips from these forums while making it.


It depicts an armed two-seater, a Bleriot XI-2 ”Genie”, used by Serbia during most of 1915. More here (though the crashed Bleriot has the old style elevators, while ithers show Olij with the new style): http://warnepieces.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-serbian-bleriot-xi-storm-and-its.html?m=1

The engine is a fantastic resin piece from Smallstuffmodel (how does he make them?!), the rest is scratched together from sticks and strings, devorated with Blue rider decals.













Offline FokkerFodder

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 325
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #1 on: November 22, 2020, 05:18:21 PM »
Wow! That’s fantastic! And in 1/72...Well done. Cheers Matt

Offline macsporran

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1657
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #2 on: November 22, 2020, 05:42:04 PM »
Nice model T. Don't think I've ever seen a Serbian aircraft modelled before - very attractive.
Sandy

Offline gbrivio

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1681
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2020, 06:51:04 PM »
Outstanding work, really looks a bigger scale model.
Ciao
Giuseppe

Offline Alexis

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7947
  • Love the self
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2020, 11:21:11 PM »
Excellent work ! :)


Terri
Hurra ! , Ich Leben Noch
Body and life is a vessel we use to travel the planet . Femininity is the gift , The miracle comes from what we do with it .

Offline IanB

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2435
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2020, 11:59:31 PM »
Beautifully done!
Having scratchbuilt one of these myself I can fully appreciate the work that has gone into it.

Ian

Offline lcarroll

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 8547
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2020, 12:14:14 AM »
    Amazing detail, particularly for 1:72 Scale. The intricate assembly for the landing gear is a model in itself; how did you do those tiny spoke wheels or are they sourced from somewhere? A very impressive model, lovely work!
Cheers,
Lance

Offline torbiorn

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 194
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #7 on: November 23, 2020, 06:47:35 AM »
Thanks all :)

Beautifully done!
Having scratchbuilt one of these myself I can fully appreciate the work that has gone into it.

Ian

If yours is the one with a build-log here it served as inspiration. I tried to mimic how the top cowl was made from can, but I couldn’t manage to manhandle the aluminium into acceptable shape. Ended up plunge moulding instead.
    Amazing detail, particularly for 1:72 Scale. The intricate assembly for the landing gear is a model in itself; how did you do those tiny spoke wheels or are they sourced from somewhere? A very impressive model, lovely work!
Cheers,
Lance

Thanks, yes, the landing gear is the most intricate I’ve put together and took a good part of the time. Wheels were homemade. The tyres were made of two parts each and turned on a makeshift lathe (i.e. drilling machine) and scores were made for the 32 spokes. I used strings of hair for spokes and these were glued in place in a simple jig. It was slow and prone to error, so I’ll have to improve on this. However it is on the edge of what I can make by hand, so to speak, so I imagine 3D printing the tyres as single pieces with pre-made holes or using a lathe with milling attachement are the only ways if improving speed or quality. Convincing the lady in the house that we need a 3D printer or lathe/mill in order to make little wheels is an even more difficult task though.







« Last Edit: November 23, 2020, 08:12:29 PM by torbiorn »

Offline lcarroll

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 8547
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #8 on: November 23, 2020, 07:19:31 AM »
Thanks, that's what  call REAL Model Building. The wheel technique is very impressive.
Do you have other projects you can share with the membership? As you have probably noticed we have many Scratch Builders in the Group and particularly several who work in 1:72.  I am always amazed at the talent we are fortunate to have here.
Cheers,
Lance

Bughunter

  • Guest
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #9 on: November 23, 2020, 07:26:39 AM »
Wonderful model and details in this small scale!
Thanks also for the build of wheels description.
Your model invites me to look into the box of my AJP Bleriot (channel crossing) and to put it on top of the huge kit stash ...

Cheers,
Frank

Offline ermeio

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 913
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #10 on: November 23, 2020, 06:22:52 PM »
Fantastic level of details,
it is a masterpiece!

Offline RAGIII

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18793
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #11 on: November 24, 2020, 01:11:59 AM »
Truly amazing and beautiful build! Like all of the others I am impressed by the details...in any scale!
RAGIII
"A man has to know his limitations": Harry Callahan

"Don't slop it on" Lynda Geisler

Offline torbiorn

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 194
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #12 on: November 24, 2020, 04:09:14 AM »
Thank you very much, all.


Lance, I have only two other scratch projects, both of them flying boats. I made build logs at another forum:
https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235060750-macchi-m5/page/4/
https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235066406-is-it-a-boat-is-it-a-plane-is-it-a-snowmobile-yes-on-all-accounts/

Currently contemplating on what to do next, which is almost as fun as actually building.

Offline Stuart Malone

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 330
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #13 on: November 24, 2020, 04:55:17 AM »
Beautiful build!  May I ask, what did you use for the turnbuckles?

Stuart

Offline torbiorn

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 194
Re: Bleriot XI, 1/72
« Reply #14 on: November 24, 2020, 06:11:10 AM »
Thanks Stuart. The turnbuckles on the underside are just blobs of PVA. The two on the upper side wires are from a PE fret  (wire stretchers from Eduard), but these are flat and boring so I put PVA on the moddle section to make them round. Those on the mast on top are twisted copper wire with PVA blobs to cover the twisting.