Hello,
I'd like to say hello to everyone. This is my first post on this forum. So far, I've made only a few models from the period of World War II, to be precise, all five, although all in 1/32 scale. Therefore, I am a beginner modeller, and this forum is recommended as the best on the subject of the beginning of aviation, so I decided to present the construction of the first model from this period. I am preparing for a large project related to World War I machines and gaining experience.
For some time I have been preparing to expand the scope of modeling activities. The period of the Great War became for me not so much a goal as a stop for further travel, but before I talk about where this journey is to end, I will stop at the fronts of the Great War, at least for some time.
Donat Makijonek is an extraordinary character, so unusual that without a doubt the life and activity of this pilot deserves at least a few models. This time, however, I will focus on the second period of his aviation career, of course calculated in a completely conventional way. A Pole in the service of the tsar, he was one of the thousands of Poles for whom the outbreak of war marked a new reality in the armies of the partitioning powers. From the end of the 18th century, Poland was erased from the map. Torn and divided by Prussia, Russia and Austria. The outbreak of war often meant a fratricidal fight between Poles incorporated by force into foreign armies. The tragedy of the Polish nation will have an unusual finale in the very life of Makijonek.
Sebastian Łydżba
As you can easily guess, Makijonek finally went to fighter aviation and this is the period the miniature will refer to. I will not present the full profile of the pilot now, there will be time for that during construction and of course in the final gallery. During the next posts, based on the sources that I have managed to gather, I will present Makijonek's silhouette and his biography to those interested. At the moment, I will write only the most important few pieces of information.
Donat Makijonek served as a fighter pilot in the 7th Istrebitielny Avia Otriad (7th IAO) under the command of Ivan Orlov. It is the period of service in this unit that brings him the greatest fame and achievements. He is considered the most effective Pole in the Tsar's service, and the number of victories varies slightly depending on the sources. Most often, however, 8 is assumed. Throughout his aviation career, he made nearly 600 flights. From the moment of service in the fighter unit, he flew the Nieuport 21 with the number 2453 and won the most victories on it, it will also become a modeling subject. It is known that in the last phase of service in the 7th IAO he also flew version 17, which led to various misunderstandings in the development. The example below shows one such error. Almost certainly the Nieuport with "Polonia" is version 21, equipped with a full cowl and a rather unusual propeller cap. According to the photos, it is clearly a hubcap, not a "cone de penetration" typical for Nieuports.
The life story of this pilot and his achievements, as I mentioned earlier, will be presented on an ongoing basis on the occasion of subsequent posts. I treat the model as an introduction to a larger work that I have planned as soon as I finish this Nieuport, and because this type of aircraft requires slightly different skills and approach, I treat it as blazing the trail. Thus, the started P-11 will wait at least a year. Earlier, I put together a quick camel to test wood painting techniques, building heads and a few other issues.
I will rely on quite a wide literature, I managed to collect a lot of books, newspapers, magazines and articles. I won't list them all because it's too much. I have Russian, Polish, but also Finnish and English sources. Unfortunately, already at this stage I see discrepancies in the information about this period of Makijonk's life and the planes he flew. The differences are also about painting. I will describe any ambiguities, maybe someone interested with more knowledge than me will want to supplement some information. Whether you like it or not, you have to make a decision, which is why I'm posting a painting scheme, which will be the starting point for building the model. This is probably the most correctly rendered painting, although as I wrote earlier there are some doubts.
Since the Makijonek's Nieuport 21 from the outside was almost no different from the 17 version, I will use the Nieuport XVII late from the Copper State Model in 1/32 scale. In addition, as support will be Niweuport XXI Russian Service of the same company and scale. I plan to use chemistry mainly AK (RC+oils), including Tamyia, Gunze. The decals are made to order. The propeller cap will also be made, but it will be time to write about it. Resin add-ons and metal screws by Gaspatch, 3D printed engine. If anything else comes up in the meantime, I'll be sure to let you know.
I start with the cockpit.
Best Regards
Lukasz
