Here is the Focke-Wulf 19a Ente, as it flew in Hanworth, England,
in 1931, being demonstrated to the local public.
The "Ente" ("Duck" in German, -or as the
configuration is more commonly known by its French appellative: Canard), has a
somewhat unusual arrangement, that was however very common at the dawn of
aviation, and is used contemporarily in a variety of planes.
It is not -as the uneducated would have you call it- a
"tail-first" plane. But it is, you might say, a stabilizer-first
design.
The model presented here is of the only "19a",
built after the original "19" crashed, killing its Pilot, Georg Wulf,
a partner of course in the Focke-Wulf firm.
If you would like to add details missing in the kit, it will
all be about timeline: what was present and what wasn't at what time.
For that, fellow modeler, you will have to do, as I did,
some research. It's fun. And educative. And free.
I refer you to the building thread for more on that, and
other additional notes on diverse aspects of the plane and kit.
As noted there, the kit has many shortcomings, some almost insignificant and some that could
really impact the build adversely if not dealt with. Some are very easy to
correct and some are definitely not.
May be Planet would like to address the many faults of this
kit modifying the masters and perhaps re-issue this kit in the future; I am not
sure how successful it was commercially (it was part of a very commendable
string of kits of interesting German golden age civil planes), but I saw many
built online, which is a good sign. The work needed would be extensive, though.
The fact that at some point there were on the market a vacuformed
and resin kits made of the Ente, shows
perhaps some potential interest.
An excellent reference in the very interesting and
well-informed German ADL site (in German):
Here is
the step-by-step build log:
The modifications to the original kit were many, but still
more can be done. The list of them is given -spread out through the
process- in the WiP. I had to commission
a new set of decals from Arctic Decals, because the ones in the kit are not
accurate, besides being insufficient as they do not cover all the necessary
images (again, explained in the WiP).
All in all I am happy I got this somewhat dated kit of the
Ente (with the caveats), and was
finally able to build a model of a plane I always liked. I applaud Planet for
having boldly kitted it.
Of pleasant lines and unusual appearance, it clearly stands
out as an example of uncommon aviation thinking.
That turned out a treat!
ReplyDeleteHappy modelling in 2020.
Que lindo trabajo!.. Lo estoy mirando en detalle ahora. Yo no soy muy amigo de estas configuraciones "exóticas" pero tu trabajo lo dejó hecho un avión muy atractivo. Guardabarros, hélices, tanques de combustible, el detallado del cockpit..... Trabajo exquisito, investigación y reconstrucción histórica fiable..., bueno, estamos en WoI (para aplaudir y guardar para referencias como siempre). ;-)
ReplyDeleteAdemás uno de tus dioramitas más lindos... Esta foto está bárbara:
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjLqhZzjwYI/XgktvdqAieI/AAAAAAAAsuA/J7kTS95AuIoNmjbWmzLLlz6zd8hQY0gCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_7762%2B%25281280x1009%2529.jpg
Gracias Matías, viniendo de un Maestro como vos, doble cumplido!
DeleteMe encantan esos modelos exóticos, excelente trabajo, felicitaciones.
ReplyDeleteGracias Armando.
Delete