Gee Bee R6H Q.E.D. - 1/72nd Plastic Passion / SBS Model resin

 

Here is the Granville-Miller-DeLackner / Gee-Bee R-6H "Q.E.D."

The family air is unmistakable, the product not only of Granville, but also of Miller and DeLackner, then his associates. After the death of Granville, the ongoing R-5 project halted and the two remaining associates refined it as the R-6. It was a two-person, long distance plane, for Jackie Cochran to participate in the 1934 England to Australia MacRobertson race with a co-pilot. It also participated in the Bendix and Thompson, unfortunately never winning and sometimes not even qualifying for diverse reasons. Later in its life it had three different schemes, and in its last incarnation (1939) called "Conquistador del Cielo" (a bit operatic and just too resounding) by Mexican pilot Francisco Sarabia, did its last flight crashing on the Potomac on departure in the flight back to Mexico after reaching New York.

Finally a kit of this beautiful MacRoberston competitor was released by Plastic Passion/SBS Model. The kit builds into a nice replica, it has good engineering, and in general a good fit and fair detail. It includes decals for the Bendix ,Thompson and MacRobertson and additional parts for the latter. With very little effort a couple of details can be made more accurate, but of course this is left to the taste and personal approach of each modeler to the hobby. The only must is to sand down the short exhaust stacks on the nose, pertinent just for the (later in time) Armistead or Sarabia versions (or get -or make- decals for those).

Fore more information on the kit and plane you may refer to the step-by-step building article here:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/04/granville-qed-racer-plastic-passion-sbs.html

Our thanks and appreciation to Gábor Szabó who made the masters so we can enjoy this beauty.

The following are the modifications I made to the kit (again, this is just a matter of personal taste):

As it happens, some planes "evolve" during their lives, therefore it's important to study the photos pertinent to the plane you are actually building, at the time it was flying in the guise you are reproducing it.

The particular MacRobertson incarnation of the Q.E.D. differed somewhat from others of this very plane to some degree. The kit somehow includes the exhaust stacks on the fuselage nose belonging to a later incarnation, so...

I deleted those exhaust stacks and filled and sanded their location.

Replaced the engine with a more detailed one and added the cowl holding rods (that also varied in number and location through the plane's life) visible in photos.

Replaced the prop with a home-made, more accurate one.

Added the metal Pitot.

Added the resin nav lights from the CMK set.

Added two exhausts bellow and to the sides of the cowl, again as pertinent to this version which had an annular exhaust collector behind the cylinders.

Added the foothold and two retractable steps on the left side of the fuselage.

Added the race number on the belly, missing on the decal sheet but visible in some photos (this was a common feature on the MacRobertson planes).

Added the Hamilton Standard logos to the prop from an Arctic Decals prop logo set. 

This is a much appreciated addition to a growing collection of the MacRobertson machines, of which I already have a small number.