Pulp Plane Library

[tin shed gamer]

Matt,
I was referring to their 1/48 kits. I've never built any of their kits in any other scale.(some of their 1/48 kits were originally marked as 1/50 so its possible they're nearer the mark.
Their SE 5 is 13.8 cm long,and wing span of 17.5cm.
On their website they list the kits in a useful way for gamers,number of parts,how many decal options are in the kit.plus its actual size.
I'll be the first to admit they're way off the mark with the crew figures both in detail and scale(but then so are the majority of scale model companies including some very big names when it comes to scaling crew figures) also the weapons and mounts on some kits are bloody dire,to say the least.Which is no hardship as I always replace plastic weapons with white metal ones just to keep a smooth visual transition from figures to kit.( or just make the bits I think it needs)
I do a fair few people on here use these kits  I know Von lucky,was busy reworking a Smêr 1/48 tiger moth a while back.So hopefully someone will post a picture or two for you.(like gweirda! Sorry busy trying to type on a phone keyboard didn't notice your post because of the small screen)
Mark.

[FramFramson]

Yes, a lot depends on the size and configuration of the original plane being copied. As with cars, there was a great deal of variation in size, so even though everything is in 1:48 scale, there should still be a fair range of actual sizes.

gweirda's pics are great and hopefully someone else has some similar examples to share!

[Valerik]

Thee n'me have played this size/scale/looks right/feels good game before...

I have 'experience' buying vehicles online from Canuckistanis...

Once gotta box fulla "beautiful" but "far too large" "that just didn't work at all"...
Nuttin' "just plain ugly" though, dodged that bullet!!  Whew!!

But this isn't about scale, or nefarious sellers, it's about cars n'trucks [n'aeroplanes].

& yours look lovely, quite the business, well done & most appropriate.

Extrapolating from earlier vehicular threads your 'logic' becomes fathomable.

I'm taking Monogram's 1/77 Ford Trimotor, adding a 1/48 Bristol radial to the nose, dropping t'other 2 nascelles, wallowing out an open cockpit & adding some Nichimo floats for a big corrugated bush bashin' beast...  a project nowhere near fruition, but I do have all needed bits on hand!!

So, going "UP" look for biggish Great War two seaters:  DH 4, Sopwith 1½ Strutter, Bristol Fighter, RE 8, various Breguets , SPADS, Fokkers, & Albitri, all served well into the '20s...

1/72 models of these bigger kites will require 'larger' scale tyres, guns, propellers, &, if radial or rotary, motors, for a proper 'look'.  

Also be sure the human scale-able bits, any 'man-sized' apperatures, cockpits, doors, ladders, hatchs, windows, are sized for 28mm access thus appearing more  right-ish. 

Use some Murch Pulp 28mm Vickers, Lewis or Maxim guns instead and Robert is your Mother's brother!

Some 'tween the Wars aeroplanes are big enough too, think 2-3 seaters, naval types

~ As far that 1/72nd Blackburn Shark goes, I'd buy it.  She was a HUGE kite!!  



I'd wager she scales very nicely with 28mm.
Of course she'll need a mod or two, since she can't really be a true Shark in our scale.
Leave off the cowling, drop back to a 1/48 2 blade wooden prop, modify the cockpit & glazing & you'll be aces!!

Going "Down" most pylon air racers. GeeBee aside, are smallish, ditto trainers & single seat fighters.  Transcontinntal speed demons tend towards 'robust', as do mail/passenger birds.  

Plan to carry  more'n pilot & a passenger, at most two, or cargo, & airframe size leaps largish.

Valerik

Professor of Preposterous Physics
Adjunct Accredited Aerodynamatician
Dayton Institute of Applied Aeronautical Absurdity

[FramFramson]

Good points, val.

Incidentally, your point about resizing bits is an important one. At some point I want to copy Tin Shed's card (or plasticard) trimotor, and while I think I'll have some suitable wheels, I'm not sure where to come by good radials and props without paying absurd amounts for those aftermarket bits and bobs. Could break down a bigger kit (say, a four-engine beast in 1/72 - a Halifax or B-17 or summat - which might even yield additional useful bits like an upper wing or detail doodads), but those are usually a few buckaroos too many to just buy as an experiment.

If I had a set of three good, usable engines & props, I might actually try the trimotor project. D'you have any of those 1/72 beasts and if so s'you think the props and engines and such might be reporpoised?   

[Valerik]

If I had a set of three good, usable engines & props, I might actually try the trimotor project. D'you have any of those 1/72 beasts and if so s'you think the props and engines and such might be reporpoised?   

They'll be too small...  but I'll send 'em to ya...

I've also got some 1/48 Golden Age air racers that are, to my eye, too small...

& a Ryan PT-22 going spare, NO Floats...

I'm not sure where to come by good radials and props without paying absurd amounts for those aftermarket bits and bobs.

I try'n snag oddball resin Big Round Engines for $10-$12 when I can.  When I build my iteration of a trimotor she's gonna have Alfa Romeo motors.  I lucked up, or sombody goofed,
'cause I scored a sack o' THREE, a full set, fer ten bucks, delivered!!!!

Engines & Things 1/48 Alfa Romeo Macchi flying Boat 3 Engine Set #48031 New

Propellors are tougher to come by, & more expensive, alas.  Some kits offer a choice,  2 or 4 blade wooden, also 2 or 3 blade metal, a nice bonus.

Could break down a bigger kit (say, a four-engine beast in 1/72 - a Halifax or B-17 or summat - which might even yield additional useful bits like an upper wing or detail doodads), but those are usually a few buckaroos too many to just buy as an experiment.
 

e-bay can yield pre-started or bits missing kits cheapish...  Haunt aeromodeler sites for good in depth reviews.  Some engines are mis-shapen lumps of plastic, just blobs, others little jewels, like the resin ones.  "Parts is Parts"

Valerik
Professor of Preposterous Physics
Adjunct Accredited Aerodynamatician
Dayton Institute of Applied Aeronautical Absurdity

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Fram, it looks like the esteemed and erudite Valerik has set you on a project, which I look forward to seeing. I don't know if this helps but the FineMolds 1/48 Curtiss R3C-0 (from Porco Rosso) is quite a small but rather nice pulp plane. Excuse the unfinished models (1/48 Albatross and Pulp Figures included for comparison) but see below.

[Valerik]

Neither is it a Messerschmitt...

Excuse the unfinished models (1/48 Albatross and Pulp Figures included for comparison)

Secret Rocket Base Fuel Fumes have finally inhinged our Good Mad Lord...

Pity. He had held such promise...

Valerik

I prefer the term "Gifted Social Critic"

[gweirda]

Excuse the unfinished models (1/48 Albatross...

Ahem...that's 'Fokker'   


Like the old joke punchline: "...an' some a' dem fokkers was flyin' Albatros."

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Secret Rocket Base Fuel Fumes have finally inhinged our Good Mad Lord...

'Tis true, I bow my head in shame.

The Albatross referred to is even more unfinished, it's still in the box!

Fokker it! Excuse me, I am now in the prime of my senility!  

[ErikB]

Some ideas: http://www.wwiaviation.com/drawings/Hansa-Brandenburg_W18-Germany-300px.png

This guy has an external engine and the wings are at waist level.  Good opportunities to customize.  Also, looks really cool as-is.  Heck, I think I'll get one, come to think of it....

Whole site: http://www.wwiaviation.com/seaplanes.html

If you find that you really do want big, then there's this: Blohm und Voss seaplane Bv 138, https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/fc/36/69/fc36693f7f93433042ef2f1df4fdf083.jpg  It looks really funky and exotic.

[FramFramson]

Good ideas all round boys.

[PortCharmers]

Hello there,

...now you got me thinking about pulpy biplanes. Just rolled out the WWI part of the collection and found they are all rather big birds. Except the Fokker Dr.I, which reminds me of the D. VI, a rather obscure biplane which looks a lot like the fuselage of the Dr.I with D. VII wings. Long story short: a Dr. I without the middle wing should not look awfully wrong and still stay small.
The Polikarpov I-153 "Chaika" also springs to mind, which seriously challenges my resolve not to buy any more plastic kits. And while we are at it, her monoplane stablemate I-16 is also available, small and reasonably pulpy. Another recent release of a nice golden-era plane is Revell's Stearman PT-17.

All in 1/48, I'm afraid, but 1/57 seems not to be an "airplane-scale".

By the way, how about paper-kits? They could be easily converted by zoom-copier. And then built using tougher materials. Lots of creative and talented folks out there.

[tin shed gamer]

This thread always make me smile.
Dinosaurs on the table-OK,a Mummy on the table-Ok,But that 1/48 plane doesn't look  realistic.We're a very odd bunch.

Valerik, is pretty spot on,about scaling. For big go smaller,For small go bigger.The trouble is there is no holy grail scale or company .As its always going to be down to personal tastes and budgets.
The main reason you don't get many affordable 1/56 kits is the fact that plane modelling is so well established that the scales are virtually enshrined as givens.
It's not worth covering them in 28mm.
I've personally sculpted a two part resin Sopwith Camel( three if you include the metal prop) in 28mm.Its not on general release as it was treated as an exercise for both myself and Simon as the mould maker(also as a bet with a 3D printing know it all) To be profitable as product it would have to retail between £16-£20. Plus p&p.I know I could pick up three( possibly more on eBay) 1/48 kits including p&p for less.So why would I bother with one resin kit.
It was i have to say one of the prettiest masters I've ever made it reminded me of the old matchbox kits. All the metal work was in grey putty,all the canvas areas in green and all the struts and prop in brown clay,and all the mould spacers were in clear acrylic.
Sorry off point a bit there.
It is possible to buy most of the ww1 float planes in kit form.They tend to be covered by eastern European companies and come in around £35-£46 a plane.

As for paper kits they tend to be a pain in the arse when it comes to storage and durability on the table.
I've just finished making a radial engine.for another pulp master.which is due out in Feb next year.
So for the hell of it I'll do a tutorial on how to scratch build radials and props.( not from card as I've already covered this in a previous tutorial.)
I was planning on building 'Cutter's Goose ' beginning of next year so its not as generous as it sounds as I'll be making some for that anyway.
Or if your interested in a tutorial, come up with the most Useful 'Pulp' plane capable of carrying a whole league and I'll build that instead .(starting in Feb 2017).As I could do to kick start my own pulp project back into life.
Mark.

[FramFramson]

I think my current plan is to scratch build a trimotor of some sort of of card and plasticard (or maybe just plasticard) if I can source the radial engines and props cheaply enough (landing gear would be a bonus, but I have some spare solid wheels from old Lledo cars coming, which will work in a pinch). Had a look down at the model shop today, and Val's quite right that 1:72 engines will all be too small, no matter which plane you get, so 1:48 engines and props would be best. Everything else I can probably do up myself, with the wings being the most difficult, but probably still doable.

After that I'll worry about a biplane or two. Might wind up scratchbuilding that as well. Or just cut down a 1:48 th model. One of the local shops has the same old Lindberg Curtiss Jenny that Bob Murch built and his photos show it works well, though I might shorten the wings and fuselage a tad. So that's an option.

I'm also sorely tempted by a Lindberg 1/64 He 111 - cheap and could be very easily converted to stand in for one of the pulpiest planes to ever fly, the French Amiot 370. Would make a grand bit of pulp league transport or something flown by a daring ace adventurer.

Believe me, I had hoped that I could just use 1:48 planes as-is, but they just look like monsters compared to everything else I have. It's my old railroad modeller instincts kicking in I suppose... they can only tolerate so much scale inconsistency.

[Valerik]

I suppose... they can only tolerate so much scale inconsistency.

What is this he speaks of?



Coupla links, heap cheap-shipped free

Great Pulp Amphibian, Mark I Eyeball scale approved...



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevron-1936-Keystone-Loening-Brushed-Metal-Bank-New/311430226123?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D38530%26meid%3D0e0a797b43fa4b7aa9c5d2df0c7c0694%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D311746834092&rt=nc

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevron-1936-Keystone-Loening-Brushed-Metal-Bank-Airplanes-Jet-Hobby-Pre-Built-/311746834092?hash=item48958f2eac:g:1gYAAOSwj85YNYX8

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevron-1936-Keystone-Loening-Brushed-Metal-Bank-New/311430226123?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D38530%26meid%3D0e0a797b43fa4b7aa9c5d2df0c7c0694%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D311746834092&rt=nc

Not to worry, gots mine already!!

Valerik
Professor of Preposterous Physics
Adjunct Accredited Aerodynamatician
Dayton Institute of Applied Aeronautical Absurdity
Air Travel Agent for All The Cool Kids