WWI Digest 38 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) The Floh by The Flying Wrench 2) RE: The Floh by SDW@qld.mim.com.au 3) Re: Martin Handasyde Info by "S.M. Head" 4) RE: The Floh by The Flying Wrench 5) Airfix 0-400 kits by huggins@Onramp.NET (John Huggins) 6) Re: Airfix 0-400 kits by bshatzer@ednet1.osl.or.gov (Bill Shatzer) 7) Re: sorry testing by pboyer@finescale.com (Paul Boyer) 8) Re: Airfix 0-400 kits by aew (Allan Wright) 9) Re: Airfix 0-400 kits by NPWE28A@prodigy.com (LCDR KENNETH L HAGERUP) 10) Novo Vimy's (was Re: Airfix 0-400 kits) by bshatzer@ednet1.osl.or.gov (Bill Shatzer) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 Feb 1996 18:00:04 -0900 From: The Flying Wrench To: wwi Subject: The Floh Message-ID: <199602190300.SAA03142@anchor> The Wrench inquires: The Floh. What was this beast and why was it named after a diner waitress? I have never found any info on this odd duck. I have seen one drawing that looks like a Walt Disney concept airplane. I thought it was a joke at first but I have been informed it was a real aircraft. What was the "secret" concept behind this bizarre aircraft, was it supposed to be "invisible" or what? Was the Floh ever built/flown? Does anyone have information or info sources on this aircraft? The Flyin' Wrench ------------------------------ Date: 19 Feb 96 13:19:00 EST From: SDW@qld.mim.com.au To: wwi%pease1.sr.unh.edu@teksup.mim.com.au Cc: wwi%pease1.sr.unh.edu@teksup.mim.com.au Subject: RE: The Floh Message-ID: <199602190341.NAA10378@mimmon.mim.com.au> Hello Wrench >The Wrench inquires: > >The Floh. What was this beast and why was it named after a diner waitress? I >have never found any info on this odd duck. I have seen one drawing that >looks like a Walt Disney concept airplane. I thought it was a joke at first >but I have been informed it was a real aircraft. What was the "secret" >concept behind this bizarre aircraft, was it supposed to be "invisible" or >what? Was the Floh ever built/flown? Does anyone have information or info >sources on this aircraft? > >The Flyin' Wrench It was indeed built, to a design by an Engineer named Dorner. the intention was to reduce drag, in particular by removing the wing-fuselage gap for the top wing, and reducing (to nothing) drag caused by bracing wires. However the unbraced cantilever wing bit was abandoned before the prototype was constructed. It flew at 185kph in its maiden flight and was slightly damaged on landing. Changes were made to the elevators before further tests were flown. However, the aircraft was apparently difficult to land due in part to high wing loading and in part to poor visibility in approach and on the ground. Never proceeded with - another one of those dead ends. There are photos, drawings and the text I've quoted (and maybe misquoted) from memory in "WW1 Aeroplanes" from Albatros Publishing. The source of these was the well known peter Grosz. Regards shane ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 00:39:01 -0500 From: "S.M. Head" To: wwi Subject: Re: Martin Handasyde Info Message-ID: <9602182334.aa10862@mail.iapc.net> >The Flyin' Wrench wrote (clipped): >...Anyway, I enjoyed the kit, and it makes for a fair >representation of the aircraft when completed. My warning would be take care >when applying the skin as it is very easy to apply dirt and fingerprints to >the skin as you apply the skin to the airframe. The skin is somewhat >delicate in this regard and once soiled, is impossible to clean. Other than >that it is a pretty straight forward kit. I bought my Pfalz kit for ten >dollars at a collectors shop, Van's Scale Models. Ed VanTassel was a real >collector, however he saw no reason to hold others hostage to his collecting >fancy and therefore charged low prices. He had an Airfix HP 0400 for twleve >dollars that I wanted but I never retuned to pick it up, wish I had now. So >build your kits and enjoy . . . > >The Flyin' Wrench I do collect kits on a small scale, but I am really itching to just go ahead and build the Antoinette. It's a shame isn't it? It's still in it's original sealed bag! Ahh, what pleasure it will be to scrape that knife across what little flash there is! But then, if I just wait out this urge.... Actually, I may just use the kit as a reference and scratch build a fresh one. I just need to round up some additional data and research material. I've already got a Pyro Avro Tripe in the works (rigging hell!), and a few others from the era would look really nice on the shelf with this one. Any ideas on sources for research? Scott Head ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Feb 1996 20:47:22 -0900 From: The Flying Wrench To: wwi Cc: Multiple recipients of list Subject: RE: The Floh Message-ID: <199602190547.UAA09496@anchor> At 10:24 PM 2/18/96 -0500, SDW@qld.mim.com.au wrote: > >Hello Wrench > >>The Wrench inquires: >> >>The Floh. What was this beast and why was it named after a diner >waitress? I >>have never found any info on this odd duck. I have seen one drawing that >>looks like a Walt Disney concept airplane. I thought it was a joke at >first >>but I have been informed it was a real aircraft. What was the "secret" >>concept behind this bizarre aircraft, was it supposed to be "invisible" >or >>what? Was the Floh ever built/flown? Does anyone have information or >info >>sources on this aircraft? >> >>The Flyin' Wrench > > >It was indeed built, to a design by an Engineer named Dorner. the >intention was to reduce drag, in particular by removing the wing-fuselage >gap for the top wing, and reducing (to nothing) drag caused by bracing >wires. However the unbraced cantilever wing bit was abandoned before the >prototype was constructed. > >It flew at 185kph in its maiden flight and was slightly damaged on >landing. Changes were made to the elevators before further tests were >flown. However, the aircraft was apparently difficult to land due in part >to high wing loading and in part to poor visibility in approach and on >the ground. Never proceeded with - another one of those dead ends. > >There are photos, drawings and the text I've quoted (and maybe misquoted) >from memory in "WW1 Aeroplanes" from Albatros Publishing. The source of >these was the well known peter Grosz. > >Regards > >shane Hoo boy! I thought I had seen it all when I saw Nazi paper planes that realized their most solid incarnation in plastic when they were put on the market by Japanese manufactures. Are we of the WWI genre going to experince the same "obscure plane" kit phenomon that our WWII counterparts have suffered through? No doubt the next kit released on us will be the super-quiet, hydrogen-filled, pigeon-powered, Haaberstadentfuerher, grossflugzug, "Wiener" plane. It was rumored that this aircraft resembled a forty foot long hot dog and was actually constructed out of old sausage casings. Pigeons were tied to the small stub wings for "super-quiet" propulsion. Plans were drawn up for this aircraft, and a prototype was actually constructed. Unfortunately the prototype of this rare machine was cooked using its own gas and consumed by the Haaberstadtenfuerher factory workers during the food shortage of 1918. It's one extreme to the other. Either we're inundated with Fokker DR.Is, or we're presented with subject matter that flew less than Professor Langely's creations. Great! How about something simple - say a subject that was never attacked by a beagle or a Mattel Vac-u-form machine? Like a Roland! Or an Aviatik! or a Halberstadt C anything! Ok, OK, just kidding. Actually, I really do want to add another DR.I to my collection. The Wrench P.S. Thanks for the reply Shane, you've given me an excuse to get something off my chest that has been bothering me for the last ten minutes or so. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 02:04:29 -0600 (CST) From: huggins@Onramp.NET (John Huggins) To: wwi Subject: Airfix 0-400 kits Message-ID: Matt mentioned that he had had several offers for the 0-400 kits which he did not need. If any of you have one or two of the kits you would like to sell to a builder, I can use a few of them. Please E-Mail me with the numbers and I will get back in touch. If any of you who will be attending the IPMS Nationals would like to have a place to meet, I will have a booth there. I will be tied up most of the time during the day, but we could use it as a common meeting place. If you are interested in going out for dinner on Thursday or Friday night, let me know and lets see if we can work something out. Thanks John Disclaimer: Any errors in spelling, tact, or fact are transmission errors. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 01:13:21 -0800 From: bshatzer@ednet1.osl.or.gov (Bill Shatzer) To: wwi Subject: Re: Airfix 0-400 kits Message-ID: <199602190913.AA23099@ednet1.osl.or.gov> > >Matt mentioned that he had had several offers for the 0-400 kits which he >did not need. If any of you have one or two of the kits you would like to >sell to a builder, I can use a few of them. Please E-Mail me with the >numbers and I will get back in touch. > I don't have any extra Airfix 0-400's but I do have a couple of extra Novo (ex-froggie) Vickers Vimy's if anyone is interested in the alternative very large British WW1 1/72 bomber model kit. (OK, it isn't -quite- a kit of the WW1 bomber - it's really the Alcock and Brown transAtlantic flyer with some MG's added!) But, it's fixable. And, I suspect no Vimy's are likely to be forthcoming from Eduard or DML or even Glencoe anytime soon. Like all my old kits, there is smoke damage to the boxes but the plastic parts are just fine. e-mail me with an offer if interested. Cheers, -- Bill Shatzer - bshatzer@orednet.org -or- aw177@Freenet.Carleton.ca - "The only duty we owe to history is to rewrite it." -Oscar Wilde- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 08:00:14 -0600 From: pboyer@finescale.com (Paul Boyer) To: wwi Subject: Re: sorry testing Message-ID: I got it! Paul. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 09:10:51 -0500 (EST) From: aew (Allan Wright) To: wwi Subject: Re: Airfix 0-400 kits Message-ID: <199602191410.JAA27695@pease1.sr.unh.edu> > Matt mentioned that he had had several offers for the 0-400 kits which he > did not need. If any of you have one or two of the kits you would like to > sell to a builder, I can use a few of them. Please E-Mail me with the > numbers and I will get back in touch. I have one I'd consider letting go.... -Al ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 13:12:01 EST From: NPWE28A@prodigy.com (LCDR KENNETH L HAGERUP) To: wwi Subject: Re: Airfix 0-400 kits Message-ID: <096.01553373.NPWE28A@prodigy.com> I also have one of the Novo Vimys (Vimies?) and would be interested in hearing about the necessary mods to build a WWI machine. Ken ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 12:06:20 -0800 From: bshatzer@ednet1.osl.or.gov (Bill Shatzer) To: wwi Subject: Novo Vimy's (was Re: Airfix 0-400 kits) Message-ID: <199602192006.AA11590@ednet1.osl.or.gov> > >I also have one of the Novo Vimys (Vimies?) and would be interested in >hearing about the necessary mods to build a WWI machine. > >Ken > It's been a while since I studied this in contemplation of actually building the kit but as I recall, the two big problems are removing that monstrous hump of a fuel tank behind the cockpit and restoring glassed-in bomb aimer's position in the nose. The kit, as molded, attempts to depict the Alcock and Brown transatlantic a/c which had the large overload fuel tank faired into the fuselage and the bomb aimer's position faired over and the kit incorporates these two features. These need to be restored to accurately depict a WW1 (or post-war Mesopotamia) RAF bomber. Although I've not attempted it, neither modification looks like it should be particularly difficult, just a little tedious. As I recall, there are some other 'detail' corrections needed as well but, all in all, the kit is fairly accurate in outline and scale. Cheers, -- Bill Shatzer - bshatzer@orednet.org -or- aw177@Freenet.Carleton.ca - "The only duty we owe to history is to rewrite it." -Oscar Wilde- ------------------------------ End of WWI Digest 38 ********************