I figure it is time to take it up a notch .Although this thread will be centered on building the Bleriot model eventually it will become an element in a model/sculpture type piece that I am now planning.The sculpture is just about finished,now it is time to build the model.

John,
If my eyes don't decieve me and my math is correct this baby's gonna have a span of just over 33 inches! Must be a very large project.......I'll be following it closely for sure!

Cheers (and enjoying your latest threads)
Lance (one of the other OLD Guys!)

WOW!!!!!!!!! at this scale and in balsa it could fly!!!!! nice model.

This is a model of no particular scale but it gives you an idea about the finished piece.It is made from stuff that I had lying around the shop/studio.

Thanks ! it is something that I have had in the back of my head for along time.

It will fly ! but attached to the ring.

Click on thumbnail for more pictures.:

I found this painting in a book on birds and blew it up to life size.It is almost a perfect profile view,so I made up a pattern and cut out it from a piece of tupelo wood.The eyes are museum quality glass.The feet I carved out of a epoxy covered brass wire.

I understand the plane is a part os sculpture... nice concept.

Thanks ! I have been wanting to start this for a long time now. Something different.
Glad you like it .Cheers! John.

nother pic

The first step is to spray lacquer the parts while attached to the board.Two coats should do it for now.Follow the instructions on the can.
The edges of the parts will be lacquered with a brush as I use them.I plan is to use acrylic paint on this bird as a finish,probably black or a dark brown.The falcon will be all white.The hoop will be brass and the base I haven't figured out a good design yet,but it too will probably be black.

Deleted by me

nother pic.
I have covered over the Italian with English ,it drives me crazy to have two languages on a page.

I have lots of pics too !

Model Sculpture,An Artistic Approach.
I am planning something a little different.Something that I haven't seen anywhere before(at least not in the modeling world),something that has been bugging me for a long time and now maybe at age 71 I will finally finish it.
About 15 years ago I modeled a full size Peregrine Falcon as a decorative art piece,lost interest and put it aside.There it has sat all this time in my studio just looking at me but I have never been able to bring myself to finish it ,until now.
I can't draw worth a damn ( but I never went to art school either), so I can't draw you a picture of what I have in mind.
What it will be is a culmination of all that I have learned over a lifetime of doing this stuff.
I want to incorporate a 3D, 1/10th scale model airplane(Bleriot) and a full scale bird sculpture together into a storytelling composition ,that will only be temporarily brought together to make a 2D piece.The 2D pics will be shot from different angles using different lighting techniques and that will be the finished art piece.Using all the unlimited tools available to me today to modify pics this should be lots of fun.

Stranger To My Skies.
This sculpture's storyline will be basically about the bird.What may have been running through his head when he first saw this stranger in his skies.Until this time the peregrine falcon was on top of the food chain,and he knows it, with no competition in sight.The fastest most cunning hunter in the skies.This bird has an air of strength or even arrogance about him.Little did he know at the time that he would become jet engine food himself,someday.
He must have wondered what the hell is this flimsy contraption ,what a joke,is that the best they can do ?
Because the falcon is relating to the machine,from his perspective there is no need for a pilot,so my Bleriot will be pilot less .
I have turned the head of the bird to give it a feeling of relaxed curiosity more than anything.One claw is even tucked up into his chest.Absolutely no fear,why should he be afraid ?

First thing up will be to study my pics and see what parts will need modification.The plywood for the fuselage looks acceptable in size with not too much reworking required.I thought that I may have to make my own in maple wood but why bother if it is going to be painted anyway ? The basic jig looks good and I don't foresee a lot of trouble putting it together other than providing for the internal and external wiring.

The instructions are some strange to a balsa or ply model, just for the jigs to build in sections, the pics show the rear section of fuselage, but the normal technique is to use the plans and build on it.

If there is one thing you can say about my work ,it surely isn't normal and that is the way I love it !

nother pic