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Originally Posted by rmks2000
DC - One of my favorite planes. I believe that the wingspan is roughly 24 inches, give or take an inch. I think that you should be able to duplicate the wing, but if you bought a second kit you may want to remove the "7" from the bottom wings (I'm not sure how accurate the graphics are on the kit). Another option is to scan the wing and use a drawing program to create the bottom and then print on a metallic paper.
Note that Bruno also has five versions of this plane in 1/00 scale. The SM.55A I-BIAN is the only one that has diagonal stripes (three on the top wing only). The SM.55X is partly silver and has longitudinal stripes (again top wing only). Someday I may recolor one to be in the Alaska Airways graphic. Unfortunately that plane was destroyed in a storm before the airliner could employ it.
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Thanks for the ides! I'll go get a couple of these books and explore the options. I prefer appearance over being able to fly the model, so I just wanted to be certain that the underuse of the wings was the only things needing duplication. Thanks for confirming that the under-wings would be my only adjustment.
I'll have to hunt down Bruno's site. I know there's one for free on Bob's Card Models, a 1/72 scale if I recall, which I thought about enlarging and building too. My computer is struggling these days, close to retirement, and I am losing the ability to alter or repaint kits in a paint/sketch program.
You're saying that this is a 24" wingspan in the book version; sounds interesting.
I seem to always be attracted to odd craft (don't get me started on my autogyro fixation...). This design was also very interesting in its superior performance, surpassing speed and range expectations of the time, setting records in altitude and performance, and enjoying a good lifespan for a deign. An odd duck in appearance, but a success in function.
I was fortunate to find several nice interior photos and graphical illustrations of the period. The twin hulls, with a connecting passage where the cockpit was located, was quite unusual. In today's day of political and social tribalism, such a design might have a very functional value, different than planned back then!!!
Do you know what the skin was composed of on the real craft? Was it fabric coated with dope, then painted silver? The rigidity of the skin was unusual compared to other period films of period craft.