Me-321/Me-323 Gigant

[murphyaa]

What's the largest freestanding aircraft Paper Model?

Possibly this? http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/AC/aircraft/Messerschmitt-Me321/gigant.php

Me 321/ Me 323 Gigant in 1:40 by Fiddlersgreen.

[member_3]

There is a 1:33 Gigant by GPM (#98) but I don't think it is in print and the old 1:33 GPM B-52 may also have been larger.

[GreMir]

B-52 had wingspan 4ft greater than Me-323.
I would say the GPM kit is the largest airplane model ever published......

[billy.leliveld]

I found the 1:33 GPM B 52 on E-bay a month ago, it has a 170 cm /67inch wingspan.., I have the GPM Messerschmidt aswell, it has a 168 cm/ 66 inch wingspan, So the winner is ......
Cheers, Billy

[member_3]

Hmmmm....maybe NOBI will do a 1:33 Convair B-36. I wonder how many letter size sheets that would take? Don't worry, NOBI - it's the egg nog talking. Stick with the current list of projects.

[billy.leliveld]

This one comes second 169cm 66.5 inch, the Tupolev 160..
BTW, there is a FG B36 around..(25 A4 sheets)
Cheers, Billy

[dansls1]

http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/AC/aircraft/Convair-B36/B-36.php
They list it at 40". As near as I can tell, that puts it around 1/72 scale.
I built a plastic kit of the B-36 in high school - I want to say it was probably the same.

[Golden Bear]

OK, Billy so???? I'm looking forward to a 66" or so model build!:):)


Carl

[billy.leliveld]

Well, as you might know, I sort of stick to X-planes, I bought the B52 to re-color it and turn it into the 'Balls 8" Nasa-mother plane, which launched about every X-plane from 1955 till 2005, or so...
I'm working on it..
cheers, Billy

[shrike]

Balls 3 is down in Tucson at the Pima museum. Still fitted with the 'shoe' for the X-15, it's both the oldest and lowest total time B-52 left.

[dansls1]

http://www.kartonbau.de/wbb2/thread.php?threadid=13239&threadview=0&hilight=&hilightuser=0&page=1

Not to hijack too badly, but one of the chaps at kartonbau is building a recolor of the GPM B52 in the Nasa colors.

[billy.leliveld]

No hijack, thanks for the tip. Well I guess, I'm not the first one who had this idea, but now I can peak over Gerry's shoulder and look how he pulled this one off...
Cheers ,Billy

[Ashrunner]

No hijack, thanks for the tip. Well I guess, I'm not the first one who had this idea, but now I can peak over Gerry's shoulder and look how he pulled this one off...
Cheers ,Billy

Billy

You know Fiddlers Green has a BUFF kit already in NASA colors. It's Balls-3. but it's already in NASA colors.

[billy.leliveld]

Billy

You know Fiddlers Green has a BUFF kit already in NASA colors. It's Balls-3. but it's already in NASA colors.

Hello Ash, Actualy I didn't know that, I looked on the FG site, but it's not very clear, but does it mean the Balls-3 comes with the kit, if you order the B52?

Cheers, Billy

[Ashrunner]

Not sure, Billy, but Chip is great at answering questions. I'd think you would get both models when order it...but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

003 is the A model and would require some fixes to get it just right. The nose and tail being the primary areas. I have a correct nose for the early models that would have to be scaled to fit properly.

I guess I should have looked on the site before I answered this. It does appear you get both versions of the BUFF when you order it...677 with the shark mouth and 003 mothership. I'd still verify with Chip though.

[billy.leliveld]

BTW, Ash on the topic of your signature, there 's a great one-liner, for a volcano expert, as you are, its from Steve Martin, I don't know which movie , but I use it some times;:D:D
'Where's the mud-slide when you need one".....
Cheers,Billy

[Ashrunner]

BTW, Ash on the topic of your signature, there 's a great one-liner, for a volcano expert, as you are, its from Steve Martin, I don't know which movie , but I use it some times;:D:D
'Where's the mud-slide when you need one".....
Cheers,Billy

Nice one. 8v) Might have to change it to 'Where's the lahar...' hehe.

Have you decided whether or not you're going to order the FG BUFF? If you do and build the NASA Mothership, remember the notch in the rear section of the right wing.

[Don Boose]

Wow! That's a real volcanic in-joke, Ash. I have to admit that I had to look up "lahar" to find out that it is "a type of mudflow composed of pyroclastic material and water.” I can imagine you in your ash-running days shouting “Watch out for the pyroclastic material!”

Incidentally, I have a very close friend, a retired Smithsonian model builder who lurks on this forum, who was once sent to the Big Island to take castings from the Mauna Loa lava fields as part of a project to build a model volcano – another case in which volcanoes and paper modeling converged.

Don B.

[dansls1]

Wow! That's a real volcanic in-joke, Ash. I have to admit that I had to look up "lahar" to find out that it is "a type of mudflow composed of pyroclastic material and water.” I can imagine you in your ash-running days shouting “Watch out for the pyroclastic material!”

Incidentally, I have a very close friend, a retired Smithsonian model builder who lurks on this forum, who was once sent to the Big Island to take castings from the Mauna Loa lava fields as part of a project to build a model volcano – another case in which volcanoes and paper modeling converged.

Don B.

Was it a Corsair blue volcano? :D

I purchased the printed version of the FG B52 for my dad earlier this year and realized that there are no internal formers with the kit. He was holding off building it until he could find good 3-views in order to make up some formers to fit, as it seemed like a large enough model that it would be pretty 'spongy' without formers.

[Don Boose]

I am beginning to believe that Corsair-ness ("Corsairnicity"?) is in the eye of the beholder, Dan. Someday soon, I will post my disquisition on the term "fomby." An adjective coined by my volcano-modeling friend to describe any machine - air, land, or sea - that is so ugly that it takes on an irresistible charm (Fairey Barracuda, e.g.).

Thanks, also, for manhandling this thread back onto the topic.

Don B.

[Don Boose]

(Continued)

I've never built any of the really big FG aircraft, but several small ones and I am always amazed at how well engineered they are. I would bet that the B52 and the Me-321/Me-323 will stand by themselves once glued up, but I also suspect that your Dad is right that some formers and wing spars would strengthen those big fellows, help assure that they are squared up, and make construction easier.

Don B.

[Stev0]

I'm sure a slight print scaling of the Gigant would make for 1:33 'fun-ness'.

How about a couple of twin hulled BF110's with cables too. =O

I think you would have to cut down the chandelier for display room on the ceiling because that would be the only place to display it. :)

[shrike]

I get the impression that 'Lahar' was coined in honour of the last person not to notice it until too late.
"Watch out for the Lahaaaaaaaaaaarrgh

[willygoat]

I am mid build on the FG B-52 in NASA colors. It comes with a former box for the wings to stiffen it up. Another suggestion would be to use 110# for the main fuselage pieces and lighter (67#) for the wings/engines. That's what I did and it works so far. The kit also comes with an X-15 to display with 003. It's pretty sweet stuff.

[Ashrunner]

Wow! That's a real volcanic in-joke, Ash. I have to admit that I had to look up "lahar" to find out that it is "a type of mudflow composed of pyroclastic material and water.” I can imagine you in your ash-running days shouting “Watch out for the pyroclastic material!”

Don B.

I actually got caught in the dying push of a lahar in The Philippines. It began crossing a road I was driving on, just as I entered a curve. It killed the van right at the apex of the turn and right next to a 12 foot drop-off into a drainage ditch. As I continued to get the engine going again (ref: turning the ignition key), the lahar was pushing the van up against the 10 inch curb which was the only thing stopping the van from dropping into the ditch.

I then made a call on the radio to get help, but was told to "Standby" before I could pass on my predicament. As the lahar wobbled the van back and forth against the curbing, I finally got the engine to fire and continued my drive back to my office. About a minute later, I got called on the radio and passed on that I would explain when I RTO'ed (Returned To Office).

During the ordeal, I considered getting out and walking away, but the material, which was mostly water with cooled pyroclastic material and very little debri, was six to eight inched deep, flowing at a good enough rate to knock me down. So basically, I was stuck. Luckily, the van got tired of being pushed around and decided to get the hell out of there.

Two nights before the major eruption, a number of us were trying to figure out what a noise we were hearing on base. A call from one of the security cops answered the question. The noise was a debri-filled lahar flowing down a river just off-base. It was one of the spookiest things I have ever experienced. Total darkness with this roar not 20 feet away...it was amazing.

Back to the one of the original subjects now...I have not built the FG BUFF yet either, but have wondered about fuselage formers. I have some really good three views with cross sections for anyone who wants a copy to work with while building "The Snake." Just PM with an email address.