Hanriot HD.2 - 1/32

[ricleite]

I built this little Hanriot HD.2 in 1999. The USN colors came from a huge book (French Aircraft of the First World War – Flying Machines Press). The Windsock Datafile 92 is also a good reference.
As usual, I designed the parts after the pencil drawing with the shape and dimensions of the model.

[ricleite]

Side views...

[ricleite]

And some details...

[elliott]

Beautiful! You did a great job of bringing the Hanriot to life from the pages of the book Ricardo. Do you have pics of other models you have created this way?

[bailey]

Great little model. I particularly like the way you "petalled" the front of the cowl. How did you design and draw this ? IMHO much better than the usual concentric rings, Bailey

[Don Boose]

Another magnificent model. I spent some time viewing each of the images. I love to see such excellent craftsmanship, and the airplane is really beautiful.

Don

[Thumb Dog]

Hi All,

And congratulations ricleite on a terrificl scratchbuild of one of my favorite types. The pretty lines of the Hanriot HD series have always attracted me. The dihedral of the upper wing in concert with the angled outboard struts were, I believe, unique for their time. They would later appear together in a series of wonderful Waco biplanes in the 1930s.

If I'm not mistaken, American built HD.2s were among the first aircraft to be launched from Navy ships. For wheeled takeoffs, they would rev to full power and roll down short, sloping decks built atop battleship turrets. The landings were ashore.

And, any mention of the Hanriot HD series brings to mind the great Belgian ace, Willy Omer Francois Jean baron Coppens de Houthulst, better known to history as Willy Coppens. His baloon-busting exploits are legend, as is his post-war career. Remarkably, he died in bed at the age of 94, among the longest lived of the WWI aces.

Thanks for the HD.2, ricleite, and for a look at your unique cowl, too.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog

[ricleite]

Thanks, friends

@ Elliott - Sure! They will keep coming
@ Bailey / Thumb Dog - The petals extend from a cylindrical section, which makes it easier. At the time, I made some simple computer programs to calculate point coordinates for cowlings like this one. By the way, there was a version with a conical (not cylindrical) section as a base.
Having the original paint, it is less of a cheat to overpaint the petals and partially hide the joints I did the same, for example, on a rare bird – an Albree Pigeon Fraser Scout.
Sometimes (not here), the cowling camouflage can be used to disguise the petal joints.
@ Don / Thumb Dog – agreed The Hanriot angle combination for the wings, struts and float supports is very appealing! I have an HD.1, too. The model is much older and not very presentable…

[Kugelfang]

It is indeed a beautiful model. And I love that book. Almost anything put out by Flying Machines Press is a gold mine.

Willy Omer Francois Jean baron Coppens de Houthulst

--good lord, I didn't realize that was his full name!

--jeff

[Wyvern]

What a beauty!


Wyvern