Answer 1:33 Morane Saulnier L

[chicharrero]

To Wag.
Roman has this interesting model in three liveries (Russian, French, British) for Morane Saulnier L, and other three liveries for Pfalz E monoplane (two german and one turkish)
The scales are 1/48 and 1/72.

Regards, jose luis

[Ron0909]

Thanks guys I really hope I finish this one. Today was pretty inconsequential with just the addition of the tail. It's a dinky little thing that was simply 2 outer skins sandwiching a former. I'm going to change out the control cables I think as I really don't like the way they came out. In any case I need to tighten them up a tad. I've started cutting wires for the wing supports and thats about it....
More to come

Ron

[Don Boose]

I understand your concern about the cables, but they don't look bad. And the fuselage is superb: a pleasure to look at.

Don

[EricGoedkoop]

Originally Posted by Ron0909

I'm going to change out the control cables I think as I really don't like the way they came out. In any case I need to tighten them up a tad.

Those short runs are a bugger to do with any kind of thread. The biggest problem is usually the control horns - if they're just glued onto the surface of the rudder or elevator the tension of the taut line pulls them away a bit, making it literally impossible to ever get them tight.

I'd recommend using short lengths of wire for these. You can find straight lengths of music wire in very small diameters at SmallParts.com: The Hardware Store for Researchers and Developers. You can also strip out single pieces of wire from speaker cable or other small gauge stranded cable and stretch them with two pair of pliers. Just find something reasonably close to the diameter of thread or monofilament you're using for the rest of the rigging.

[Leif Ohlsson]

Ron,

I, too, am glad to see you tackle this one. I've had my eyes on the kit for the purpose of converting it to a Thuling type D, which is more or less a rip-off of the Morane-Saulnier.

Here's a photo, just for inspiration, of that aircraft, hanging in a Finnish museum.



It was given to the Finns, hence the Finnish national insignia (as you know, it has nothing to do with the Nazi use of the swastika, then or later).

I attach a few more photos, just for the richness of detail & colours. [Source: Wikipedia Commons]

Leif

[EricGoedkoop]

Originally Posted by Leif Ohlsson

Ron,
It was given to the Finns, hence the Finnish national insignia (as you know, it has nothing to do with the Nazi use of the swastika, then or later).

The blue swastika was, in fact, the personal good-luck symbol of the Swedish Count von Rosen, who gave the aircraft to Finland already decorated.


I hadn't been thinking of the Thulins until you posted this, Leif - another branch on the family tree. I also believe there was a variant of the MoS L produced in Mexico, and of course Grahame-White in England used the Morane-Saulnier fuselage for his "Lizzie" biplane (the firm license-built the MoS H as the Grahame-White XV). In addition, there were a number of Morane-Saulniers of various types built in Russia.

I think the basic Morane-Saulnier layout must be one of the most ubiquitous form in early aviation, and certainly one of the most significant developments. After the Farman-style boxkite and before the Sopwith-style tractor biplane, the Morane-Saulnier was it. The Bleriot XI was extremely influential and widely-copied as well, but when one considers that Bleriot designed that noteworthy machine with none other than Raymond Saulnier the true impact of the Morane-Saulnier concern and its principals on pre-war aviation becomes clear.

[Ron0909]

Thank you Leif for the inspirational photos and Eric for the rigging suggestions
As usual I'm building slower than molasses pouring in January..... Completed the 2 seats, the afterthought fin in front of the rudder and the tail skid. The kit's seats had the belts printed onto the bottom instead of actually providing them. It was pretty straight forward to make some to make things look a bit better. The tail skid's tubular frame is made from 2 gauges of floral wire and painted. The kit only comes with a scale drawing to copy and nothing else for instructions (in regard to the skid). All in all I think it worked out ok. There is of course the rigging to re-do. I took the tail apart and re-did the whole assembly to clean things up.
More to come

Ron

[ccoyle]

Ron, that fuselage looks very well done.

Cheers!

[Leif Ohlsson]

Ron, I was thinking that you are heading for a unique building style of your own; scale, and yet not exactly scale, if you see what I mean:





There is no mistaking this for a model - it doesn't pretend to be anything else. What it does, is to be a heartachingly good ideal stylized representation of the idea of a Morane-Saulnier, almost like an art-deco advertisement or painting.

It is uncommonly sharp and crisp. Well done.

Leif

[jeanma]

your build is really very clean !! Well done !