1/144 Latécoère Quatre Moteur "Tophe"

[Tophe]

The model was inside foam everywhere, so that does not explain. But it is very fine anyway, and I thought it was sent like this, in 4 clean parts. No problem.

[GTX]

The basis for this project was the "venerable" 1/72 scale Revell He-219 Uhu,

Brilliant!  I would never have guessed this.

regards,

Greg

[Weaver]

There used to be a time when the word "Fragile" on a parcel meant something to the postal workers. I realized this changed when a post office clerk once said to me: "Whether you write it or not doesn't make a difference, it has no official value". They just chuck the parcels into the bags and then bounce the bags, they couldn't care less that someone is carrying something fragile in it. Another answer I once got was: "If you want it to get there safe, use the Chronopost service (UPS kind of thing) but then it's 20 dollars just to send a parcel, which is kind of expensive...

I realised this 20 yrs ago when I went to the parcel office at a train station in Manchester to pick up some (fortunately not fragile) motorcycle parts. As I stood at the counter waiting, I watched one guy take a parcel which was smothered in "FRAGILE" tape off a shelf, drop it on the floor from  shoulder height, and then kick it 20ft across the room......

[Tophe]

November 07th 1932: French technicians, inspecting the damaged Quatre-Moteurs, have found a mistake in the rivet matching on the tail: this one was upside-down, opposite to the fuselage! Yes (related to German sabotage, maybe due to Heinkel-workers that came to "help", and detected thanks to an American intelligence report)! This has been (almost immediately) corrected. Well, it seems now there is a wheel upward... but I tell you a secret: in a distant future, this circular-rotating plain-thing (surprisingly above the fuselage!) will be publicly called radarawacs, a name like that.

Now, the plane is standing on its fins (with little skids under them) and the spats have been relocated to a third point, central, under the nose.

[Brian da Basher]

Nice save, Tophe! I really like your amazingly imaginative approach!

Brian da Basher

[Tophe]

From this angle, you may see the change, making a new plane... (Sorry for not creating again the original, perfect, and thanks again for the fun, and result both beautiful and odd)...

[Stargazer]

Beautiful and odd... sure... but would it fly??? I doubt it!

[Tophe]

Beautiful and odd... sure... but would it fly??? I doubt it!

Hey, a desk model does not need to fly (and did not, as well, in 1932)...

Well, I must explain why I butchered this beauty that way, there is a reason. (Well, 2 reasons. 1: I am a crazy what-ifer , 2:) one of the spats had lost its support so impossible to have it supporting its engine and wing, so... I glued it against the other (inventing the twin-spats?) but with the central tail-wheel, there was no balance at all, so I reverted the tail to have lateral supports there. You know all the practical (sad) side, but I prefer the sabotage tale by Heinkel workers in Latecoère factory, punishing prevently the what-if designer...

[sequoiaranger]

As always, a brilliant whif from BdB.

An upside-down He-219??