I’m planning a build of Lindberg’s 1/48 Jenny. I already have the Lone Star Models resin replacement fuselage. I’d very much like to use this kit to model Bessie Coleman’s plane. I’ve seen photos of a yellow Jenny with “Queen Bess” on the side, but I’ve never seen a photo of Coleman with that plane. The plane I’ve seen her photographed with seems to be devoid of markings. Here’s the photo I’ve seen:
Does anyone have any information on this aircraft - especially colors?
I built one late last year, military scheme. Don’t know anyhing about Coleman plane. That kit is one of their best offerings- which is great because there are few other offerings for such an iconic aircraft. Love to do a 32d scale.
Panchromatic B&W film, commonly used in the period, record yellows as darker. Models and other information on the subject showing a yellow aircraft are probably right
Thanks for the responses. The information on the film types was especially helpful; I’m now convinced that the plane could have been yellow. I still don’t really see any markings at all - if that’s correct, decaling should be a breeze.
Has anyone kitted a really good Jennie kit in either 48th or 32th scale? I mean with Tamiya or Wingnuts quality? For such an iconic aircraft, it sure doesn’t seem to be kitted much. I guess maybe because it wasn’t designed to carry a lot of bombs or bullets. I know there is a wood 1:16 scale kit but I don’t have room to display a kit that size. I have found some fair three-views so may scratch it if I can’t find a decent kit.
First post: Resurrecting this thread to address the OP’s photo of Ms. Coleman and her JN4. I believe it was an olive drab surplus plane with brown hues topside from post-WW1. If you crank the exposure, I faintly see that there are roundels under each wing. If so, they would be above each top wing, too. I believe the wheel hubs were red.
There is a weathered Jenny like this that Chas Lindbergh flew and mounted in a museum. It holds clues to the amount of weathering modelers may want to use. The photo is copyrighted, so here’s the link:
Thanks for the info, UpNup! What you said is consistent with a couple of paintings I’ve seen since I made the post back in 2021. I think I know what my next project will be.
That Lindberg kit is a gem. I know Lindberg has put out some junk, but the Jenny is not one of those. I’ll probably pick up a couple 'cause there are so many liveries available- from military to barnstormers to fledgling commuter air.
I had started the Atlantis kit for the Jenny. I was excited about this one.
I made so many mistakes during the build, then I had ot put it up for almost a year after a small fire in our house. When I tried to restart this, the bad end of the model was twisted and unrecoverable. At least with my skill set it was…
What a historic build idea. It really is a shame that this plane hasn’t been kitted in different scales from different manufacturers because of its historic importance.
Don’t give up on it. Try fixing it. If it works, you’ve developed new skills and you saved the model. If it doesn’t, you still learned something and you haven’t lost anything. I probably spend half my modeling time fixing my mistakes.
Bessie Coleman lived in Orlando for a short time. A portion of West Washington Street has been named for Bessie Coleman, a short distance from Orlando Executive Airport.
