Finished Rutan Voyager

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

After a number of smaller details and such, my Rutan Voyager is finally finished. I began with the Airmodel (or is it Amodel? I keep getting those two mixed up… ah, well. The injection molded one!) 1/72 kit with a VERY limited number of scratchbuilt details. Tell me what you think.

There are a few problems with this kit, few of which I chose to correct. The fuselage shape is not even close. Compare photos, and you’ll see what I mean. Also, my scratchbuilt canard tab is actually on the wrong side- don’t tell anybody. The gear doors are wong in the kit; they are split, while they should be one piece. I also needed to replace all the landing gear struts, as they snapped off while removing them from the sprue. The kit was a bit of a hassle, true, but I enjoyed it. At 18" wide, it’s quite impressive, too!

Comments and critisicms welcome!

2

I think it looks awesome! I see what you mean about the shape of the fuse. Other than that, it really looks the part. Nice to see something so unusual. Nice one!

3

Great work. Its a neat little airplane. The fusalage sort of throws you off but you get the idea. Great work.

David

4

Bravo, Lucien! I thoroughly enjoy your prog pics and look forward to each one! I know you’ll have more build time once college adjourns for the summer, and I’ll be looking for an HK-1 update! Thanks for sharing!

Brian [C):-)]

5

Great looking aircraft and cool subject to do. I’ve enjoyed looking at this. Thanks for sharing with us!

Eddie

6

Kit shortcomings aside, that’s some nice looking work, Mike.

7

That looks like a fantastic job on an unusual subject. Most interesting.

8

I don’t know this aircraft but it seems to me that you have done a very fine job indeed.[tup]

9

I have to echo what everyone else is saying: you did a fantastic job on that kit!

Thanks for shaing your photos.

Regards,

10

Nice build of an unusual bird. Where the heck you going to put an 18" wide model? [:O]

11

Mike, thanks for sharing your Voyager with us. I believe the full size item still hangs in the Air and Space Museum in Washington. They hung it up there with the wing tips still ground off.

My wife and I completed our CozyIII (Rutan Derivative) in 1990 and still fly it on nice days. Greg

12

Nice work on an unusual subject.

13

Lucien,

You really done a heck of a job on a difficult kit and made it look SWEET! [tup]

18 inch wingspan you say… my gosh… if it sit out in the sun very long it would curl up like a Christmas bow!! [:O]

Beautiful build! I’m glad to finally get to see one of these close up. [:)]

Take care,

Frank

14

Very nice work, as usual, on an unusual subject. I followed the original work up and record flight very closely 21 years ago. It was mind boggling to see what they accomplished.

Darwin

15

Looks great, Mike. Very impressive work!

Mark

16

Thank you, thank you, thank you all. I’m sort of managing three threads of this right now, along with college finals, so I’m sorry it took me a while to get back.

I’ve learned to like Rutan’s designs rather well through the course of this build. Before this I was mildly intrigued. Now I have a greater appreciation for exactly what he does.

At 18" the wingspan puts it at the 2d or 3d largest COMPLETED model, behind my B-36 and possibly my He 177. My Bv 222 is getting very near completion, though, so it’ll be knocked down a peg. Although it’s wide, it aint too deep, so displaying is not really a problem. Yet.

I just had a charming personal chat with yardbird explaining all the innacuracies with this kit. When I get time I’ll post the list up here. It’s a bit suprising, actually.

Alrighty, I got to get going. Thanks again, and stay tuned for a Bv 222 update- the main paint is now on, and we are beginning preliminary decalling. It should be done in a week or two, knoc on wood. See ya!