My next diorama will include a 1909 Bleriot XI.Would anyone know where I should begin to look for research material? Is there a model made of this aircraft? Thanks.Cheers! John.[:)]
Well, I don’t know about this aircraft’s kits… al least here you have some pics (I hope the pics can be seen):
These photos are from Base Aerea Las Palmas, in Lima, Perú… this is Jorge Chavez Dartnell’s (Peruvian civilian aviation pioneer) Bleriot XI… I think this must be the same plane you are looking for… if you have time and money (or you are really desperate), you can visit the International Airport Jorge Chávez, in Lima… there is a replica of this plane too…
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a kit for one in one of my french magazines. I’ll try to look it up tomorrow.
A word of warning though ; it didn’t look like an easy kit since it was almost completely PE.
The only plastic kit I’ve ever seen of the Bleriot was a 4 in one kit produced in the mid to late 50s by Impact I believe. It contained the Bleriot, a Wright Bro. Model A Flyer, Santo-Dumas’s tail forward aircraft and another which I can’t remember. Weird scale, maybe 1/100. A friend of mine who is a kit collector has one in his collection.
If you can find a copy of Scale Aircraft Drawings, Vol 1, WW1 there is a set of 1/48 plans for the origional Bleriot XI by William Wylam on page 19.
Frog/novo has made one in 1/72 scale,I have in my mags
collection one (or two?)issue of a French magazine (Le fanatique de l’aviation)about
the firs Channel crossing by Bleriot and his Bleriot XI.If interested please let me know
and i will try to send a scanned copy of it (i hope i will be more succesfull than last
week with the scanner’s office!!)Two examples of this plane still exist today.the first one is in the Jean Sallis airplane collection (it’s a copy)and the second is in the French museum in Paris called “Musee des arts et metiers”.
For the kit i think (but i’m not sure)that “Atelier noix” has made one ,it’s a Japanes company,but i do’nt know if they still produce kits.
Best regards P Medard