Racers
are usually thought to be slim, sleek and elongated. But that’s not always the
case.
Suffice to remember
the Bristol Type 72 Bullet, the Arnoux “flying wing” racer and the subject
of this article, the portly Nieuport-Delage 37. They are all examples of what a
bad diet can do to you.
Conceived to race on the Coupe Deutsch, a technical problem (overheating, of
course, the thing was huffing and puffing) prevented its participation and the
machine was put on a strict diet. No more Croque-Monsieur and French toast for
you, mon ami.
Nevertheless, the NiD 37 exhibited nice features of the trade: a cantilever wing
of advanced airfoil with no struts or wires, a completely enclosed engine, a
clear vision for the pilot atop the fuselage, hidden surface control mechanisms,
carefully-studied contours and streamlining of the landing gear. A “lobster
pot” Lamblin radiator was installed to avoid cumbersome, large frontal area
ones.
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images below to see larger images
Not
much, as sometimes happens, is around regarding this remarkable racer; a few
photos on the Net, a side view in the Speed Seekers, and a couple mentions on a
Flight Magazine of the time.
Based
on that material a 3view was devised and a wood master was created to vac the
parts, which barely fit into the Mattel plate, producing two very thin (the
Mattel can’t handle heavy-gauge plastic) fuselage sides.
The
rest was also scratchbuilt with the usual techniques you are familiar with: the
magic wand and the ever-trusty alchemy set.
A
couple of Lamblin radiators were created and the better one was used.
Exhaust stubs were made stretching a styrene tube, painting it and then cutting
the necessary sections. A wood prop was carved and a tail skid was made of tiny
laminated alu soda can strips to replicate the “springs” on the original.
Decals were home made.
Racers
have an enormous appeal. Their lines, their stance, are always evocative and
inspiring. A very small model in 1/72, but with a lot of attitude.
Thanks
to Carlos Carreira for the help with references.
Gabriel Stern
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images below to see larger images
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