Potez 540 "Ornithopter" (DUNE)

[PALG]

I love this. It combines so many of my favourite things.

[killnoizer]

I love this. It combines so many of my favourite things.

Tell us 😃 !   
I wish i could make the wings vibrate...
I like the engine pods very much,  and the strong landing gear. At all, for me there are only some very small mistakes in the modell, mostly because i build it much to fast and it would be better to spend more time in details and paint.

[zenrat]

I've always had a soft spot for ornithopters.
I have plans (in my head) for a single engined 'thopter where (hopefully) turning the prop will cause the wings to flap.
That would be hard to arrange with this model.

[Rick Lowe]

I've always had a soft spot for ornithopters.
I have plans (in my head) for a single engined 'thopter where (hopefully) turning the prop will cause the wings to flap.
That would be hard to arrange with this model.

Maybe start with the Monogram kit that did that? (Can't remember what it was, someone will know...)

Hmmm... said 'Soft Spot' wouldn't be your head, by any chance... No, Bad Rick - No Biscuit!   

[PR19_Kit]

Monogram were into that 'moving bits remotely' thing quite a lot in the late 60s, early 70s.

I recall the 1/48 F-102 that had retractable landing gear, operated by opening the canopy. Of course the miles of plastic linkage inside the fuselage lasted about 4-5 operations and then broke, so the whole model collapsed on top of the gear afterwards! 

I built one (my ONLY 1/48 build ever...) for my mate Derek's shop window and after 'demonstrating it a few times, exactly that happened, so I glued the gear and the linkage in the down position so it could actually still stand in the window to generate sales.

And it did, we sold the whole stock out inside 2 weeks!   

[killnoizer]

 

 ...and some happy customers 

[zenrat]

I've always had a soft spot for ornithopters.
I have plans (in my head) for a single engined 'thopter where (hopefully) turning the prop will cause the wings to flap.
That would be hard to arrange with this model.

Maybe start with the Monogram kit that did that? (Can't remember what it was, someone will know...)

Hmmm... said 'Soft Spot' wouldn't be your head, by any chance... No, Bad Rick - No Biscuit!   

I knew someone would be unable to resist that.
 

My original plan was use a 1/72 Spitfire fuselage but thinking about it something with a radial engine will be better as there is more room for the crankshaft which will be needed to convert roundy roundy to flappy flappy.

[Rick Lowe]

I knew someone would be unable to resist that.

     Yeah, most likely to be me... 

[UhuFin]

  Fun-looking and great idea! A bit Hayao Miyazaki -esque with so many flapping wings and Potez resembling so much his favourite car Citroën 2CV.

[kitbasher]

My original plan was use a 1/72 Spitfire fuselage but thinking about it something with a radial engine will be better as there is more room for the crankshaft which will be needed to convert roundy roundy to flappy flappy.

Okay not an ornithopter or indeed a helicopter, but how about a Spitfire-based autogyro - https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=21218.0 (backstory at https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?msg=315052)?

[Weaver]

My original plan was use a 1/72 Spitfire fuselage but thinking about it something with a radial engine will be better as there is more room for the crankshaft which will be needed to convert roundy roundy to flappy flappy.

Radial engines were generally favoured for helicopters because they have a higher power:weight ratio than water-cooled ones, and the lower drag of the latter doesn't really matter at helo speeds. All the same arguments apply to ornithopters.

[Captain Canada]

This is very cool. Love the shape of the fuselage. Great idea, and she came together perfectly !