Scratchbuilt 1/72 Renard R-17

by Gabriel Stern

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With a Span of 9.2 meters and a length of 6 meters, this cute little plane was designed in Belgium to carry small perishable cargo in short hops. Its simple lines and somewhat funny proportions make it a very good candidate for scratch. It flew for a short time in 1931 and left us with a smart, chubby and stumpy appearance that is hard to resist.

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20's and 30's of are a vast field of aviation glamor, populated with remarkable designs where you can find attractive, lesser known types that can widen the scope of your modeling subjects.
I will like to acknowledge the generous help and insight I received from the members of the forum at Wings of Peace on this and other matters.
Construction proceeded using the materials and methods already described in previous articles. The prop was carved from wood and the tires were made of wire solder. Since all the windows are flat it is simple to cut them from a piece of clear styrene. I made two engines; a somewhat lazy first effort didn't convince me, so I made another, better defined, as you can see in the picture.
I hope the charm of this son of the Golden Era will be for you as attractive as it is for me.

Gabriel 

Photos and text © by Gabriel Stern