Norman Veber's Nieuport Ni-17
(click the image to go back)
Okay, so it's not a car, truck, or motorcycle. But it
has wheels, tires, and an internal-combustion engine,
and it does move under its own power. No matter how you
look at it, this is an impressive model built by a MAMA
member. At the November 2012 meeting this model quickly
won over a very tough group of critics -- MAMA members.
The buzz it generated wasn't focused on the fact that
it was an airplane at a model car club meet -- it was
solely focused on the workmanship of the build.
Norman's impressive build is based on an Eduard 1/48
kit of the WWI Fighter piloted in by Gervais Raoul Lufbery
as a member of N-124 Escadrille Lafayette in 1916. Lufbery
was born in France to an American father and French mother
and served in both the French and US military forces during
World War One. Norman added lots of extra plastic, photo-etch,
and wire details including more framing, bracing wires,
photo-etch turnbuckles, and clear poly material for the
upper wing's center section.