Aircraft Identification

[Wayne_H]

Anybody seen one of these before?

It looks like a Weihe, but I have no idea who may have produced the 'kit'. Construction is all foam, controls are rudder, elevator & tow release, wingspan 1m. It's light, but surprising strong/stiff for the foam construction employed.

I was gifted it by the widow of a long-time modelling mate but I hadn't seen it previously, it having been unearthed unexpectedly in a garage cleanup I'll fly it initially with propo to ascertain how docile it is, but longer term I'm thinking of converting it to S/C.

Anybody got any ideas???

[PaulJ]

Graupner used to do a Weihe with a foam fuselage...... A friend had one back in the mid/late 60s but apart from the fact that it had a foam fuz, I don't remember too much about it..... I think (?) it had a built up wing.
However if you google for "Graupner Weihe" you will find lots of images and I don't think your model is a Weihe........

Bausatz-Graupner-Weihe-50-BestNr-4252-Rarität-für.jpg (19 KiB) Viewed 5268 times

'Nice model though!

Paul

[GarydNB]

Anybody got any ideas???

Yeah....sell it to me

Gary

[Sundancer]

No, it isn't a Weihe, I don't know who produced this particular foam model Wayne but it is clearly a Lo100. Larger versions of this were kitted in the past for example by Aeronaut and there have been numbers of OD models over the years. It was very popular as a slope soaring model back in the sixties in the UK. Should fly nicely.

[GarydNB]

In all seriousness Wayne. It's a Robbe LO 100. ARF. Old school polystyrene I think. Nice model
Gary
.......but if it gets a bit too much for you.......what with all them kits wot you got stashed away.....

Google it. Loads of references to it and some yt vids as well.

[Wayne_H]

Ask & ye shall be told!!

Thanks all - definitely the Robbe Lo 100 as you said

Robbe Lo 100

right down to the same German rego stickers! The foam resembles Depron rather than polystyrene - about 5mm thick for fuse & wings & moulded to shape, while the tail feathers are 2-3mm flat sheet.

Gary, I doubt I'll ever get rid of it given the sentiment & history behind it, but you've got first dibs if I do
Definitely looking forward to flying this one

[Igull]

Graupner used to do a Weihe with a foam fuselage...... A friend had one back in the mid/late 60s

The Graupner Weihe 50 had a glass fuselage, co-incidentally, there's a set of ribs for that one coming out in a couple of weeks -
There's a guy in Belgium making copies of the weihe 50 and the cirrus fuselages if anyone is interested (although he seems to have gone underground in the last couple of months - maybe truly underground of course )
Neil

[PaulJ]

Neil, it was a long time ago but I was pretty sure the fuselage of my friend's model was some kind of foam so I have done a bit of Googling........ It seems that Graupner have done TWO Weihes! The later one was 3.2m span and had a glass fuselage. The first (Kitted in 1962) was 1.8m span and did indeed have a foam fuz. The plan for the earlier model AND the instructions are both on Outerzone and it clearly states in heavy type........
"The fuselage is made of foam plastic and must never be brought into contact with a celulose base cement....."

Weihe1.jpg (11.87 KiB) Viewed 5197 times

Weihe2.jpg (7.56 KiB) Viewed 5197 times

[tiptipflyer]

That is correct Paul, Graupner made two Weihes.
Here is a picture of my Graupner Weihe from 1962 with the foam fuselage.

Frank

[Wayne_H]

Finally ready for a test flight - pilot added as well as some coloured trim on the fin & rudder.