MW Miniature Work

This is a 1:144 scale model - the scale typically used for model airliners - of the Dornier Do-X, a very large flying boat built in Germany in the 1920s. Claude Dornier was one of the great early German aircraft engineers, a pioneer of all-metal construction. I believe only three of these aircraft were built; this one was flown across the Atlantic in 1930-31 with great fanfare, taking 10 months over an elaborate route via Africa and Brazil; and if you Google images of it you will get a sense of the big impression it made on arrival. It suffered numerous malfunctions and delays. Dornier's ambition was over stretched in this instance. There was a tendency among early designers to fall into the trap of treating flying boats as ships of the air, and this vessel was far too heavy. Despite its 12 engines, it was underpowered and unable to climb above 1700 feet. I suspect it mostly flew in ground effect, like the Soviet-era ekranoplans. Nevertheless, it is notable for the records it bro…