Air Classique Models

SteveG

New Member
Do not hold your breath

I have been speaking to this company on and off for a few months ( I originally posted a link on the Internet finds forum) they are a small company and although they have a few models they have not got round to production - I have offered to test build etc which they were happy about but nothing came from it

Steve
 

SteveG

New Member
Do not hold your breath

I have been speaking to this company on and off for a few months ( I originally posted a link on the Internet finds forum) they are a small company and although they have a few models they have not got round to production - I have offered to test build etc which they were happy about but nothing came from it

Steve
 

beejay

New Member
Hello all,
I have had a reply from Air Classique and I think it could be good news.
Reply follows:



Apologies for the delay in response, but your email went astray in our system. Firstly thanks for putting a link through to our site. Secondly, I would like to reply more comprehensively to your questions as I am sure a number of your members will find our designs worthwhile. At present we have a great deal on and I would like to respond with more thought and information than I can accumulate at this point in time.
If I could get back to you in a fortnight that would be ideal?

Thanks again for your interest and I will get back when our current work commitments are finalised. Form a model point of view we have just finished our Farman Jaribu 1/72 (It will be on site next week. I seem to recall a member of the card modellers web-ring being interested in that?)

Kind regards

Terry Moyle


Contour Creative Studio Ltd
PO Box 54
Kaiwaka
New Zealand
Ph 0064 9 431 2511
Art Deco Aviation art and collectibles <http://byairclassique.com/>
 

beejay

New Member
Hello all,
I have had a reply from Air Classique and I think it could be good news.
Reply follows:



Apologies for the delay in response, but your email went astray in our system. Firstly thanks for putting a link through to our site. Secondly, I would like to reply more comprehensively to your questions as I am sure a number of your members will find our designs worthwhile. At present we have a great deal on and I would like to respond with more thought and information than I can accumulate at this point in time.
If I could get back to you in a fortnight that would be ideal?

Thanks again for your interest and I will get back when our current work commitments are finalised. Form a model point of view we have just finished our Farman Jaribu 1/72 (It will be on site next week. I seem to recall a member of the card modellers web-ring being interested in that?)

Kind regards

Terry Moyle


Contour Creative Studio Ltd
PO Box 54
Kaiwaka
New Zealand
Ph 0064 9 431 2511
Art Deco Aviation art and collectibles <http://byairclassique.com/>
 

beejay

New Member
Hello all,
Here is the latest update on this range from the company:

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Sorry for the delay in my response and thank you for the interest shown in our designs. What I write may be of interest to some members of the forum, and hence a more detailed explanation about our work is appropriate.

Contour Creative Studio is a professional design studio established by my partner, Rosie, and I in 2001. As well as paper models we also design and publish a wide range of aviation-themed art deco postcards under BY AIR Classique. We are based in New Zealand, on a small property near Kaiwaka, about an hour’s drive north of Auckland City.

I should first explain that the reason for the many years spent in creating the By Air Classique models is shaped by demands on professional time, and the nature of the aircraft themselves. As our intention is to create a constant scale collection that is representative of a particular era of aviation, we had to develop over a period of over five years. This has also given us a chance to refine our engineering and illustration, with all the designs benefiting. I hope people find the wait worthwhile.

We also decided that it was better to bring out a healthy range of models at the outset as the time and resources expended in that area have to be reconciled against other things we do. If there is a good response from people and minimal rip-offs, then we will go on to the next stage.

I spent time establishing a good design philosophy. This philosophy helped establish the subject matter, the nature of the illustration, the scale, the engineering and the use of materials. We experimented with quite a few designs over a 12 month period before setting about designing to the standard we defined. One of the characteristics of our designs is that we try and put a high degree of illustration in a very small space. (All our models are cut out with surgical scalpels incidentally. It gives a fine line and good visibility over the blade).

The Golden Age
The more ‘boxy’ forms of the golden twenties and thirties were ideal to make in wire and paper, with the brittle struts and undercarriages of the era, perhaps explaining why so poorly represented in plastic kits. As well, so many of these have not survived in a Museum.

I think if nothing else paper modeling enables us to create accurate three-dimensional models that enable people to SEE what these extinct aircraft really looked like. The more homogenous design of passenger aircraft of today is in stark contrast to yesteryear, where so many different distinctive designs can be found.

Because the airliners of the 1920’s, were inseparable from expressions of Modernism and technology. The resulting sometimes fantastic looking ‘carriages of the sky’ are a subject matter firmly associated with Art Deco. The collector will find tasteful and agreeable subjects to display. In the parlance of today, they are ‘cool’.

Most of our range features subjects not available in any model kit form previously.



At this point in time...
At present we are on track to release our first models later this year and with a large number of models finished or near-finished, there will be around 24 – 30 designs available initially on CD. We have MANY designs under development, so I confine myself to the designs being released initially. All will be in 1/72 scale,( all are either finished or nearly there) so here I’m talking about models with completed prototypes.

The collection will include the Vickers Vimy flown by Ross and Keith Smith from the UK to Australia in 1919 and is now in display at Adelaide airport. For the first time in model form a range of the postwar ‘humpback’ airliners will be available. These include various DH 9C models from around the world, the famous DH4C GE AMU in Blue Instone livery, the French Breguet 14T, and the Bristol Tourer.

We have a good selection of German golden age airliners – The distinctive Pigeon-like Focke-wulfe A-16, The Dornier Komet airliner which should feature in a number of versions, and the Parasol wing, Dornier Mercur. The Junkers A 20 and the fabulous modernist Rhorbach Roland are being completed as I write. We started the Boat –shaped airliner the Albatros L78 in 1/144 scale some time back and are up scaling this to 1/72. We have completed another rarity in the Albatros L 58 in 1/72. The other design we are working on is the well represented Junkers F 13, the worlds first all metal airliner, where we think we can add a few more things. Eight new designs in all conveying much of the avant-garde nature of German civil aviation design in the ‘twenties.

We recently completed our Farman Jabiru F 121. It will be available in a number of liveries. This model looks very good indeed. We have completed the single-engined Farman 190 – a lovely model to put together, and are in the process of converting our Farman Goliath 1/144 design to 1/72. The Breguet 14T I have already mentioned, and there is a likelihood the single-engined Farman 170 ’Jabiru’ (Not to be confused with the four engine F 121), which you can see the image I have sent. The distinctive sesqui-wing Breguet 280T is now completed, but not assembled.

A variety of smaller aircraft of the period have been designed, these include the Koolhaven designed FK 21 which flew for Instone airways. We will make this available in a number of liveries. The Koolhaven Desoutter I and II will also be featured. . Keeping with the Dutch designer aircraft we have a Fokker II due for completion shortly. The classic De Havilland Tiger Moth has been given quite a bit of treatment and we have produced many different liveries already – mainly New Zealand schemes. The beautiful Miles Falcon is also a beautiful model – the canopy structure being pleasing. The Fairchild explorer aircraft, Commander Byrd’s Stars and Stripes has also been finished - our first ski-plane

We have the final artwork for our Supermarine Channel Flying Boat (1920), but have had to re-design the Hull, making into more accurate, although more complex. The Boeing –Westervelt seaplane (1919) as operated in New Zealand by the NZ Flying School was originally designed in 1/144 scale and we have completed the new 1/72 art work but haven’t assembled.

We have designed the Vickers Vulcan (the ‘Flying Pig’ in Instone livery in 1/144), as wells as the Armstrong Whitworth Argosy, and the De Havilland DH 34 and De Havilland DH 66. All of these designs are currently being re-engineered and re-illustrated. It is too early to say which of these will be first out of the workshop.

We have a number of buildings and other things designed, but the response to the initial designs will influence how we proceed.

It is always good to hear from people around the world who are interested in the same subjects and I hope to be in a situation in the future where we can discuss things further and more frequently! We will be putting images of our models up at present in far more frequency so check back on the site if you are interested. In the mean time its back to the mac... Hope you like the pic of the Jabiru.



Terry Moyle and Rosie Louise
Contour Creative Studio Ltd
PO Box 54
Kaiwaka
New Zealand
Ph 0064 9 431 2511
Art Deco Aviation art and collectibles <http://byairclassique.com/>

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Sorry but I could not post the pic but it can be sen on their web page

VBR
beejay
 
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