RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS

RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS
RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS
RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS
RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS
RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS
RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS
RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS
RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS
RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS
RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS
RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS
RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS

RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS

Thank you for viewing our listings. All of our items are from our closed aviation art gallery (CollectAir) or museum Friend or Foe? Or from our own extensive personal estate collection. Be sure to save us as a "favorite" and follow our store to get the inside scoop on new inventory.

Offered for the discriminating collector, are one-of-a-kind factory patterns used in the 1940's to manufacture solid wood model kits. The Burkard profile or outline-cut kits were made by simply transferring the outline of parts, by either tracing around a plywood pattern with a pencil or using an ink stamp of the outline, onto the balsa (or other wood) which was then band-saw cut.

The "Redi-Carved" fuselages were formed on the prop lathe by using a three-dimensional pattern guide on a 1:1 basis. The fuselage pattern was carved from a reasonably hard wood, including what in some cases appears to be walnut or mahogany. The patterns are a delight - a piece of sculptured art in themselves and a tribute to the solid wood model industry long gone. This listing is for the Martin B-26 Marauder #29 factory pattern. Please view the pictures of the item offered.

Keep in mind, there is ONLY ONE of these original Gloster patterns known to exist. See our store for other listings. With which the model airplane industry approached the problem of production techniques required for mass fabrication of model kits in the 1930s and early 1940s.

These shop patterns were used for manufacturing the solid model kits in the Consolidated/Burkard line which began with Burkard in 1940 in the Bronx. Prices for these unique patterns represent good value considering their rarity and conductibility, particularly for the collector or enthusiast who treasures the era of solid wood models which required craft skills to complete. Consider that these patterns are truly one-of-a-kind compared to the manufactured kits which, although scarce today, were made in huge numbers. Quick-build plastic kits wiped out the wood models which began the process of near extinction in the 1950s.

Unfortunately, I do not have much information about the original Burkard company which was run by Joe Burkard. No similar ad appeared in any of the 1940 Air Trails magazines so the Burkard advertising budget was apparently limited. The July 1940 MAN carried a Burkard ad for gas-powered, free-flight seaplane kits; nice looking models but this may have been a one-time shot at advertising that line. These early Burkard solid kits consisted of profile-cut balsa and were rather large models in 1:24 scale, the line comprised of the Me 109, P-39, Hurricane, Curtiss Hawk 75, Gloster Gauntlet, Grumman F3F-2, Spitfire, Boulton Paul Defiant and the Stuka - a rather odd mix. The ads did not give a scale but merely stated that wingspans were up to 23 inches.

At the time, Burkard's address was Larchmont, N. By December of 1942, the product line had grown somewhat (still outline-cut) and their address changed to 3079 Third Ave. Some model industry gossip from Air Trails, June 1942: The Burkard Engineering Co.

Balsa wood, should it get scarcer, may be replaced with pine. " The Burkard ad in that same issue mentions that "Lifetime Carved Solid Models" would be "ready soon", "about May 10th. Another model plane enthusiast, Art Hasselbach, was an employee of United Aircraft in Connecticut in the late 1930s. He was an active model free fighter and fixed wing pilot. He soon decided to make his own kits.

Art turned the retail business over to his mother and he bought out the Burkard Model Engineering company and manufactured kits using their name. This happened in late 1941 as the Burkard address 3079 Third Ave.

Coincidentally is next door to the eventual address of what would become the Consolidated Model Engineering Company, 3087 Third Avenue. Which netted him an accurate prop carving machine which he put to immediate use carving "Redi-Carved" fuselages for the kits from Burkard which originally had only profile cut parts. He changed advertising to "Consolidated" instead of Burkard and, by early 1944 included the phrase, "Producing Burkard, Bay Ridge & Jackson kits" in his advertising but soon dropped this reference. The kit line was increased with new models including a line of 1/4" scale using the same plans in reduced size (for the fighters) and the kits were offered in standard profile-cut only or in the "Deluxe" versions which were "Redi-Carved.

Even under wartime restrictions, the company pumped out 3,000 models per day; the R. Carried his complete line of 40 kits. When balsa wood became scarce, Art used any wood he could come up with to make the kits, even to scrounging scrap wooden cases.

Art Hasselbach, who became very active and well known in the hobby business, control line flying (once toured with Jim Walker), hobby shows, contest CD etc. Moved his plant to Cranbury, New Jersey after WWII and expanded into plastics and other products unrelated to modelling, while also putting our a broad line of flying airplane kits.

The solid model line dropped off after WWII as modelling interest shifted to flying models. Of particular interest to me, in conjunction with the Friend or Foe?

Museum of Aircraft Recognition, is the following excerpt from the article: In addition during the war Art delivered highly accurate Spotter plane models. These were prepared from photos of the original aircraft and included the Jap Zero and others. Each single model required 8. To complete, after which the Government took photos of them from many angles, for distribution to plane spotters all over the world.... As described, as always, beautiful kits!

Entire order arrived in perfect condition! Thanks for this, yet, third order! A rare item from a rare breed of dealer - Absolutely thrilled with this! Great to deal with; recommended for repeat dealing.

TOP NOTCH EBAYER - JUST THE WAY IT SHOULD BE - THANKS AAA++++. Arrived three days ahead of schedule!

Super models, great packing and communication. Well packed, item arrived safe and very pleased. ALWAYS a pleasure dealing with "collectair". The item was just as described and carefully packaged.

Great to do business with. In great shape for 1938 kit. We value our customers and appreciate the courtesy of making things right before leaving neutral or negative reviews should a need arise. Pictures are worth a thousand words. Need more pictures of the item?

We are pleased to provide additional photos. What you see is what you will receive. If its not in the photos, it is not included. We do our best to fairly and accurately represent our items, but in some cases due to the rarity of the item or its age and condition, little information may be available. We do not inventory our kits, or open sealed items or antiques for completeness unless noted as such in our listings.

These are estate sale items and presented in the condition found. If you would like to insure your item please let us know before paying.


RARE One-of-a- Kind Consolidated Burkard ORIGINAL WWII 1940's FACTORY PATTERNS