The first Batplane

Jan 10, 2011 3 Replies

Batman's first airplane appeared in the September, 1939, Detective Comics (no. 31). He called it his "Batgyro". It looked like a Etrich/ Rumpler Taube with wing planform modified to match the popular idea of a bat's wing. To make it a "-gyro," there was a four-bladed rotor on a structure right over the cockpit (with room enough for two side-by- side). That structure was much like the support for the rotor of the Pitcairn-Larson PA-39. The aircraft also has a single Vickers machine gun mounted on the centerline, firing through the propeller.



Has anyone ever seen this built as a model? Plans for both the Taube and the autogyro are available from Cleveland Model & Supply Company

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but these are for large wood models. I presume it's possible to find 1/48 or 1/72 kits to do build it out of plastic.


The only Taube kit that I remember ever seeing was the vacuum-formed kit made by Airframe way back in the day. They quit making models around 35 years ago.

Flashback manufactured a 1/48th Erich Taube, Model NV (1913) Kir # KLH

8921. I have seen one built up (and fully rigged) at the Region 10 contest about 3 years ago. I think it was an entrant from Salt Lake City, but I'm not sure. It was a nice presentation and well done but I didn't get to talk to the builder about how it went together or any of the build details. Cliff

There is a 1/64 scale "kit" of one in diecast. It's made by Johnny Lightning:

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