I don't know too many of you remember this plane. Bruno Giezandanner won the 1970 or 1971 F3A World Championship with this plane. The design was very different. It had a semi-symmetrical root foil and a full symmetrical tip foil. A rather large plane with 71" wing span. I remember I went to Japan in 1972 and not speaking a word of Japanese managed to navigate the subway in Tokyo, found the model shop that sell the kit and hand carried the kit all the way to New Jersey.

It was a gorgeous kit by some Japanese company. For the life of me I cannot remember who kitted that. I was looking through some old stuff today and actually found the ribs pattern that I cut out from the plan and saved.

Since some of you are very knowledgeable in MK kits I am wondering if any of you can remember if it was an MK kit or not.

Thanks.

Hansen

Thank You CAsniffer again I stole a pic from your site.

We should make a link to your site a sticky!

DM

Hello Hansen,

Unfortunately I can not tell you who made the kit in the 70's

But I do know that the German VTH verlag still sells the drawing for this plane (and many other classic pattern planes)

Try this link;

http://www.vth.de/shop/warenkorb/art...bfaad4b08.html

When it does not work then go to www.vth.de , then go to shop , then go to Modellbau , then Bauplane , then Flugmodelle , then Motorflugmodelle , and you will find the Marabu on page 16

Have fun!

Regards,
Gert

Twice winner of the World Championships with the Marabu. 1969 (Bremen) and 1971 (Doylestown)

Ray

Plans for the Marabu by Bruno Giezendanner, F3A World Championship winning aircraft 1969 and 1970, are available online from two sources.

From the US magazine Model Aeroplane News plans service [link=https://secure.rcstore.com/pcd/eServCart?iServ=MDY3QUo0NjYzMSZpUGFnZUlkPTc4NjgyJm lJbnZJZD0yNzQ1NiZpU2t1TGlzdD0maVN1YlRlcm09MA==]here.[/link]

Or from German publishing house VTH [link=http://www.vth.de/shop/warenkorb/artikel-einzelansicht/3849/ae4742518ae93a207bb6634bfaad4b08.html?cHash=cc0433 938c]here.[/link]

Best regards.

Aurora, that picture sure brought back memories. Thanks for all the information gentlemen. I am going to order a set of plans. I built that kit back in 1972 and showed it off at the 1973 WRAM show in New York. Got 2nd place pattern.

As I recall, the Marabu did have retractable gear

Yes it did.

Used KDH mechanical retracts.

Ray

I'm starting to notice a lot of very early 70s planes showing retracts on them...
and flown in the up position.....


DM

Yup and I bought a set just for the plane.

Retracts were the trend from the 70's all the way to the 90's. Only within the last 6 to 8 years that fixed gear are the norm in pattern flying.

I had 3 Marabus in the early 70-ties ...

Rainer Seubert
F3A Team Manager Germany

Apparently the Giezendanner brothers started a company making electric retracts at some point in the 1970's. There is a [link=http://www.giezendanner-technik.ch/shop/index.php]Giezendanner Technik website[/link] which offers the retracts for sale online from Switzerland. I haven't ever seen a set myself, I simply found the site while searching the Web for information on Bruno Giezendanner and the Marabu.

The nice big picture on the site's home page should find approval with a lot of people on this forum...

Best regards to all.

Looks like a Scorpion with a prototype OS 61VF (the original was designed around that engine) - great photo

No worries, Aurora 60. That's what my site is for.

CA

The Marabu MK III construction article appeared in the July 1972 Model Airplane News. It has a picture of Bruno and his trainer/mechanic Albert Frei with the Marabu doing a fly-by on the cover. I have thought about sending my plans to Lazer Works for a short kit but never got around to it. Just FYI....

Jon