I would like to introduce you to the The Miniature Engineering Museum Collection of Paul and Paula Knapp Featured at the Joe Martin Craftsmanship Foundation Museum and my Top 10 favourite models.
10/10.
41-18-Cylinder, Two-row Radial Engine, 1/4 scale, made by Harold Beckett, circa 1995
Harold Becket is a retired United Airlines pilot who handcrafted this engine from drawings provided by Sam and Lee Hodgeson. The model operates on regular gasoline with dual spark ignition. It has a pressurized lubrication system.
The radial engine was much more powerful and reliable than the old rotary design (where the whole engine turns). It was used to power large aircraft such as airliners and bombers. Two-row radials were used extensively in World War II aircraft. The Pratt & Whitney R-1830 (14-cylinder two-row radial) was produced in greater numbers
than any piston aircraft engine. it was used in the Consolidated B-24 and PBY-2 as well as the Douglas C-47/DC-3.
In 1939, the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 was installed in the Grumman F4F-3 and was the world's first engine to use a two-stage supercharger-two years ahead of the first two-stage Rolls Royce Merlin V-12 engines.
You can see more from the The Miniature Engineering Museum Collection of Paul and Paula Knapp Featured here. The item above is in fact featured at the Joe Martin Craftsmanship Foundation Museum, Vista, CA. Other items reside on the web site and remain in the possession of the builder.
A bit of background
Paul Knapp and Joe Martin shake hands after Paul delivered the first fifty-one engines from his collection for display at the Vista Craftsmanship Museum. Some of the engines rest on countertops awaiting display in the glass cases. Since then more than 50 more engines have been added to the display.
Paul Knapp is a fine craftsman himself, with a real love for internal combustion engines. His wife Paula is also very knowledgeable about the individual engines in the collection and very supportive of Paul's desire to acquire a truly impressive collection of the best from around the world. Over the past few years he has put together a collection of over 200 of some of the finest and most significant model engines to be found. As part of Paul's Miniature Engineering Museum, they have been on display at airports and museums throughout the West, and Paul is in the process of looking for a permanent home where the entire collection can be put on display. In the meantime, we were able to offer the Vista Craftsmanship Museum as home to a good part of the collection. The first display includes over 50 of Paul's finest engines. Over the following year we may rotate some of Paul's other engines through the display, but there will be p
lenty to look at here for some time to come. In the meantime, for those who can't get by the museum to look at these beautiful models first-hand, this page presents a photo of each engine and a little about it so you can tour the exhibit on your own computer.
This Bentley Rotary engine represents the kind of beauty and excellence in craftsmanship the engines in this collection represent. As an additional item of interest on this particular engine, Paul Knapp built it himself-one of two of the models in the display he built personally. Unlike a radial engine that looks similar, on a rotary engine like this, the propeller is actually attached to the engine itself and the entire engine spins with the propeller on a fixed hollow crankshaft that is attached to the airplane. To see a video of an engine just like this one making its first flight powering a model plane see a YouTube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSYp1jFz6_E.
Shown above are some of the engines in their display cases. The engines fill eleven glass display cases, and a descriptive card next to each makes a self-guided tour possible, although a museum guide is always on hand to answer questions. The 70" long display cases have been placed on 12" tall risers to make viewing easier. Take your time and enjoy the beautiful details of each engine. Photos documenting each can also be seen below. In addition to these engines, the museum also displays over 65 steam, Stirling engines by Rudy Kouhoupt and others plus a collection of vintage 2-cycle, 4-cycle, diesel and CO2 model airplane engines.
Tags: Aviation
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