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Minimoa colour scheme

Anything to do with gliders & gliding.
Paul_Williams
Posts: 173
Joined: 18 Mar 2015, 17:53

Re: Minimoa colour scheme

Post by Paul_Williams »

It is said that 110 Minimoa's were built but I am not entirely sure whether that includes the early prototypes which had a high wing or is just the standard production Minimoa, which may or may not include an unknown number of Minimoa 38 and one Minimoa 39. Can anyone clarify that ?

More than half the numeric NSFK type Minimoa registrations are known.
Something like 10-12 Minimoas were built during the era of multi colour fuselages and 'name' registrations but few of the names are known.

High wing prototypes
D-GOPPINGER INDUSTRIE
YR-AVP to Rumania but did it have or need a German name before export ?
One to Japan name unknown

Mid wing
D-STADT NECKARGMUND later D-14-790
D-CHEMNITZ exported to Argentina as D-ARGENTINA later CC-PIA

So there probably at least six unknown names...…….. help !

First part of German Glider Colours and Markings has been written and will appear in a few weeks as a separate thread.
That's assuming I don't get stranded on a cruise ship near Mexico :o
Paul
IJNoble
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Joined: 08 Apr 2019, 12:31
Location: USA

Re: Minimoa colour scheme

Post by IJNoble »

Hi Paul,
Hope you made it safely back to the UK and have survived the storms without damage.
Well, we know there was a D-Chemnitz II, and I believe there was a Chemnitz III also. I did see a sketch in a pre war german magazine with a Minimoa with Nobel-5 or 6 on it. It was in an all over dark colour
I found the photo of the white/light blue Kranich on Facebook. One of the Vintage Glider group members had posted it.
My friend who i had sent the black and white Minimoa photo with the officers standing by the nose, has completed the colour analysis and his results indicted that the nose was in the dark red/brown spectrum. So that would confirm the Ocher colour you said.
I'm looking forward to reading your article. Thank you for putting in the time and effort.

Best regards,
Ian
Paul_Williams
Posts: 173
Joined: 18 Mar 2015, 17:53

Re: Minimoa colour scheme

Post by Paul_Williams »

Hi Ian,
well the weather was a heck of a lot warmer is Miami/Belize and Mexico than it was here thanks :D
The return to Heathrow was pretty lively as vicious crosswind gusts nearly weather-cocked the 747 off the runway a second before touchdown but an equally strong correction saved the day. Three cheers for the captain !

I shouldn't have rushed a post before leaving for holiday and failed to check another excellent source, so here is a better list.

D-Goppinger Industrie flat sided fuselage - was sold to Japan
D-Goppinger Industrie was a replacement for the above and was a different airframe with oval fuselage ….so 2 with this registration.
YR-AVP sold to Romania
D-Stadt Neckargmund later D-14-790 (D-15??)
D-Chemnitz II is this actually D-Argentina ?? sold to Argentina
D-Chemnitz III D-7-122

Note that in Vom Wolf Zum Mini Nimbus, Peter Selinger also refers to D-Argentina AND D-7-122 as being D-Chemnitz III

D-Nobel II was a Rhonsperber and D-Nob l 5 was a Motor Baby. A Minimoa D-Nobel 6 sounds likely - any chance you can locate the source ?

So it looks like that we have identified 7 'named' Minimoas - so maybe another 3 or 5 to find !

Thanks for the feedback on the 'ochre' colour, most appreciated.
Paul
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VinceC
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Re: Minimoa colour scheme

Post by VinceC »

I hope these observations help

The Early Minimoa sold to Japan and flown by Wolf Hirth was not flat sided, it was oval, see photos

I have attached photos of the Romanian with writing on the side

D-Goppinger Industrie, a high wing Minimoa, was sent to Argentina as part of the South American Expedition in 1934 ( I have several photos, but can't find them at the moment) and I think it returned as Wolf Hirth wrote; "On the 26.6.1937 my good old Moazagotl goes to Berlin as Ludwig Hofmann has to fly it during the international contest It is not in good condition but it will do!". I believe it was registered as D-4-602

D-Argentina was a shoulder wing Minimoa as was D-Chemnitz II and subsequent
Attachments
image002.jpg
Gö-3(Tachikawa Ki 25)(2).jpg
Ki 25 kai pic.jpg
minimoa-1936_37913201852_o.jpg
YR-AVP.jpg
D-4-602_2.jpg
D-CHEMNITZ III_2.jpeg
Argentina Minimoa.jpg
D-CHEMNITZ III_2.jpeg
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VinceC
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Re: Minimoa colour scheme

Post by VinceC »

I found a couple of photos in Argentina
Moazagotl in El Palomar.jpg
Moazagotl in El Palomar.jpg (35.42 KiB) Viewed 2478 times
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Moazagotl and Grunau Baby in El Palomar.jpg
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VinceC
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Re: Minimoa colour scheme

Post by VinceC »

It also looks like D-Argentina is not a registration on the side, just Argentina
Attachments
Argentina.jpg
Paul_Williams
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Joined: 18 Mar 2015, 17:53

Re: Minimoa colour scheme

Post by Paul_Williams »

Vince, many thanks for sharing the photos which resolve some points and raise more questions !
It is amazing that the early history of the iconic Minimoa should still be so unclear.

You are absolutely right to point out that there is no 'D' in front of Argentina !!! everyone, including myself have just assumed it was a 'D' registration, even though all the photos show it was not.

The name on YR-AVP looks like LUNA BUCURSTILOR …….. I'm assuming that's a Rumainian sponsor ????

The Moazagotl was a 20m span, strut braced design and only one was built and registered D- Moazagotl later D-4-602, it was scaled down to 17m to create the Minimoa (Mini- Moazagotl), so I don't think Wolf Hirth could be referring to a Minimoa prototype.

Martin Simons and Manfred Krieg/Bernd Dieckmann state that D-Goppinger Industrie went to Japan, was sold there but soon destroyed in a crash.
They also agree that it appears that a second early Minimoa went to Japan.
If there really were two Goppingr IndustrieMinimoas, were the markings identical (i.e.so they don't prove there were one or two) or can any differences be detected in photos ?

Your Japanese Minimoa drawing is really interesting in that it shows the early shoulder wing, early cockpit but with an oval fuselage, whilst photos clearly show that D-Goppinger Industrie was slab sided (from the wing aft). Can I suggest this might represent the second Minimoa that went to Japan ?

Is it possible to enhance the fuselage area of the Japanese photo to see if the fuselage is oval of flat sided - maybe with a photo of D-Gopp as a comparison ?

Fascinating stuff Vince.
Paul
Can I ask if you meant that the white shoulder wing Minimoa photo with dark nose and stripe, went to Japan ?
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VinceC
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Re: Minimoa colour scheme

Post by VinceC »

If there were two Goppinger Industrie's, could this be the second
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Goppinger Industrie.tif
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VinceC
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Re: Minimoa colour scheme

Post by VinceC »

Here are 2 more Japanese Minimoas and a Japanese glider list in xls format
Attachments
15856557300_f606e5cb24_o.jpg
Gö-3(Tachikawa Ki 25)(1).jpg
JAPAN_.xls
(106.5 KiB) Downloaded 107 times
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VinceC
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Re: Minimoa colour scheme

Post by VinceC »

I am sure you know that the Minimoa was originally designed as the Gruanau 7, here is a document
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moazagotl.pdf
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