For aviation lovers! 1930s BLOCH 210 Bomber iron model

The Bloch 210 was a 2 engine French day and night bomber. It was initially designed in the mid 1930s and quite advanced for those days but in 1939 it was terribly obosolete. L'armée de l'air still order about 253 of them . Others were sold to Romania. The majority of those were lost in 1939-1940 and the surviving ones were flown to North Africa and the Free zone where another 47 were captured by the Luftwaffe in 1942. Of those 6 were sent to Bulgaria.

In other words this was quite a rare bomber and I suspect not many of this little beauties were made for the airmen who flew it and possibly the enginers who worke don the plans. I sort of looks like the Ju52 and would probably have been a good transport plane .

The socle is marber, the plane is very detailled tin/brass and was probably silvered. It is intact except the propelors which need a small restauration. The little pen holder is articulated.

 

a few crashed ones too

 

just some ideas :

The LW generally would of course use anything captured and flying for testing pieces and then for target practice by S/E and T/E fighters generally whether in the air or better yet as a walk around for a staffel of pilots to note the weaknesses for simplicity for air attack(s).
In the case of the Bloch I am also wondering if it may have been a liaison A/C and or used for recon duties before disbandonment.

 

Very possible. What happened to the ones sent to Bulgaria is a mystery I hav eneither seen pics with the Hakenkreuz and not even ones with Romanian colours, but I'm pretty sure they were used for flying, possibly school squadrons or as you say liaison.

Do you like the model btw?

 

good thread of an almost unknown creature............... har har. great model cool fotos.

 

Thanks Skipper, neat!

 

I love this detective work. When I found this piece of art on the floor at a local fair I first thought this was a Farman 221(see link) WarBird Pictures ,but after cleaning it I found the mention Bloch 210 on it . (one main difference is the engines that are part of the wings and not under them as on the Farman). Then I read some were assigned to the Luftwaffe, so it got me intrigued and I am trying to find some of those survivors with beute colours.

 

Thank you for showing pictures of my future Christmas gift ;-))

But seriously, thats a fantastic piece, i love it. )

 

So do I , I am still trying to figure who was the maker, for whom (officers, airmen, engineers who worked ont he project? ) but nada at this point. I don't know whether this was sold to soldiers as a souvenir or given as reward to those who built it (internal to Bloch?) . It's a big mystery, especially considering the high quality of this item and the very few aircrafts that were eventually made which would not justify a large scale cast. One other option could be a gift to foreign defense minister who were potential buyer. (Romania bought a few Blochs 210 just before the war broke out. ). One thing is certain : it must be a rare object .

 

seems quite appropriate going to a find Frenchman in my mind. I cannot see this table top going to anyone better .........

adu

 

Not sure it will help at all, but I think the Marble base is Italian, rather than French - the only marble I have been able to track down with the same very unusual patterning is Portoro Marble;

portoro marble - Google Search
PORTORO-Italy: marble black dark, stone veined yellow

Obviously doesn't rule out a French company making it with imported stone, but it could possibly indicate an Italian factory for the whole item?

Sorry it's not much, but maybe gives you a crumb to follow

 

very interesting object indeed

I started a little aviation blog some two years ago...a piece that I posted devoted to the Bloch 200/210 is the 'most read' subject..

Jet & Prop by FalkeEins

 

and I am am one of your readers, nice blog FalkeEins