The Quimbaya RC project

The idea

Gold and bronze figures from the time of the Quimbaya culture around 1000 AD were found in Colombia and some of these figures are visually very reminiscent of modern aircraft. This gave me the idea to launch the Quimbaya RC-Project.

Jonathan W. Alexander visited the Museo del Oro - Bogotá in Colombia in 2014 and photographed the artefacts. This resulted in the following video:

Jonathan has kindly given us permission to publish his photos here. Many thanks for that!

 

The Challenge

Choose one of the Quimbaya figures and create an RC model plane from it.

How you go about it, which materials you choose and how you technically implement the pattern is completely up to you. The figures leave a lot of room for ideas - use that. The aim is to be able to present as many of the figures as possible as RC aircraft on this page in the medium term.

If you participate, it would be great if you could inform us about it and document your construction with photos, so that we can also create and offer free plans of it at the end. But please don't let that slow you down. Any commitment is welcome. Wouldn't this also be a project for your model flying group? Imagine a swarm flight, for example, with these wonderful figures.

I would be very happy if you would think about the idea, take it up and participate in some way. What becomes of it ultimately depends on the creativity and enthusiasm of everyone involved. I am convinced that together we can realise something new and exciting.

Share the idea with your modelling friends.

First

Algund Eenboom, Peter Belting and Conrad Lübbers first took up the topic in the 90s and dealt with it intensively. intensively with the topic. This resulted in some model aircraft, a TV production (RTL) and the book "Aircraft of the Pharaohs" (Flugzeuge der Pharaonen).

Peter Belting was kind enough to take his models from the attic and photograph them for our Quimbaya RC project.

Peter Belting: "This is the first model I flew to Erich von Däniken in Beatenberg. Wingspan 93cm, length 93cm, drive with brushed Mabuchi and NC cells".

Further two models, which Peter had built from a fuselage mould. Wingspan 135cm, length 112cm.

A Delta powered by a 10cc internal combustion engine. Wingspan 100cm, length 110cm.

The figures

Below you will find a list of the figures. Since it is difficult to identify them, I suggest to continue calling flying models "Goldflyer", in reference to the models of Algund Eenboom, Peter Belting and Conrad Lübbers.

Pictures from Jonathan W. Alexander

Pictures from Peter Belting

The following pictures come from the Übersee-Museum Bremen. Peter Belting was allowed to take the gold artefacts out of the exhibition under supervision and photograph them.

Photos and video from the Inter-Ex 2017

The following images are from jivaro-models.org.
With the kind permission of Laurent Berlivet.

M. Nila showed his interpretation of a Goldflyer powered by an EDF at Inter-Ex 2017.