Over on Lego Ideas a Lego Gee Bee Z Super Sportster airplane has landed. This iconic plane features a yellow and black paint job that is instantly recognizable. The sleek fuselage and clean lines proved to be a challenge for the designer, buggyirk, to replicate in Lego. The Lego Gee Bee Z achieved its final shape with only 521 Lego pieces, and a wingspan of 34 studs. You might recognize the Gee Bee from the film “The Rocketeer” but it has a much more interesting history.
“This iconic plane was originally designed in the golden age of air racing, 1931 by Granville Brothers Aircraft of Springfield, Massachusetts USA. The name “Gee Bee” is short for the (G)ranville (B)rothers name. Designed in the middle of the Great Depression with money from investors, it was dubbed the “City of Springfield”. The Gee Bee Z won every race it had entered including the prestigious Thompson Trophy race. Shortly after the Thompson Trophy win, one of the pilots of the Gee Bee Z, Lowell Bayles, would beat the world speed record of 278.48 mph(448.17 km/h). He beat the record with 4 passes by going an average of 281.75 mph(453.43km/h). Unfortunately, in order to officially beat the record, the airplane had to go 4.97 mph(8 km/h) faster than the previous record. Bayles made his final attempt to beat the record on December 5, 1931. This final attempt would end in disaster. The plane crashed, ending Bayles’s life. On January 14, 1932, Lowell Bayles was posthumously awarded the world speed record of 281.75 mph(453.43 km/h) from his previous attempt.” — buggyirk
Go vote for the Lego Gee Bee Z Super Sportster airplane over on Lego Ideas: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/84133