The Schneider Gruanu Baby was an early glider designed and initially manufactured in Germany from 1931.

They were very successful and over 6,000 were manufactured around the world, including Australia.

From the late 1920s gliding was a way in which people could participate in flying without the expense of a powered aeroplane.

The Grunau Baby, which was designed by Edmund Schneider and first built in the town of Grunau, was designed to be used for both training and cross country soaring.

It’s simple but rugged design meant it could be constructed from plans and an estimated 6,000 were built 20 countries.

The Baby was introduced in 1931 and was an instant success. It was slightly redesigned in 1932 as the Baby II and remained popular through the 1930s.

The first Baby arrived in Australia in 1937.

After the war Schneider migrated to Australia where he revised the design into the Baby 3 and Baby 4 which had enclosed cockpits

This model represents a standard Baby I in the mid 1930s.

CMR 1/72 kit. Completed in April 2018.