1/48 F2A-1 Buffalo replica.

TheChronicOne · October 12, 2016, 09:05:39 AM

I like it!

Flyer · October 17, 2016, 03:48:52 PM

Paint finished and dry, last few bits glued on and drying, decals are on so I'm calling it done. Pic's and backstory very soon.

Flyer · October 17, 2016, 11:37:28 PM

I'm not all that happy with the colours, mainly I should have used a darker top colour, but it looks close to what I had in my mind so I'm classing it as a win. The white cylinder behind the pilot is a drinking water tank with a hiking style mouthpiece and tube to stop dehydration on long flights under all that perspex.

1/48 F2A-1 Buffalo replica.

Powered by: Rotec R3600 radial engine.

Wingspan: 23 ft 4 In / 7.105 m

Aircraft structure: Composite with aluminum cowl.

Rotec Engines website: http://www.rotecradialengines.com

Old Wombat · October 18, 2016, 01:39:13 AM

Oh, that's sweet! Great job, mate!

zenrat · October 18, 2016, 03:32:44 AM

Frikkin' great mate.
I like the top colour. DSG (or EDSG) alway look too dark for my liking.

NARSES2 · October 18, 2016, 06:51:42 AM

Looks good to me

I like the contrast between the upper and lower colours personally.

TheChronicOne · October 18, 2016, 08:52:38 AM

Yeah, stop worrying about yer paint so much!!!

It looks fantastic, I'm with Chris, personally, I like the colors and the shades and finish.... wish I had came up with it.

Flyer · October 18, 2016, 11:25:38 PM

Thank you all.

Finally finished a GB entry. Very happy about that.

The more I look at it the more I like it, lighter colours might work better in tropical places or area's that commonly have sea mist too maybe?

Flyer · October 19, 2016, 12:48:14 AM

I think I forgot to mention that when I had the idea of having this sport aircraft involved in a private carrier competition because the hook still deployed I decided it needed a beefier tailwheel setup so I stole that item from a NOVO Vultee Vengeance because the tailwheel is in the middle of a plate type mounting that I think looks like it would deflect the cable if the wheel hit it first, ironic then that it was the change in wheel that locked up the hook.

perttime · October 19, 2016, 06:01:55 AM

To be honest, I've never been a great fan of Brewster Buffalo, ESTHETICALLY. When you scale it down and use pale colours, it becomes sort of cute...

NARSES2 · October 19, 2016, 07:44:50 AM

Quote from: Flyer on October 18, 2016, 11:25:38 PM

The more I look at it the more I like it, lighter colours might work better in tropical places or area's that commonly have sea mist too maybe?

Possibly but they also might just have faded more then usual in the strong sunlight.

Flyer · October 24, 2016, 11:05:15 PM

Ok, now I have a short backstory sorted for this Buffalo to explain about it:

A small group of wealthy and bored sport pilots decided they might get a kick from some friendly competition but were not wanting to go to the normal air race or aerobatics fly off as they had done those too many times over, someone said "spot landing comp?" to a resounding "nah" and there was silence again until "What if we go about it this way, we could have a type of spot landing competition to judge the results of a design and build competition" met a "what, design and build a STOL aircraft?" the reply was "no, I'm thinking more something of a theme build of world war two era carrier planes, and we put a cable out on our grass strip after we mark out a deck or something" and the looks and nods around the group set that idea in motion without hesitation and a set of rules started coming together right there and then.

The whole scenario they decided had to be based on if aircraft, engine and weapon development was a lot slower than what was in real life, and the rules were as follows:

*Aircraft were to be selected from real world 1935-1942 period and set in a period where the war would be within the scenario.

*Aircraft did not have to be designed to a specific scale but had to be reasonably accurate in outline.

*Aircraft paint scheme needed to be believable, adapted to the new timeline.

*If real aircraft had no hook, the addition of a hook needs to be believable.

*Entrants had a week to choose a aircraft, a month to design and 500 days to build.

*Landing competition is a simple 'last one standing' type, miss a wire your out, catch a wire your off again until your on your own, winner takes possesion of all the other entrants aircraft.

And now to the Buffalo:

In 1952 the RAAF had posted their entire fleet of their latest fighter, the carrier capable F2A-1 that they had kept the RAF name 'Buffalo' to the Pacific theatre to help the USN with their F2A-3's that were having endless trouble with the Japanese hoard's of Claude's, the nimble A5M4 fighter that was flooding the entire occupied area daily from Japanese carrier and island bases. Although the Australians had no carrier themselves and only had island bases in a few area's all RAAF Buffalo pilots were kept current in carrier operations, allowing them to use the USN carriers to arm and refuel much closer to the action.

TheChronicOne · October 25, 2016, 08:16:52 AM

Sounds cool!! I like the yard landing comp idea.... hell, if I were a pilot, it would sound like fun to me. Every time I fly a flight sim game one of the parts I love most are the carrier landings.

Sounds like racing for Pink Slips and some guy is going to wind up with a whole air force!!