Rolls Royce Mustang FTB's

[kitnut617]

I thought I had posted a thread about these some time ago but I can't find it anywhere. (Moderators, if I have started one please either merge this thread to it or delete this one)

I'm going to post these because of a discussion on another thread about Unicraft kits. But first let me say this, much of what has been said is quite true. The medium used and quality is quite awful (I'm being PC here  )

Some time ago my theme builds were to make as many of the same variants of a particular aircraft and one of them was P-51 Mustangs.

After collecting the usual A's, B's and D's, I got an H. Then I found that I could get an X and from there I got a book about the X. This then led to the FTB's Rolls Royce had designed. There is a conversion to do the FTB which is made by Unicraft.

First though, here's the RR Mustang Mk.X which is a High Planes kit. The kit allows you to build the various stages that the aircraft appeared as before arriving at the definitive arrangement as shown here.

[kitnut617]

After buying one of the Unicraft FTB conversions, I found that the fuselage/cowling is too short forward of the wing. As I'm a member of Air-Britain Aeronautical Society, members have the benefits of asking questions to 'specialist' in various aeronautical fields. One happens to be a Rolls Royce specialist, who's name is David Birch. He's the 'Official Rolls Royce Historian' and he apprenticed at Rolls Royce during the War and after.

After some questions to him he suggested I buy his book because much of my questions could be answered in it. Well, no --- after buying a copy it just created more questions.

Anyway, from information I obtained from David, I had to lengthen the nose by as much as 8mm. This so the proposed installation of 20mm and even 37mm cannon firing through the spinner could fit between the cockpit and rear of the spinner.

These photos are of the Private Venture Fighter as proposed by Rolls Royce using a mid-fuselage mounted RR Griffon engine. The new fuselage conversion is by Unicraft but includes the 8mm extension to the nose. It is designed to have a Revell P-51B as a donor kit.  However, the wing is wrong for the FTB because Rolls Royce actually used Mustang Mk.I airframes to do the mockup.

[kitnut617]

After having a very informative conversation with David Birch, he told me that a 1/10 wind tunnel model of the PV fighter revealed that the tail surfaces needed about 60% more area. This 1/10 model still exists and through David, I was able to confirm actual dimensions from it.
The plan for the tail was to use a Tempest tail assembly and RR were issued one. But at the same time the Air Ministry suggested it be used as an Flying Test Bed (FTB) as they weren't interested in it as a fighter. The mid-engine arrangement would allow for various engines of size and weight to be tested without having a serious cg problem every time a different engine got installed.

This led to me buying another Unicraft conversion (quite in the corner Lee) which resulted in this model. This time though I used an Italeri Mustang Mk.I as a donor kit. It also depicts the FTB with a Rolls Royce Crecy engine installed

[kitnut617]

Lastly, some pics of the two RR FTB's together. I'll let you judge what you think of the outcome of using Unicraft products.

For the prop on the PVF, I used a slightly modified prop from a Shackleton, the prop on the FTB is the conversion spinner but using some metal HD Hornet blades. I went with the two 4-blade arrangement because the Crecy was projected to put out nearly 5000 hp

[PR19_Kit]

The original FTB looks a mean machine Robert. 

They both look pretty good now you've finished them, but we don't know the trials and tribulations that you had to endure to get that far of course..... 

[kitnut617]

The original FTB looks a mean machine Robert. 

They both look pretty good now you've finished them, but we don't know the trials and tribulations that you had to endure to get that far of course..... 

Trying Kit ---- very trying.    But the end result was worth it.

[TomZ]

Looks great!

TomZ

[rickshaw]

Very nice, Robert.  So, overall, what is your impression of Unicraft models?  Crap or otherwise?

[Rick Lowe]

Nice collection there. 

[kitnut617]

Very nice, Robert.  So, overall, what is your impression of Unicraft models?  Crap or otherwise?

As Lee has quite elegantly put a number of times  -----  the medium used is crap. Full of bubbles but I've found with the few I've built, parts fit the intended donor kit fairly good.  And I've not had one of Igor's conversions that are warped like many other resin kits come like.  And with a bit of a clean up you can get some very unusual subjects. I think I read somewhere here that if the cleaned up parts where dropped in rubber and then cast using a better medium, you'd be quite surprised with the results.

I've got a part started turbo-prop Me 262 in the stash, it got put away for the house move some years ago and it's still there. Got the Trent Meteor almost built too, one of the 'as many variants' of a particular aircraft theme I have going.

[NARSES2]

A Unicraft kit in natural metal finish ? I'm seriously impressed 

As for the P51 X, I'd never heard of it. Thanks for enlightening me. 

Nice collection mate

[kitnut617]

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Chris, the Mk.X was the result of Rolls Royce' efforts to convert Allison engined Mk.I's to Merlin power. North American were also doing a conversion with the Packard Merlin at the same time but delays with the Packard production led to the RR conversion getting done first.  There was a plan put in place to have 500 Mustang Mk.I's delivered to Britain without engines and other equipment. These were then going to have Merlins installed at RR' shadow factory (can't remember which one right now though).

Rolls Royce were issued five surplus to requirement Mk.I's for the prototypes which went through various stages. Wind tunnel testing also revealed that the Merlin Mustang needed extra fin area so RR added 3" to the leading edge of the fin. I've added this to my model as all the five test aircraft eventually received this modification.  North American discovered this too and their solution was to add a dorsal fillet, which apparently didn't work quite as well. They only totally resolved the problem when they built the P-51H which had a much larger fin and the fillet.

[Captain Canada]

Very nice Robert the first one looks like a French fighter on steroids

[kitnut617]

Thanks Todd.

And yes, it does look like something the French would have done at the time. Not really noticed that before  ------ 

[Weaver]

That's a great collection - well done!

I've always rather liked the mid-engined layout: I think it gets an unfairly bad rap because of the Airacobra, when in fact, quite a few of the latter's problems were nothing to do with the engine position and several others were more theoretical than real.