Quote from: kerick on July 06, 2023, 01:05:39 PMThe C-130J engines should look really cool. Is that the same engines as the rebuilt Navy E-2s? They have the nice five bladed props.
Don't forget, the 105mm gun on the AC-130s was causing airframe stress. IIRC it started to show cracks. That's why there isn't one on the new AC-130Js.

The E-2 is the T56 engine.  Props do look cool though.  I think I'm going to pick up a C-130J donor and use two of the engines and modify the four props to make CR ones.  Maybe.  We'll see how it looks.  as for the 105mm...probably not gonna go with it, but the 146 had (has) a famously rugged airframe.  One of my good friends flew them for USAir in the 80s.  he told a story of a paint shop stripping the paint. incorrectly and causing some damage to the aluminium skin.  Engineers from Bae were called in to assess the damage and they did a thorough inspection and said it was good to go and it was ridiculously over engineered.   The one that crashed after the crew were shot in the 80s was supersonic when it hit.  Apparently that, or a ham-handed Prince is what it takes to destroy one. 

Quote from: AeroplaneDriver on July 06, 2023, 03:20:22 PM

Quote from: kerick on July 06, 2023, 01:05:39 PMThe C-130J engines should look really cool. Is that the same engines as the rebuilt Navy E-2s? They have the nice five bladed props.
Don't forget, the 105mm gun on the AC-130s was causing airframe stress. IIRC it started to show cracks. That's why there isn't one on the new AC-130Js.

The E-2 is the T56 engine.  Props do look cool though.  I think I'm going to pick up a C-130J donor and use two of the engines and modify the four props to make CR ones.  Maybe.  We'll see how it looks.  as for the 105mm...probably not gonna go with it, but the 146 had (has) a famously rugged airframe.  One of my good friends flew them for USAir in the 80s.  he told a story of a paint shop stripping the paint. incorrectly and causing some damage to the aluminium skin.  Engineers from Bae were called in to assess the damage and they did a thorough inspection and said it was good to go and it was ridiculously over engineered.   The one that crashed after the crew were shot in the 80s was supersonic when it hit.  Apparently that, or a ham-handed Prince is what it takes to destroy one. 

Good stuff! Now you will have to figure out what to do with an engineless C-130.

Quote from: kerick on July 06, 2023, 03:37:56 PM

Quote from: AeroplaneDriver on July 06, 2023, 03:20:22 PM

Quote from: kerick on July 06, 2023, 01:05:39 PMThe C-130J engines should look really cool. Is that the same engines as the rebuilt Navy E-2s? They have the nice five bladed props.
Don't forget, the 105mm gun on the AC-130s was causing airframe stress. IIRC it started to show cracks. That's why there isn't one on the new AC-130Js.

The E-2 is the T56 engine.  Props do look cool though.  I think I'm going to pick up a C-130J donor and use two of the engines and modify the four props to make CR ones.  Maybe.  We'll see how it looks.  as for the 105mm...probably not gonna go with it, but the 146 had (has) a famously rugged airframe.  One of my good friends flew them for USAir in the 80s.  he told a story of a paint shop stripping the paint. incorrectly and causing some damage to the aluminium skin.  Engineers from Bae were called in to assess the damage and they did a thorough inspection and said it was good to go and it was ridiculously over engineered.   The one that crashed after the crew were shot in the 80s was supersonic when it hit.  Apparently that, or a ham-handed Prince is what it takes to destroy one. 

Good stuff! Now you will have to figure out what to do with an engineless C-130.

Put jets on it 

B-52 style......

Quote from: kerick on July 06, 2023, 10:23:25 PMB-52 style......

Oh yeahhhh 😁😁
Doesn't the new Hawkeyes have 8 bladed props??
Counter-rotating props do look so good though 👌

Quote from: kerick on July 06, 2023, 03:37:56 PM

Quote from: AeroplaneDriver on July 06, 2023, 03:20:22 PM

Quote from: kerick on July 06, 2023, 01:05:39 PMGood stuff! Now you will have to figure out what to do with an engineless C-130.

Well I'm gonna have 4 Lycoming turbofans with nowhere to go....

Quote from: AeroplaneDriver on July 07, 2023, 09:52:47 AM

Quote from: kerick on July 06, 2023, 03:37:56 PM

Quote from: AeroplaneDriver on July 06, 2023, 03:20:22 PM

Quote from: kerick on July 06, 2023, 01:05:39 PMGood stuff! Now you will have to figure out what to do with an engineless C-130.

Well I'm gonna have 4 Lycoming turbofans with nowhere to go....

Cool! Top or bottom of the wing?

Minicraft C-130 arrived today.  Got a few days off so hopefully a chance to see how the engines will work on the 146 over the next week or so.  Off on Holibobs to London and Barcelona next weekend, but hoping to get started before then. 

Can't quite wait for pics in this thread, tbh...

Well this is taking off now 🙄
So to speck  😊

Hoping to actually get to work on this one very soon.  Started doing some googling for turboprop 146s, mainly to see if there were any other Whifs out there as I didn't want to do a copy of something else.  Lo and behold there was a turboprop version proposed.  Actually more of an "open rotor" engine but it's the same principle.  I actually quite like the look of it and may abandon the C-130 engine swap.  It looks like the actual proposal could be done easily with spare drop tanks.  The Herc would still donate its prop blades for big counter-rotating props or "rotors". 

Oh that's quite cool ..that works out rather good Nick...you still get what you wanted without having to change anything to serious 

Construction finally underway! 

The 146 kit is nicely detailed but like most small 1/144 airliners it doesn't have a lot of parts so will go together quickly.

I spent some time experimenting to get the look of the "open rotor" engines on the real proposal above bit just couldn't  get the look I wanted so decoded to try the original RR/Allison engine plan.  Had to cut the nacelle from the Minicraft C-130 as part of it is molded into the wing. A section of styrene tubing fits perfectly to extend the spinner.  The 130 props are molded as one piece so I'll be cutting the blades from two of the four to glue onto the extra tubing section to form counter rotating props.

VERY crudely tacked together with no trimming yet to make the nacelle fit, but it gives the idea of the general arrangement.

More permanent attachment about ready for a little Milliput treatment. Actually quite liking the look of this, but second guessing my Gunship plan and wondering if she needs to be a USN or RN COD.  🤔.

Well dammit.  Now that the mods are fairly firmed up and ready for a lot of PSR I have many more ideas popping into my head. 

I'm liking the look even more than I expected so ideas like MPA or Tanker are floating into my head. 

But also with a max Mach number close to .7 compared to the Herc's .58 transit times for a CAS gunship with a Vulcan and a pair of 30mm Rarden cannons plus maybe a pair of Pavaway IV for good measure would have been a nice asset in The Stan...

I see a tough call ahead.