Pugnacious Pigeon Gb

[gooberliberation]

Plain and simple, build a whiff of an ugly aircraft. The more ungainly, awkward, or unaerodynamic the better.

Sure, ugly is subjective; for example a lot of folks love F/A-18s and F-4 Phantoms while others think they're repulsive, especially the former. If it's ugly status is debatable, then make it worse! Stick some lumps and bumps on it.

And of course, looks go full circle. Ugly planes tend to look bad-arse when they appear brutish and utilitarian. Loading it with an ungodly amount of bombs helps, too.

What makes a ugly plane ugly? Here are some suggestions. Aircraft that have them arent automatically ugly, but adding such features help.

Slab sides. (French interwar bombers)

Greenhouse canopies(German ww2 bombers, fairey battle)

Sloping nose(Fairey Gannet)

Long nose(F/A-18)

Pants instead of spats(Early model Stukas)

Excessive canopy framing(Meteor night fighters)

Huge chin intake/radiator(A-7, Fairey Barracuda)

Bolt-on radome(C-124 Globemaster II)

Really really really big tailfins(Tornado)

Automobile style doors(P-39)

Rediculously small looking powerplant(Breguet Alizé)

Hunchbacks(Two seat Frogfeet)

Tumors and swellings (Guppies, AEW Nimrods)

Asymmetry (BV 141, SeaVixen)

Single tailbooms (Hampden)

Tandem canopies(Mangusta)

Area ruled fatness(Buccaneer's aft section, Two-seat F-102's nose.)

If all else fails, just go for the French, Soviet, or Blackburn inter-war aircraft look.

With proper applications of ugly, you can make even the most handsome aircraft look goofy.


Image from classic airframes website.

[Mossie]

I like this idea.  Might give me an excuse to attack my SR.177.  Mind you, the Klingon Battle cruiser I just picked up could donate several of parts to ugly up an aircraft.  The 'head' would make a good underslung radar pod & it's various bits could make for anonymous SIGINT lumps & bumps.  I also have the SIGINT sprue from the Transall Gabrielle.  Just got to find a kit to put it all on!

[dragon]

Is this intended to light a fire under JHM's butt so he finishes his "World's Ugliest Helicopter"?  If so, it might be considered a good cause. B)  

[Daryl J.]

Why Vern!!!!      To my eye, it's ugly and even more cool


Is there any truth to the SARO SR.53 being released?  Ugly and hugely charismatic.


Are there any kits of the Grumman Ag Cat?


AH-64....now that's ugly.


Amiot 143....in the stash   Ugly+ panorama view


XF10F-1   The Corpulent Dragonfly.

What is that experimental French supersonic that looks like Beetlejuice after his head shrunk?



Daryl J.

[elmayerle]

Don't forget any of the Polish Zubr bombers, those make even the inter-war French designs look good in comparison.

Ford XB-907 prototype bomber version of the Ford Trimotor?

[Mossie]

Is there any truth to the SARO SR.53 being released?  Ugly and hugely charismatic.

Now this is were it get's interesting, I always thought the SR.53 was particularly unoffensive.  Now it's big brother the SR.177 (I might well build the Freightdog kit I've got) is a different matter, it looks brutal!  Just my opinion.  In answer to your question, there's a very firm rumour that Airfix are re-releasing their SR.53.  It's an old kit & unless they re-tool it it'll be very basic, but no-one else is going to release one in a hurry.

We could discuss ugly/beautiful till the cows came home.  I think due to the nature of this, the builder should be allowed to make their own decision as to what is ugly, as we could start a whole forum on this subject!

[Daryl J.]

Mossie,you're so spot on.  I've Been with hyperscale since the beginning and one of the very first discussions that went awry (and how!) was whether or not the P-47 was ugly.          

Until Telford this year, I'd never heard of the little machine but in seeing the picture of it decided one should be in the house.    

Daryl J.

[GTX]

Lots of potential with the GB idea!  I'm thinking some BV-141 variants - say a ground attack variant with less of a 'greenhouse' or maybe even like this earlier Ha-141 variant:




or even simply in other markings such as this by Ronnie:



Regards,

Greg