Cut price COIN aircraft for Honduras. The story so far.

Weaver · February 11, 2009, 07:04:43 PM

Quote from: chrisonord on February 11, 2009, 04:31:07 PM
Thanks Brian,
I like the splinter cam a lot also as I have used several variations on a few different aircraft, I am doing a Tupolev Backfire at the moment in Splinter cam, it can be very fustrating to do though as overspray and leaking masking tape are a pain.
I have a dassault mystere 4 that tells me it wants turboproping also.
But.....I want to do a twin turbo prop maritime patrol bird and I am struggling to find a suitable (see very cheap) donor aircraft.
Cheers
Chris.

Depends how you define "cheap", but Airfix's Pucara has a pair of Aztazous on a plank-like wing that's bigger than you'd imagine. I'm sure you could think of something to do with the fuselage..........

kitnut617 · February 12, 2009, 05:07:33 AM

There's the Airfix Handley Page Jetstream ----

chrisonord · February 12, 2009, 05:30:31 AM

Now there's a thought,
I have 3 Pucaras in my stash, and I have 3 grumman mohawks, do I sacrifice a pucara and make that into a maritime patrol bird or let the Honduran's have a Mohawk? I am not sure the Pucara will be substantial enough to carry out the role as it would need to carry some form of anti-shipping missile,and at least 1 heavy calibre gun.
Decisions decisions!! I will have a look at the jet stream also, and see what I could do with that.
Cheers,
Chris.

chrisonord · February 12, 2009, 06:09:51 AM

Just had a look for a jetstream kit, but the only ones are in the states or in Australia. So there goes that idea. Maybe I should think outside the turbo prop box and go for a smallish 2 seat jet powered aircraft, centre line cannon pod, fuel tanks on wing tips or drop tanks and a pair of sea skuas. Modify the nose to accept the relevant radar package and there you have it.
Now to find a cheap skyknight or Buckeye, I did have a Buckeye in my loft until one or the roofers helped themselves to some of my kits up there.

chrisonord · February 12, 2009, 06:14:58 AM

Quote from: kitnut617 on February 09, 2009, 07:30:06 AM
Definitely like these Chris, goes along with some of my thinking, here's what I have been playing around with for the last few years:

Hey kitnut you are going to have to get this puppy finished. What have you used as the donor aircraft, it looks like a sabre to me but I could be wrong. This is my kind of aircraft!!
Cheers,
Chris.

Weaver · February 12, 2009, 06:15:20 AM

Taking a leaf out of Kitnut's book, why not see what small business jet/prop airframe you can get (other than a Basset, of course), and then graft a pair of Pucara wings onto it? Multi-seats, long endurance, leg-stretching space, a loo and a galley are usually considered essentials for Maritime Patrol.

As to the Pucara fuselage, I've always thought that scaleorama'd 1/144th airliner wings/engines/tail would be interesting....

chrisonord · February 12, 2009, 06:36:01 AM

Hya Weaver, I have thought about using a jet liner but, I want this bird to be able to attack shipping and carry a suitable weapons load, consisting of a large calibre gun as its main fixed armament. If all else fails I will have to re designate my mother of all COIN birds, the Turbo propped P-2 Neptune I have waiting to be born. This has a turbo prop conversion with it, and I was going to put a turret from an AH-1 w on the underside of the fuselage, copious amounts of underwing hard points, as my kit doesn't have any, and a solid nose, with perhaps an M-61 residing in it.
But, I suppose I could turn it back towards the maritime side of things, retain the auxiliary jet engines to give it a bit more speed, I will have to wait and see as there might be something else that raises its head. I really wanted to make something that was a pusher turbo contra prop as I have an aeroclub westland wyvern contra prop, but as yet I have not found anything suitable that I can nail it to.
Never mind, I am sure I will sort something eventually.
Cheers,
Chris.

kitnut617 · February 12, 2009, 08:02:07 AM

Quote from: chrisonord on February 12, 2009, 06:14:58 AM
Hey kitnut you are going to have to get this puppy finished. What have you used as the donor aircraft, it looks like a sabre to me but I could be wrong. This is my kind of aircraft!!
Cheers,
Chris.

It's the Airfix 1/72 F-86D Sabredog with an Aeroclub Wyvern prop and Aeroclub FJ-4 Fury u/c. The kit had a short-shot port wing half but trying to fix it didn't work so I decided to what if it. Although this could quite easily be a turbo-prop, this exercise is actually my idea what the ultimate piston-engined fighter could have been

chrisonord · February 12, 2009, 08:31:34 AM

it is a very nice looking piece of kit thats for sure kitnut. I have a mistere that could be going that way soon.
But!!!! I have found my inspiration for my maritime patrol aircraft, and what makes it even cheaper than cheap is that I already have a the donor kit and all the other necessary bits for it. I have taken all the ideas regarding biz-jets pucara's and radar capability, along with the aircraft being turbo fan powered, and.....the main bit of surgery needed doesn't even need any filler!! Which is nice. So I am not going to say anything else until I have done some more work on this project. Looks like the splinter cam Backfire is now a splinter cam back boiler.
Chris

Weaver · February 12, 2009, 09:58:53 AM

Chris - you have PM.