Westland/Grumman F7F-5P 'Bosscat' PR.4

The Rat · July 15, 2009, 05:19:31 AM

Gentlemen, I think we have a new definition for WAY COOL!

Bungle · July 15, 2009, 05:29:05 AM

Quote from: chrisonord on July 14, 2009, 01:48:52 PM
Now this I do like
Is it 48th or 72nd Andy? We need to know more details on this thing,
Smashing!!
Chris.

It is the Monogram 1/72nd Tigercat supplied, I must add, by RotorheadTX. It's been sitting around for about three months in various states of (de)construction. This is where I regret not taking progress pictures !

The nose was extended by cutting the forward section off at the start of the cockpit and adding a 2.5cm Balsa wood slug. This was glued to the fusleage and shaved / sanded to a rough shape. I then added the original nose (plus weight) and continued sanding to shape... and sanding to shape..... and sanding to shape..... Next I gingerly cut out the cockpit tub, shaping the top parts as thin as possible to match the original plastic. Once the depth was good I fixed a thick plastic floor in place with thick superglue to get a flat floor. Seats came out of the spares box - I think from an Italeri F-18. The canopy (which I'm not happy with) is made from a piece of clear plastic persuaded to bend around a large screwdriver. I think this was the fifth attempt ! Crew ladders are from stretched sprue.

I cut off the curved wingtips and added a fillet of thick plastic card. This increased each wing by 1.75cm and followed the lines of the original wing. I the overlaid the plastic card with thin balsa wood and shaved / sanded this to shape.... a lot of sanding in this ! The wing tanks were out of the spares box as is the radome on the tail.

The engines were increased in size by adding, you've guessed it, a 2cm block of Balsa wood and more sanding etc etc. The kit cowlings were added and to decrease the size I added half a wheel from the Airfix Refuellers kit (and some of the tread was left on for effect.... actually because I was getting fed up with sanding). Props are from the Frog Wyvern, luckily I had a spare set and seven kits to choose from. Exhausts are plastic tube cut at angles and the radiators etc all from the spares box.

Underneath is a ventral camera pod made from the spares box plus some clearfix. Suez Stripes are home made (I'm a bit partial to a bit of Suez) the rest out of the spares box.

I have to admit that the idea wasn't 100% mine. I tip my hat to our esteemed colleague Hobbes who got my juices flowing with his Grumman-westland Tigercat Mk. Xvi http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,17847.msg251319.html#msg251319. Mr Hobbes, my apologies for the plagiarism and thank you for the inspiration.

Howard of Effingham · July 15, 2009, 05:33:53 AM

very plausible indeed!

Bungle · July 15, 2009, 06:40:37 AM

Hmmm..... Just uploaded the pictures again. They look a bit dark and I don't know why. They are fine on my screen but definitely go dark when I upload them. These are the same pictures but hopefully brighter.

Hobbes · July 15, 2009, 07:17:09 AM

Bungle,

no apologies necessary. I'm happy to see my ideas taken a step further.

tigercat2 · July 15, 2009, 09:51:57 AM

Superb idea and one of the best models I have ever seen on this forum.

Wes W.

chrisonord · July 15, 2009, 11:01:01 AM

Very very nice,
I have been looking for a 1/72nd scale Tigercat for a while now, and have come to the conclusion that they are as rare as rocking horse poo!!
It just cries out "TURBO PROP ME!!" and load me to the teeth with guns, rockets bombs and missiles.

Hmmm, Turbo coin tiger cat......yuuuuuuuum.

Chris.

tigercat2 · July 15, 2009, 12:52:26 PM

Quote from: chrisonord on July 15, 2009, 11:01:01 AM
Very very nice,
I have been looking for a 1/72nd scale Tigercat for a while now, and have come to the conclusion that they are as rare as rocking horse poo!!
It just cries out "TURBO PROP ME!!" and load me to the teeth with guns, rockets bombs and missiles.
Hmmm, Turbo coin tiger cat......yuuuuuuuum.
Chris.

I have purchased a number of Monogram 1/72 Tigercats recently; I order them from Dean's Hobby Stop in Michigan. Great service and very reasonable on prices.

Wes W.

Mossie · July 15, 2009, 01:40:25 PM

Looks real to me, great job Bungle! Love the Suez stripes.

NARSES2 · July 16, 2009, 01:46:06 AM

Having read how you made it I now see it's an ideal candidate for the "Alan W Hall Memorial Trophy" at Telford this year. Best aircraft in any scale converted using non-commercial materials. IE in the way Alan did them back in the good old days of Airfix Magazine