Got a question about a whif conversion

[maxmwill]

A short time ago, I was able to buy a model of the Horten IA38 flying wing transport.

In the real world, this was dropped after the engines that were installed on it proved to not have enough power.

Now, to me, if something seems to have the potential to work out, and in my first try, something on this causes it to not work as well as expected, I'd change things until it worked.

Such is my line of thought about this Naranjero.

My whif conversion would be to craft nacelles on this as turboprop power. So, I'd been trying to think what I could use(because if something makes the task easier, it's gonna be used), and that would mean that I'd have to buy a kit of something that has turboprop engines, and the best thing I could come up with would be a 1/72 Herky Bird kit. And, as much as I tried to wrap my head around that(because the props would be aft, while the intakes would be facing forward. The more I thought about it, the less I liked it.

Then I saw a pic of an Avanti. That has pusher props. Turboprops. And as I think about it more, the more sense it makes. The only problem being is that there are no P180 kits, so I'd have to scratch the nacelles, which as I consider this, is not as intimidating as I'd thought.

Not quite sure about final colors, initially I'd thought to put this in Argentine's Antarctic expedition colors, but then I was looking at the history of Aerolineas, so there is that.

Mebbe even UPS South America, or even possibly a clandestine Air South America(bit of a story behind that).

[Weaver]

So what's the question?  

If you're wondering how to do the turboprops, then I'd suggest this: the real plane had radials buried in the wings, so there are already large bays there, and from what I can see, they have cooling intakes on the underside of the wing. I'd just modify the intakes (if necessary) and exhausts to look more like turboprop ones, and not bother about fitting whole turboprop pods.

There's a few ways of making a side/top-mounted turbine exhaust:

Nick one off a cheap helicopter or turboprop plane kit,

Harrier nozzle semi-recessed into the surface (somebody's done this on here recently, but I can't recall who.. ),

Section of thin-wall tubing cut at an angle: could be metal, or plastic with the wall thickness Dremmelled down, or even a drinking straw. K&S Metals do brass tube in a "streamline" cross section (roughly teardrop-shaped) which would made a good nozzle if cut at an angle.

[maxmwill]

Well, as I was trying to think of the right words to use, I seemed to have answered my question in the process.

The kit is the one Igor at Unicraft sells, and there aren't any cooling intakes under the wing.

What I'm thinking of doing is adding to the nacelle bumps on the wings already there.

Are there any cheap turboprop plane kits available?

[rickshaw]

Just add an intake to the nacelle.  This could be from almost any aircraft which has a chin intake (ie P-40), underfuselage intake (ie Hurrican or Mustang, etc.) or almost any small jet aircraft (ie A-4/Jet Provost/etc.)  You then fair that in with some putty.  The exhaust could be made as per Weaver's suggestions.  I've used drinking straws, cut at an acute angle and they work quite well.

The problem with using existing turboprop nacelles is that they are invariably set up the wrong way around, for tractor propellers, with the scoops just behind, so if putting on as a pusher unit, the intake faces the wrong way!

[zenrat]

On my Turboprop Ta 154 Moskito Flying Boat Gunship I had planned to make exhausts from bits of ball point pens.  I have some with ribs and lumps which will add a bit of texture that I won't get with a plain bit of tube.