Da goose needs engines!

[gooberliberation]

All this talk of reviving unfinished builds inspired me to dust off(literally) a 1/200 minicraft Spruce Goose thats been sitting around semi-completed. After much consideration, I've decided that extensive structural mods would push this even deeper into the "never gonna finish" pile.

However, the sucker still needs engines, hopefully better ones so that it could actually fly a respectable distance off the ground.

Any ideas?

[gooberliberation]

Here she is in the paint shop. Already used up one batch of un-yellowing white paint. Scheme im planning for is white over dark blue undersurfaces with USN markings.

Why not overall dark blue? In my universe, they feared that all the heat getting absorbed by acres of dark paint would expand all that wood to make the plane unflyable, as well as making the interior too damned hot.

And because I think it'd look cool.

[cthulhu77]

Loving it...just finished watching "the aviator" again for about the twentieth time, looking forward to seeing this bird of yours in production colours!

[RotorheadTX]

Contraprops, definitely!! (You'll just have to sacrifice a pair of 1/200th DML Bears to the modelling gods to get them. )

As for the paint scheme, I dunno if you're aware of it, but the later USN scheme was white over Seaplane Grey (FS26081 IIRC).

[SebastianP]

You know, that thing would look pretty cool done up as the Air Force One...

SP

[gooberliberation]

Contraprops, definitely!! (You'll just have to sacrifice a pair of 1/200th DML Bears to the modelling gods to get them. )

As for the paint scheme, I dunno if you're aware of it, but the later USN scheme was white over Seaplane Grey (FS26081 IIRC).

Mabye a b-52 as well for some jets

Didnt know about the color scheme. Got any pictures at hand?

..and anyone know if the navy ever had a manufacturer's letter for hughes and/or kaiser built planes? K?

i.e. RK-1

[GeorgeC]

You know, that thing would look pretty cool done up as the Air Force One...

SP

Sounds great - can operate a Spruce Goose on the Potomac?

Contrarotating turboprops - probably the minimum amount of power needed to make this aircraft viable.  The the jet efflux could be directed through some clever flap systems to generate additional lift/vectored thrust.   Under-wing jets, like the B36, might have some water ingestion problems.    

Regards

GeorgeC

Oh - and perhaps some RATO pods - just in case!

[Captain Canada]

I went with a load of props. Just to punish you. Now get at 'er !

 

[waynos]

How about a six turbofan USB (An 72 style) layout?

Heres my '6xTrent' adaptation of the Saro P.92 Queen with the 24xConway original proposal for this 1000 seater project shown below it.

[RotorheadTX]

Contraprops, definitely!! (You'll just have to sacrifice a pair of 1/200th DML Bears to the modelling gods to get them. )

As for the paint scheme, I dunno if you're aware of it, but the later USN scheme was white over Seaplane Grey (FS26081 IIRC).

Didnt know about the color scheme. Got any pictures at hand?

..and anyone know if the navy ever had a manufacturer's letter for hughes and/or kaiser built planes? K?

i.e. RK-1

Errr, I hope I didn't give the wrong impression...I meant the postwar USN seaplane / patrol plane scheme, not anything specific to the Goose.
Take it from my wife - don't listen to me until after I've had my coffee.

Anyway, here are some links to Airliners.net images in the scheme I'm speaking of:
Marlin 1
Albatross 1
Albatross 2
Neptune 1

As for Kaiser, you're correct: the competition that resulted in the Martin Mauler featured the Mauler (BTM), Douglas Destroyer (BTD), the Kaiser-Fleetwing BTK, and the Curtiss BTC.

[gooberliberation]

Errr, I hope I didn't give the wrong impression...I meant the postwar USN seaplane / patrol plane scheme, not anything specific to the Goose.
Take it from my wife - don't listen to me until after I've had my coffee.

Anyway, here are some links to Airliners.net images in the scheme I'm speaking of:
Marlin 1
Albatross 1
Albatross 2
Neptune 1

As for Kaiser, you're correct: the competition that resulted in the Martin Mauler featured the Mauler (BTM), Douglas Destroyer (BTD), the Kaiser-Fleetwing BTK, and the Curtiss BTC.

Figured that much. Thanks for the pics! Any idea when they adopted that scheme?

[RotorheadTX]

According to Squadron/Signal's 'Navy Air Colors Vol.2' the scheme came into effect in Feb. 1959, which is obviously a bit late for the Hercules. Prior to this, fixed-wing seaplane/patrol aircraft  were finished in overall Seaplane Grey, although the Seamaster picked up a white belly in 1955 (anti-flash white??).

But there's more - as I'm reading through the various Navy orders in the book, I find there is a reference that medium and heavy transport aircraft picked up the white top as of August 1953, but this was applied over an overall painted aluminum scheme. This was released as SR.202 the 'Solar Heat Reflecting Scheme" which lines up  exactly with your backstory on the project!!

Go for it!!    

[B777LR]

How about using windmills as props?

http://www.leica-geosystems.com/news/image...es/windmill.jpg

[gooberliberation]

Hey folks, good news, and bad news.

Bad news first:

I can't find the canopy. Its gone forever.... or at least until I dont need it anymore.

The good news:

Now I have THREE excuses to go buy another Hercules! I've been wanting to get one just for the wings and tail for a 1/72 flying tank, now I can snatch some extra props for an 8-blade setup!

[elmayerle]

Extend the nacelles, add exhausts, and effectively replace the R4360s with Tynes.