Pirates!

[rallymodeller]

Ahrr, mateys! With the fast aprrroaching International Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19, I am brought to wondering.

If there be modern pirates (say, like the old fashioned scurvy dogs, not the wee ones plaguing the Straits of Molucca) and they had aircraft, what would they be flying?

So here be the GB idea. Build and decorate ye "modern" pirate aircraft, any will do since the dawn of aviation, but the aircraft has to be justified. No F-35's or Rafales ye scalawags -- they have to actually be able to buy and maintain them. Pick a time period, pick a plane.

And have at ye!  

[The Rat]

Hmmm... PBY? Sunderland?  

[Radish]

Sunnerland, me mateys, arrrggghhhhh, with a full broadside to boot.

Or how about a Haseawee Marrrrrlin, aaaarrrrggghhhh!!!!.
I be 'avin one of those in the loftee!!!
Arrrgh :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  

[GTX]

How about some Japanese floatplanes 'acquired' just at the end of the war?  Maybe an A6M2-N 'Rufe' or even a Kawanishi N1K 'Rex':




Regards,

Greg

[Radish]

Ahhhh, they be good ideas, me hearties.

I like the porkyy rossee idea too.....thinkin' of doin' summ't daaaaaft to a SMER Walrus, y'see.

Aaaarrrgghhhhhhhh!!!!!! :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  

[Gary]

Arrr, the Plunderland was the pirate variation of the Sunderland...

[Leigh]

Privateer? :ar:  

[Radish]

AAaaaarrrggghhhh  :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  

[GeorgeC]

Yarrr, and don't ye be letting those scurvy ninjas get one over on the pirate botherhood, mateys!

http://piratevninja.com/

Ta Hell wi ye!

George(IronJack)c

[Daryl J.]

Impossible as it may sound, I've never seen this part of the DG.   For the last few days, I've been putting together ideas for another Porco Rosso run with 'pirate-like' aircraft.   Today, Haakon ( my 3 year old son--a twin) and I were cutting sprues and cleaning up a Testors R3C-2 with intentions to build it into near-Porco standards to accompany the Fine Molds Savoia from the show.


Feel free to use any of these ideas:

Aichi Jake with sideways shooting guns in positions 2 and 3--Nichimo 1/48

Sunderland equipped like Puff the Magic Dragon in Vietnam---Airfix 1/72 [Edit: In all the excitement, the Plunderland mentioned above got missed....I bow to you!  Great name and idea. D.J.]

Ryan PT-20 with single cockpit (aft) with former cockpit used for running rum--the Smuggler--Testors 1/48  (note: Testors just raised the price 100%!!!)

Travel Air Mystery Ship with floats and a range-extending fuel tank midline.--Testors 1/48


And my favorite:  The PZL-11 with floats from a Norseman, modified wings, and full 'bad guy' status in Porco Rosso----Mirage 1/48/Modelcraft 1/48  (note: the 1/72 Heller kit is so beautifully done it may become a genuine collectors item with value several times it's initial selling cost therefore it won't be used from Ye Olde Collection)      

The PZL, the Ryan, and the Curtiss likely will get built sometime in the next 6 months in our house.    



Now, how do I join...etc.  


   :ar:
Daryl J.


Edit: PS--on a pirate's budget, things like the Testors/Hawk kits of Ike, Mike, Mr. Mulligan, the GeeBee, and Revell/Monogram's new Spirit of St. Louis might be inexpensive, justifyable starting points.   Or find someones discarded Accurate Miniatures Vindicator and put it on some Jake floats and equip similarly.

PPS:  Would Pirate aircraft have to be water based or could they be island based, and therefore conventional/retractable landing gear?   I've got something in mind for a Trumpeter SM-79 that I got for just a few dollars...........

[philp]

And don't forget the pirate aircraft of Don Carnage from TailSpin.  Some really neat ideas there.

http://talespinsourcepage.i8.com/aircraft.htm

[Daryl J.]

How about a cobble-together:

Rex float requisitioned from the South Seas. Hole in float for pilot.

Mercedes engine from WW-1 with metal 3-blade prop with a counter-rotating twin blade unit mounted above wing--bare engine, dripping oil.

Corrugated wings---straight.

Butterfly tail---also corrugated.

Underwing floats shaped similar to flat P-47 belly drop tanks but made of metal mounted on single pylon.

External wiring for aileron/elevon controls.

Wings strut mounted.

6 inboard grenades for dropping on 'prey' and one forward mounted flexible Lewis MG.




Does anyone such as Evergreen or Plastruct make a corrugated sheet styrene?
Too bad the Tamiya Rex is so expensive!



Daryl J., going low-budget (well for the imaginary pirate that is)

[Radish]

Well m' hearties, be you remember it be pirate speak day today, so remember it, aye!!

An' another good link be Bill Barnes, so gettee searchin' round this 'ere link, aargh:

http://home.att.net/~dannysoar4/BillBarnes.htm

:ar:  :ar:  :ar:  :ar:  

[jcf]

Speakin' o the King a floatplanes.

This past Spring at the Galaxy Models show in Lynnwood, WA one of the local modellers, Steve Holmes, had a modified Tamiya Kyofu on display. The cockpit had been covered over and a new cockpit opening was created in the float. 'Tis very cool.



Cheers, Jon

[GeorgeC]

an a pirate soundttack so ye won't feel like a landlubber

http://eclectech.co.uk/piratejig.php

Yaaaaaaaaarrrr

IronJackSalmon