Morane-Saulnier "Petit Pet"

[frank2056]

A few years ago, I bought a handful of 1/72 WWI planes. Most were old Revell kits and one pristine ESCI Neiuport 17. The Revell kits were in bad shape, and most were missing decals, instructions or parts so I got the whole lot for less than $10.

The worst of the lot was a Fokker Eindeker E-III. It was missing several vital parts and the plastic was about as brittle as a resin kit.

I decided to make the most of what was left, and came up with the idea of turning it into a variant of the Morane-Saulnier type G or H, which looked remarkably like the Eindekker.

To make it WIFFier, I wondered what if the Coanda powerplant had been developed past 1910? It wouldn't have displaced piston engines due to the high heat and fuel consumption. But what if in 1915, Messrs. Morane & Saulnier had developed an engine with a performance that rivaled or surpassed existing designs? For one, you wouldn't need an interrupter for the guns.

This is what I have so far:



Most of the white parts (like the tail plane) are replacements. I also added ailerons because wing warping is so 1914!

I used ShroudCalc to produce the pattern for the cowl. The first one was of paper, the second out of a Coke Zero can, and the third out of 0.005" brass:



It was incredibly easy to produce the cowls - less than 10 minutes each from start to finish. I crimped the metal cowls, and the results I think, look very WWI-ish.

I also printed out patterns for the impeller/fan. I didn't like the first fan, so I made a second, with wider blades. The first fan will now go behind the rotary engine. The second will act as the compressor:



Here's a top view with the cowl attached:



A front view with the cowl removed:



And in place:



The headrest area is half a lifeboat from an old Revell T-2 tanker. I still have to add some more details (instrument panel, add the seat, guns, some rigging) and add blast deflectors under the wings. I moved the tail skid forward to keep the plane level on the ground. We don't want to start fires on takeoff!

It'll be a shame to paint the brass, though. I named it "petit pet" (little fart) because I'm really bad at naming things. Help with a good name would be appreciated!

Frank

[John Howling Mouse]

What?  Where'd this come from?!  Encroyable.  I have to set up a new archive folder for this one.  

And that Shroud Calculating site: incredible.  This could really come in handy. All you scratchbuilders save that as a bookmarked favorite!

Any similar helpful calculation sites like that?

I'd keep the "petit pet" moniker though, even if just a term of endearment by her pilots and groundcrew.

[Eddie M.]

Your problem solving and execution is brilliant! Welcome aboard!! B)
    Eddie  

[BlackOps]

Really great build so far Frank, thanks for bringing my feelings of inadequacy back to the surface   :dum:

[Tophe]

I named it "petit pet" (little fart) because I'm really bad at naming things. Help with a good name would be appreciated!
Frank

Your model name sounds delicious, while smells bad...
I don't know if you are speaking French as mother language (like a few of us here) or not. First I thought that "Petit pet" could be misunderstood, as the not intéresting "Petit Pé" (Little-P) or "Petit Pèt" (Little Shock), but I have checked in my phonétic dictionary and this is the still different "Petit Pè" which has a single meaning it seems, your Little Fart. Funny joke (personnaly I like this smile towards killing machines claiming to be heroes...)

[Archibald]

wondered what if the Coanda powerplant had been developed past 1910? It wouldn't have displaced piston engines due to the high heat and fuel consumption. But what if in 1915, Messrs. Morane & Saulnier had developed an engine with a performance that rivaled or surpassed existing designs? For one, you wouldn't need an interrupter for the guns

I wondered exactly the same thing some years ago... well, here's a bomber (which has now a fighter to escort it)
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/forum//index...11139&hl=coanda

Nice petit pet, really!!!  

[B777LR]

HOW CUTE!      

[Brian da Basher]

Wow simply gorgeous!!! Your work is really impressive Frank! I can't wait to see more on this one!

Brian da Basher

[Sisko]

I'm always in awe of someone who does rigged aircraft.

They are the one subject that I am intimdated by.

[frank2056]

Progress on Le Petit Pet!

I made some decals and painted the plane in tan.  The areas that would get hot on the wing roots and the elevator were painted in steel and represent aluminum doped wing surfaces, or aluminum covered wood. I sanded down the upper surface of the main wing because the rib and fabric effect were just ridiculously overdone.

Here's a beauty shot from above:


This is a low port side view. I moved the compressor blade forward and remade the cowl out of aluminum from a soda can (or aluminium for our UK friends) because nothing says aluminum like aluminum! I also added exhaust tubes and a blast deflector and moved the tail skid forward.



This is another side view:



The tail codes are completely made up. The lower letters "Type Rc" stand for "Type Reacteur-Coanda" The aircraft nickname is only on the left side.

I made decals for the wheels because I just didn't want to paint them.

Still left to do is add the cockpit fittings, one or two machine guns (that I'll have to scratch build) a windscreen and the most "fun" part, the rigging... which I'll make as minimal as possible.

Frank

[Brian da Basher]

Wow Frank that's stunning work! I am in complete awe.

For rigging, I suggest .009 steel guitar strings. You can cut them easily to length with a good pair of nippers and secure them to the model with white school glue like Elmer's™. This is by far the easiest rigging method I'd discovered.

I'll be looking forward to your next update on this little beauty!

Brian da Basher

[The Rat]

We are not worthy.  

That is just cool. No, way cool!

Where's my wool?  

[Tophe]

Congratulations... So much better than what the kit was intended to build... This is what-if improvement reaching the top...

[Archibald]

Man, that's just lovely! Hmmm I've have to rebuild my coanda's wings (with pastic card)

Ideas are coming thanks to you !  

[Archibald]

March 18th 1918. An air field 30 km East of Paris

For some days now, Cpt Jean Bonneau had been tasked with an important mission.
His squadron -MS-406- was top secret. This was to be the first test of France new aircraft, the Morane Saulnier Type P.

When training, the pilots had been impressed by the loud noise of the aircraft.

Sgt Henri Cauvert was a pilot of the squadron. He was coming from Toulouse and noticed that "this noise looks like the farts we made after eating a good cassoulet."

A young mecanician warned the pilots that their aircrafts were now ready to fly.But he made a lapse, mistaking "Petit pet" and "Type P"...

He said "Vos petits pets... eeerh Type P sont pret a voler plein gaz..."  (sorry, the pun desn't works in english)

The lapse - added to Cauvert pun on the noise of the plane- stayed.

And that's how the MS Type P become the petit P, due to its noise and a mecanician lapse...


Mission of the squadron was simple : air cover of Paris against the Gothas bombers. The Petit pets had Le Prieur rockets underwings, and their superior speed would help breaking the escort of the bombers...