SNCASO SO-4060

[Archibald]

This was the follow-on to the Vautour, and competitor to the Mirage IV in various competitions (naval heavy fighter, all-weather interceptor, and light bomber in the end).
A prototype was started in 1956 (all weather fighter) but stopped after budget cuts in 1957.
here's a pic ( from Jean Cuny, les avions de combats francais 1945-1960)


I stayed with a dismantled Mirage IV (and MiG-25 bits) after the Mirage VI building...
Well JHM I really apreciate what you send me and already started to use it for this building. thanks again!  

[Rafael]

You're building it?!?!?. I hope you use cardboard (Cardboard, Yum!!!)

[Archibald]

Hmmm cardboard is in great danger since yesterday : I received styren sheets from JHM   It seems to be the end of an era for me...  
Styren would be used for making the wings... fuselage of the Mirage IV is very similar to the SO-4060, its rival. Its because both used two atar-9 engines mounted side by side and fed by similar air intakes...  

[Rafael]

NOOOOooooooo!!!! Don't leave me alone!!!![/size]

[B777LR]

Hmmmm, i need to get some styrene sheets, are they good? Rafael, you might be interested in styrene sheets as well more possibilties with these!

Archie, fuselage reminds me of the Grumman F-11 Tiger. Or that indigenous indian fighter produced in the 1960s and 1970s.

[Rafael]

Yeah, i bought a coupla sheets days ago. Started doing things on my YAK-480 Zwilling from hell (Dorsal fins, propeller blades pylons).....

Really good to work with

[Geoff_B]

Archie

Have you dimensions for the SO-4060 as i might have an idea for a a better source kit to use as a basis after looking at the drawing.

Nice to hear you now have plastic card, i think you'll find it a much better material to use especailly with the various thicknesses. Its the key material in my builds along with Milliput and the normal model fillers.

Cheers

Geoff

[Archibald]

Et c'est partit!
Dimensions of the model are for the 4060B Ie the second column  

[Archibald]

Mirage IV is really the way to go considering the Atars, Mirages intakes...
I agree, it has to be shortened (from 23 m to 19 m or so.... 4 meters mean (1/72 scale) 5.5 cm... not too difficult, cut will occure in the middle of the fuselage, at constant diameter.
I erased the delta wings roots, and filled the gap with putty (what's the difference between putty and milliput ?   )
It actually dry... wings made from styren sheets, horizontal tail from the MiG-25 (it fit well). Most difficult thing is what Le Fana de l'Aviation call "Mitres" (Bishop's cap). You now, the pointed rear-end of the aircraft, around the engines... this also existed on the Grognard strike aircraft of 1950...

The Grognard was cancelled in favor of the Vautour in 1952... and Vautour series were cut by the Mirage IV in 1959 or so.
But both Vautour and Grognard could have evolved into supersonic machines... and they were from public firms.
After reading Le Fana (November and December) on the Grognard, I tried to imagine what a supersonic Grognard would have looked like.
Maybe a kind of cross between the Lightning (stacked engines) , F-107 (dorsal intake) and TSR-2 (cockpit area only).

Hmmm Light bomber cometition between a Supersonic Grognard (stacked engines, dorsal intake!) Supersonic Vautour (podded engines under wings) and Mirage IV (classical, delta wing bomber with internal engines).

Despite it is a fat looking aircraft, I really love the Grognard...

[Archibald]

I've already forgotten how my life was before the putty era  

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Très utiles ses petits cadeaux que Barry nous a envoyé, hein??

Whatever, I'm very anxious to see your model done with all those new goodies you just got!!

[Rafael]

Make your model more Pallatable!!!
Use Cardboard. (Cardboard, Yum!!!)

[Archibald]

Heavy surgery this morning: I have to cut the rear cockpit of the Mirage IV and glue the forward cockpit in the air-intakes area. As JHM send me a small saw (much more efficient than the monster I had before) it was quick and neat.

Main problem: the MiG-25 canopy I plan to use need a dorsal spine behind it... I know how create one. I'll use the  windshield of the -deleted- rear cockpit to make a U- shaped tube of paper. Then this will be glued to the canopy and on the back (on the rear).

Other problem : the forward cockpit had a smaller diameter than the fuselage at the level of the intakes. I "adapted" the fuselage, and filled the gap with putty...

There's also the air intakes : in the Mirage IV, the "lips" nearly mask the  shock wave cone (Souris or mouse). If you look well the pic, in the SO-4060 you can see the "souris" nearly enterely. the "wall" separing the intake of the fuselage also have a different form : in this case, it is larger than the intake itself.
But with styren sheets, all can be corrected

Here's the whole thing in just one photo... (better than a long page of typo )
Rear cockpit, air intake "form", canopies and model!

[Archibald]

To obtain various forms (wings, air intakes) I needed this picture.
first, I copied it in a WORD file.
Then, I calculated the dimensions of the aircraft in 1/72 scale.
After that, I enlarged the picture up to these dimensions.
I printed it, and obtained a model of the wing (in paper).
After that, I cut this paper model, glued it to a styren sheet and cut the plastic (including the panel lines).
Et voila!

^_^  

[Archibald]

Building progress...