Grumman-westland Tigercat Mk. Xvi

[Hobbes]

For this build, I've decided to mangle one of the aircraft on my rubbish pile:



It'll get new engines, a swept wing and assorted other goodies. I built the Tigercat when I was 10 or so, hence the curious paint scheme. I'm going to try and strip the paint, we'll see how that goes.

(since I'm moderating this GB, this 'entry' is ineligible, but I wanted to do something with the Piston Perfection theme anyway)  

[Brian da Basher]

Best of luck stripping off that paint, Harro! I'm going to enjoy watching you bring this old build back to life!

Brian da Basher

[Hobbes]

To my surprise, the paint is coming off like a charm. I'd expected 30 year-old Revell and Humbrol enamels to be pretty much indestructible, but it comes right off when sprayed with oven cleaner.  

[Hobbes]

All the ingredients are present, and I'm almost ready to assemble the plane:

[Hobbes]

Assembly has gone well, I'm about ready to start painting:

[kitnut617]

All Right    wicked    

[McGreig]

Impressive all round, from the restoration and cleaning of the old parts to the modifications.   That swept wing looks just right.   Looking forward to seeing this finished.  

[GTX]

Impressive - what type of engines are supposedly fitted?

Regards,

Greg

[Hobbes]

Napier Nomads.  

[GTX]

Cool - thanks.

Regards,

Greg

[Brian da Basher]

Cool is the word, Harro! I love what you've got going on here! Especially the swept wings and tail and closely cowled engines as well as the contra props! You've managed to incorporate every modern element of Piston Perfection in one really sweet package!

Brian da Basher

[Mike Wren]

looking great...    

[Hobbes]

It's finished!



At the end of WW2, it became clear that development of the jet engine had hit a brick wall. Power Jets Ltd had been unable to come up with a workable design, and similarly the German effort turned out to contribute only to Germany's defeat, by diverting precious engineering effort and resources into a project whose results were negligible. A few German jet fighters engaged in combat towards the end of the war, but most of those fights ended prematurely due to engine failure.

After the war, the British regarded jet development as a low priority, and they relegated the project to an institute for fundamental research for an indefinite period. Meanwhile, advanced development of the piston engine was given top priority, as were other efforts to squeeze more performance from piston-engined fighters.

As a result, the digital electronics pioneered at Bletchley Park soon found their way into the aviation industry. In the 1950s, computers were used to study aerodynamics, enabling higher aircraft speeds and reducing drag. British firms pioneered electronic fuel injection, increasing both power and efficiency over previous versions.

At the end of the war, Westland was unable to continue designing aircraft on its own, and sought collaboration with Grumman. They jointly marketed the Tigercat to the RAF and RN. A fortuitous decision, as it turned out. Aerodynamics studies showed the Tigercat to have more scope for development than any British naval fighter. Resources were provided by the British Government for Westland to develop the Tigercat even further. The result was a series of incremental improvements. By the time Westland released the Mk XIII, their design only had the fuselage shape and structure in common with Grumman's initial design.
The Mk. XVI shown here has the following advanced features:

1. The entire skin is welded or glued to the frame instead of being riveted. This reduces drag and makes the airframe stronger.

2. A new wing and new tail surfaces are installed, swept back to accomodate the higher speeds. The wing is at a shallower angle, again to reduce drag.


3. The engines are Napier Nomads: water-cooled two-stroke Diesels which combine lots of power with the ultimate in fuel efficiency. As a result, the aircraft's range is enormous. The fuel has another advantage: hits are less likely to result in a fire.
At some 4000 shp each (plus some thrust from the exhausts), the engines gave the aircraft a max. continuous speed of about 900 km/h. With the afterburners engaged, another 30 km/h can be added for short periods.

More on the Nomad: http://www.acme-engineering.nl/Nomad.html

4. The engine nacelles are designed to minimise drag. The radiators are fed by an annular intake, and by a set of NACA ducts in the sides of the nacelles. This also means the radiators can be protected by armor, decreasing the risk of engine failure when the aircraft is hit.


The Mk. XVI shown here is an all-weather fighter. It contains an AI.16 radar set, its armament consists of two 30 mm cannon in the wing roots, and up to four Firestreak missiles.
To accomodate the radar, the nose gear has been redesigned and moved back (see the bottom view).

The aircraft is seen here on its first deployment, wearing an experimental 'low-visibility' desert camouflage.







Ingredients: a Monogram 1:72 Tigercat, some electrical pipe, Aeroclub Wyvern props, a drinking straw, and plastic plate and rod. The missiles are scratchbuilt. The rear end of the nacelles is from a pair of floats I found in the spares box, the drinking straw is the exhaust. The decals are from the Xtradecals 1:144 Hunters sheet.

[nev]

sharp! 

[kitnut617]

I really like this Hobbes, wonderfully done and as it happens, falls in with my thinking on where piston engined aircraft might have gone.