Puddingwrestler's Thundercat

[sotoolslinger]

One man's insane is another man's brilliant. I am that other man. Freakin beauty!!! I  love your mind my brother.

[puddingwrestler]

Well, I'm just off to add the national markings. Using masking tape and a paint brush no less! Then a little weatheration, and pics when I'm done!

Viva San Torta!

[puddingwrestler]

The CAC Thundercat originated during WW2 when australia's Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation was approached to porvide a high-performance seaplane fighter/bomber to provide air support to Australia troops in the pacific. A floatplane was deemed nessecary as airfields were often unavilable, and Australia did not posses Aircraft carriers. CAC had previously had great success modifying American designed aircraft to new missions, so it was decided to follow a similar path. CAC aquired the liscences to the Republic Thunderbolt and set about altering it to a sea plane. Along the way it was decided that twin engines would be fitted. This was due to a shortage of the high-powered units intended for the Thunderbolt - Australian factories were unable to produce these in sufficient numbers, so two smaller engines were fitted. This was planned as a temporary measure with later porduction planes featuring the larger engines. In order to fit twin engines, a push/pull arrangement was settled on, with twin tail booms and twin floats. The design, chirstened the 'Thundercat' was rushed into porduction and rushed to the front. It was not an absolute success as the design featured an unfortunate number of compromises. Floatplanes were nessecarily heavier and less manoueverable than conventional fighters, and the smaller power plants did not provide the perfomrance which Aussie pilots wanted.
The MK.II was another story - by this time, powerplants were readily available, and, rather than re-engineer the plane again to go back to having only one engine, a pair were shoe-horned in. This made the Thundercat possibly the most obscenely over-engined fighter of the entire war. It was still marginally hampered by it's floats, but it made up for this with the immense amount of stores it could carry. The Thundercat had a distinguished military career, although by the time the MK.II reached the front it's role had been filled by American carrier groups and high-speed airfield building techniques.
In 1946, Australia had enourmous stocks of war surplus, and a deal was struck with the tiny South American nation of San Torta, a tiny island nation consisting mostly of jungle, river, and silver mines along with the trinagular eminence who's clearly visible geological strata had given the nation it's name. The San Tortan government had long since decided that building air fields in thier dense jungle was a lost cause and taken to using sea planes. The Thundercat was ideal for thier purposes, and they snapped up twenty-five surplous planes along with all the spares they could carry.
The San Tortan Thundercats, although hampered by chronic spare-parts shortages in later years served their country with distinction until they were retired from front line service in 1968. By this time the Thundercats were looking a bit worn, many of them were wearing non-matching propellors due to parts shortages, and almost every plane had the rear section of it's bubble canopy removed (The next generation San Tortan fighters featured Air-con, so the Pilots stopped removing their canopies after the Thundercat was retired).

This model represents Thundercat KWR of No. 55 squadron, San Torta Airforce as it appeared in the late 1950s. It carries the standard weapond fit of two rocket pods and a pair of 500Lb bombs along with 8 machine guns. The STAF did not reguard upgrading to modern rocket pods as a priority, partially because it was feared the Thundercats could not handle them anyway, and also partially because San Torta's enemies were using even more clapped out machines anyway. Thundercat KWR wears non-matching propellors and has most of it's canopy removed to keep the pilot cool. Also note that, although a Spanish speaking nation, San Tortan aircraft always seem to have thier various warning signs in english (porbably because they are sourced from English speaking nations and the paint shop tech just copy the markings when ever they re-paint the planes)













The JMN are now officially confused and/or frothing at the mouth.

[Weaver]

That's exceedingly nice! 

Reminds me of an idea I dreamed up years ago........

[Eddie M.]

Stupendous! I like everything about it, especially the weathering. Great work!
   Eddie

[lenny100]

great build

realy nice idea

[Brian da Basher]

I really like the markings and weathering which is incredibly realistic! The backstory was a lot of fun too. A sweet project all the way 'round!

Brian da Basher

[BlackOps]

A really really cool build PW!   

[GTX]

Nice work.  Only suggestion I would make (and I know I should have done so earlier ) would be to do something about the cowl flaps on the rear engine and to ensure it had an adequate cooling air supply (maybe with a scoop inlet or similar), though that is only the old engineer in me talking so ignore him.

Regards,

Greg

[gunfighter]

WOW 

[puddingwrestler]

There's an old engineer inside you? Have you considered surgery?

[Ed S]

Nicely finished.  It looks good from both ends.

Ed

[John Howling Mouse]

What a cool ride----absolutely out of the box thinking.

That image from the rear is completely confusing at first.

Excellent work!

[comrade harps]

Beautiful, in an pugnacious bulldog kind of way. Love the weathering.

[lancer]

Damm, that is GOOD!! Nice one Mr. pudding muncher..