Fairey Rotodyne

[Joe C-P]

I probably won't have it built in time for the contest, but it's under way. I've already cleared off the myriad of simulated rivets, and thinned the trailing edges somewhat. The next project is to detail the cockpit (there aren't even rudder pedals!) and scratch an interior.
I've also taken a first stab at a history. It'll be a COD bird for the Invincibles, but I also had to rewrite history to have Rotodynes in service in the 1970s.

How about some recommendations for a name; what would the RN/RFA have called this bird?
:u
And would they have left the windows, or blocked off most of them?

I'm also looking for a second model, to become a Royal Marine assault ship: chin turret, ball-socket mounted guns in the after fuselage, under wing rocket packs.

[Radish]

:p You brave soul, tackling the Airfix Rotadine! As for a name, how about Albatross or Booby. The Royal Marine gunship sounds interesting, perhaps with a broadside of machine guns? If you wanted an alternative gunship, why not a RNZAF Bristol freighter as trialed in Vietnam, with a 105mm sticking out from the clamshell doors at the front! Would it stand still when the gun fired? You could do a Rescue Rotadyne in yellow, or a Queen's Fight version in pretty colours to transport all the goodies they used to take with them on their jaunts abroad. How about an Early Warning version, equipped with large telescopes for observing incoming aircraft/flack, etc..    :0  :u

[Joe C-P]

Come on ! Step it up...JoeP ! We want that bird done and entered by the 14th !

                          Sarge

That COD sounds like a wicked idea ! Good thinking, it'll be neat to see what colour scheme you put on her.

Cheers,
       Toad

Sorry, Toad, but this one's going to take some time - it's going to get a full interior. I'm going to visit some train stores to find stuff to fill the inside - crates, bags, seating, strapping, lighting, and either an unloading ramp or a forklift. I figure HO scale stuff should be close enough for the interior; does any one make a 1/72 scale forklift?

I haven't decided on the paint scheme. I may go with basic RN dark gray, but with crew-customized markings to liven it up and add some humor, but I'm open to suggestions.

[simmie]

the recent release of the tsr2 decals and the back story that gos with it has got me thinking abot other cancelled projects that may have had as big an impact on a future that never was.  

I believe that  the fairey Rotodyne would have shaken things up a tad, especially RAF helicopter purchases.

Gekkos profiles also got the old imagination fired up.  How about Rotodynes in -

RAF tactical colours, be that old global, europe or current
Transport Command civil style colours, the one with the blue cheat line
Airfield checker
Royal Flight
ETPS/RAE
Desert Storm

With licienced production by Kaman adding many US Army/ USAF (it may have been part of the Cheyenne argument)

then there are civil colours,BAE/BA/BIH
ARC have one in Quantas colours
any comments and opinions

[Dork the kit slayer]

....I see a Japanese  Coast Guard machine,using the old Fujimi decals from the vertol KV.....but there again..I hear voices as well. .so Ill see what the rest of the asylum thinks.  

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

....I see a Japanese  Coast Guard machine,using the old Fujimi decals from the vertol KV.....but there again..I hear voices as well. .so Ill see what the rest of the asylum thinks.

Royal Navy SAR
Medium Sea Grey with red nose/cockpit area, red rudders and wingtips.

RAF SAR
Overall trainer yellow, with one blade yellow too (apparently they paint the rotors this way to make them conspicuous to other aircraft from the top).

RAF Aden
Lt Stone/Dk Earth over glossy black with white cabin roof (a la Hercules/Anson/Beverley etc)

Dutch Navy
EDSG over Sky - decals could come from a passing P-2 neptune (sorry Dork, touchy subject eh ?)

Just my two penn'arth

I H-G

[JC Carbonel]

I am pretty sure I saw once and "somewhere" an artist impression of a Rotodyne in RAF camouflage (like a Belvedere) . Black and white and contemporary (I would say 1957-60). Has any of us this pix in mind (or preferably in a book) and could put in on line ?

thank you

JCC

[Captain Canada]

Yellow, like your RAF rescue idea Ian, but only better.........as in lightning stripes and leaves !



Would love to see one in camo as well, for the Air Div in Europe.

[nev]

Norweigan SAR with the white/dayglo orange scheme  

Royal Marines junglie with the winter camo    

[Joe C-P]

The Rotodyne is a kind of virtual group build 'round these here parts, as virtually all of us are or want to build one. I think the only aircraft more popular with this motley crew is the TSR.2.

Mine:
RN all over Navy Blue - COD for Invincibles (in progress)
USMC camo - armed vertical assault (in the queue)

JoeP

[NARSES2]

Well I'll go with Ian's RAF Aden in that lovely Stone/Earth/Black or go retro and have it over azure Blue, Royal Marines overall green maybe with temporary arctic camo as per Nev or Green/Grey disruptive as Harrier support in latter life ?

Chris

[Mike Wren]

saw some BEA Rotodyne decals the other day...

link (scroll down towards the bottom of the page)

I think it's probably worth doing a search in this forum for 'Rotodyne' as we've discussed some ideas before

[The Rat]

I've got one in the stash, always looking for more.

I can't see camouflaging anything that noisy, bit of a waste. Better to go into battle painted Dayglo orange and make them think you're totally crazy!    

[lancer]

My rotodyne, when I get round to it, is going to be an RM assult craft. Gun and missile pods on the winglets, probable door gunners and a platoon all capable of carrying a platoon of marines and giving them son edecent cover whilst landing them.  Also thinking of an RN ASW version as well, in the nice blue/yellow scheme that the Wasp helos used to have.  

[simmie]

Further to  my earlier entry, I did some quick reaserch over the weekend.  i wasn't sure about the COD idea, whether it would fit on invincible, but the original prototype (Rotodyne Y) would as its rotor was 90ft, the production version (Z) would have had a rotor of 104ft or 109ft.

I aslo did a quick trawl to see what the Rotodynes competition would have been, and they are as follows (this is based on payload):-

DHC-4 Caribou
DHC-5 Buffalo
C-123b Provider
Dart Herald
F27 Fellowship
Bristol Belvedere
H-37 Mojave
Convair CV-440
S-61 Sea King (?)
Hawker Siddeley 748 Andover
CH-46 sea Knight
CH-47 Chinook(?)
CH-53 Sea Stallion (?)

also a few other roles poped up:-

ASW (see WWW.butteredcat.com)
Casevac
Elint
ECM/ESM
Mine Sweeping

other possible users(some of these may have been mentioned already):-

RAAF
RNZAF
RCAF
Indian AF
South African AF
Sweden

The Kaman build variant:-

Israel
Japan