Bid for SMW2008 fame and fortune

[kitbasher]

You don't think then that as radar was a very secret subject back then, that the 'censor' guy hadn't been and "touched-up" a large number of the "Official" photos of nightfighter Beaus so they didn't show any aerials to give the game away.  The photos that are emerging now are more from personal collections than from the official standpoint.

Agree that there is always a danger of falling foul of censored photographs Ie, those for public consumption), but having looked again at my ready references culled from magazines a) it's damned hard to se where the censor has been at work, and b) the photos are of an 'official' nature, given their clarity and composition, eg some are Air Ministry, others are A&AEE, etc, for 'official' rather than 'public' consumption.  Granted, a lot of what you see on the internet seems to be of a more 'personal' nature.  Either way the mix is there, hence why I said I didn't entirely agree with Wooksta's conments.
I find hard to understand why a censor would leave the nose 'Christmas tree' but remove the leading edge dipoles?  Surely they all would have gone if the censor (who could be prone to removing items rather crudely - such that it can be easy to spot what is missing (even if you couldn't tell what 'what' was) was having their way?  And as Wooksta points out (and I agree with him) that the Mosquito NF.II only had the nose mounted arrowhead aerial.   

[kitbasher]

Decisions:
1)  1941, therefore leading edge aerials.
2)  Was going to have a leading edge pitot, but instead will have traditional Brit late-30's underwing mast mounted pitot like a Beaufighter's.
3)  Kill markings - yes.  Gont some ready to print off and will sor them in the next few days.
4)  Have chopped up the tubular cap off a recently broken (and discarded) No 2 brush to make flame dampers.  Done 2 so far - fits a treat and when undercoated blak appear to do the business.  So thanks again for the offer Lee but I think it's sorted.

[kitbasher]

OK, still some tidying up to be done this week but finally I think I'm nearly there:

And just for those who may not be familiar with the Battle:

[Martin H]

now that is going to cause a bit of confusion at the Hendon show.....real pity the 1/1 scale Battle is off site for some TLC.

[kitbasher]

Fairey Falcon If, T3937 'KP-S', 409 Sqn RAF, November 1941
When submitting Fairey's proposal to Air Ministry Specification P.27/32 (for a 2-seat light day bomber that would enter service as the Battle), designer Marcel Lobelle expressed in the strongest terms his reservations about what he considered to be serious shortcomings in the specification. He saw the single-engined light bomber as a flawed concept – underpowered, under armed and ineffectual against ground targets, and vulnerable in the air.  Sadly,the events of 1940 and the decimation of the RAF's Battle squadrons would prove Lobelle to be right.
As an alternative, Lobelle proposed a twin-Merlin development of the Battle.  Four nose-mounted Browning .303 machine guns would supplement the bomb load (up from 1500 lbs to 2000 lbs, which would now be carried under the wings.  A single Vickers .303 would serve as rear-facing defensive armament.  The Air Ministry considered the proposal – and rejected it.  Lobelle persisted, but it was only after the Battle's first flight and the horrors of the Spanish Civil War that the RAF sat up and took notice - and even then the response was mixed.
Battle production would not be halted – indeed, the powers that be still had faith in he type as a light bomber – but Fairey's 'twin-Merlin Battle' proposal was now viewed, somewhat ironically, as a heavy fighter in the same mould as the Bf110 and Potez 63.
Whilst provisioning for bomb racks would be retained, Specification F.10/37 (written around Lobelle's proposal) called for heavier fixed forward-firing armament, but no change to the rear-facing defensive armament.  Consequently, Fairey undertook to examine the viability of 6 20mm cannon in lieu of the .303s as the principle weapon.  In the event, 4 were fitted and two .303s retained.  Early day fighter versions were thus equipped, with the type – by now dubbed 'Falcon' – entering service in February 1940.
The type's potential as a night fighter was soon recognised, early night operations relying upon Ground Controlled Intercept and the lookout of the two crew.  Unsurprisingly, results were mixed.  Following trials on a suitably-equipped Blenheim I, it was decided to equip Falcons with Airborne Interception radar.  This resulted in the observer/gunner role becoming one of observer/radar operator sat in a forward facing seat, with the rear defensive armament removed.  The type formed the backbone of Fighter Command's until giving way to the superlative Mosquito in this role from 1942 onwards.
The Falcon saw limited service elsewhere or in other roles.  In home service, a handful were converted to high-speed photographic reconnaissance role to supplant the early (and rather short-legged) PR Spitfires, but were eventually replaced by Mosquitos.  The type was not used in the Far East, but a number of squadrons served in the day and night fighter roles in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations.  Sadly, the Falcon's mid-30s design origins limited the type's development potential, thus it was that the Beaufighter emerged as an anti-shipping strike fighter, a night fighter and a long range attack aircraft.  Similarly, the Mosquito would evolve into a highly successful multi-role type.
However, Marcel Lobelle's persistence paid off.  The Falcon was in the right place at the right time at a crucial stage of the war and even if it quickly faded into obscurity, it proved the underlying concept right and paved the way for far more capable aircraft.
(donor kits: Bilek Battle I; Airfix P-40E Kittyhawk, Mosquito NFII/FBVI/FBXVIII; Matchbox Me410)

[Mossie]

Very nice, worth the wait!  I guess it'll be going in the SMW 2009 comp then?

I've sometimes wondered about a tandem engined Battle (in the style of the Bolkhovitinov Spartak) as a deseperate attempt to give it more power.  The backstory would follow that it was even more flawed than the single engined Battle!

[Supertom]

Nice work there - nevermind it's late for SMW2008, you definitely have to put it up for 2009!

[NARSES2]

That was well worth the wait 

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

That was well worth the wait 

Agreed, wholeheartedly

Ian

[lenny100]

Hope you win this year

[John Howling Mouse]

Um, is this truly a What If or was this the real deal at some point?  It's that good!

[Daryl J.]

Well fool the JMNs and me too.  That was awesome.



Daryl J.

[sotoolslinger]

Really cool design and excellent build

[kitbasher]

Very generous comments, chaps, thank you.  This was a big b*ggeration factor at times with this build and there were one or two occasions when a 'first flight' may have occurred had the bedroom window been open! 

[McGreig]

That was well worth the wait 

What he said  This has to be one of the most convincing whiffs that I've seen.