Ka-50 Tiltrotor

[Ed S]

Some time ago, I received this Dragon/DML Ka-50 from Frank2056.  He had started it, but decided he wouldn't get it finished and sent it to me.  So I figure WHAT IF Kamov had decided to go with a tiltrotor instead of the countrarotating rotors.  As can be seen from the first two photos, the cockpit and basic fuselage have been assembled.  The second two photos show if after the first round of surgery.  The stub wings have been removed, the horizontal & vertical tails removed.  New exhausts have been added (from an old Matchbox Buccaneer).  The new wings have been cut and are shown in their basic position.  They haven't been glued up yet.  There is still some work to get them shaped before I can add them.  I think that this one will be designed with the engines on the fuselage like the real Ka-50 with drive shafts going to a gear box in the wing tips.  This of course would lessen the weight at the wingtips and also simplify the central gear box that drives the props. The new V-tail is from an old ESCI Hokum kit that I used earlier this year to make my AV-3 Vietnam era attack autogyro for the "Beating the Air into Submission" GB.  It can be seen at http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,22800.0.html

I still haven't firmed up the colors and markings other than that it will have a winter/snow camo.

I realize that this kit is a little more completed than usual for a GB, but with the surgery ahead, I expect that it will take about as much work as starting with an unassembled kit.  So I'll leave it up to the moderators to make the decision on it's acceptability.









Ed

[B777LR]

It actually looks a bit like the Fouga Magister...

[Taiidantomcat]

Excellent start... You are a machine Ed! 

[frank2056]

Ed - It's great to see that closet queen (as in sitting in a box in the closet, unfinished...) getting a new - and better - lease on life!

[ChernayaAkula]

This idea has "WIN!" written all over it! 

[Mossie]

It actually looks a bit like the Fouga Magister...

It does, doesn't it?  On seeing the first pic I was thinking 'ornithopter', tilt rotor will be good!

[ysi_maniac]

Excellent start... You are a machine Ed! 

Absolutely agreed!!!

[GTX]

I take it this will end up being Russia's or the USSR's answer to the Bell Advanced Tilt Rotor (BAT) LHX proposal:




Regards,

Greg

[Ed S]

On a frozen, wind swept lake, late January 2015.  A Kamov KA50 fast tiltrotor gunship waits for its next mission supporting Russian and US forces during the battle for the Siberian Oil fields in the First Resources War.









And the underside with rotors in the forward flight position.



Ed

[ChernayaAkula]

Great concept! Great build! Great camo! 

Backstory sounds very interesting as well. 

[Mossie]

Beutiful work Ed & very much 'you'!  Great stuff!

[John Howling Mouse]

Oh boy, that is some seriously good modeling there.  Yikes, that is great, Ed!   

[NARSES2]

Good stuff 

[frank2056]

That looks great, Ed! Where did the engines come from?

[Ed S]

That looks great, Ed! Where did the engines come from?

Actually, the engines are fuselage mounted, same as the RW Ka-50.  The wingtip pods contain gear boxes and transmissions only.  They have vents for cooling airflow.  I added new, larger intakes and exhausts to the kit engines.  There are some weight and roll momentum advantages to engines in the fuselages.  As well as simplifiying the gear box to avoid some of the mechanical crosslinks that are necessary on the V-22 type configuration.

The wingtip rotor pods are modified 1/48 fuel tanks from the scrap parts box.  I made a simple jig to drill the holes for the blades to keep them at the correct angle and position.  Then I added a small intake and exhaust for the cooling air.