Fairey Battle Whiffs

[PR19_Kit]

There's a few Fairey & Blackburn aircraft that could beat the F.108 to the title!

Yes, true. The Blackburn Blackburn being THE winner to my mind, YEUK!

[sequoiaranger]

A long time ago I had thought of a "Fairey Marlin" FAA torpedo bomber that would incorporate a Barracuda nose and torpedo on a Battle body (fairly mild whif). That's been on a "back burner" for decades. When I just learned of an MPM twin-cockpit trainer version model coming out, THAT was the "Battle" body I wanted. The crude profile I stitched together for my gallery:



would have the G.I.B. be a radar operator for night torpedo operations (thus no rear-seat gunner).

Seems that the Battle was "tested" in just about every conceivable configuration, thus great grist for the mill of whifs.

[The Wooksta!]

Except the Barracuda had a Merlin, as did the Battle.  A few extra horsepower perhaps (IIRC the Barracuda had a MerlinXX) but the Marlin would be a lash up whereas the Barracuda was designed specifically for the role and by all accounts better than history gives it credit.

[kitnut617]

If you want it to have a Griffon, I'd use the nose off a Fairey Firefly Mk.I, but then the Griffon nose from a Firefly Mk.IV would look neat too, because then you could use wing leading edge radiators.

[sequoiaranger]

>Except the Barracuda had a Merlin, as did the Battle.  A few extra horsepower perhaps... <

Yes. That is really all I want. It will be a night bomber, so doesn't need "escape velocity", just some oomph. The early Spitfires (and the late Battles) had a 1,000-hp Merlin, but the Spitfire IX had a 1700-hp Merlin. More than just "a few extra horsepower", 1700 hp will do nicely, as this is an "early-mid war" plane in my "Furashita's Fleet" slightly-advanced timeline, so it doesn't have be be the "ultimate" torpedo-bomber. That "ultimate" torpedo-bomber is the "Fairey Cuttlefish" biplane jet torpedo-bomber that squirts the torpedo out backwards (pointing forwards) from the rear of the plane. (see:

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=1747    )

[jcf]

Barracuda Mk V was Griffon powered.

[GTX]

Barracuda Mk V was Griffon powered.

Beat me to it.

Regards,

Greg

[NARSES2]

Thread revival time.

Whilst working on my current Airfix Fairey Battle I had plenty of time to muse whilst holding the canopy in place in an attempt to wait until the Clearfix had attached it securely. Anyway for some reason an RAF Sturmovik came to mind, there is a vague similarity between the types especially when you've been holding one between finger and thumb for a while. Checking to see if there was a Battle thread (which there is  ) I noticed the first couple of items in the thread actually reflect my thoughts somewhat.

So a up-engine Battle with the gunner moved closer to the pilot, some armour protection and anti personnel bombs in the wing bomb bays plus heavier gun armament in the wings ? Service in the Middle East ?

[kitbasher]

Interesting.  Check out info regarding Boulton-Paul's P.96 at http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,17868.msg252340.html#msg252340, and also Tony Buttler's Secret Projects Fighters and Bombers 1935-1950.

I've recently pulled apart a second-hand 50p built Airfix Il-2 that will at some point within the next decade or so receive a Napier Sabre, four-blade propellor, a turret and probably leftover Battle wings from my 'Fairey Falcon' (http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,21075.msg299160.html#msg299160).  D-Day stripes of course!  Name?  Boulton-Paul Barbarian - you heard it here first!

[The Wooksta!]

You'd want something smaller than a Battle - Fulmar perhaps?  That started as a light bomber anyway.

[kitbasher]

You'd want something smaller than a Battle - Fulmar perhaps?  That started as a light bomber anyway.

I second that motion.

Graft a Sabre or a Centaurus off an old Matchbox Tempest on the front.

I did a Sabre Firefly once (http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,31452.msg483260.html#msg483260).

[Old Wombat]

Thread revival time.

Whilst working on my current Airfix Fairey Battle I had plenty of time to muse whilst holding the canopy in place in an attempt to wait until the Clearfix had attached it securely. Anyway for some reason an RAF Sturmovik came to mind, there is a vague similarity between the types especially when you've been holding one between finger and thumb for a while. Checking to see if there was a Battle thread (which there is  ) I noticed the first couple of items in the thread actually reflect my thoughts somewhat.

So a up-engine Battle with the gunner moved closer to the pilot, some armour protection and anti personnel bombs in the wing bomb bays plus heavier gun armament in the wings ? Service in the Middle East ?

Chris, you got me to pondering this idea & reading the entries following this, & I thought why not up-engine the Battle (late Merlin or Griffon?), bring the gunner closer to the pilot by cutting out that length of fuselage entirely (thus shortening the aircraft) & reducing the wing length slightly, possibly adding a bit of sweep-back, as per the Il-2, in the process, with 2 x 20mm in the wings plus bomb load of your choice & the gunner could have a choice of 1 x .303 Browning, 2 x .303 Brownings or 1 x .50 Browning. Easy enough to explain the changes to shape as being inspired by the success of the Il-2.

Earlier posts lead me to think that a torpedo version needs to keep the length - otherwise it'd look silly.

[Captain Canada]

A Fulmar would be nice. Beauty kit as well.

[NARSES2]

Like your thinking Old Wombat.

As per the Fulmar idea, it's a good one. Thorvic PM'd me with it as well as seeing it here. I've got an Airfix boxing of somebodies Fulmar as well.

However any attempt to build one is a while off, still it's gone into the "ideas book"

[Mossie]

The Fulmar is Smer's, possibly Merit before that.