TC`s build thread.

[GTX]

 

[Stargazer]

Simple and efficient. Well done! Looking forward to the backup story... 

[Taiidantomcat]

Really fast looking, great build! Still amazed at the idea 

[pyro-manic]

How do you build this quickly?? It takes me weeks to get a model even close to ready for paint! Great idea, and it looks cooooool.

[tc2324]

Cheers guys. Finished this one now so enjoy. Pyro, the simple answer to how I get these done quickly is that I`m not working at the moment. Plenty of time on my hands...

Focke-Wulf Ta 354 `Schurke`

In January 1945, with air superiority all but lost and the Allied armies advancing towards and into Germany, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (German Air Ministry) issued a specification to the aircraft manufacturers for a short take of and landing ground attack aircraft. The main function for this new design was as a specialised Tank Killer to serve mainly on the eastern front. The need for STOL capability was paramount as most of the existing German airfields were under constant attack. This aircraft would need to operate from roads, taxiways and fields if needed.

Kurt Tank headed the design proposal from Focke-Wulf and within two weeks of it being submitted work had started on the prototype. To save time, Tank used the wings, engines and under carriage from an already existing design from Focke-Wulf, the Fw Ta 154. However knowing that the wooden construction of that aircraft had been poorly received due to the many accidents of the type, he changed the materials from wood to light weight aluminium.

The fuselage was a completely new design. It had been something that Kurt Tank had been working on previously prior to this new specification and the original design would have had Jumo jet engines as the power plants. With a high T-tail, the fuselage held a crew of two in tandem. The second crew member was placed behind the pilot and slightly above to give an un-interrupted forward view. As the aircraft would be flying at low level during ground attack missions, it was anticipated that the aircraft would encounter heavy and light Anti Aircraft defences so as a redundancy measure the second pilot was also given flight controls so they could fly the aircraft if the forward pilot became incapacitated during the mission.

The main fixed armament for the aircraft was four fixed 7.62 machine guns fitted into the sides on the forward fuselage and two 37 mm Flak 18 guns fitted under the fuselage under the machine guns. The 37 mm`s were the same as used by the Junkers 87 G but had the advantage that they could hold more ammunition as they were fitted into the aircraft rather than on pods. While each pod on a Ju 87 could only hold six rounds of armour-piercing Tungsten carbide ammunition, the new aircraft could triple that amount. Two ETC 50/VIII bombs rack fairings were also fitted under the wings between the fuselage and engines and four 110lb bombs could be carried if needed.

On March 25th 1945 the prototype was ready for it`s first flight. Given the designation Focke-Wulf Ta 354, it was wheeled out of the hanger at an undisclosed airstrip near Berlin. It remained unpainted and was given over sized markings to prevent trigger happy German anti aircraft gunners from shooting it down. One of the engineers mentioned to Kurt that the aircraft had a `shark like` look about it and with a grin promised that if this aircraft had gone into production it would have been give the name `Schurke`. By now, like most Germans Kurt Tank knew the war was nearly over for Germany and had no disillusions that this flight would probably be it`s last. At 09.42 the aircraft took to the sky and completed three circuits before landing. The very next day the building that was housing the Ta 354 was hit by a stray bomb during and air aid and the building and aircraft were destroyed.

The story of the Ta 354 however, seems not to end there. After the war Kurt Tank accepted an offer from Argentina to work at its aerotechnical institute, the Instituto Aerotécnico in Córdoba under the name of (Prof. Dr.) Pedro Matthies and he moved to Córdoba, with many of his Focke-Wulf co-workers, in 1947. With the fall of President Juan Perón from power in 1955 he moved to India but left most of his designs, old and new, behind. It is said that when he read about the first flight of the new Argentine ground attack aircraft, the FMA IA 58 Pucará, in 1969 a broad and proud smile spread across his face.

Only three pictures were recorded of the aircraft on the morning of the test flight with one showing a Fw 190D  passing for take off to supply top cover.

[Stargazer]

 

[Tophe]

A Pucara turning back to WW2? How do we call that? Reverse History? (or Chronology upside-down )

[tc2324]

Cheers guys, glad you liked.

[tc2324]

Avia S-92 Turbo Prop (Export Version)

Doing my bit for the Green party, I don`t like to see any model kits go to waste, so having an Me 262 kit without engines and Pucarra turbo prop engines without a fuselage I wondered if there was anything that I could do with them. Well, theres only one way to find out....., FIGHT!

Already got an idea as to what the back story will entail, hence the title, so it was time to do a `proof of concept` shot to see how it may well turn out.

[Tophe]

Great project

[Stargazer]

Funny! I'm currently working on a whif based on an Me 262, and at one point I was to replace the jets with turboprops! Eventually I went into a wholde different direction... but it seems I was reading your mind (or you were reading mine!).

[tc2324]

Funny! I'm currently working on a whif based on an Me 262, and at one point I was to replace the jets with turboprops! Eventually I went into a wholde different direction... but it seems I was reading your mind (or you were reading mine!).

Well you know what they say about great minds......

Managed to get the main fuselage and cockpit done last night and started filing down the wings and engines for that perfect fit...

The prop blades that come with the Airfix Pucarra kit have to be individually fitted, which I would imagine goes ok with a 1/48 or above kit, but for a 1/72....

[KJ_Lesnick]

I really like that Lockheed XP-55 Skunk -- it really does look like a plausible early era jet aircraft

[tc2324]

I really like that Lockheed XP-55 Skunk -- it really does look like a plausible early era jet aircraft

Thank you KJ.  The Skunk was my first major bit of kitbashing and came out pretty well god rest her soul. Pretty proud of the backstory too. 

Anyway, getting back to this 1/72 minor kitbash, I got a bit more done tonight. Applied a light spray of primer to help highlight the areas that need to be re-examined. The wing joins to the turbo prop engines need a tiny bit of filler so I will get to work on that tomorrow. The prop blade hubs are not great so I`ll look at them as well. Other than that, this is how she looks at the moment on her `legs`.

[ChernayaAkula]

Oh, now that's just beautiful!