Twin-fuselage manned plane from RQ-5 UAV

[Tophe]

The Junkers J.1001 being almost finished, I take the next kit I wanted to build/butcherize: RQ-5A Hunter twin-boom UAV, Unicraft 1/72 (see http://www.unicraft.biz/on/hunter/hunter.htm ). Checking the box content more precisely has been a pleasant surprise. I am going to explain, here is the aspect:

[Tophe]

The wonderful news is that the 2 pod parts are not halves but 2 complete pods as options with different engines.
- My old project was like for the Pioneer RQ-2A: turning the engined high-wing UAV 1/72 into a manned low-wing glider 1/144, maybe canard not to reproduce exactly the Pioneer derivative of mine. That was not very thrilling, and the tiny booms were alas fragile (thrice broken during moving for the Pioneer cousin) .
- NOW, with the 2 pods in this RQ-5 kit, this will be a twin-fuselage, very different! I keep the manned scale-down project, but the low-wing principle (for stability discarding undercarriage) is no more required. I keep the glider propeller-less preference of mine.
- The last remaining issue is the span, very little but still too big for the tiny room I have for models. The big wing will be cut and probably turned biplane, asymmetric (longer on port above, longer on starboard below).
--> So, here is the new project of mine, I like it. The "double fuselage" option changed all... Thanks Igor manufacturer, having probably not imagined this (crazy? ) use of extra part

[Tophe]

After the first cutting, the final shape already appears. But a lot of putty/sanding remains to do...

[PR19_Kit]

Hehehe, a 'Tophe Special' in one box, magic! 

[Tophe]

After lots of putty additions... Now much sanding remains to be done.

[Captain Canada]

Crazy cool !

[CAO 700]

Hi Tophe, it looks like a biplane!

[Tophe]

After a lot of sanding:

[Tophe]

The silhouette is not harmonious like this, but this is just to hold for a preliminary picture.
At first, I considered the tailplane would be on top of fuselages, deciding their distance and making a solid link, and most of all hiding the ugly fuselage ends below, but... sanding has turned these ends all right, so... now I consider gluing the fins on them and having a TT-tail above.
This would make room for moving the wings rearwards, to have room for painting a big black canopy in front, sailplane-like. (On only one side, justifying the fuselages shape difference)
This is the project, updated.

[Tophe]

Painting is done, but my wife used the last drops of glue, and all shops are closed on Sunday in France. Completion soon.

[John Howling Mouse]

Your imagination has no bounds, Tophe.  Incredible!   

[PR19_Kit]

Painting is done, but my wife used the last drops of glue, and all shops are closed on Sunday in France. Completion soon.

Your WIFE used the last glue? Has she no shame? 

My wife has her own tool-kit, after a few similar episodes, and that includes no less than SEVEN hammers of different types! 

[Tophe]

Your WIFE used the last glue? Has she no shame? 

Maybe she has, but forgiving her is both a pleasure for me and a proof of love

[Tophe]

This is finished (according to my standards: without undercarriage nor military colours):

[John Howling Mouse]

What's better than a T-Tail?

A TT-tail! 

Thanks for bringing this one to us, Tophe; another one for my growing "Tophe" archive, I'm happy to say.