The lil'est piggy

[Weaver]

Hi Folks

I'm considering a radically modified F-111 for this GB, but I have a question. Does anybody have any bright ideas about how to shorten the nose cone? I'm NOT doing an F-111B so it doesn't have to be a radome, what I'm looking for is more of a simple "tin nose" such as might be carried by a test aircraft. I just can't see how such an aircraft would need the long, drooped radome of the production aircraft, but on the other hand, I can't find any really convincing way of replacing the kit one (Airfix) due to it's peculiar bulkhead shape.

Any bright ideas?

[Mossie]

How about a Tomcat nose?  Should be short & stubby enough for you, although you'd need to fair it in with mucho Milliput, P, S & R.

[Weaver]

How about a Tomcat nose?  Should be short & stubby enough for you, although you'd need to fair it in with mucho Milliput, P, S & R.

Tried it: it's miles off. The problem is the flat on the bottom of the F-111 fuselage/nosecone. The bulkhead shape is almost a "bloated triangle".

I'm beginning to think that the best idea is to sand the "droop" off the bottom of the nose and then see where that gets me. I can then back-fill the hole with evergreen "planks" and filler on top.

[McColm]

What about the sea harrier?

[Weaver]

What about the sea harrier?

Way too small and round-section bulkhead.

It occurs to me that maybe a 1/48th F-16 or F-5 nosecone would have approximately the right cross section, but I don't have either of those to try it with.

[Thorvic]

Put a wedge in a Tornado nose, thats what i did on the F-111M i built some years ago, or possibly look at a Fencer C or D nose.

G

[Steel Penguin]

or have a look at my build thread, i used a cut off fuel pod from a c-130.

[sandiego89]

How about a S-3 viking nose?  Somewhat flat on the bottom and should be fairly close is width.   

[kitnut617]

Javelin nose maybe ---- or a 1/48 Harrier nose

[Weaver]

Okay cheers folks! 

I'm going for the sanded-down original nose option first; I'll resort to grafting other things on if that goes wrong.

The project is to build a 1/48th scale sub-scale demonstrator/research aircraft for the F-111 swing wing technology, as flown by NASA in the early 1960s, using an Airfix 1/72nd F-111 as a basis, the general inspiration being the Lil' Draken sub-scale demonstrator.

Projected mods include:

1. Rounded canopy and cockpit from a 1/48th F-19 Stealth fighter

2. Shortened nose with FTI probe

3. Fixed intakes made by splicing a section into Airfix 1/72nd Viggen intakes

4. Fixed nozzles for non-afterburning engines. Since such jetpipes would probably have bodywork around them, unlike the real F-111's cans, I've cut the back end off a spare F-111 fuselage and will be grafting it on with mucho filler...

5. Fixed, spatted undercarriage from a Plasticart 1/100th Mil-6 (the idea is that the plane is a low-speed handling testbed)

6. All operational ECM bumps and bulges removed

7. White colour scheme with NASA badges

There isn't a spare X-plane number as far as I can see, so I'm thinking of calling it the Bell X-5B, the idea being that they tried to conceal it's true nature by pretending (on paper) that it was just a modification of the original swing-wing research aircraft.

Pictures when there's something worth picturing.


Those of a nasty suspicious nature might notice that:

a) this is the smallest, cutest, least-offensive F-111-derived model I can think of,

and

b) that I don't actually like F-111s,

however these two facts are, of course, completely unrelated. Comrades.