Airfix SRN4-Hovercraft ideas

McColm · October 06, 2010, 06:56:27 AM

Hi,
I'm not sure if the Airfix SRN4-Hovercraft has been covered before, due to its rarity (only available on eBay!!).
My idea would be a military version with gun turrets/blisters and a helicopter landing pad on the roof. With ground to air missile batteries for self defence, backed up with rocket launchers or/and smoke dispensers.
If two or more kits could be bought/swapped a stretched version or mega size.
Propulsion could be by jet engines fitted on the roof or attached to the sides. (Good thing this isn't real, the noise would be deafening!!) or contra-rotating using the other kits propellers.
Are there any military hovercraft kits available or is this a viable whiff?

PR19_Kit · October 06, 2010, 07:20:20 AM

Trumpeter do the US Navy LCAC in 1/144 and 1/72 scales, and they're excellent kits too, but toys in comparison with an SRN4!

I've been working on making the Airfix kit into a Super 4 for some while, but the standard kit is a Mk1, and needs converting to a Mk2 before you even start the stretch to the longer version. As the kit is really vintage it has HUNDREDS of parts, made at the time when the parts count indicated the value of the kit perhaps, and there's quite a lot of work involved in doing my conversion, but I suspect your idea would be easier.

You don't have to bother about scale-like appearance of the forward cabins etc. The 'craft would need some notional reinforcement to carry a chopper on the roof, it's not that strong up there and you're only allowed to walk on the railed-in walkways, all the rest is a 'No Step' area. The propulsion units would need moving too, as well as shifting the cushion intakes, as the chopper pad would take up most of the roof.

But it sounds a great idea, BHC would have loved to have done it I'm sure.

In passing, the LCAC has almost the same footprint as a BH7 Wellington 'craft, so I'm looking at doing one of them.....

Hobbes · October 06, 2010, 07:30:01 AM

A military version could dispense with the roof and follow the LCAC layout: two narrow superstructures along the sides, and an open vehicle deck in the middle. SAMs would almost have to be a VLS, to make sure you don't fire through a propeller arc.

McColm · October 06, 2010, 08:17:49 AM

Quote from: Hobbes on October 06, 2010, 07:30:01 AM
A military version could dispense with the roof and follow the LCAC layout: two narrow superstructures along the sides, and an open vehicle deck in the middle. SAMs would almost have to be a VLS, to make sure you don't fire through a propeller arc.

Thanks,
Never thought of that.

McColm · October 06, 2010, 08:24:40 AM

macgregor at britmodeller.com has built a fine example.
hobbylink-japan did sell a re-release kit. don't know if they all sold out.
Airfix last released the kit in 2004 ref:09171

jcf · October 06, 2010, 10:46:21 AM

As to an LCAC like conversion, how about a configuration similar to one of the original Bell layouts?

McColm · October 07, 2010, 02:05:56 AM

Hmm,
Thanks.

Mossie · October 07, 2010, 02:41:06 AM

The Airfix kit might be a good basis to build an aerial aircraft carrier in the style of those seen in Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow. Get a bit of scalorama going, revise the location of the props & you've got a large flat area for aircraft to come & go.

McColm · October 07, 2010, 05:40:39 AM

Quote from: Mossie on October 07, 2010, 02:41:06 AM
The Airfix kit might be a good basis to build an aerial aircraft carrier in the style of those seen in Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow. Get a bit of scalorama going, revise the location of the props & you've got a large flat area for aircraft to come & go.

Do you mean to say, that I wasn't the only one to watch that film and buy the dvd?
Great idea.

kitnut617 · October 07, 2010, 06:25:44 AM

Many moons ago (sometime in the 60's) my Dad took me to somewhere near Portsmouth and we saw a hovercraft show which was held on the beach. There were loads of hovercraft being displayed and one of the highlights of the day was this mock-attack by the Navy and Marines. From what I can remember there had to have been about a dozen hovercraft involved with one big enough to disgorge Land Rovers and 3 Tonners towing guns and other trailers (something like the pic of Jon's). The other hovercraft were of all different sizes but a least a couple were armed SRN-6's, similar to the Vietnam era ones.

The other highlight of course, was a ride up and down the Solent in a SRN-6. I'll remember that for the rest of my life.

Hobbes · October 07, 2010, 06:35:01 AM

That place was probably Lee-on-Solent. On the site where previously the Navy had their hovercraft operations base, you can now find the hovercraft museum; this still hosts an annual hovercraft show.

kitnut617 · October 07, 2010, 06:48:28 AM

Interesting website Hobbes, I remember a few of them.

Mossie · October 07, 2010, 07:28:12 AM

Quote from: McColm on October 07, 2010, 05:40:39 AM
Do you mean to say, that I wasn't the only one to watch that film and buy the dvd?
Great idea.

I watched it but didn't buy the DVD!

PR19_Kit · October 07, 2010, 11:28:59 AM

Robert,

I've been lots of the Hovershows at Lee-on-Solent, maybe we were both at the one you mentioned?

They unloaded mobile stuff from the prototype BH7 at one of them in the 70s, but the most impressive show was when they used the SRN3. That came up the beach, turned sideways and kept on coming (!) till it stopped in a cloud of flying gravel, dropped its side door and disgorged a couple of Landies towng recoil-less rifles and trailers!

You can still visit the inside of the one of the SRN4 Super 4s there, confusingly named a Mk 3, and even get up into the 'cockpit' when they have staff to man it. It's a LONG way down from there to the car deck via the hinged ladder!

kitnut617 · October 07, 2010, 11:49:12 AM

I can't remember what year I went Kit, but it had to have been in the 60's, I didn't do much with my Dad in the 70's unfortunately, started my apprenticeship in 1970 and then it has been all work ever since