What's on the workbench!

[McColm]

May saw my first exhibits at RAF Hendon went downhill after that. Had to sell the stash and dump the rest.
Found a bed from one of my sisters mates. Had dinner at the Union Jack Club, Waterloo. Saw the Tall Ships at Greenwich.
Cenotaph Parade marched with the Army. Breakfast at the Union Jack Club.
Met up with an old school friend in Staines. Walked over the reservoirs, different world up there. Peaceful but the midges were out in force.
Christmas breakfast and lunch in the Union Jack Club, got the application form.
Two kits bought, need to move on as asbestos is getting removed from block, need to get re-registered for the voting during May Election.
Must renew my passport and drivers licence.
Got a few furniture restoration jobs to do, still got two weeks leave. Will do it then.

Happy New year.

[McColm]

I must admit that I've never heard of Kora Resin Models before, as I was doing some research on the Mach2 PBY-2 Coronado flying boat. They do the transport conversion set, undercarriage, floats and JATO rocket and cockpit sets.

For the Messerschmitt BF 109G the two seater conversion is available as well in 1/72.

The Coronado was flown by the RAF but ended up as a transporter as it lacked the range of the Shorts Sunderland. Hence the twin engine study. A XPB3Y-1 was proposed as a follow on aircraft improving range and payload.
Might use the Kora resin landing gear on the Airfix Sunderland. A five engined Sunderland with the fifth engine in where the nose turret should be and twin tail fins.

The possibility of launching large seaplanes from a land based rail-track takeoff device. Looks like a rail car instead of JATO rockets. However the PBM-1 Mariner and PBM-5 Master could be kitbashed into the P4Y-1 configuration.

Fitting a Delta wing to the Martin P6M-1 Sea Master was proposed as an alternative to the PB-58 Sea Hustler jet flying boat. Mounting the engines on the vertical tail fin or above the wing.

[McColm]

Just running with the idea of what if Convair and Martin aircraft companies had merged during the 1950s.
Convair used quiet a few of the Martins' seaplanes for trials work. So this would make sense to me.
Maybe products such as the Tradewind and Sea Master could have entered service with the military and commercial markets.
Convair lost out to Martin on the XP6M-1 Sea Master but having seen their proposal and desk model, is almost a spitting image apart from the engine layout/ cockpit/ weapons release system/T-tail.

[McColm]

There's an interesting article about the Short Sunderland in FlyPast February 2015 pages 66-88. I like the No.230 Squadron colour scheme 'Black Peter'. Makes you wonder what if the USNavy had deployed the Sunderland and their variants would be.
Yes they had the Catalina, but the Coronado was no match for it. Martin had the Marlin and Mariner.
Whatif the Sunderland was fitted with the Wright R-3350, same engines as the B-29 and the Lockheed Constellation but not the same rating 2,000hp or 2,100hp. Perhaps a stretched fuselage and cargo doors on the fuselage.
Convair did investigate tri-motor concepts for landplanes and seaplanes for military and commercial purposes.
So a three engined Sunderland would make an interesting Whiff. This would look similar to Convairs' Model 31 (1939) a twin fin tail would be needed.
There was a real world Model 31 built as a civilian alternative version to the Martin PBM-1 Mariner with two R-2600 engines. Power plants for the Model 31 were the Wright R-3350 Cyclone engines rated at 2,000hp and it was the first airplane to use that engine.
Model 31 had a top speed of 250 mph and a range of 3,500 miles. The Navy modified this to the XP4Y-1 configuration.
The USNavy did put the P4Y-1 named Corregidor, 200 airplane order for the ASW role. This program was cancelled when the decision was made to allocate the entire production of Wright engines to the newly initiated B-29 bomber.
There was a design study for the commercial market similar to the Sandringham.

[Captain Canada]

I like it.

[McColm]

Seems the 1/144 Boeing 747 shuttle carrier and space shuttle kits are bargains. Of course this is a large model when built and on the other topics featured compared to the C-5 and Airbus 380.
I haven't found a 1/72 Lockheed Constitution kit only the 1/144 Anigrand at almost £75 from Hannants.
Which gave me an idea to use the Revell 1/144 Boeing 747 and change the engines to those of the B-29.

I did come up with a seaplane version but the wings would need moving to the shoulder position. The 747-8 and 747-400 version could be used. I would stretch the upper deck to allow the wings to be repositioned.Engines placed above the wings. Or turboprops, this would make a great alternative to the Tradewind. Perhaps the wings from a 1/144 de Havilland Comet. Possible!

[PR19_Kit]

Comet wings on a 747 will be VERY small indeed! 

[McColm]

What about a variable-incidence wing tilted upwards?

[PR19_Kit]

Sure, but it'd still need to be bigger in the cruise.

Wing area of the Comet 4, the largest Mark, was 2121 sq. ft. whereas on the 747-100, the smallest version, it's 5500 sq. ft.

[McColm]

Wow!
Almost double.
Thanks Kit
I'll keep the original wings and move them.
There are a few 1/200 Lockheed C-141B kits on eBay, that would make a great seaplane. Just reposition the engines and a few tweaks.

[McColm]

Minicraft produced the 1/24 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II. A four door saloon with rubber tyres, opening hood and trunk.
This got me thinking and a quick search on Google reveals that there were two door convertibles and five door station wagons.
The Mark III is completely different and would need serious whiffing.
For me the camper van or Dormobile springs to mind, although I haven't come across any of these in the real world or modelling Whiffs. This would mean slimming down the D-pillar and adding a new rear end. Looks to me as if the Renault 4 could be a donor vehicle for this or scratch build plastic card. Parts from the Revell VW T5 would be used. As you wouldn't need the rear seats of the Silver Cloud the space could be opened up.

As there are plenty of the Minicraft 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II kits available a Rat Rod and a few other whiffs.
A possible change of engine, or a six wheeler.

[PR19_Kit]

The Cloud III wasn't that much different to the Cloud II. The main visual difference were the dual headlights, but more subtle was the lowering of the height of the grille by a couple of inches, requiring the bonnet and front wings to be re-shaped a bit.

I know this first hand as I did the body strength tests on the Cloud III in late 1962.  

I've got a 1/24 Cloud III kit somewhere but can't remember who it's by, maybe Bandai? I was thinking of building it into a pickup, or maybe a Stock Drag Racer? 

[McColm]

Been searching for the Silver Cloud III on line and so far no luck. There's a few diecast in 1/43 and the odd 1/24 but the prices are in triple figures.
Your idea for a Ute/pickup truck, is a bit like my idea for a panel van. But thinking along the lines of something military and an armoured car jumps at me or fire engine/tender.
Another idea is to shorten the bonnet/hood and put an American V8 in its place. Even the "Beast" could slide in from a Spitfire or Hurricane in 1/24 scale.
Another idea is FAB1, the pink six wheeler from Thunderbirds or even a Batmobile. Kitbashed from a coupe with the long nose and side exhaust pipes.Weapons optional.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang- the flying car. Yes I'm going to need a different model for this, dragon wings?

Expanding this idea further and transport for the teachers at Hogwarts, becomes the most outrageous car whiffs. Part car and part animal depending on their houses.
In the real world there a lot of kit cars based around the mini, there was one at the New Years Day Parade. Got it on video. Think they used the doors and the windscreen off the mini.

[McColm]

Been watching "The car's the star" on YouTube. First aired on BBC 2 and repeated on BBC 4.
Deals with the collapse of the British car industry, interesting and also gets behind the scenes on the reasons why.
I've watched the episodes covering the Hillman Imp, Ford Capri and the DMC 12 Deloran.
Not too sure on the Imp, but I know the other two do come in plastic kit form. Got some kitbashing ideas,the gull wings on a Capri could work. The DMC needs a few more Lotus parts.
Could use a Renault 4/5 as a donor for the Imp.

[PR19_Kit]

I wish there was a decent 1/24 kit of an Imp.