1/72 GAF Albatross MK.I

[The Big Gimper]

Folks:

As you may know, I have two modeling related OCD issues:

1. Big wings
2. Tip tanks

So here from my diseased mind here is a future big wing project: The Government Aircraft Factory Albatross MK.I.

The GAF boffins while lying on the beach one day just off Bass Road while watching the Albatrossi soar high above them thought about the next RAAF project which was a low cost, very long range maritime patrol A/C. The considered an update to the Canso, the Neptune and the Shackleton.  

They all had good characteristics and bad ones. None of them had what the specification was looking for: a 3 to 1 wing to fuselage ratio in order to minimize weight and maximize endurance.

On the way back to work, one of boffins, Bruce, looked up and recalled the Albtrossi and at the same saw a time B-25 fly over on its way back to RAAF Point Cook. Hmm, what if I took a B-25 fuselage and mated it with larger wings, say a Shackleton.

Okay, it is a little forced but I want to get to my design.

Here we have a Italeri B-25H fuselage matched up with the Frog Shackleton wings. Surprisingly we have a 3 to 1 wing to fuselage ratio. How did that happen?

There will be only the inboard engines with a pylon or two. I will replace the nose with a glass one. I will need to cover over the right side window as the wing obscures it. I might use bubble windows instead.  







And yes, I still get my tip tanks.  

Thoughts?

[PR19_Kit]

Oh yes, MY kind of aeroplane! 

[The Big Gimper]

Kit:

Maybe one day my Albatross can get snugly with your Vickers Wellesley and we can get little big wings. 

Carl

[Mr.Creak]

Now that's going to be tasty.

[NARSES2]

For some reasons it looks very 1930's to me - really interesting combination 

[PR19_Kit]

Maybe one day my Albatross can get snugly with your Vickers Wellesley and we can get little big wings. 

The mind BOGGLES! 

That top piccie reminds us just how many rivets the Frog Shackleton kit has, ZILLIONS of the darn things! 

On a more practical note, which nose do you have on that B-25? It looks like the short nosed version with the 75 mm cannon in the piccie, but if it's intended to be a maritime recce aircraft the glass panelled nose might be a better choice perhaps?

[The Big Gimper]

@Kit: The B-25 kit has a glass nose so yes I'll swapping out the cannon nose. I also think I'll cover over the upper turret and the existing rear windows and add bubble windows from a B-36.

As for the rivets, oh yeah, way too many. I have seen other builds where folks sand them down and re-scribe. Do I have the motivation and talent to do that? I'm not sure yet. 

@Narses2: Thanks. You're right about the '30s look now that think about it.

@Mr.Creak. It's all Kit's fault. He started me on the path of longer wings make better a airplane. 

[PR19_Kit]

@Mr.Creak. It's all Kit's fault. He started me on the path of longer wings make better a airplane. 

Yeah, yeah..........

OGL always says it's all my fault, nothing new there. 

[Captain Canada]

That's pretty neat !

[loupgarou]

Really impressive idea, I'm envious.
Hope you will build it soon.
Now, I have a CHEAP Chematic Shackleton, what can I mate the wings with....

[tc2324]

Love the concept shots. 

[sequoiaranger]

I like the concept.

Just a minor "criticism". It does seem, though, to have "too much wing". Might you get another B-25, cut out a center-fuselage section (like between the top turret and the side gun positions), and add it in to lengthen the fuselage to "balance" the plane a bit more?

In fact, I think I have some spare B-25 fuselages (Airfix and I think Matchbox) I might send to you. Lemme know.

[McGreig]

Just a minor "criticism". It does seem, though, to have "too much wing".

I'd keep it the way it is, which is very reminiscent of early Tupolev designs, particularly Project 57 (which was essentially a four engined Tu-2):

[The Big Gimper]

Just a minor "criticism". It does seem, though, to have "too much wing".

I'd keep it the way it is, which is very reminiscent of early Tupolev designs, particularly Project 57 (which was essentially a four engined Tu-2):

@SR: Actually you raise an interesting point with respect to kit design. The Shackleton wing has a zillion rivets while the Italeri B-25 has recessed panel lines. Maybe the Airfix B-25 would be kit with its rivet texture would be a better choice.  And an extra plug of 2-4' fore and aft of the wing would be an acceptable design change.

@McG: I'm just having fun with extra left over bits. As noted earlier, it's all PR19_kit fault. 

[sequoiaranger]

>@SR: Actually you raise an interesting point with respect to kit design. The Shackleton wing has a zillion rivets while the Italeri B-25 has recessed panel lines. Maybe the Airfix B-25 would be kit with its rivet texture would be a better choice.  And an extra plug of 2-4' fore and aft of the wing would be an acceptable design change.<

I looked through my boneyard and the only B-25 I have is indeed the rivety Airfix one. Of course there may be subtle differences in the exact cross-section among the manufacturers, but if you think the Airfix fuselage might help the project, lemme know and the Airfix fuselage is yours. If you wanted to BASE the project on the Airfix B-25 and add an Italeri plug, I can help with that, too, but would have to scrounge up all the detail parts (windscreen, turret, interior[?], etc.) for the Airfix version (shouldn't be too hard, though the Airfix parts are mixed in with several other scavenged kits).

PS--the Tupelov design *IS* longer and more balanced. Note that the Tupelov design has slightly more than a "wing width" between the trailing edge of the wing and the tailplanes--the "super B-25" decidedly does NOT, maybe by 6-8 feet or so. Here is a "doctored" version with "my" extension photoshopped in, now "matching" the Tupelov "wing width":