SNECMA Colibri (that's 'Hummingbird' in French....)

[PR19_Kit]

I needed something relatively simple to get me back into proper model building after the medics OK'd me to sit without a soft back support (my model room 'chair' is a draughtman's stool so I can rotate to different places easily) so I resurrected one of my part-builds.



The first bit looks like a chunk off a large scale R/C ship model but actually it isn't.....




.....and now of course you know EXACTLY what it is!

Moulded with Mach 2's usual exemplary fine detail and well fitting care (cough, splutter.....) it's the SNECMA Coleoptere kit of course.

The Colibri is going to be an 'in service' Armee de L'Air VTOL point defence interceptor from the mid to late 60s. Colibris were located in flights of 3-4 in warehouses around important possible targets and could be tractored out to surrounding car parks and launched quickly to intercept incoming strikes. Armed with Matra 530 and Magic missiles the Colibris formed a formidable barrier to any potential aggressor. (Yeah, right, but it's going to look good anyway!  )

I'd like to thank Tophe for translating my chosen 'Hummingbird' title into French.  

[Rheged]

................and how are you planning to lengthen  a circular wing?

[Captain Canada]

Funny stuff ! Nice start, good to see you back in the ring !

[PR19_Kit]

................and how are you planning to lengthen  a circular wing?

That's pretty much what Mrs PR_19 said when I showed her the 'first draft' of the model! 

[Tophe]

  Nice project! Have a good health as much as possible

PS. Years after the SNECMA Colibri appeared another Colibri aircraft, see
http://www.google.fr/search?hl=fr&gs_rn=2&gs_ri=serp&pq=avion+colibri&cp=14&gs_id=4&xhr=t&q=avion+colibri+mb2&safe=active&rlz=1G1SMSN_FRFR507&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&bvm=bv.42080656,d.d2k&biw=1463&bih=707&wrapid=tljp136028489282900&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=40wUUf6FFtSZ0QWd6IC4Cw

[PR19_Kit]

Cor, Tophe, I didn't know there was a real Colibri too!

There was another 'Hummingbird', that was the Lockheed XV-4A but it was considerably less stylish than my Colibri. 

[bearmatt]

That will be very interesting to see once finished! 

[Mr.Creak]

And there was a VSTOL Colibri too (But spelt with a "K").

[PR19_Kit]

And there was a VSTOL Colibri too (But spelt with a "K").

I didn't know that Flettner thingie even had a name! Now mine's got some provenence at least. 

More build piccies later today with luck.

[Martin H]

And there was a VSTOL Colibri too (But spelt with a "K").

I didn't know that Flettner thingie even had

Kit. You have lent on the world only known survivor of the Flettner (the V20 WNr280020). Its in the Robin hanger at the Midland Air Museum
Its in need of a lot of TLC. At the mo its pretty much just the metal tube airframe, the museum has plans to rebuild the rest of it at some point in the near future. It shares one thing with XR222. Its an ex Cranfield inmate.

[PR19_Kit]

You learn something new every day, even though I'd leant on it I still didn't know it had a name. 

As for it being at Cranfield I'm vainly wracking my brain trying to remember if I saw it there in my time, but it's coming up blank.

My Colibi's quite a bit prettier though, even if it is just as weird! 

[PR19_Kit]

Lots of PSR work needed on this model (but then it IS a Mach 2 original....) so I've been puttying and sanding for a while, without much visible improvement I must say but I'm getting there slowly. As the missiles carried will include a Matra R530 it'll need a radar illuminator so I hacked the nose off a Matchbox Mirage III (it'd already been partly built but it only cost 5p...) and grafted that onto the nose of the Colibri, MORE PSR needed! After a preliminary sanding of the putty on the wing I tried a test fit of the fuselage and it seems to work quite well, but I can't get the darn thing out again now! A little gentle warming with a hair dryer is called for I think....



The trailer/launcher is proceeding too, with the cradle now glued to the lower platform and one of the 'hydraulic jacks' positioned. The other jack needs lots more fettling and a new piston rod as its original has snapped off and been devoured by the Carpet Monster. 



When complete I plan to display it with the aircraft on its tail and optionally on the cradle too so I tried a test fit of the latter and amazingly it worked quite well! 

[rickshaw]

How, where are are the missiles going to go?

[PR19_Kit]

That's a good question.......... 

Having done quite a few trial fittings the missile load may be limited to just the two Magics as the R530 is a HUGE missle and needs a tall pylon for it to clear the mounting surface. I've also looked at a couple of pod mounted DEFA cannon as well, they'd be a tight fit but may work OK.

This model's stalled a bit as it's SO darn difficult to work with that Mach 2 plastic, in the meanwhile I started on another job, one that uses up large portions of three of my stock items and it's just got to the painting stage...... 

[JayBee]

................and how are you planning to lengthen  a circular wing?

That's pretty much what Mrs PR_19 said when I showed her the 'first draft' of the model! 

Increase the diameter of the ring?