Saunders-Roe SR41 Flying Boat

[TallEng]

Thanks for all the encouraging comments everybody,
And special thanks to Jon for showing what the S.41 would have looked like
Pugnacious looking Aircraft, and the designer obviously took the "heavy defensive armament" bit of the
Spec very seriously  
And those reverse cooling flow Centaurus just look plain odd to me!
Still it's all food for thought for my S.41.
I definitely want to do something to the engines to make them look less like P+W Wasps,
Maybe removing the large intake from underneath, and giving them a Sea Fury type Centaurus
Exhaust.
Other things on the to do list; well there's the wings, they've obviously got to go up and I want to try
And make them less B29/50 like. Then there's the "Heavy defensive armament" hmmm...
I suppose I could use remote turrets (like the B29) on the fuselage with Barbettes for the sides and remotely sighted rear cannon in the tail.
Camouflage? As its a late war design, maybe for use in the Pacific as part of Tiger force? Was there a special
Tiger Force Camouflage scheme for flying boats?
On the other hand I could say it was produced too late to take part in the War, remove all the Armament and convert it to a troop/cargo carrier, it would look quite smart in RAF Transport Command white/Grey with the Blue Cheatline
What do you think?
Regards
Keith

[Captain Canada]

Woah....what an awesome idea ! Look forward to seeing this one progress. Seems simple enough ! Well, on paper anyway.....

[TallEng]

How does the reverse flow cooling system work on that Centaurus?

At a rough guess I would say that the Air enters via the wing intake, and is then ducted forward over the top half of the engine, till it reaches the front of the cowling it's then directed down and rearwards over the bottom half of the engine and exits underneath alongside the engines exhausts.

Regards
Keith

[Weaver]

Hah - great minds and all that: I had the idea to mate a Stratocruiser with a Clipper to make a "Stratoclipper" much along the same lines as your project but civilian. My donor kits are 1/144th, Minicraft and Airfix respectively.

I have the same rpoblem in working out hoeto do the wings. They can't just pass through the top of the hull like they do on the Clipper because the Stratocruiser is pressurised, so as far as I can see, they have to go above it in a scratchbuilt hump. Scratchbuilding that hump and getting it straight gives me pause for thought though....

[TallEng]

Hah - great minds and all that: I had the idea to mate a Stratocruiser with a Clipper to make a "Stratoclipper" much along the same lines as your project but civilian. My donor kits are 1/144th, Minicraft and Airfix respectively.

I have the same rpoblem in working out hoeto do the wings. They can't just pass through the top of the hull like they do on the Clipper because the Stratocruiser is pressurised, so as far as I can see, they have to go above it in a scratchbuilt hump. Scratchbuilding that hump and getting it straight gives me pause for thought though....

Well actually on most modern airliners the wings pass straight through the pressurized area of the fuselage,
Except of course the front and rear spars then form a pressure bulkhead, and the area in between is used to stow
Stuff like the Undercarriage, hydraulic reservoirs etc, which doesn't need to be in the pressurized area.
The B737 is a good example. So you could just attach the wings either side at the top of the fuselage, and not worry about scratch building the hump. Although you'll still have to get them on straight 

Regards
Keith

[jcf]

How does the reverse flow cooling system work on that Centaurus?

At a rough guess I would say that the Air enters via the wing intake, and is then ducted forward over the top half of the engine, till it reaches the front of the cowling it's then directed down and rearwards over the bottom half of the engine and exits underneath alongside the engines exhausts.

Regards
Keith

Yep, pretty much like the Gipsy Twelve/Gipsy King on the DH Albatross and Don.

[jcf]

Futz with the cente section of the wing and make it parallel chord,
like the XPBB-1 Lone Ranger?

[Weaver]

Hah - great minds and all that: I had the idea to mate a Stratocruiser with a Clipper to make a "Stratoclipper" much along the same lines as your project but civilian. My donor kits are 1/144th, Minicraft and Airfix respectively.

I have the same rpoblem in working out hoeto do the wings. They can't just pass through the top of the hull like they do on the Clipper because the Stratocruiser is pressurised, so as far as I can see, they have to go above it in a scratchbuilt hump. Scratchbuilding that hump and getting it straight gives me pause for thought though....

Well actually on most modern airliners the wings pass straight through the pressurized area of the fuselage,
Except of course the front and rear spars then form a pressure bulkhead, and the area in between is used to stow
Stuff like the Undercarriage, hydraulic reservoirs etc, which doesn't need to be in the pressurized area.
The B737 is a good example. So you could just attach the wings either side at the top of the fuselage, and not worry about scratch building the hump. Although you'll still have to get them on straight 

Regards
Keith

Thing is though, the wings on modern airliners pass through the fuselage below the floor level, so the cabin is uninterrupted. With a high-mounted wing, you'd either have to accept a low-ceiling section amidships or have an awkward up-down-up pressure cabin.

[The Wooksta!]

Don't use the Sea Fury installation.  I'd go with the Brigand instead as it's more right for a multi engined aircraft.  Spare cowlings are in the Valom Buckingham and Buckmaster, although you'd have to get the actual engine from elsewhere.  

Five blade or six blade contraprops would look especially cool, the latter being very useful for their braking effect - Winkle Brown was most impressed with that facility on the Seafire 46/47.

Camo?  Med sea grey tops, white everywhere else like the late Sunderlands in the 50s.  Given the amount of conversion work you're doing, I wouldn't use an NMF finish.  It'll show up the tiniest flaw.

[TallEng]

Update

A masking tape mock up Of the forward section of the hull of a flying boat.





Underneath the masking tape are plastikard frames, the masking tape was more a does/will this look right
When I'm finished. So far I think it's looking good. Also seen in the pictures is the Warpaint monograph on the Bristol Brigand, that's because the Wooksta suggested using the engines from a Brigand/Buckmaster kit.
Well sadly I don't have a Brigand/Buckmaster kit in my stash, but with the help of the Warpaint Monograph
I feel I shall be able to modify the kit engines into something resembling a Centaurus suitable for a Seaplane.
The next problem will be the wings and Engine Nacelles 
Regards
Keith

[Madoc]

TallEng,

Nice choice of base kit there!  The Strato's "double bubble" pressure cabin fuselage lends itself well to a seaplane hull form.

[Thorvic]

Have you seen the AEW C-97 in Battleflight ?, as it might be an idea to match that and relocate the cockpit to a buldge atop the fuselage and blend in the original cockpit to the fuselage.

[TallEng]

Have you seen the AEW C-97 in Battleflight ?, as it might be an idea to match that and relocate the cockpit to a buldge atop the fuselage and blend in the original cockpit to the fuselage.

Sadly I have seen the AEW C-97 in Battleflight, and imediately cursed my lack of forethought in
Not obtaining a second C-97
I presume you are suggesting moving the cockpit to on top of the fuselage to allow room for a nose turret?

Regards
Keith