North American YP-82L Tri-Stang

[PR19_Kit]

Tophe will just love this.......... 

Here's a piccie of the the basic assembly of a Monogram P-82 Twin Mustang, except I HATE those terrible looking Allsion V-1710 cowlings so this is fitted with the earlier, and MUCH better looking, Packard Merlin V-1650 engines, courtesy of a resin supplier somewhere near here....





You'll note that the right hand fuselage had no rudder originally, and there's a good reason for that because this 'Twin' Mustang has some extra bits, like a complete extra fuselage and the 'right hand' one is actually the centre one of three! As it will need tailplane fairings on BOTH sides it's made from the RH side of one kit and the LH side of another. Monogram in their wisdom mould the fin just on one side so I've had to cut it off from the spare fuselage side and I glued it on later.



If you look carefully you can see the extra tailplane fairing on the right side of the centre fuselage. It's not going to have a cockpit BTW as it's just a powered fuel tank effectively, slung in the middle of a standard P-82B.

And here's what it will look like, or most of it anyway.



I've got to figure out which way the centre engine/prop turns yet, and the landing gear isn't going to be simple either, but I'll get there. 

[Gondor]

Contraprop?

Gondor

[Rheged]

I think that all that can be said at this point is  "GOSH!"

[JayBee]

I honestly think the wings need to be longer. 

[MichelC]

Trebly interesting build.

I second Gondor.

M

[PR19_Kit]

I honestly think the wings need to be longer. 

So do I, but Dutch Kindelberger didn't think like me........ 

The contraprop on the centre fuse might work OK, and of course I have a spare 'other hand' prop anyway. Just a matter of extending the spinner.

[ericr]

beautiful idea8
I guess Tophe will like it indeed 

maybe it could just only be "improved" with floats?   
(a central float under the central boom, and two small ones on the sides)

[PR19_Kit]

beautiful idea8
I guess Tophe will like it indeed 

maybe it could just only be "improved" with floats?   
(a central float under the central boom, and two small ones on the sides)

Hehehe, now THERE'S an idea! But it'll have to wait till I've got a few more Twin Mustangs.......... 

[Dizzyfugu]

This is sick... but with a vision for great things. Like it so far! 

[tc2324]

Tophe will indeed like the look of this Kit. 

Just my input, I would have gone for the basic F-82 design for engine layout and used the middle fuselage as the weapons bay. Bombs underneath, nose full of guns, that kind of thing.

Although that wouldn`t be a Tri-stang now would it??

I`ll get me coat..... 

[PR19_Kit]

I've not figured the armament package yet, but the stock 12 x 0.5s should be pretty formidable. I may add the G's radar pod but sawn down a bit and fit a cannon or four.

I'm well versed in sawing down that pod as I modelled the singular RW RF-82B some years ago. Some JMNs assume that's a Whiff, when of course it isn't! 

[PR19_Kit]

Actually gluing the starboard fuselage onto the other pair proved to be a REAL pain.  

Because I had to saw off the starboard lower wing from the centre fuselage, and the corresponding part of the port wing from the starboard fuselage (just raise your hand if you're not following this and I'll go though it again on the board.... ) it meant I had to butt joint the starboard side of the centre fuselage to the starboard 'centre' wing. There wasn't any space to add even a short wing spar as the cooling scoop on the centre fuselage protruded into the space that would be needed.

Luckily the tailplane provided an accurate spacer and acted as a jig too. With mucho filing and a sliver of 15 thou styrene I managed to produce a half-way reasonable joint and the whole thing is now drying off, while being strapped together with a mile or so of tape!

I've not figured out a colour scheme yet but it will have to feature natural metal I think, almost every other P-82 of the period was NMF and this is meant to exist before they actually built any black night fighter P-82Gs. (Naturally I'm working on the backstory already.... )

For the record here's my RW RF-82B done in NMF and that looks a good starting point  to me.





Yes, I know the starboard main landing door is missing in the piccie, but it's back on again now.....

[kitnut617]

I've not figured the armament package yet, but the stock 12 x 0.5s should be pretty formidable. I may add the G's radar pod but sawn down a bit and fit a cannon or four.

another sixteen wouldn't hurt ---- 

[PR19_Kit]

Hehehe, that's the same aircraft that I modelled in its later RP-82B form, 465172. They used the same pod to carry the cameras, it's pretty impressive like that, isn't it?

[Steel Penguin]

i think scary may be a better description  16 * ?mm cannon,  thats a total train wrecker, or were you thinking anti bomber stream, or a bird of prey over the Fulda gap?