JM-100 - Upsized - Lufthansa 46

[PALG]

Hi

Five years ago i posted a Lufthansa whif that I'd completed in early 2009 - the JM-100 post-war 4-engined jetliner:

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,26979.msg401067.html#msg401067

In that post i made sheepish noises about upscaling the idea and had started doing this after finishing the original, in c. May 2009.

Six years and a second child later, I'm finally making headway with that ... for a 1:72-ish scratchbuild.

Base kit was a 1:48 scale Revell Me-262, using engine pods from a 1:72 Arado 230.  I did a very early test fit today after  cutting the cockpit glazing holes into the nose of the Me-262 fuselage.  I really like the way its coming together, so decided to share. Dont normally do in-progress posts, due to the fact i take years to finish anything, but nonetheless:










The cabin windows and door are obviously for demo only, cut from paper copies of AvroCanada Jetliner decals.  Havent worked out the quickest way to make them yet...The cockpit glazing could be interesting - i plan to back them and fill with Micro Krystal Klear. It will be  the first time using KK, so it should be interesting. Any tips for a flush finish are very welcome.

Cockpit glazing is a little too disproportionate for my liking - but giving the aircraft's design and German aircraft industry's contemporary  penchant for eleborate, in-line cockpit window designs, i think i can get away with it.

Along the way...

I came up with an idea for another time - militarised version which I know strongly resembles an actual Luft 46 design (i dont recall which one):







Hope u enjoy it, and that this post motivates me to finish it soon!

Paul.

[PR19_Kit]

That's an impressive piece of work there, very 'Germanic' looking i that's the correct word.

I've not come across a method for getting flush KK windows, the stuff always dries concave as far as I can see. I have tried filling them from the inside after putting over the outside, but then the outside surfaces of the KK never dried. 

That's why I use decal windows these days, much simpler, albeit not as realistic.

[Captain Canada]

That's a neat looking derivative ! The low wing looks natural for a transport, and the higher wing looks like a bomber. My opinion anyway.

[Dizzyfugu]

Now THAT's a cool concept - and the thing has a serious retro/steampunk look? Love it! 

[Army of One]

Agreed.......there is a great article in the AMW mag with someone using this method on an old Airfix four engined turboprop airliner in 1/144.......result looked great.......

[Spey_Phantom]

i like the way it looks 

ive been planning a similar project for some time now, using a 1/48 Ar.234 and converting it into a 1/72 airliner.
ive already done some preliminary design work, but i just have a problem in redesigning the cockpit section.

[Dizzyfugu]

Humbrol did/does also a stuff (ClearFix?) for airliner windows - works pretty well.

[Ed S]

Brilliant scale-arama.  I like this idea. Personally, I think the lower wing position looks better.

As to the KK. If you use it, you need to thin the window edges on the inside so there is minimal thickness for the KK. This keeps it from concave shrinkage. I have, in the past, cut out the window area of the fuselage and fit a piece of thick clear styrene or acrylic (plexiglas, lexan, etc) in the opening. Once it's glued securely, you can sand down the outside flush then polish it to glass like shine. Then mask and paint and you have a clear, seamless window.

Keep up the good work on this one.

Ed

[KiwiZac]

This is absolutely gorgeous! Right up there with the Comet, Starliner and Rainbow - just plain pretty. I may have to copy you for a 1/144 version!

[Dizzyfugu]

As an addendum: if it's a passemger aircraft, go for the low wing (for the cabin inside); if it is to become a bomber, I'd rather go with the mid-wing position (wing main spar above a bomb bay), even though the triangular diameter would probably look odd? My personal vote would be the passenger aircraft - maybe even with Interflug marking?

[PALG]

As an addendum: if it's a passemger aircraft, go for the low wing (for the cabin inside); if it is to become a bomber, I'd rather go with the mid-wing position (wing main spar above a bomb bay), even though the triangular diameter would probably look odd? My personal vote would be the passenger aircraft - maybe even with Interflug marking?

thanks for yr interest and comments!

My plan still is to go with the civilian version and low-wing - i just stumbled across the other config as i was playing with it and thought it looked like a military adaptation.  I'm sticking with the backstory of my small-scale original so this'll be either a post-war West German project or a post-war route flyer for the Greater German Reich. Either way, tho i wont be applying any liveries - thats testing my resources and skills way too much!  I'll probably just spray it up as a prototype, per the backstory.

You might want to think about 2 part epoxy for the glazing.  Test it first before going to the kit.

How does this work - which one should i use?  Not sure how i would apply it into the window apertures.

Brilliant scale-arama.  I like this idea. Personally, I think the lower wing position looks better.

As to the KK. If you use it, you need to thin the window edges on the inside so there is minimal thickness for the KK. This keeps it from concave shrinkage. I have, in the past, cut out the window area of the fuselage and fit a piece of thick clear styrene or acrylic (plexiglas, lexan, etc) in the opening. Once it's glued securely, you can sand down the outside flush then polish it to glass like shine. Then mask and paint and you have a clear, seamless window.

Keep up the good work on this one.

Ed

I like this idea...I guess one doesnt have to make the inserts a perfect fit (that would be hard to achieve) ?  Just fill the holes as much as possible with clear plastic, sand flush, fill tiny gaps with KK and coat with the KK?

[PALG]

i like the way it looks  

ive been planning a similar project for some time now, using a 1/48 Ar.234 and converting it into a 1/72 airliner.
ive already done some preliminary design work, but i just have a problem in redesigning the cockpit section.

I thought about the Ar 234 but decided the fuselage was just too narrow to bash into a passenger cabin.  Thinking about it tho - it could make an awesome light early gen turbo prop liner - but that means losing the pure jet pods.  Those WWII german aircraft designers and their love of glazing, geez...Do u know of the Ar 234 variant which had the more conventional nose config ? it was a standard nose dome with conventional glazing panels.  I have seen it in kit form somewhere - that would be just perfect for your purpose. ...

See these for leads:
http://www.antaresmodels.com/gallery/Ar%20234%20Jager%20Pep%20Tuneu_2010-4-27/Ar%20234%20Jager%20Pep%20Tuneu_2010-4-27.htm http://www.oocities.org/uni1ua/ar23448/ar234.htm
http://www.modelersite.com/en/14/arado-ar-234-jager-1-48-scale
http://www.antaresmodels.com/verReview.asp?id_review=1091240419

Kitbasher once suggested an Me 1099 as the base kit for this kind of thing and i think he is absolutely right Its fat form is  just perfect, you'd just have to  decide if u can live with the wing root placement - it looks a little high up the passenger cabin for my liking. But otherwise - perfect.  and the cockpit placement would be MUCH easier to adapt  than the bloody Me 262 nose

This is absolutely gorgeous! Right up there with the Comet, Starliner and Rainbow - just plain pretty. I may have to copy you for a 1/144 version!

Please do  - i'm sure u can improve on my smaller scale original.  I think used my teeth to punch out those passenger windows in that one...

[Tophe]

Congratulations
This is very nicely enriching the beautiful Me-262 family with a (maybe) peaceful derivative... Thanks for the enjoyment!

[Spey_Phantom]

i was thinking of a turboprop version to (2 x Jumo 022 turboprop engines), but the decided to go with a 4 HeS011 jet engine configuration.
might work better if there was a 1/32 version, but the 1/48 version would make a good executive jet  

here's a rough sketch i made a while back in the planning stages.
i decided to keep the original Ar.234A nose profile and paint over the nose and bottom glazing  

[Captain Canada]

Thanks for those links. Some nice looking kits in there !