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Supermarine Stalwart GR.I of RAF 205 Squadron, Ceylon, Summer 1945 (pics@p.6)

Started by Dizzyfugu, May 18, 2015, 01:30:38 AM

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ericr

#77
June 05, 2015, 01:55:23 PM
beautiful flying boat

DogfighterZen

#78
June 05, 2015, 04:21:27 PM
Yep, another great one!  :thumbsup: :bow: :cheers:
"Sticks and stones may break some bones but a 3.57's gonna blow your damn head off!!"

PR19_Kit

#79
June 05, 2015, 04:30:18 PM
Like a Convair Mariner.  ;D :lol: :thumbsup: :bow:

Super  job Thomas.
Kit's Rule 1 ) Any aircraft can be improved by fitting longer wings, and/or a longer fuselage
Kit's Rule 2) The backstory can always be changed to suit the model

...and I'm not a closeted 'Take That' fan, I'm a REAL fan! :)

Regards
Kit

Glenn Gilbertson

#80
June 05, 2015, 04:59:04 PM
Great looking beast! :thumbsup:

zenrat

#81
June 05, 2015, 05:13:30 PM
What do you use to spin the props Dizz?  Hairdryer?
If so how do you hold it and take pictures at the same time?

It's very good BTW.  Looks like it means business.
Fred

- Can't be bothered to do the proper research and get it right.

Another ill conceived, lazily thought out, crudely executed and badly painted piece of half arsed what-if modelling muppetry from zenrat industries.

zenrat industries:  We're everywhere...for your convenience..

PR19_Kit

#82
June 06, 2015, 12:36:36 AM
Quote from: zenrat on June 05, 2015, 05:13:30 PM

If so how do you hold it and take pictures at the same time?


Hairdryer in one hand, the camera on a tripod and an IR remote control maybe?
Kit's Rule 1 ) Any aircraft can be improved by fitting longer wings, and/or a longer fuselage
Kit's Rule 2) The backstory can always be changed to suit the model

...and I'm not a closeted 'Take That' fan, I'm a REAL fan! :)

Regards
Kit

Dizzyfugu

#83
June 06, 2015, 02:20:53 AM Last Edit: June 08, 2015, 02:34:28 AM by Dizzyfugu
Quote from: zenrat on June 05, 2015, 05:13:30 PM
What do you use to spin the props Dizz?  Hairdryer?
If so how do you hold it and take pictures at the same time?

It's very good BTW.  Looks like it means business.

In this case it's a software effect in the Corel Draw Suite I use (among others), called "radial unsharpness". That's exactly what it does/creates, perferct for spinning props.  ;)

BTW, here's the rest, and the story behind the Stalwart:

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Some background:
The Supermarine 370 "Stalwart" was a British twin-engined long-range maritime patrol flying boat. Originally designed for the Royal Air Force Coastal Command as an anti-submarine aircraft for long range operations over the Atlantic the type saw, with the change of threats and global priorities from 1944 on, only limited production and use in the Pacific theathre of operations in late WWII.

The 370's design started in early 1940, intended primarily for military use, but also with an option for commercial duties. The military 370 was intended as a more powerful alternative to the Consolidated PBY Catalina, as well as a faster and twin-engined successor to the Short S.25 Sunderland. The civil version was supposed to carry seats for 52 passengers, or sleeper accommodation for 28.

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The 370 accepted by the RAF and received the name "Stalwart". The flying boat was a gull-winged, alle-metal aircraft with twin oval vertical stabilizers on top of a deep fuselage. The fuselage was divided into eight watertight compartments to improve survivability. Despite its size the 370 was only to be powered by two engines - one of the reasons for the type's protracted development phase until mid 1944. The engines were installed in the bends of the wings with the floats on an underwing cantilever rack. Each float was divided into four watertight compartments.

Progress was good, but the lack of appropriate engines in the 2.000+ hp class in time delayed the project. Nevertheless, equipped only with 1.600 hp Hercules engines, the underpowered 370 prototype first flew on 30th April 1942. The type showed much potential, with very good handling characteristics both in the air an at sea, but it was not until the availability of the sufficiently powerful Bristol Centaurus engine in 1944 that the Stalwart could show its full potential and actually be put into service - and even this engine was not deemed to be sufficient.

Consequently, the Stalwart became the first (and, eventually, the only) aircraft to be powered by the Bristol Orion engine. Designed by Sir Roy Fedden, the Orion (a name used previously for a variant of the Jupiter engine, and later re-used for a turboprop one), was an enlarged capacity version of the Centaurus. It was also a two-row, 18 cylinder sleeve valve engine with the displacement increased to 4,142 cubic inches (67.9 l), nearly as large as the massive American Wasp Major four-row, 28-cylinder radial, the largest displacement aviation radial engine ever placed in quantity production.

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


But there was more to the Orion radial than just sheer size and power. It also benefited from a late-war era invention, known as the "blowdown turbine" or "power-recovery turbine" (PRT). This design extracted energy from the momentum of the moving air in the exhaust system, but did not appreciably increase back-pressure. Effectively, this avoided the undesirable effects of conventional designs when connected to the exhaust of a piston engine, and a number of manufacturers studied this concept, because the PRT not only boosted the engine output, it also gave an extra 15 to 35 percent fuel economy - highly appreciated for a long range aircraft like the Stalwart.

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Due to the engine troubles the 370's serial production was just starting when the war situation relaxed and the need for a Sunderland update waned. Hence, after 20 initial airframes in early 1945, the original production order of 200 was cancelled. The already finished Stalwart airframes were equipped and put into RAF servoce but only saw use during the last months of the Second World War in the Pacific theatre or operations under SEAC command.

From the start, the Supermarine Stalwart was equipped with the ASV Mark III, which operated in the centimetric band and used antennae mounted in blisters under the wings outboard of the floats, instead of the cluttered stickleback aerials of former radar systems. The ASV enabled the flying boat to attack submarines on the surface, and allowed surveillance operations at day and night.

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


As weapons they carried, beyond conventional torpedos, water bombs or mines, new Mk.24 acoustic mines (nicknamed "Fido") that automatically homed in on the sound of submerged submarines or, lacking a homing signal, patrolled a certain area in circles in hope for an accidental collision hit.

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


In this role the Stalwart GR.Is were operated primarily by RAF 205 from Ceylon and 357 Squadron from Madras, but after the hostilities ended the flying boats were quickly phased out: the Orion engine and its complicated turbine mechanism proved to be unreliable and hard to service, and the tropical climate of the operation zone did not make things better - even though the Stalwart was easy to fly and a stable platform for various tasks. Nevertheless, all aircraft were scrapped, and the idea of a commercial version was also quickly let down due to the technical advances of land-based aircraft.

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr




General characteristics:
Crew: 9—11 (2 pilots, radio operator, radar operator, navigator, engineer, bomb-aimer, 3-5 gunners)
Length: 24,62 m (80 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 33 m (110 ft)
Height: 7.64 m (25 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 120 m² (1.292 ft²)
Empty weight: 18.827 kg (41.506 lb)
Loaded weight: 23.456 kg (51.711 lb)
Landing weight: 20.928 kg (46.138 lb))
Max. take-off weight: 29.000 kg (64.000 lb)

Powerplant:
2× Bristol Orion PRT II compund radial piston engines with 3.000 hp (2.158 kW) each

Performance:
Maximum speed: 414 km/h (218 kn, 257 mph) at 1.800 m (5.900 ft)
Cruise speed: 280 km/h (173 mph) at 2.000 m (6.600 ft)
Landing speed: 147 km/h (105 kn, 91 mph)
Range: 5.000 km (2.700 kn, 3.100 mi)
Service ceiling: 6.100 m (20.013 ft)

Armament:
10x 0.5 (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns in nose, dorsal, side and rear turrets
2x 0.78 (20 mm) fixed Hispano cannons, firing forward

2× 1.000 kg (2.205 lb) torpedoes plus 4.410 lbs (2.000 kg) of bombs or depth charges, or 10 mines, under the wings



1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1, aircraft MT982/'(FV-)Z' of RAF No. 205 Squadron, Malacca/Nicobar Islands (Ceylon), Summer 1945 (Whif/VEB Plasticart Be-6 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



A literally huge project (the thing has ~23" wing span, almost half a meter!), and taking pics was almost more demanding than building the Stalwart. But I think the result looks cool - reminds a lot of the Martin Mariner (rather unintentionally, though), but almost any semblance of the Be-6 is IMHO gone!  ;D

Gondor

#84
June 06, 2015, 03:04:14 AM
Quote from: Dizzyfugu on June 06, 2015, 02:20:53 AM

A literally huge project (the thing has ~23" wing span, almost half a meter!), and taking pics was almost more demanding than building the Stalwart. But I think the result looks cool - reminds a lot of the Martin Mariner (rather unintentionally, though), but almost any semblance of the Be-6 is IMHO gone!  ;D


I agree, almost no trace of the Be-6 and looking as if you used a Martin Mariner as a basis for this build  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Gondor
My Ability to Imagine is only exceeded by my Imagined Abilities

Gondor's Modelling Rule Number Three: Everything will fit perfectly untill you apply glue...

I know it's in a book I have around here somewhere....

Cobra

#85
June 06, 2015, 03:22:28 AM
Superb Build :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Almost thought it was an American Design the Way You Built it! Keep up the Superb Work :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: Dan

NARSES2

#86
June 06, 2015, 03:25:24 AM
That really is the business. The shots of her on the ground are particularly striking
Do not condemn the judgement of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong.

Dizzyfugu

#87
June 06, 2015, 03:34:46 AM
Quote from: NARSES2 on June 06, 2015, 03:25:24 AM
That really is the business. The shots of her on the ground are particularly striking

Thanks a lot! Yes, these yield a vague impression of how huge and bulky such a flying boat is outside of its home element. Still, I was not able to take a pic of the complete Stalwart - I simply lacked an appropriate base. A 30" background was there, but the sheer size of the photo set was more I could handle. So I hope the "excerpts" from all around the hull provide a decent impression of the aircraft/model.  ;)

zenrat

#88
June 06, 2015, 05:19:17 AM
Dizz, that is brilliant.
I particularly like the photo with it flying off into the sunset.

Looking forward to seeing you build the civilian version...
Fred

- Can't be bothered to do the proper research and get it right.

Another ill conceived, lazily thought out, crudely executed and badly painted piece of half arsed what-if modelling muppetry from zenrat industries.

zenrat industries:  We're everywhere...for your convenience..

Sticky Fingers

#89
June 06, 2015, 06:39:22 AM
What a beautiful monster you've created! And the photo's are wonderful, as always  :thumbsup:
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