The Flying Boat, Seaplane and Amphibian G.B - Discussion thread

[zenrat]

There are plenty of tracked amphibians.  Just not ones that fly.

[rickshaw]

Damn.  There goes my plane to build a Soviet Navy tracked submarine flying boat...   

[PR19_Kit]

I think you're reading it wrong.

What we said was that building an aircraft with tracks instead of wheels does not constitute an amphibian.

But having a flying sub with tracks would be fine I'm sure, even better if it can 'fly' into space...........   

[NARSES2]

What we said was that building an aircraft with tracks instead of wheels does not constitute and amphibian.

But having a flying sub with tracks would be fine I'm sure, even better if it can 'fly' into space...........   

Absolutely. Flying submarines fit the bill perfectly  And a tracked one so that it can operate on land/on and under the water/and fly is genius 

Someone does a kit of one of the Soviet flying submarine projects I think ?

[NARSES2]

Will there be an Inspirations thread?

I've set it up Jon and apologies for not doing it before 

Chris

[McColm]

Are skis allowed as an alternative to floats?
Convair penned a VTOL flying boat and something resembling the B-58 with water-skis.

[PR19_Kit]

Are skis allowed as an alternative to floats?
Convair penned a VTOL flying boat and something resembling the B-58 with water-skis.

Do you mean hydro-ski landing gear, like the F2Y Sea Dart? Or was that the one you were thinking of? If so it's a flying boat, so it's automatically in. If not please explain a bit more.

[jcf]

Thanks Chris, no worries. 

[McColm]

Are skis allowed as an alternative to floats?
Convair penned a VTOL flying boat and something resembling the B-58 with water-skis.

Do you mean hydro-ski landing gear, like the F2Y Sea Dart? Or was that the one you were thinking of? If so it's a flying boat, so it's automatically in. If not please explain a bit more.

Yes a hydro-ski landing gear.

[PR19_Kit]

OK, like I, and the other mods have agreed, that's OK because the aircraft is essentially a flying boat.

[NARSES2]

Think I've decided on my build, although I may work on the vacform Seagull in the background. A Heller Karas is going to get the floats from an Airfix Ar 196. All part of my alternative Austro-Hungarian history.

[PR19_Kit]

A Karas? 

One of the contenders in the 'World's Ugliest Aeroplane' competition, but beaten by the Blackburn Blackburn and a few other Brough based products.

[Weaver]

A Karas? 

One of the contenders in the 'World's Ugliest Aeroplane' competition, but beaten by the Blackburn Blackburn and a few other Brough based products.

Funny but I've always kinda liked the Karas, the same way I like the A-10....

[Weaver]

I have it in mind to turn a fairly horrible Kora Be-4 into a Porco-Rosso support plane, however I'm making no guarantees that I'll find the time...

The model has horrible clear parts and the engine is a bit too 1940s for PR with it's long-chord NACA cowling, so the idea is to back-date it a bit with an open cockpit, small windscreens and an exposed engine. I did buy a resin M-62 with this is mind, but it looks lost on the huge engine nacelle. Hmm...

I was looking through the Porco Rosso art book last night and something suddenly struck me (no, it wasn't the book falling on my nose when I fell asleep, although that would have been an entirely credible guess... ). None of the planes in Porco Rosso have radial engines: even the sky-pirate ones that have 'brutal' styling still have V-12s, just semi-cowled ones with mis-matched radiators to make them look suitably clunky.

This means that my original plan to back-date the Be-4's radial engine installation was inappropriate. However, a solution has presented itself: the Revellobox He-70. This came with a choice of radial or in-line engines, and, since the aircraft was originally designed as an airliner, it had a fat fuselage even for the radial, which means the V-12 parts must, logically, fit on a large-diameter bulkhead. I test-fitted it this morning, and it fits on the front of the Be-4's engine pod perfectly...  All I have to do now is come up with a suitably 1920s radiator for it, but that shouldn't be impossible even if I have to scratchbuild it.

This is also MUCH easier that the alternative plan that I came up with prior to noticing the absence of radials in Porco Rosso, which was to replace the entire wing with the one-piece-tip-to-tip wing from a Lindberg Kingfisher (it fits through slots in the fuselage in case you're wondering) in order to get rid of the over-sized engine nacelle, and then have a new, slimmer nacelle, the diameter of the M-62's crankcase,  made from half a drop-tank supported on struts above the wing.

[NARSES2]

A Karas? 

One of the contenders in the 'World's Ugliest Aeroplane' competition, but beaten by the Blackburn Blackburn and a few other Brough based products.

Funny but I've always kinda liked the Karas,

Me as well - I've built at least 3. Sums up the era well to my mind and we now have the lovely IBG Models kits as well