Avro Canada Arrow F.1A (or it might be an F.2A)

[kitbasher]

Yes, the old and rather -erm - 'to the point' Hobbycraft CF-105.  Big plans for this when originally obtained - grafting a Phantom nose and burner buckets - then wondered if it'd ever be built, then wanting to do it real world, then contemplating selling it on.

Then came the 'RAF Secret Jets of Cold War Britain' bookazine and this GB so it'll be a simple build.  More or less OOB; other than sorting the ailerons I'm not sure what else to correct.  Very little modelling time these days but GB participation not the best model ever is the motivation so probably not very much chopping and changing.  The other deffo change is the colour scheme - an RAF machine that in Whiffworld was bought to fill Specification F.155T/OR.329.

And why the 'A'?  The pilot and the nav need bigger windows so the canopy framing on this build will be more Voodoo/Phantom-like

It's a pretty grubby kit so a wash of the parts is needed.

Arrow F1#001

[PR19_Kit]

A truly awesome aeroplane, struck down by politicians, as were many of its contemporaries.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you make of this. 

[kitbasher]

A truly awesome aeroplane, struck down by politicians, as were many of its contemporaries.

Canada's TSR.2.  Whether the Arrow (in the Canadian context) was an realistic proposition or not will always be a topic of debate.  To me though (in the RAF context) it was a far more realistic design than most of the F.155T proposals.

[zenrat]

Does the Arrow have, like every Hobbycraft kit I have got my hands on, undersized and undetailed undercarriage bays?

[NARSES2]

A truly awesome aeroplane, struck down by politicians, as were many of its contemporaries.

Whether the Arrow (in the Canadian context) was an realistic proposition or not will always be a topic of debate. 

I've often wondered what the outcome would have been if it had started life as a joint Commonwealth project ?

[zenrat]

Involving British Aircraft Corporation, Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation and Avro Canada?
Or BAC-CAC-AC (go on, say it out loud without thinking of Mars Attacks).   

[kitnut617]

I've built one and have numerous other Arrow kits in my stash, I found that the Hobbycraft kit is more 1/75 scale than 1/72.

[Captain Canada]

Oh yeah. Now we're talking !

[NARSES2]

Involving British Aircraft Corporation, Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation and Avro Canada?
Or BAC-CAC-AC (go on, say it out loud without thinking of Mars Attacks).   

I once watched Mars Attacks in a French hotel (one of the Campanile chain) whilst on a WWI Battlefield tour and me and my mate were still killing ourselves laughing even if it was in French. Mind you the beer and red wine probably helped 

Except B.A.C. wasn't around so maybe it would have been Fairey ? FaireyCACAC just sounds so appropriate for U.K. policy of the period 

[kitbasher]

Progress - yay!

Main fuselage box put together and the ailerons cut off.  Wing uppers and lowers assembled but the ailerons have yet to be tidied and fitted.  The wings and the nose section have just been dry fitted in the pic.

Have decided it will be an F.1A.  A couple of squadrons worth of the Pratt & Whitney J75-powered Arrow Is were ordered as a stop-gap replacement for several Javelin squadrons (the F.1A had modified cockpit glazing in RAF service - this became the standard in the Arrow II/F.2).  The Orenda PS-13 Iroquois-powered Arrow II would be the later main production model and as the F.2 equipped RAF, RCAF and RAAF squadrons.  In RAF service it and the Lightning formed the UK's air defence force for many years.

So even the back story is coming together - thanks for the Commonwealth suggestion Chris.  And I know what colour scheme it'll be as well - and the decals to source.

[PR19_Kit]

Cor, what a dreamy looking aircraft. 

Every school kid's idea of a supersonic jet fighter, just as the Mirage IV is THE jet bomber.

[kitbasher]

Cor, what a dreamy looking aircraft. 

Every school kid's idea of a supersonic jet fighter, just as the Mirage IV is THE jet bomber.

Never been a Mirage fan, apart from the IV and F1.

I once had an encounter with a couple of Mirage IVs.

Anyway, the IV I'm sure could be a good basis for a Fairey Delta III (ish) wiff.

[Weaver]

If I remember correctly, the original engine choice for the Arrow was the Rolls-Royce Rb.106, followed by the Olympus, and only then the Iroquois (an entirely paper engine at that point). If the aircraft was a joint project with the UK and if that stopped it from being cancelled (big 'if'), then it seems likely that they'd all have had the Rolls-Royce or Bristol engines. After all, Canada could barely afford the airframe project, let alone the engine and avionics programs, so avoiding an entirely new engine and getting the development of an existing one off their plate would have been very attractive.

The Rb.106 was a two-spool development of the Avon that put out about twice as much power for the same size. It was cancelled due to the 1957 White Paper, like so much else.

[kitnut617]

I think you'll find that the Rolls-Royce Rb.106 was only for the RAF option, the book I have on the Arrow doesn't mention the RR engine at all. It was always intended to have the Iroquois and the interim engine was the J79 engine as in the F-4 Phantom, which was being developed at the same time. Remember Avro Canada didn't have plans to sell the aircraft to Britain, they were after a USAF contract and the use of the J79 was for commonality with what the USAF was going to use

[The Wooksta!]

BAC wouldn't be anywhere near the Arrow, bearing in mind Avro Canada was part of the Hawker Siddley Group.