F7U-3 Cutlass conversion

[AeroplaneDriver]

To me the color scheme implies a later aircraft, which makes a hump a good option.  Bear in mind one of my favorite aircraft ever is the A-4E in Gull Gray/White with no hump.  It just looks perfect.  But the later models with the hump look really good to me in the later gray schemes.  Either way love this build!!

[Scotaidh]

I spent today working on the underwing stores and the wee-fiddlies - pitot and some sort of tiny bump that could have been an intake or a sensor ... I put a dab o' glue on the fuselage, set the wee bump on the glue and pressed it down ... 30 minutes later it's completely gone.  No trace of it anywhere ... I made a replacement out of sprue - maybe this on will stay put. 

The pitot sagged off to one side, almost horizontal ... I ended up having to re-position it with many prayers for it to stay in place ... back up with some gel superglue.   

Weapons pylons ... I need some 1/8" square stock to increase the stand-off distance from the Sparrow to the wing.  As of now, the Sparrow is too tall for the only pylons that came with the kit - they were intended for the drop tanks.  I now need to increase their tallness so the missile's "wings" don't rest on the aircraft wings.  <sigh>  I'll hit the LHS tomorrow. 

The pylons for the Sidewinders are ... home-made and almost identical ...      I now have to decide if I want to re-do them, or just leave it and hope no-one notices.  <hah!>

[zenrat]

...The pylons for the Sidewinders are ... home-made and almost identical ...      I now have to decide if I want to re-do them, or just leave it and hope no-one notices.  <hah!>

Bear in mind that if they are on different wings then they will never be seen side by side...

[NARSES2]

Looks like you had "one of those days"  I know how you feel

[Scotaidh]

Right!  Well, the needed square stock is on order from Evergreen, so that's sorted ... sort of.    I just have to wait for it to arrive, and I'll have enough to ... build something completely different.

The Sidewinder pylons were somewhat weedy, so they came off the aircraft and got a rebuild and a bit of a re-shape, and are now perhaps a bit too studly for just AAMs ... perhaps a secondary role involving rocket pods, since I've done away with the belly rocket pack. 

(I did some reading about that - what a nightmare!  Two rockets per tube, and the front one was 'supposed' to fire first - no guarantee! - and even then, that first rocket had a tendency to ignite the rear rocket, which could - and did, on at least one one occasion - set the aircraft on fire!     The pilot did manage to land safely, but I can't imagine he was happy about the situation.

The solution?  Fit a stainless steel plate between the aircraft and belly pack.    So - for my aircraft, no more of this Rube Goldberg rocket pack thingie.  Not in my Navy, as we used to say.)

I also read that the Cutlass was almost unrecoverable if the pilot managed to stall the aircraft - "post-stall gyration", they called it.  A test pilot deliberately stalled, and lost 18,000' trying to recover.  He never did, ejecting almost too late.  So, I'm going to fix that.

[NARSES2]

(I did some reading about that - what a nightmare!  Two rockets per tube, and the front one was 'supposed' to fire first - no guarantee! - and even then, that first rocket had a tendency to ignite the rear rocket, which could - and did, on at least one one occasion - set the aircraft on fire!     The pilot did manage to land safely, but I can't imagine he was happy about the situation.

Flippin' Ada  So almost like Russian Roulette every time you fired the things ?

[Scotaidh]

(I did some reading about that - what a nightmare!  Two rockets per tube, and the front one was 'supposed' to fire first - no guarantee! - and even then, that first rocket had a tendency to ignite the rear rocket, which could - and did, on at least one one occasion - set the aircraft on fire!     The pilot did manage to land safely, but I can't imagine he was happy about the situation.

Flippin' Ada  So almost like Russian Roulette every time you fired the things ?

Well ... perhaps not quite that bad.  Still a gamble, though.

[tahsin]

Going nice, but I would say you could fill the area behind the ejection seat with max amount of stuff that fits, black boxes, whatever that comes to mind but leave the canopy transparent. Takes out the option of a spine unless one has a F-16D nearby.

[tahsin]

Moderators might feel to edit this into the previous one, but this is a real good one. Leaving 2 or 3 missing links to final variant of the "same" . Was afraid I would have to link from the Secret Projects Forum, a nice place but the good people can't handle much of truth. Which is not an insult, either. Gotta see, this is a favourite of Bill Gunston, the sheer audacity of working on it for 30 years and still it can not. Why, let's make a carrier with tilting ramps so that we can land it by sheer power. That it's the basis of the Chinese one? That's the best picture ı could find online.

[Scotaidh]

I'm looking for a lower profile canopy - something like a P-51D (or later variant).  Not being a fan of the Mustang D, I don't have any in my stash.  I don't suppose anyone out there has one surplus to needs they'd be willing to sell to me?

[PR19_Kit]

I've got a batch of Falcon P-51 vacform canopies if they're of any use?

[Scotaidh]

How about a Banshee or Cougar?  Let me look through my stash and see what I've got.

I have a Banshee - that one is much too small.  I don't have a Cougar, so that one I don't know.  PM me with $$ and I'll send you my address and the sponduliks. 

Oh - and Thanks! 

[Scotaidh]

I've got a batch of Falcon P-51 vacform canopies if they're of any use?

I don't honestly know, until I test-fit, what will fit or not.  If you have one spare, I'd love to buy it from you.  Never know when one might require a spare canopy.   

So far I've tried these, with no success:
Banshee
Me P.1099B
YF-23
Rafale M
Canberra PR9
Su-7
F-84
F-16

An F-86 canopy might work - really, any largish bubble-top that doesn't require a spine.

[PR19_Kit]

PM me your address and I'll stick one in the post. Only problem is I won't be home till a week tomorrow though.

[Scotaidh]

PM me your address and I'll stick one in the post. Only problem is I won't be home till a week tomorrow though.

PM sent, and thanks.  Oh - I forgot to add at the bottom of my address - "USA"