Boulton Paul P 120 point defense interceptor.

[chrisonord]

I must admit a pop out rocket pod would have been my first suggestion. Somehow seems so much of the period to me for some reason.

I agree Chris, but I am far from the surgeon needed to do a good job of cutting up a small resin aircraft without destroying it.
I think external pods will have to do.
Chris.

[NARSES2]

Nor me mate, but unless you want to deploy it open just use thin transfer strips to delineate it's position ?

[chrisonord]

Nor me mate, but unless you want to deploy it open just use thin transfer strips to delineate it's position ?

Now there's an idea, just wondering if the fuselage would have enough room in it to have such a mechanism, as the aircraft is quite tiny
Chris

[Mossie]

It'll look good either way.

[chrisonord]

When I come to build these planes, I am hoping to be able to do a better job, and not fight with them as much as I have with the Avro Archer build, as I wanted to make a good plausible model with that, but it has fought me all the way.
Chris

[jcf]

Fixed underbelly tubes, rather than a retractable pack, like the one Gloster concept would be easy to do.

[Weaver]

Wingtip pods are perfectly 'period' too though: F-89 Scorpion, CF-100 Canuck

[chrisonord]

Wing tip rocket pods I think I can do without doing too much harm
I will give the wings a good looking at again, as I think I might be able to get away with under wing falcons on the P120
Chris

[Weaver]

Looks like there's a good deal of underwing clearance on the P.120 so that shouldn't be a problem. Make sure that, if the missiles are very far outboard, they're also staggered forward of the leading edge quite a way, otherwise take-off rotation clearance will be compromised.

Here's a thought: if you want the P.120 to be an operational point defence interceptor, then why not fit a pair of RATO bottles to the sides of the rear fuselage to get a short take-off capability? Given that the whole aircraft only weighed 12,600lb fully loaded (bit more with armament of course) and had a 5,100lb thrust Nene, then even a pair of standard US 1000lb RATO units should make a hell of a difference. Use a couple of the 4,500lb Skyhawk units instead and you have 14,100lb total, which should make for a VERY short (and very exciting) take-off....

It's close to being ZELL, and that would be the ultimate extrapolation of the idea of course. You might imagine them set up at RAF airfields for point defence. It would allow runway operations to continue normally while interceptors stood alert, and would have more range, flexibility and jamming resistance than the Bloodhound SAM site next to it. A P.120 could be launched against an ambiguous target, for example, without having to automatically shoot it down if it was confirmed as non-hostile by the pilot's Mk.1 eyeballs. The returning P.120 would then use the runway to recover normally. The Bloodhound site's radars could be used to direct the engagement.

[chrisonord]

I like that idea a lot H. I have some RATO bottles, but they are Russian, does anyone do any western type ones in 1/72nd scale do you know?
Chris

[kitnut617]

does anyone do any western type ones in 1/72nd scale do you know?

IIRC, there's a pair in the Academy 1/72 F-84E/G kit.

[chrisonord]

does anyone do any western type ones in 1/72nd scale do you know?

IIRC, there's a pair in the Academy 1/72 F-84E/G kit.

Cheers Robert, I will have a look and see if I can get hold of one, if I can't get some that are surplus, or after market resin/styrene.
Chris

[kitnut617]

does anyone do any western type ones in 1/72nd scale do you know?

IIRC, there's a pair in the Academy 1/72 F-84E/G kit.

Cheers Robert, I will have a look and see if I can get hold of one, if I can't get some that are surplus, or after market resin/styrene.
Chris

They will look like these, I had swiped them for another project I'm working on where I needed four.

[kitnut617]

Also Chris, and maybe a more appropriate ratog, would be what you can find in the 1/72 Trumpeter Wyvern kit

[chrisonord]

Cheers Robert, how long are those RATO bottles do you know? I will have an ask on here if anyone has any surplus ones, as I think I will need four, two each for the P111 and two for the P120
Chris