Others uses for an Avro shackleton.

chrisonord · July 30, 2019, 05:50:28 AM

I have an old revell boxed frog shackleton mr3 in the stash which I was going to re-engine and use it as a Honduras navy patrol aircraft. But... I have other plans for this one now. In my new book of the RAF during the cold war, they were being used as patrol aircraft along with Malaysian/ Indonesian borders during 1964, so perhaps a counter insurgency bomber/patrol aircraft. My version doesn't have the 20 mm hispano cannons , which I would have preferred it to have, so alternative guns will have to be sourced. Under the wings I was thinking of rockets and possibly a pair of Bullpup missiles as they were available during that time period. My other version I was thinking of was a flying test bed for new and developing British air to air and air to ground weapons of the 1960's . The counter insurgency aircraft will get the grey green over light grey camouflage, like the victors were painted. They also got used during the same conflict. Weapons of that era I will need to look in to also, as my books are a bit sparse on that info.

NARSES2 · July 30, 2019, 06:05:23 AM

I like the idea of an armed counter insurgency Shack'

Dizzyfugu · July 30, 2019, 06:28:17 AM

A Shackleton gunship with miniguns in tghe flanks...? Why not? Could also have circled over the Falkland Islands and suppressed local groudn resistance during landing or SAR operations?

PR19_Kit · July 30, 2019, 08:18:28 AM

It's about time those Master guys in Poland did some of turned brass 20 mm cannons for Shacks, I could use a few pairs on my Northrop Northampton.

Weaver · July 30, 2019, 09:03:27 AM

Keep your eyes open at shows. When the new Airfix & Revell Shacks came out, a lot of folk dumped their old Revellofrog kits and the aftermarket bits they had. I picked up an Aeroclub Mk.3 - Mk.2 conversion for just £2. Turrets, guns, AEW radome, undercarriage, wheels: a lot of stuff for £2.

chrisonord · July 30, 2019, 09:29:27 AM

Quote from: Weaver on July 30, 2019, 09:03:27 AM
Keep your eyes open at shows. When the new Airfix & Revell Shacks came out, a lot of folk dumped their old Revellofrog kits and the aftermarket bits they had. I picked up an Aeroclub Mk.3 - Mk.2 conversion for just £2. Turrets, guns, AEW radome, undercarriage, wheels: a lot of stuff for £2.

I could do with some of the cannons for the front of this one I have, could have a go at making some but I think I will struggle to get them right. Were SNEB pods in service around the mid sixties as I have a few spare of those, or would individual rockets be more fitting. I have somewhere a gun pod that came with a Canberra, but looking at where the nose gear, and weapons bay are, I think I will struggle with fitting it.
Chris.

PR19_Kit · July 30, 2019, 09:43:27 AM

How about rocket racks on each side of the nose like they fitted to B-24s and B-25s?

That'd be pretty ferocious.

chrisonord · July 30, 2019, 12:22:32 PM

I have not seen or heard of that before Kit, I will have to look that up.
Chris

kitnut617 · July 30, 2019, 12:37:29 PM

Like this Chris, Pavla does/did a conversion of it.

chrisonord · July 30, 2019, 01:16:30 PM

Cheers Robert,
I take it they put them there for accuracy, or just to keep out of the propellers.
Chris.

kitnut617 · July 30, 2019, 03:12:48 PM

Not sure Chris

The Wooksta! · July 30, 2019, 03:55:55 PM

Shackleton MR2s were plumbed in for underwing zero length rockets. The attachment points are on both the Revell and Airfix kits.

The Frog kit never came with nose guns, despite being on the box.

kitnut617 · July 30, 2019, 05:43:59 PM

Quote from: The Wooksta! on July 30, 2019, 03:55:55 PM
The attachment points are on both the Revell and Airfix kits.

Hmmm! so they are --- interesting

McColm · July 31, 2019, 09:38:40 AM

You could go down the Nene testbed route as the pods fitted very well under the Shackleton wings.
A cargo/freighter works as well, I've gone down the civilian airliner route with a pair of turbofan engines.
The Shackleton does make a good platform for the Grumman E-1 and E-2 radomes.
I even built a twin boom-twin fin version once.
I think a firefighter variant would work as well.

chrisonord · July 31, 2019, 09:57:22 AM

Quote from: McColm on July 31, 2019, 09:38:40 AM
You could go down the Nene testbed route as the pods fitted very well under the Shackleton wings.
A cargo/freighter works as well, I've gone down the civilian airliner route with a pair of turbofan engines.
The Shackleton does make a good platform for the Grumman E-1 and E-2 radomes.
I even built a twin boom-twin fin version once.
I think a firefighter variant would work as well.

Some good ideas there, I shall consider them.
Chris