Fairey Battle

[The Rat]

The ancient Airfix kit sits on the cluttered bench, awaiting the indignities that I will thrust upon it. Here's the basic idea:

RAF Coastal Command gets the respect it deserved at the start of the war, rather than being the poor cousin to the rest of the service, as was in real life. This results in re-equipping with better aircraft than the motley collection of Avro Ansons, Vickers Vildebeests, Saro Londons, Supermarine Stranraers, and some Sunderlands, the only really capable aircraft of the bunch. While waiting for even better aircraft, it was decided to improve the Fairey battle, which had not proven worthy as a light bomber in RAF service.

Radial engine, probably a Bristol Pegasus XXII swiped from the Matchbox Vickers Wellesley. This causes a loss of about 20hp, but it obviates the need for liquid cooling, so the weight saving may even things out.

With a range of 1,000 miles versus 790, a service ceiling of 25,000ft versus 19,000, a bomb load of 1,000lbs internal or 1,500lbs external versus 360lbs, and a speed of 257mph* versus 188, this makes it far superior to the Ansons that Coastal Command were utilising.
*This was with the Merlin II, what the speed would be with the Pegasus is unknown, but I'll assume it's about the same.

Coastal Command uses it as a land-based adjunct to flying boats, with a combination of bombs and depth charges. Armament is increased with the addition of a second wing-mounted .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine gun.

Opinions?

[dadlamassu]

This version (turret trainer) had a Wright Cyclone

[The Rat]

Looks nice!

[jcf]

Old Battle topic:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=26920.0

[The Rat]

Old Battle topic:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=26920.0

Thanks! I was thinking about the torpedo, it would certainly look good hanging under it. But the power/weight tradeoff isn't likely to increase its lifting ability by much.

[dogsbody]

Mounting a Fairey Prince engine.













Chris

[jcf]

The Battle has the Fairey Monarch 24-cylinder engine, the Prince was a V-12.
https://oldmachinepress.com/2017/10/20/fairey-p-24-monarch-aircraft-engine/

https://oldmachinepress.com/2017/10/05/fairey-p-12-prince-aircraft-engine/

The Twin-Battle concept had two Prince.

[Captain Canada]

So that's two things I've never seen 1

Sounds like a great idea Davey. Looking forward to seeing this. In other news, I had a Zvezda 144th scale Battle in my hands yesterday, and now regret putting it down !

[kitbasher]

I would guess that it was named after the town of Battle, near to Hastings and is the true site of a certain little rumpus in 1066.

To be followed by the Fairey Bognor and possibly more appropriately the Fairy (sic) Brighton...

Surely the Fairey Frinton would have been next?

The P27/32 is a handsome creature - as though Ferrari had designed the Wellesley.

Anyway.....https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=21075.msg340144#msg340144

[PR19_Kit]

There's something so RIGHT about a Battle twin, preferably with only one canopy though.

[The Rat]

So that's two things I've never seen 1

Sounds like a great idea Davey. Looking forward to seeing this. In other news, I had a Zvezda 144th scale Battle in my hands yesterday, and now regret putting it down !

Just think about painting the canopy lines, and maybe you'll lose some regret! 

[jcf]

There's something so RIGHT about a Battle twin, preferably with only one canopy though.

Forward position for the military version, mid-position for the long-range racing aircraft.

[The Rat]

There's something so RIGHT about a Battle twin, preferably with only one canopy though.

mid-position for the long-range racing aircraft.

I like the way you think! 

[The Rat]

Further possibility: With a service ceiling of 25,000ft, it flew at more than twice the altitude of most enemy fighters. 10,000ft higher than the TA-152, which was specifically designed as a high-altitude fighter, it could have flown untouched by any Luftwaffe fighters, and at the extreme effective range (26,000ft) of the Flak AAA.

Now, to get Mr. Spackman salivating: Extend the wings slightly for even more lift, perhaps pressurise a small cabin, and you have a PR machine that could operate with impunity.

Thoughts?

[PR19_Kit]

Now, to get Mr. Spackman salivating: Extend the wings slightly for even more lift, perhaps pressurise a small cabin, and you have a PR machine that could operate with impunity.

Slightly? SLIGHTLY? 

Go the whole hog and double the span!

Don't forget to install Merlin 40 series engines too, they were optimised for the high altitude PR Spitfires.