Double Pancake

[PR19_Kit]

DAMN Zimmerman and his mass balances! Why didn't he use internal ones like many other designers?

I've got three of the blasted things on, but the fourth, the very LAST bit to be added to the aircraft, just WON'T go into place. There's nowhere to support the airframe as there's either a fragile prop blade or an equally fragile mass balance in the way.

I've put the ruddy thing away for a bit as otherwise I'll sling it through the window! 

[PR19_Kit]

At last it's done, and not before time either!

By jigging that last mass balance with a lump of Blu-Tak I got the thing to stick on in the end, but I don't hold out much hope for any of them staying for long, they're just too vulnerable.

Anyway, here's a Vought TF5U-2 'Double Pancake' trainer of USN Fleet Replacement Squadron VA-46 (AKTRON 46 'The Hummingbirds') based at NAS Hanley Field in Dallas TX in 1956. Conveniently the base was right next door to the Vought factory where it was built. 

DG 261 is finished in the then current USN trainer scheme of overall white with red/orange Hi-Viz areas on the nose and tail, with the unit markings displayed on fin and wings, if the aircraft actually had any wings............





From almost all directions the enormous props of the Double Pancake dominate the view. Rotating in opposite directions the props tend to cancel out the drag producing vortices generated by the 'wing' tips, and not only increase the speed of the aircraft but improve the manoeuvrability as well.




The tilted tandem cockpit of the Double Pancake enabled the instructor to see ahead of the aircraft during the very high angle-of-attack approaches that were almost normal for the Pancake variants. The clear nose on the trainers did not carry the radar ranging gunsight aerial but was retained to enable the pupil to see directly ahead during the steep approaches.




From the rear the twin turbine exhausts from the Allison T40 turboprops can be seen, as well as the extended fins fitted to the trainer variants.




The Double Pancake exhibits a truly fearsome look from dead ahead, once again dominated by the twin, fully articulated propellers. Fighter variants carried 6 x 0.5" guns in triple racks either side of the cockpit but the trainers were unarmed.




The underside view of the Double Pancake shows the twin drop tanks often carried during later training sorties, and these were borrowed from VF-100, the operational F5U-2 squadron, thus their Midnite Blue colour.




This view shows the arrestor hook fitted for deck landing training, although the landing speed of the Pancakes was so slow that they often landed vertically with reference to the ship upon which they were landing! Also note the placement of the insignia split across the landing gear doors. This was because there was little room left on the very compact airframe of the Pancakes.

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The full backstory is here :- https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=47768.0

Sorry to those who got lost looking for the  backstory, I managed to link one of the pics above by mistake.

[ChernayaAkula]

That looks very, VERY cool! 

[jalles]

Dang that's a fine looking machine! That hi-viz paint job is striking, love it 

[ericr]

 

[AndrewF]

Nice one - looks great!

[Gondor]

A very nice looking build Kit 

Gondor

[Dizzyfugu]

Sweet, the bold colors suit the pancake well! And the cockpit implant looks very natural, too. 

[zenrat]

Very good Kit.

[Scotaidh]

That looks great.    All the more-so since we know you sweated blood to make it. 

[NARSES2]

You've had some battles with this I know Kit, but you really won out in the end.

Great build mate 

[kitnut617]

Kit! what a cracker of a job you've done --- 

[PR19_Kit]

Thanks gentlemen, I'm glad you like it. 

I've had the idea in my head for some years, but it was never really a goer with the Pegasus kit. Once I found the Hasegawa one wasn't as expensive as I thought it all became possible. And this GB triggered it of properly of course.

I still hate the props and those BLASTED mass balances!

[Old Wombat]

 

[loupgarou]

Congratulations for your success in taming a rebel kit! The result is beautiful.