#Done# Indian Navy F8F-5 Super Bearcat, 1951

[AndrewF]

I've started another drawing as I'm working from home just now... inspired by the "Rare Bear" Reno racer combined with a standard F8F:

[perttime]

Taichi's drawings for Rare Bear reference?

[AndrewF]

Taichi's drawings for Rare Bear reference?

Sorry, I don't understand - did someone do drawings of Rare Bear? I just eyeballed the modifications from a load of photos from different angles found on the Internet. It's not supposed to be strictly accurate anyway, just inspired by it.

[perttime]

Taichiro Yamashita has a site with lots of racer drawings. He sells prints but there are small previews on his website. Enough to get the proportions, at least:

A few Rare Bear drawings can be found at http://taichi56jp.g1.xrea.com/#Bearcats%20and%20Corsairs

Samples:

[AndrewF]

Ah, excellent! Thanks Perttime, I wasn't aware of his site - I Image Googled "rare bear plans" but nothing came up. This is very useful, thanks again 
A.

[Dizzyfugu]

I can throw these in, Sabre-powered variants, though, from a Canadian illustrator/modeler:


Sabrecat WSR by François, on Flickr


Canadian Sabrecat by François, on Flickr

[AndrewF]

A bit of progress with this:

[AndrewF]

Making this look more beaten up as time goes on...

[AndrewF]

I'm calling this finished. I'll do a writeup later...

[perttime]

That is a bit of a transformation from the first to the last 

[Old Wombat]

 

[NARSES2]

Does look good 

[AndrewF]

Thanks chaps!
Here's the "justification":

At the end of the Second World War in 1948, the Royal Navy decided it would be cheaper to cede now unneeded equipment to colonies and ex-colonies around the world rather than go through the expense of returning it to the UK for decommissioning. The escort carrier HMS Ameer - based in the Indian Ocean - was therefore presented along with its air wing to the newly independent Republic of India. INS Ameer's air wing comprised 18 Grumman F8F-5 Super Bearcats (known as the Bearcat III in FAA service), which had replaced the carrier's Hellcats in 1946.
The Super Bearcat used a Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engine in place of the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp used in previous Bearcat models. Although providing even better performance than earlier Bearcats, the Super Bearcat's frontline career with the FAA and the USN was short as jet-powered aircraft were developing rapidly.
During their service with the Indian Navy, the F8F-5s were repainted from the all-over Gloss Sea Blue FAA camouflage scheme to Dark Sea Gray upper surfaces and White lower surfaces. The aircraft had been well-used during their two years of FAA service, and continued to be so during the formative years of the Indian republic - being used in the Goa conflict against Portuguese armed forces, and during several confrontations with the Dominion of Pakistan. They and the Ameer remained in service until 1961, when the jet-capable Majestic-class carrier INS Vikrant was commissioned. The Ameer was scrapped, and the remaining 15 F8F-5s were reconditioned and sold to Ceylon, where they equipped the sole interceptor squadron of the Royal Ceylon Air Force until the late 60s.

[PR19_Kit]

Wholly believable and very probably too. 

[jalles]

That looks fantastic, well done