DONE@p.6 +++ 1:72 YA-14A "Squatina" prototype, a stealthy USAF A-10 replacement

[Dizzyfugu]

This time it's a 1:144 model. I considered a 1:200 first, but it would have looked strange with the bulbous Ka-58 body. With the 1:144 wings the resulting aircraft is quite large, but now there's also enough space for suitable buried engines, bomb bays and landing gear wells.

[PR19_Kit]

Wings might be extended (will certainly please Kit)

[Dizzyfugu]

Nothing really new to show, PSR lasts, at the moment in the second layer. The problem: in order to blend the upper fuselage/wings intersection (whoch has some wide gaps), I have to finish the engine bulged and their interior first, which call for the cockpit area PSR to be finished first.

[Dizzyfugu]

A visual update after 2 days - nothing spectacular, but the PSR work is rather massive and tedious.
First a look into the nose and the cut-back font section of the B-2's lower fuselage:


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The Ka-58' lower body section had been tailored to fit into that opening, including the OOB landing gear wells as well as my implanted new space for the front leg:


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The lower tail section was transplanted from the Ka-58 as well, and its tail wheel well is a convenient space for an arrester hook:


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The body work started with the seams on the wing roots, so that the air intakes and the engine bays could be finished (here already at PSR stage #2):


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

...and this eventually led to this:


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

On short notice I roughly filled up the gaps between the fuselage and the engines, since these would, after the engine bay covers had been added, would only be complicated to reach. Painting the intake and exhaust interior also started:


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Finally, the engine bay could be closed:


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

...and the next PSR layer could be added, in order to blend all the parts into (more or less) one:


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[Old Wombat]

Looking very bat-like at the moment.

[PR19_Kit]

Blimey, that's one HECK of a lot of cutting and fitting! 

It's looking very good indeed. 

[Tophe]

Nicely taking shape, yes!

[Dizzyfugu]

Looking very bat-like at the moment.

Yes, looks a lot like a secret "Batwing" design for the next DC Comics movie!

Just added the fins (from an F-117), and this changes the look a lot. But there's also still a lot of PSR to do around the engines (and now on the fins, too).

[Dizzyfugu]

Now with the fins added; it has a Canberra-ish look now, due to the rhomboid wings, I guess:


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[zenrat]

Don't know about being Canberra like.  It puts me in mind of an Ekranoplan.

Or one of these...

[kerick]

Nice work and great concept!
In consideration of the year 2020 and COVID 19 we should have a bat GB!

[Dizzyfugu]

Now the final major assembly area: the wing tips. Here's a look at the original wing tip section - Kit will probably like them, but they are far too long for an agile low altitude aircraft:


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

And this is what I eventually settled for:


1:72 M7 Aerosystems YA-14A "Squatina", 2nd prototype for the United States of America Air Force (USAF), during DT&E (Demonstration Testing and Evaluation) trials, 2016 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

PSRing them onto the rest might prove challenging, though, because the profile is not constant and the wing become thinner towards the tips. But once this has been solved, wokr on the details like the landing gear and the cockpit glazing can start.

[PR19_Kit]

Kit will probably like them, but they are far too long for an agile low altitude aircraft:

No, Kit LOVES them that way! 

You could have made them retractable for the low altitude part of the mission.  IIRC there was a one-off German sailplane that did EXACTLY that, it was a 15 m span for high speed and a 25 m span for thermalling.

[Dizzyfugu]

IIRC, there was also an American interwar monoplane that had retractable straight wings.

[CammNut]

Darn, I liked the triangular wing!