The RAF's sole Savoia Marchetti SM-77 - Egypt, 1942

[jcf]

You could just mount the rear engines radiator on the top of the engine and back to front. Don't forget the make sure that the propellor for the rear engine is faceing the right way.

I could, but then it would lose the inherent 'Merlinness' of the engines. The idea was to keep the original intakes and radiators but working in reverse.

The prop issue still has to be sorted, and the engine would have to run in reverse if I kept the prop with the same pitch angles.

An idler gear in the reduction box to reverse the prop rotation, just like they did with
the handed Merlins on the Hornet and the P-82 etc.

[PR19_Kit]

An idler gear in the reduction box to reverse the prop rotation, just like they did with
the handed Merlins on the Hornet and the P-82 etc.

That's the current plan, yes. There may be a wafer thin spacer between the prop and the front face of the engine to accommodate the idler.

Was the opposite rotation Merlin in the Hornets longer than the other one? I seem to remember seeing that somewhere..............

[PR19_Kit]

Faring the thick S55 wings into the relatively thin Lancaster wings is quite a hefty job, and it's needed lots of filing and eventual PSR sessions. I'm on the 4th of the latter so far, and only on the port wing too, but it's getting there.

Thank goodness I've got a tank kit to play with while I'm waiting. 

[PR19_Kit]

At LAST I've got the port wing fairing fully PSR'd and primed. It took SEVEN PSR sessions in the end! 

The only problem is I've now got to do the starboard side.

The first engine pair is together and the props shafts are aligned. There's going to be a brass tube going all the way through from one end to the other to ensure the props are parallel. No, they won't both rotate at the same time, but it would be possible, and logical as the props are both clockwise rotators.

[PR19_Kit]

Work's proceeding apace on the S77, but there are SO many bits and pieces that need work on them that it takes an age before any progress is obvious.

The wing assembly's looking promising with the port side just needing its panel lines re-engraved, and I'm about to start the endless PSR on the faring between the inner and outer halves of the starboard side. You can see the layered styrene in the pic below.



The engine assemblies are also coming along, I'm in the middle of PSRing one pair, and I've been drilling them to take the prop mounting tube. The other engine pair only consists of the front half so far, but that has a Merlin visible, thanks to the Revell Lanc kit providing two of them. 

To get the prop tube in place on that engine I had to drill right THROUGH the Merlin.  Not an easy job as it's pretty fragile, but it's done now.

[PR19_Kit]

At last the tedious multiple PSR sessions on the S77's wings are about done. Just a little fine finish putty on some of the scratched areas should see the end of it, thank goodness. You can see the multi-layered styrene I used to fair in the two different wing types below, but it's been primered again now so they're not so visible.

The first engine pair is also on its last PSR stages too, so some progress is being made.

[PR19_Kit]

It's starting to look like a Savoia Marchetti now I've glued the two hulls in place.

The word 'place' is used here in its WIDEST possible sense as fit they don't! 

The undersurface of the wing is curved and the upper surfaces of the hulls are curved as well, but they're two different curves! They meet here and there, just about enough to make a reasonable gluing surface, but they're both going to need OODLES of PSR to fill in the gaps. You can see the amount of tape I had to use just to get some worthwhile gluing area!



The rather skeletal booms will have to be test fitted before I start the PSR on the hulls as I'd hate to have to chop some of the putty away and then re-apply it.

A terrible job really, but someone had to do it I suppose.....

[PR19_Kit]

In its intended anti-shipping role Middle East Command determined that the S77 needed some forward facing armament, which was sadly lacking in its Regia Aeronautica period, so Flt. Lt. Baker, (Yes, the same Flt. Lt. Baker who produced the six Wellesley B(PR)IIIs... ) decided to fit a couple of forward facing turrets, one in each hull.

So here's the first one in position, still needing some PSR etc. but you can see the general idea. Yes, there will be one on the other hull too.

(Well, I've got two Lancaster kits so there's two forward gun turrets, why waste one?  )



Pretty it isn't, but then neither was the S77 originally, and the Lancaster wasn't actually a thing of beauty either.

[Flyer]

the Lancaster wasn't actually a thing of beauty either.

One of the better looking heavy bomber's IMO...

[PR19_Kit]

the Lancaster wasn't actually a thing of beauty either.

One of the better looking heavy bomber's IMO...

True, but it's a job making one of that period look good. To my mind maybe only the B-29 succeeded.

[Flyer]

the Lancaster wasn't actually a thing of beauty either.

One of the better looking heavy bomber's IMO...

True, but it's a job making one of that period look good. To my mind maybe only the B-29 succeeded.

yuck, a capped off tube with wings, at least the Lancaster had an interesting shape to it. 

[Old Wombat]

The B-29 has always looked like a flying dildo, to me.

[Flyer]

I was trying to think of a non offensive PC way of saying just that, but couldn't so I went with the capped off tube remark, cheers Guy. 

[buzzbomb]

.. have to agree with Guy.

Back on the S77.. the work going into this is very nice. Appreciating the effort

[Flyer]

Back on the S77.. the work going into this is very nice. Appreciating the effort

Agreed

Got sidetracked by Lancaster's and totally forgot to comment on the progress...