DONE @p.3 +++ TAM-1 "გველგესლას (Viper)", a Georgian, A-10-esque Frogfoot

[Dizzyfugu]

Dug out another project from The Stash™ that had been lingering for years. I will not go into details yet, but I'd describe it as a "remixed" popular attack aircraft.

Will take some tiome to materia-/visualize, though, there's another project on the photo shooting bench that needs to be finished, too.

[Dizzyfugu]

Already in the painting phase here... 

[Flyer]

Cool, but what is it?

[Dizzyfugu]

 

[Stratos]

Looking forward!

[Dizzyfugu]

Now that the SEAC Buffalo is through, things will start moving here. As an introduction,

This build was somewhat inspired by a CG rendition of a modified Su-25 that I came across while doing online search for potential ideas many years ago, running under the moniker "Su-125", created by someone called "Bispro" and published at DeviantArt in 2010 (https://www.deviantart.com/bispro/art/Sukhoi-Su-125-Foghorn-150431807).



It shows a Su-25 with the engines re-located to the rear fuselage in nacelles, much like an A-10, plus a T-tail. However, as many photoshopped pictures and aircrafts they depict, the shown concept had IMHO some flaws. Where would a landing gear go, as the Su-125 still had shoulder wings? The engines' position and size also looked fishy to me, quite small/narrow (like reversed A-10 nacelles?) and very far high and back – I had doubts concerning the center of gravity. Nevertheless, I liked the idea, and the idea of an "A-10-esque remix" of the Frogfoot was born.

This idea was fueled even more when I found out that the Hobbycraft kit of the Su-25 lends itself to such a conversion. The kit itself is not a brilliant Su-25 rendition, there are certainly better models of the aircraft in 1:72. However, what spoke for the mediocre kit as whiffing fodder is the fact that it is quite cheap and AFAIK the only kit that comes with separate engine nacelles that are attached to a narrow central fuselage. This avoids lots of massive (if possible at all) body work. Check the instructions: https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/2/9/6/195296-52-instructions.pdf

Another beneficial design feature is that the wing roots are part of the original engine nacelles, forming their "roof". Through this, the original wingspan could be retained even without the nacelles, so that the original proportions can be retained without a wing extension.

Stay tuned... 

[Flyer]

Interesting. Looks way better than the original. Waiting impatiently to see to your version of it. 

[zenrat]

I'm pretty sure there are other 1/72 Grach kits with separate engines as the aircraft's design lends itself to a kit of it being designed this way.  I have a few, i'll have a look.

My stash list notes about the Hobbycraft Su-25 say "no weapons".

[Dizzyfugu]

My stash list notes about the Hobbycraft Su-25 say "no weapons".

That's correct - it's totally bare of anything. 

[zenrat]

Dragon did 1/72 Soviet weapons sets as do ICM.
But I am sure you know that and already have what you need in hand.

[Dizzyfugu]

Both are in store, as well as a vintage Mastercraft USSR ordnance set - but some NATO stuff might find its way under this one (too). 

[Dizzyfugu]

On popular demand, WiP reports from this thorough re-configuration job:

Work started with the central fuselage and the cockpit tub, which received a different (better) armored ejection seat and a pilot figure; the canopy remained unmodified and closed because representing the kit with an open cockpit would require major body work on the spinal area behind the canopy. Inside, a new dashboard (from an Italeri BAe Hawk with a scratched sunscreen) was added, too – the original instrument panel is just a flat front bulkhead with some engraved instruments, there's no space for the pilot to place his legs underneath the dashboard!

In parallel, the fin underwent major surgery. I initially considered an A-10-ish twin tail, but the Su-25's high "tail stinger" prevented its implementation: the jet efflux would come very close to the tail surfaces. So, I went for something similar to the "Su-125" layout.
Mounting the OOB stabilizers to the fin was challenging, though. The fin lost its di-electric tip fairing, and it was cut into two sections, so that the tip would become long enough to match the stabilizers. A lucky find in the scrap box was a leftover tail tip from a Matchbox Blackburn Buccaneer, already shortened from a former, stillborn project: it had now the perfect length to take the Su-25 stabilizers! To make it fit on the fin, an 8mm deep section was inserted, in the form of a simple 1.5mm styrene sheet strip. Once dry, the surface was re-built with several PSR layers. Since it would sit further back on the new aircraft's tail, the stinger with a RHAWS sensor was shortened.


1:72 Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing TAM-1 ,,გველგესლას (Gvelgeslas/Viper)", aircraft ,,Blue 07" of the Georgian Aviation and Air Defence Command of the Defence Forces; Alekseevka air base (Tbilisi), 2021 (What-if/modified Hobbycraft kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing TAM-1 ,,გველგესლას (Gvelgeslas/Viper)", aircraft ,,Blue 07" of the Georgian Aviation and Air Defence Command of the Defence Forces; Alekseevka air base (Tbilisi), 2021 (What-if/modified Hobbycraft kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


On the fuselage, the attachment points for the wings and the engine nacelles were PSRed away and the front section filled with lots of lead beads, hoping that it would be enough to keep the model's nose down.

Even though the wings had a proper span for a re-location into a low position, they still needed some attention: at the roots, there's a ~1cm wide section without sweep (the area which would normally cover the original engine nacelles' tops). This was mended through triangular 1.5 mm styrene wedges that extended the leading-edge sweep, roughly cut into shape once attached and later PSRed into the wings' surfaces


1:72 Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing TAM-1 ,,გველგესლას (Gvelgeslas/Viper)", aircraft ,,Blue 07" of the Georgian Aviation and Air Defence Command of the Defence Forces; Alekseevka air base (Tbilisi), 2021 (What-if/modified Hobbycraft kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Muahahaha! 

[Gondor]

Podded undercarriage in a similar fashion to the A-10 by any chance?

Gondor

[Dizzyfugu]

Podded undercarriage in a similar fashion to the A-10 by any chance?

Gondor

Yup, wait and see, as this turns out to be the most logical and effective solution.

[Gondor]

Podded undercarriage in a similar fashion to the A-10 by any chance?

Gondor

Yup, wait and see, as this turns out to be the most logical and effective solution.

My guess is that it will be either at the dogtooth or a bit further inboard. Putting it under the wing tips where the air brakes on the Su-25 are would give you a very wide track for the undercariage which will reduce where you can fly it from as well as loosing any rough field performance.

Gondor