Rotodyne, Pegasus powered V/STOL support *finished*

[sandiego89]

In early 1962 the Rotodyne received a surprising reprieve with the RAF moving forward with a 100 aircraft order for the Pegasus powered P.1127 to fulfill Nato Basic Military Requirement-3, which called for V/STOL strike aircraft to operate from dispersed fields, with the planning assumption that traditional airfields would be unusable during engagement with Warsaw Pact forces.  V/STOL support aircraft were also desired to support and sustain operations at dispersed locations. 

The Eland engines of the original Rotodyne were deemed insufficient to deliver the heavy fuel and stores loads to the austere sites, but a re-engining with the Pegasus was deemed rather straightforward, and had the added benefits of commonality with the the P.1127, and later Harrier GR.1 fleets.  The Pegasus Rotyodynes were a regular sight (and sound!) around RAF Germany airfields and dispersal locations. 

The Kit: the venerable 1:72 Airfix Fairey Rotodyne, with my scratch built, resin casted, Pegasus engines.   

     

[killnoizer]

Let me ask a question about that harrier kit , it is the same box art like the matchbox kit. ?
What brand is that please ? 

[buzzbomb]

Interest piqued !!

Love the classic kit artwork of course.. there will be kit collectors out there who will have spat their coffee on the keyboard.

[PR19_Kit]

Fred Zenrat amogst them!

[sandiego89]

Let me ask a question about that harrier kit , it is the same box art like the matchbox kit. ?
What brand is that please ? 

It is the AMT Harrier, which scalemates indicates is a 1979 reboxing of the Matchbox. The box art looks very much the same and the kit even includes the Matchbox instructions as well as the AMT version!

Gotta love the old Mathchbox multi color kits!  A few of you may have flashbacks......

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/matchbox-amt-7112-hawker-siddeley-av-8a-harrier--1199370

[Wardukw]

This has got me very interested Dave..this im gonna like 👍 👌 🙂

[killnoizer]

I am hard searching that matchbox harrier for months ... if someone have one left ,  please.



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But sorry, this thread's another story !

[Dizzyfugu]

That Harrier has been molded in interesting colors! I only ever came across green/grey ones!

[McColm]

I did something very similar to the Boeing V-22 Osprey. Good luck with your build.

[zenrat]

Interest piqued !!

Love the classic kit artwork of course.. there will be kit collectors out there who will have spat their coffee on the keyboard.

Fred Zenrat amogst them!

No coffee spitting here Kit.  Rather a "you bewdy!" of support.

Regular readers will remember I have previously installed a Pegasus into a Rotodyne.

ROTODYNE 2.0 WIP 05-03-2019 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Fairey Rotodyne 2.0 - 7 of 20 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[sandiego89]

Interest piqued !!

Love the classic kit artwork of course.. there will be kit collectors out there who will have spat their coffee on the keyboard.

Fred Zenrat amogst them!

No coffee spitting here Kit.  Rather a "you bewdy!" of support.

Regular readers will remember I have previously installed a Pegasus into a Rotodyne.

Nice! Mine will be a bit different, with the Pegasus engines providing vectoring thrust as well.

[PR19_Kit]

A 'dyne's a potential 'Whiff-in-a-box' for anyone's money.

Of course it helps that they only made one of them!

[kerick]

Any chance that a Rotodyne could have been a useful search and rescue aircraft? With giant props in front of the wing and all kinds of exhaust behind the wing a winch system could have been difficult at best. It could make a number of interesting whiffs in that mission.

[sandiego89]

Now to cast my two engines.  I am reusing the RTV mold I made for my Pegasus powered C-130 Super/STOL several years ago, but found out at the 2 part resin I had used before had dried up.  Going to try a new clear 2-part resin.  Part of this is an experiment to cast clear parts which could come in handy for canopies etc.

The two part mold with the a tan resin Pegasus cast a few year ago, this cast was a spare for my C-130, I had cast a few extra and this was was not quite there with a few of the nozzles not quite fully cast (air bubble?).  Resin seems very finicky for me any way, with not enough stirring, waiting to long to pour etc. 

The gray engine was the plastic master I made from an Airfix? GR.3 fuselage.  Cut off the wings, made the gaping twin intakes into a single intake using the kit intake lips and sheet styrene.   





Pouring the clear resin.  Mix 1:1, stir for 3-5 minutes in a disposable cup and let sit for 2-3 minutes, slowly pour into the molds.  This is much longer than my previous tan resin, which you had to pour within 2 minutes or so and hardened very quickly, leading to a few disasters.  I had made too much so I filled my other molds of a F-102 nose and rear fuselage of a TAV-8A for further experimenting.  Very much like this resin has longer until it gets too hard. 
 


Let sit 24 hours.  Wish me luck. 





   

[PR19_Kit]

Any chance that a Rotodyne could have been a useful search and rescue aircraft? With giant props in front of the wing and all kinds of exhaust behind the wing a winch system could have been difficult at best. It could make a number of interesting whiffs in that mission.

The original 'dyne had two clamshell doors right in the tail, they could have mounted a cantilevered winch there, right aft, and out of much of the breeze.

Whether any survivors would have still been able to hear once rescued is a different kettle of fish however............