DONE +++ 1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone', USAAC, 1935

[The Chaos]

 

[Rick Lowe]

"Not much progress", he says... 

Looking really good, Dizz - and colourful is the right word!

[Dizzyfugu]

Final small steps, but nothing really new to show. Kit has been varnished and rigged (minimally), and I call it finished - at least the hardware. Scenic photo session next, background has also already been written.

[Old Wombat]

Kit has been varnished and rigged (minimally)

Oh dear! I don't know where my brain was but reading that just brought visions of Mr Spackman covered in Estapol & wires into my mind.  

[Dizzyfugu]

Kit has been varnished and rigged (minimally)

Oh dear! I don't know where my brain was but reading that just brought visions of Mr Spackman covered in Estapol & wires into my mind.  

LOL. 

[NARSES2]

Kit has been varnished and rigged (minimally)

Oh dear! I don't know where my brain was but reading that just brought visions of Mr Spackman covered in Estapol & wires into my mind.  

  

[PR19_Kit]

Strewth, whatever next!

[Gondor]

Kit has been varnished and rigged (minimally)

Oh dear! I don't know where my brain was but reading that just brought visions of Mr Spackman covered in Estapol & wires into my mind.  

Got to keep the hat in place!

Gondor

[NARSES2]

Kit has been varnished and rigged (minimally)

Oh dear! I don't know where my brain was but reading that just brought visions of Mr Spackman covered in Estapol & wires into my mind.  

Got to keep the hat in place!

Gondor

  

[Dizzyfugu]

Unfortunately no progress during the last two days. Mood and motivation spiraled downwards after disappointing experiences at work, I might only be able to add minimum display shots in time, but not full scenic coverage. General mojo is gone at the moment. 

[Rick Lowe]

That's a shame. But you got it to the completed stage, so that's a Win!

[Dizzyfugu]

Good news so far: photo session completed. But now I have to see how far I can get with editing selected pics until tomorrow.

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, not as quick as hoped for, but well in time, the final parts of this build. So, here comes an 1:72 model of the Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Some background:
The Detroit Aircraft Corporation was incorporated in Detroit, Michigan on July 10, 1922, as the Aircraft Development Corporation. The name was changed in 1929 to Lockheed-Detroit. In 1930 the company undertook a private venture to develop a new fighter for the US Army Air Corps. Designed by Robert J. Woods, the aircraft was completed in 1931 and designated XP-22 (at this time in the United States, fighter aircraft were known as "pursuit planes", and were designated with a "P"; the "X" stood for "Experimental").

The P-22's structure was conventional and of all-metal construction. It was a single-bay biplane of unequal span ("sesquiplane"), with the wings forward-staggered. The lower wing was smaller than the upper and was mounted at the base of the fuselage. The upper wing was of gull wing configuration and directly attached to the fuselage in front of the cockpit, without supporting struts, a measure to improve the main wings' structural rigidity and improve the pilot's field of view ahead and above, who sat in an open cockpit. The wings were fabric-covered while the fuselage was planked with an innovative sandwich sheet material consisting of a balsa wood core that was laminated with thin aluminum, which saved overall weight and also provided a very clean surface of high aerodynamic quality. The latter was further improved through the use of flush-head rivets and as little stabilizing rigging as possible to reduce drag.


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The XP-22 was powered by the new Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled V12 engine, a powerplant which was designed to yield an output of 1.000 hp (735 kW) but in this early version only offered 750 hp (550 kW), driving a wooden fixed pitch propeller. The radiator was mounted under the engine in a streamlined chin fairing. Armament consisted of a pair of synchronized 0.30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns in front of the cockpit, firing through the propeller disc.

The first XP-22 flew for the first time in April 1932, and despite the weak powerplant the aircraft showed much promise, thanks to its clean aerodynamic shape. However, some flaws were discovered that required amendments. For instance, the XP-22's headrest offered little protection should it flip onto its back, risking injuring the pilot. As a result, the P-22A production model had a taller headrest installed to provide protection. The landing gear was redesigned and lost its draggy opens struts in favor of single legs with semi-spatted main wheels. The prototypes' N-struts that supported the upper wings were replaced with a simpler V-shaped arrangement that reduced drag further. The engine was uprated, too: a V-1710-3 now delivered 850 hp (625 kW), and to better cope with the higher output the propeller was upgraded to an innovative adjustable three blade constant speed metal propeller.


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


With all these detail improvements the biplane fighter was able to achieve 250 mph at level flight, fifteen more than the contemporary P-26 monoplane (with a weaker engine, though). After evaluation by the USAAC, two initial contracts were awarded for a total of 25 aircraft, of which the first 15 were considered preproduction and given a temporary "YP-22A" designation. After three months of field service, together with ten more YP-22A aircraft from the second batch, the aircraft were re-designated P-22A and serial production was officially launched.

Following Lockheed's tradition to name its products after stars and constellations the P-22 was named "Alcyone", after the brightest star in the Pleiades cluster, even though the kingfisher bird ambiguity was accepted. The production P-22 was faster than previous American biplane combat aircraft; it offered very good handling, especially when rolling, even though its landing speed was relatively high for a biplane and caused some accidents during its early service phases. The addition of flaps on the lower wings was considered but not introduced into serial production.


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Despite its merits, rapid progress in aviation led to it quickly becoming an anachronism, with its double wings, fixed landing gear and an open cockpit. The cantilever-wing Dewoitine D.500 flew the same year as the P-22 and two years afterwards the Soviet I-16 was flying with retractable landing gear. By 1935, just three years after the P-22, the Curtiss P-36, Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Hawker Hurricane were all flying with enclosed cockpits, retractable landing gear and cantilever wings.
 
Deliveries to USAAC pursuit squadrons began in December 1933 with the last production P-22A aircraft coming off the assembly line already in 1935. 352 P-22s were built during that period, including one export aircraft for the Spanish Air Force and twenty-two for the Republic of China Air Force. Together with the P-26 Peashooter, P-22s were among the frontline fighters of the USAAC until 1938, when Seversky P-35 and Curtiss P-36 monoplanes began to replace them, and they were quickly retired and scrapped. A total of fifteen P-22s were lost in accidents between 1934 and America's entry into World War II on 7 December 1941.


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


General characteristics:
    Crew: 1
    Length: 23 ft 7 in (7.2 m)
    Wingspan: 32 ft 10 in (10.02 m)
    Height: 9 ft 10 in (3 m)
    Wing area: 250 sq ft (23 m²)
    Airfoil: NACA M-12
    Fuel capacity: 100 US gal (83 imp gal; 380 l)
    Empty weight: 2,998 lb (1,360 kg)
    Gross weight: 3,836 lb (1,740 kg)
   
Powerplant:
    1× Allison V-1710-3 liquid-cooled V12 engine, rated at 850 hp (625 kW), driving a three-bladed variable pitch metal propeller

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 250 mph (400 km/h, 220 kn) at 9,843 ft (3,000 m)
    Range: 430 mi (690 km, 370 nmi)
    Endurance: 2 hours
    Service ceiling: 37,700 ft (11,500 m)
    Rate of climb: 3,281 ft/min (16.67 m/s)
    Time to altitude: 16,404 ft (5,000 m) in 5 minutes 30 seconds
    Wing loading: 15.5 lb/sq ft (75.7 kg/m²)
    Power/mass: 0.22 hp/lb (0.36 kW/kg)

Armament:
    1× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine gun fixed and
    1× 0.30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun fixed, both synchronized forward-firing through the propeller disc
    Underwing hardpoints for 2× 100 lb (45 kg) GP bombs or 4x 31 lb (14 kg) anti-personnel bombs


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Lockheed-Detroit P-22A 'Alcyone'; aircraft '62' of the United States Army Air Corps' (USAAC) 95th 'Kicking Mule' Pursuit Squadron, 17th Pursuit Group; March Field (California/USA), 1935 (What-if/ICM kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Due to the limited time frame a quick project and a really colorful one, too. I had wanted to build a blue/yellow USAAC bird for a long time, and the modified Ki-10 was the perfect opportunity. The whole thing even looks very believable, despite the aircraft's roots in Asia – a quite typical interwar fighter during the advent of monoplanes and retractable landing gears. ^^

[zenrat]

Good job Dizz.  I'm loving the paintjob.   

[The Chaos]

Good Work I Like It