Trainers With Teeth and COIN Group Build

[Jeffry Fontaine]

2. Has the rear cockpit replaced with two 30mm DEFAs in the lower fuselage, with their barrels under the front cockpit and an access panel and gas vent on the side. I didn't like the idea of MB-326K-style side blisters, since the Magister's air intakes are further back and I could see gun gas going into them.

3. Has the front cockpit replaced by two 30mm DEFAs in an enlarged gun bay in place of the original 7.62mm weapons. The only problem I can see with this one is that the ammo is a long way ahead of the CofG, so it might cause a trim problem as it was expended.

Opinions?

Option two is crazy enough that it might work.  

Option three might also have a gun gas ingestion issue with the engines in addition to your center of gravity issues with all of that weight mounted forward.  

Another possibility would be to consider leaving the twin machine guns where they are and add additional guns under the wing.  The could be in pods on stores pylons or mounted directly to the wing as was done on some American aircraft during WWII and by the French on the T-6 Texan/Harvards that were used in Algeria.  A better dispersion of bullets for strafing purposes would be achieved by spreading your barrels out a bit for better results.  

[Weaver]

I've been having another look at the MB-326K/Impala, and in fact, it's intake position is not much different, relatively speaking, to the Magister's. I therefore think that option 2, with guns in side blisters, would work the best. The former gun bay in the nose can house the black box for a small radar ranging set (EL-2001?), or maybe just a gun-camera.

[GTX]

Real world inspiration - a Bücker Bü 181 armed with 4 Panzerfaust:



Regards,

Greg

[Weaver]

Jesus - the flight speed of those things is so low, and their velocity loss so sharp, that you'd be more likely to shoot yourself down than anything else......

[John Howling Mouse]

As you can see, this really (another) aviation themed Group Build idea. I'd be happy to 'mod' with somebody else (JHM, I'm looking at you !) it if it ever 'took-off' (pun intended). So over to you guys, let's read your thoughts and ideas..... it wont get onto the calender until 2009 at the earlies so lots and lots of time.

Ian

Fixed that for you mate

You guys gotta PM me with such things.  Yes, if we can get this officially executed at some future point, I'll gladly "moderate" the GB and provide some sort of prize.  It's a great idea.  All just a matter of timing now.   

[Weaver]

Woo hoo! Don't normally announce ebay aquisitions until they roll up on my doorstep, but I can't keep this one quiet! I just went to My Ebay to do something totally different, clicked on the wrong auction (a Novo FD.2 which I didn't win) by mistake, and then clicked on the "find similar auctions" by mistake AGAIN! And what popped up?

A Master Hobby 1/72nd scale PZL TS.11 Iskra 200, with no bids on it and 46 seconds to go.

Not only is this a trainer that you don't see kits of every day, but it's the single-seat attack version to boot, with hardpoints and a 23mm! Cost? £3.85 including P&P 

Deep joy............

[philp]

Nice pick up Weave, I have one of the trainer versions of this plane.  I may have to dig it out for this.

[philp]

All,
Do we want to wait for an Official GB on this (who knows when in the future) or do we want to start an Unofficial GB say Aug 1?

What do you think, my Chipmunk keeps talking to me and I don't know how much longer I can hold out 

[Brian da Basher]

Whether official or not, count me in! I've got a couple of kits that I can't wait to build for this!

Brian da Basher

[Spey_Phantom]

i think its a great idea, count me in 

[Weaver]

Woo hoo! Don't normally announce ebay aquisitions until they roll up on my doorstep, but I can't keep this one quiet! I just went to My Ebay to do something totally different, clicked on the wrong auction (a Novo FD.2 which I didn't win) by mistake, and then clicked on the "find similar auctions" by mistake AGAIN! And what popped up?

A Master Hobby 1/72nd scale PZL TS.11 Iskra 200, with no bids on it and 46 seconds to go.

Not only is this a trainer that you don't see kits of every day, but it's the single-seat attack version to boot, with hardpoints and a 23mm! Cost? £3.85 including P&P 

Deep joy............

This arrived today.


It's a cracking little kit: nicely moulded and detailed, and has the option of single or twin seat versions, both with canopies that hinge (little kid Oooooh factor 10  ) It even has, wait for it, a detailed, 3-piece engine, even though there's no provision to see it when it's fitted! Only things I can see wrong now are abysmal crew figures (worst I've ever seen) and one or two sink marks in awkward places. The decals are crap too (a shame, since there's lots of them).

The Iglish on the instruction sheet is quite amusing:

"Construction - wings of double lifted construction, halfcrusted, endowed with ailerons, flaps with two chinks and aerodynamic brakes. The whole uplifted in chains on a trunk. Drive - one jest (sic) engine SO-3 or SO-3B of 981 daN. Armament - one steady 23mm gun at the front of trunk and nonguided missiles, guns, fuel tanks or bombs hanged on four underwing bounds."



I will NOT be modifying this physically (although I'm tempted to find out how the bay opens in order to show off that engine) since it's quite obscure enough already, but I will probably do it in whiff colours of some small, possibly non-existent TPLAC.

[philp]

I checked with Ian, Nev and Jeff since they had broached the GB idea originally and we have decided to let this idea go to the next Official GB poll (although I will personally vote for the LSR again  ).

If it doesn't get voted in as an Official GB at that time, we will open it as an unofficial one.  So keep those kits ready.

[AeroplaneDriver]

Maybe the tow could be merged into a "Low, slow, and kicking donkey" GB.

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Or we could wait for the next monthly GB poll !

Ian

[philp]

Or what he said.