Beyond The Sprues
Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Aero-space => Topic started by: Acree on May 03, 2017, 01:30:42 PM
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In the summer of 1937, the L’Aeronautique Militaire Belge began to recognize the desperate need to replace the various versions of the Fairey Fox light bomber/reconnaissance/attack aircraft. The SABCA firm entered into an agreement in the fall to license produce the Caproni Ca 335 Maestrale as the SABCA S.47. Meanwhile, Avions Fairey put forward the British Fairey Battle as a light bomber/reconnaissance aircraft. While both of these proposals interested the Belgian high command, they both had their drawbacks - the Battle was bigger, slower, and less versatile than the S.47, but the latter was unproven in technology. As a compromise solution, E.O. Tipps of Avions Fairey proposed an even smaller, technologically simpler aircraft that was broadly based on the S.47 layout. The Avions Fairey Faucon (as it was named) was designed in three short weeks by E.O.Tipps (with a lot of assistance from the Fairey staff at Hayes, especially Marcel Lobelle). The Faucon prototype first flew in April 1938, at Gosselies. The Faucon completed its test program and, with only a few needed changes, entered production in January 1939. Faucons began to enter service replacing Fox IIs and IIIs in the summer of 1939.
In the meantime, the Belgian government saw an opportunity to to increase international prestige by exporting their new combat aircraft whilst simultaneously securing a source of petroleum imports. Accordingly, an agreement was made with the government of Venezuela whereby twelve Avions Fairey Faucons were exported to Venezuela in exchange for a large quantity of Venezuelan oil. In the event, only six Faucons were delivered to Venezuela (where they were known as 'Halcons') before further exports were stopped in order that all production could be directed to the Belgian AIr Force.
Shown below is number 4 of the six Faucons delivered to Venezuela.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2809/34024844570_79d421dfff_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TQEdTd)Faucon (https://flic.kr/p/TQEdTd) by cacree (https://www.flickr.com/photos/144515244@N05/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4175/34250534822_0583360478_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/UbAWJs)Faucon (https://flic.kr/p/UbAWJs) by cacree (https://www.flickr.com/photos/144515244@N05/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4180/33599868423_a4039818c4_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Tc77hg)Faucon (https://flic.kr/p/Tc77hg) by cacree (https://www.flickr.com/photos/144515244@N05/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4169/34409824525_fac27a1c64_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/UqFm1D)Faucon (https://flic.kr/p/UqFm1D) by cacree (https://www.flickr.com/photos/144515244@N05/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4165/34278980771_39ca53aef0_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Ue7JHR)Faucon (https://flic.kr/p/Ue7JHR) by cacree (https://www.flickr.com/photos/144515244@N05/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/34278980931_fa9a0e71b3_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Ue7JLB)Faucon (https://flic.kr/p/Ue7JLB) by cacree (https://www.flickr.com/photos/144515244@N05/), on Flickr
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:)
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My what lovely spats you have there!
:-* :-* :-*.
The swept wings look like they belong and those cool Venezuelan markings complement it all very nicely!
Well done, Acree!
Brian da Basher
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Yes, good model, well done. :)
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i like what i see, well done :)
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Thanks, guys. I forgot to mention what the model is made of.
Fuselage - Airfix Kingfisher
Wings - Smer Me 262, thickened by inserting plastic card between the halves and PSRing the engine mounts, mounted to the big stub wings of the Kingfisher.
Empennage - Airfix Grumman Duck (reshaped)
Engine/prop - HobbyBoss Petlyakov Pe-2 (a reasonable stand-in for a Hispano-Suiza inline of the appropriate vintage)
Main Landing Gear Struts - wing flaps from Airfix Mustang
Wheels/spats - MPM Lockheed Vega
Radiator bath is gun tray from Airfix Blenheim IF, with radiator flap from Airfix Mustang added at the aft end.
Canopy is all Kingfisher except windscreen from spares box (Wildcat, I think).
There is some assorted spares box stuff in both cockpits, but you really can't see any of it in the pics.
It really is just a quick slap-together, but I enjoyed it a lot.
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Parts from at least 7 kits! This is my kind of build!!! :)
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Whoa.. that is a beasty.
Nice work melding all that together
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Thanks, guys. I forgot to mention what the model is made of.
Fuselage - Airfix Kingfisher
Wings - Smer Me 262, thickened by inserting plastic card between the halves and PSRing the engine mounts, mounted to the big stub wings of the Kingfisher.
Empennage - Airfix Grumman Duck (reshaped)
Engine/prop - HobbyBoss Petlyakov Pe-2 (a reasonable stand-in for a Hispano-Suiza inline of the appropriate vintage)
Main Landing Gear Struts - wing flaps from Airfix Mustang
Wheels/spats - MPM Lockheed Vega
Radiator bath is gun tray from Airfix Blenheim IF, with radiator flap from Airfix Mustang added at the aft end.
Canopy is all Kingfisher except windscreen from spares box (Wildcat, I think).
There is some assorted spares box stuff in both cockpits, but you really can't see any of it in the pics.
What an incredible mix! :-*