Author Topic: Stuka musings  (Read 29780 times)

Offline upnorth

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Stuka musings
« on: April 08, 2012, 05:05:49 PM »
Hello all:

I'm well aware that the Stuka design was pretty much obsolete early on in the war and the aircraft was easy meat for allied fighters if it travelled without escort.

However, when I think about the aircraft and it's mission, I can see a design that could be cleaned up and perhaps married to a turboprop for use as a COIN platform in post war Latin America.

So let's say, for the sake of example, that an employee of the nationalized Junkers firm who was more loyal to Hugo Junkers ideals than those of the Nazis, flees Germany with a copy of the Stuka blueprints and technical notes and gets to South America with them and revises them.

While the basic slim fuselage and gull wing planform are kept, several refinements are made within those dimensions:

Much reduced weight through lightened structure and reduced armor
Wings cleaned up and retracting main gear incorporated
Revised cockpit area with new canopy of much reduced framing, single and two seat variants made
Early versions replaced Jumo engine with piston engine more suited to COIN mission
Later versions were turboprop powered

Those are just a few refinements I've thought of putting in the design while thinking about how to smooth out the Stuka, and still keep the general Stuka look, over the years.

So, what do you all make of that idea?

What else could be done with a Stuka?
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Offline Maverick

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2012, 06:54:31 PM »
The later D & G models were quite a bit 'smoother' than the earlier varants for starters.  The wing would be along the lines of the F4U I suspect for retracting gear.

Regards,

John
Regards,

John

Offline upnorth

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2012, 07:02:06 PM »
Yes, that's what I felt too.

I have tried at least once in the past to marry the inner sections of the Corsair wing to the outer section of the Stuka wing. They join up pretty well but cleaning up the back edge of the Stuka wing proved a challenge.

If I try the project again, I'll likely use the same starting point of the Academy 1/72 Ju-87 Kanonenvogel and the Smer reissue of the Heller Corsair, both of which I can get pretty cheaply.
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Offline Daryl J.

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2012, 12:51:53 AM »
I'd love to do a D model with a cargo pannier in UPS markings.     
kwyxdxLg5T

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2012, 03:41:16 AM »
A few musings - some might match the musings above (one won't):






Regards,

Greg
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Offline raafif

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2012, 07:13:30 AM »
a turbo-prop engine would go nice !!

but to do away with those sexy spats & the dive-siren is HERESY !! :(

Offline apophenia

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2012, 11:24:48 AM »
My go at a South American Stuka: http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=351.270

I'm thinking that the most plausible engine is the Hispano-Suiza 12Y (perhaps brought in from Spain?). Postwar, the HS12Y could be replaced by Arsenal 12s (French Jumo 213s) before moving on to turboprops (Turmos?).

The original canopy would be a Stuka-style birdcage. I've replaced that with a postwar mod using Sea Fury trainer hoods. Maybe go to T-33 for the turboprop version?
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Offline finsrin

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2012, 11:29:00 AM »
Like those new looks for a Stuka.  Cool  8)

Offline upnorth

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #8 on: April 09, 2012, 02:32:50 PM »
Greg, I quite like the second and third profiles you have.

Apophenia, the Argentine Stuka looks fantastic; just about what I'd imagined for an early variant. Perhaps the Turbomeca Aztazou could work as the turboprop successor.

I think the tail unit still needs some cleaning up, a retracting tail wheel and enough internal bracing to make the external brace unrequired.
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Offline Dr. YoKai

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2012, 10:03:37 PM »
 I'll suggest a bit of backtracking. Keeping the Anton style wheel pants, scale-o-rama the beast into
 a be-all and end all of close support. Manned weapons stations on the leading edge of the wheels, ala' 
 the Airacuda, perhaps a gondola, a tail gun ( manned, of course ) wing panel bomb bays, for a literal
 rain of small AP bombs, all capped off with a 1/144 greenshouse on a 1/72, or ( dare I say it? ) a
 1/48 th scale airframe...and maybe contra-props.

Offline sequoiaranger

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See Stuka
« Reply #10 on: April 10, 2012, 07:44:37 AM »
I took a Stuka top fuselage, mated it to a Suisei underfuselage (and cooler), and then put Corsair wings on it. German Pacific Fleet markings (swastika inside the Hinomaru)!

« Last Edit: April 10, 2012, 07:46:24 AM by sequoiaranger »
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Offline raafif

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #11 on: April 10, 2012, 11:21:37 AM »
you got a side-on photo of that, sequoiaranger ??

Combine Greg's different canopies & minor changes to the nose = Tubo-Stuka


looks like a good crop-duster !
« Last Edit: April 10, 2012, 11:38:23 AM by raafif »

Offline AXOR

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #12 on: April 10, 2012, 04:38:34 PM »
Hmmm interesting  :-*
Craig I'd love to see more pictures of your model.
raafif,I like your turboprop version,here's my interpretation.

Alex
Alex

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: See Stuka
« Reply #13 on: April 10, 2012, 05:21:52 PM »
I took a Stuka top fuselage, mated it to a Suisei underfuselage (and cooler), and then put Corsair wings on it. German Pacific Fleet markings (swastika inside the Hinomaru)!




That looks great.  Any more photos?
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Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #14 on: April 10, 2012, 05:23:13 PM »
Perhaps the Turbomeca Aztazou could work as the turboprop successor.


That would look cool.  Maybe also a similarly powered turbo Fw-189?
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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Offline sequoiaranger

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Pics of "See Stuka"?
« Reply #15 on: April 10, 2012, 11:28:08 PM »
AXU, raafif, and GTX-->more pictures?<

Actually, I do NOT have more pictures (that was an old one c. 1985), and the actual model has broken landing gear and several other broken parts from a move that have not yet been repaired. However, the "top", "tail", and "sides" of the See Stuka are simply an un-modified Ju-87 D. From a viewpoint anywhere but the front (my pic here) it looks like a generic Stuka with rounded wing tips (pilfered from a Corsair). The fuselage is "deeper" because of the Suisei bottom which encloses the bomb much like a Helldiver (or a Suisei!!). The REALLY OLD (c. 1963) LS kit of the Suisei had working bomb-bay doors and was inappropriately narrower than a proper Suisei should be (the Fujimi one is superb! I made my single-seat "stealth" recce version-"Yamagumo"- out of that one) but mated PERFECTLY to the Matchbox Stuka I used. The main landing gear is Corsair, too, but I paid tribute to the Stuka by having the landing gear DOORS in the approximate shape of the spats!
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Offline upnorth

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #16 on: April 10, 2012, 11:57:35 PM »
Wow! Some great ideas and inspiration since I last checked in!

That See Stuka is quite something. :)
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Offline raafif

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #17 on: April 11, 2012, 07:58:44 AM »
Maybe also a similarly powered turbo Fw-189?


here's such a beast .....
http://www.modellboard.net/index.php?topic=40368.0
     pretty ugly tho !



Updated tail on AXU's mod of my Turbo-Stuka ...



Where do we go from here ??
           swept-wings ..... tail-plane half-way up the fin ?
« Last Edit: April 11, 2012, 08:01:31 AM by raafif »

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #18 on: April 11, 2012, 08:02:33 AM »
Maybe also a similarly powered turbo Fw-189?


here's such a beast .....
http://www.modellboard.net/index.php?topic=40368.0
     pretty ugly tho !



Hmmm...haven't made up my mind yet.  I was thinking of something less radical though:  really just a standard Fw-189 but with Turboprops.
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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Offline raafif

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #19 on: April 11, 2012, 08:05:02 AM »
but they're UGLY turbo-props, Greg !!
            and that canopy too !! :-X

    As I've said of several stewardesses over the years ..... "nice tail tho" ;)

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #20 on: April 11, 2012, 08:10:04 AM »
I agree re the cockpit...but then again sometimes ugly has a beauty all of its own! ;)
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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Offline apophenia

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #21 on: April 11, 2012, 11:17:13 AM »
For my take on the Turbo-Stuka, I concluded that a Dart was around the right period and power. I added a little to the fin but I like the new tail on your's raafif!

http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=351.285
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Offline sequoiaranger

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See Stuka Pics
« Reply #22 on: April 12, 2012, 03:40:29 PM »
Actually, I discovered my old See Stuka had only a missing wheel (which I found), so....I have two pics here:

One, a side/top view...



And this up the front view showing the old LS Suisei bomb-bay. I goofed up the "Spiralschnause"--I may just retrofit it (but for now...):

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Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #23 on: April 12, 2012, 05:15:31 PM »
I love the idea of a stuka with a bomb bay!!
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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Offline upnorth

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Re: Stuka musings
« Reply #24 on: April 12, 2012, 05:38:03 PM »
I love the idea of a stuka with a bomb bay!!

Yes! That in itself cleans the lines up a good bit, doesn't it?
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