Author Topic: Acree's Profiles (Read 107963 times)

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #150 on:** October 24, 2012, 04:17:32 PM »

Quote from: Daryl J. on October 24, 2012, 10:16:05 AM

The Monomail is one of my favorite aircraft. Seeing it in the whiffverse is great!

Ditto

Logan Hartke · « **Reply #151 on:** October 24, 2012, 09:55:48 PM »

What they said.

Cheers,

Logan

Acree · « **Reply #152 on:** October 25, 2012, 02:03:31 AM »

Glad you all liked the Monomails and developments. For those to whom the Monomail is a favorite, I'm glad I didn't muck it up too badly for you! Thanks for the comments and encouragement!

apophenia · « **Reply #153 on:** October 25, 2012, 05:22:07 AM »

Love the Capstan 321 series :)

On the 521, I was most intrigued by this: "The regular (unpressurized) pilot's cabin was used for takeoff and landing, but the pilot entered the pressure cabin as altitude increased." A very cool concept! Was that was ever done for real, I wonder?

Love the Manta too. Is there going to be a version with defensive armament?

Acree · « **Reply #154 on:** October 25, 2012, 08:36:25 AM »

Thanks for the comments!

Apophenia - I feel like I have read about that technique somewhere, but I can't remember where, and I can't find any reference right now. It definitely wasn't the Henschel Hs 130 series, or th Ju 86 high altitude variants or the Bristol 138. I can't think what it might have been, but I won't claim it as a new idea! Seems to me a logical way to defeat the problem of visibility out of an early pressure capsule.

I'm looking into further variants of the Manta, perhaps including defensive armament - I was also thinking of a dedicated ground attack variant with one or two big guns up front (a la A-38 Grizzly), or otherwise. Standby for more developments...

elmayerle · « **Reply #155 on:** October 25, 2012, 11:32:26 AM »

Quote from: Acree on October 24, 2012, 02:20:33 PM

Since lack of power was the issue, and single-engine reliability was always a question - how about a twin-engined modificaiton? This was the question the engineers at Capstan asked - and they answered their own question with a Twin Barracuda of sorts, called the Capstan Manta. Equipped with two Curtiss Conqueror engines, the new bomber included a bomb-aimers station in the nose, greatly increasing th accuracy of high altitude bombing.

Considering that Boeing's XB-9 was very much a twin-engined Monomail, did that affect your depiction of the Manta? For those considering modelling a Manta, it would be a good starting place. The progression from B-9 to Model 247 might also inform further evolution of the Manta.

Acree · « **Reply #156 on:** October 25, 2012, 01:17:07 PM »

Actually, I had known that the XB-9 was a twin-engined development of the Monomail, but it completely did not cross my mind when creating the twin-engned development of the Barracuda (Monomail w/Conqueror). Besides, one of the best parts of the Monomail (from a purely "that looks cool!" perspective) is the aft cockpit location, which disappeared in the XB-9. As for the 247, I can certainly see the prospect of wing and tail development for the Manta following that line. Hmmmm....

apophenia · « **Reply #157 on:** October 26, 2012, 11:26:01 AM »

The YB-9 was quite a bit bigger than the Model 200 though. Your Manta is the same airframe size as the Monomail, right?

Acree · « **Reply #158 on:** October 26, 2012, 12:03:01 PM »

Yes, the airframe IS the Monomail airframe, with a slight increase in wingspan (center section increase) and a new nose.

elmayerle · « **Reply #159 on:** October 26, 2012, 12:15:30 PM »

Well, some scaling may be necessary, but I can see both the B-9 and Model 247 lines of development at least influencing the Manta's development. Would an export version be adapted to RR Kestrels instead?

Acree · « **Reply #160 on:** October 26, 2012, 04:20:29 PM »

Well, here are a couple of export Mantas to answer that question...

More Mantas on the way tomorrow

lauhof52 · « **Reply #161 on:** October 26, 2012, 08:12:29 PM »

Very good!!!

Tophe · « **Reply #162 on:** October 27, 2012, 07:32:16 AM »

Nice silhouettes, belated congratulations...

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #163 on:** October 27, 2012, 07:42:56 AM »

I want a Boeing Monomail NOW!!! In 1/48!!! I will take any format - vacuform, styrene, resin...

Acree · « **Reply #164 on:** October 27, 2012, 08:19:35 AM »

Here are the dedicated ground attack versions of the Manta. The Mark II was equipped with the French Canon de 65 M (montagne) modele 1906. This was a 65 mm weapon designed for mountain troops - it was one of the first "soft-recoil" weapons in the world. In the Manta, this was a potent anti-tank weapon (at a time when few air forces had even considered such a thing) and also had great capability against shipping. The big gun was hand loaded by a dedicated gunner who had 25 rounds at his disposal. It was supplemented by two upper nose mounted 30 calibre machine guns (for self-defense and aiming purposes).

The Manta III was developed alongside the Mark II, for more "mainstream" attack duties (anti-personnel and thin-skinned vehicle). It was equipped with 8 nose mounted 30-caliber machine guns. Both the Mark II and the Mark II could also carry an eternal bombload of up to 1000 pounds, and the Mark III could carry thirty 25 pound anit-personnel bombs in dispensers in the former mail comparment.

Acree · « **Reply #165 on:** October 27, 2012, 03:05:36 PM »

The Manta II was suhc a success against shipping that the Farallon navy requested a twin-float version - the result was the Manta II FP shown below. (I think it is the prettiest Manta so far).

A lot less pretty was the Capstan Beluga, an extrapolation of the monomail airframe in a whole different direction. As a medium bomber with heavy (for its time) defensive armament, the Beluga had a nose turret with one .30-calibre machine gun, and similar guns in a dorsal position modelled after that of the Martin B-10 and a ventral tunnel mount. The Beluga carried a 1000 pound bomb load, but was overweight and underpowered and not well liked by crews. Landing visibility for the pilot was even worse than other aircraft of the Monomail extended family, despite the forward repositioning of the cockpit.

Acree · « **Reply #166 on:** October 30, 2012, 08:19:17 AM »

Some additional export Mantas: Seeking an upgrade to the Kestrel powered Manta, the RAF requested a Napier Dagger powered variant. This version was not used by the RAF,but was sent to South Africa, and thirteen reached Poland before September 1939.

BTW, I really like the look of the Dagger Manta - too bad the Dagger was never a really successful engine...

elmayerle · « **Reply #167 on:** October 30, 2012, 12:48:21 PM »

Nice. How about replacing the Kestrel with the Peregrine at some point?

Tophe · « **Reply #168 on:** October 30, 2012, 01:50:59 PM »

Dear Acree,
you have inspired me some more Mustangs, thanks!

Acree · « **Reply #169 on:** October 30, 2012, 02:54:11 PM »

Funny you should say that, Tophe! My next batch has some Mustang parts...

The Manta was the first Farallonian-built aircraft every exported to the US military. The Manta was bought by the USAAF as the A-28 Manta attack aircraft. First combat use was in Operation Torch in 1942, when Mantas flew missions into North Africa via Gibraltar.

A later development of the Manta, the A-37 Stingray was especially designed for the USAAF, but also purchased by the FAF.

lauhof52 · « **Reply #170 on:** October 30, 2012, 05:38:49 PM »

Beautiful!

Acree · « **Reply #171 on:** October 31, 2012, 08:31:11 AM »

Thank you, Lauhof!

jschmus · « **Reply #172 on:** October 31, 2012, 09:30:35 AM »

With the powerplant moved to the wings, could the cockpit be moved forward without destroying the CG. You'd lose the Monomail looks, but it might reflect a natural evolution.

Acree · « **Reply #173 on:** October 31, 2012, 02:17:16 PM »

Certainly the cockpit COULD be moved forward (and I did with the Beluga). But it was not the powerplant, but the mail / passenger compartment that was in the way originally. In my concept, the mail/passenger compartment was replaced by armament (either bombay or guns/loader). In the real world, the aft cockpit position would have been a real drawback and would no doubt have been eliminated early - but fact is, I like it. I might try another forward-cockpit iteration, though.

apophenia · « **Reply #174 on:** November 02, 2012, 11:44:12 AM »

The P-47 canopy is a nice fit on the later A-37 but I really like the look of the Mantas with Daggers :)


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Author Topic: Acree's Profiles (Read 107963 times)