Aerospatiale/Westland Gazelle - Ideas and Inspirations

[Weaver]

Got a slew of the Airfix 1/72nd starter sets very cheap a while back and was looking at them and pondering the other night. However, don't feel limited by that: there's also a Heller one in 1/72nd and a Fujimi one in 1/48th.

Blue Thunder and derivatives/inspirations.

Alternative armament fits (TOW? Later Soviet stuff in Yugoslav service if the latter hadn't imploded?).

Stretched version (think there was a stretched civvie version but can't find a pic).

Twin-engined version.

Wheeled gear version.

Conventional tail rotor (swap the fenestron onto something else that never had one in real life, of course...)

Direct Wasp replacement: much more powerful engine(s), spider-style wheeled u/c and ASW torpedoes.

Casevac with MASH-style side pods.

Sci-fi: it's a great mini-me-millenium-falcon cockpit.....

Over to you....

[GTX_Admin]

Uninhabited...

[Cliffy B]

I like Navy helos.  How about a true ASW version?  Fish, sonobuoys, MAD.  Think of it like an SH-2 Sea Sprite or AB212 ASW bird. 

It's smaller than either but its carrying capacity is rather light.  Its gross weight is only about 2,000 pounds heavier than its empty weight.  Not a lot of room for extra stuff.  Not sure if simply upgrading the engines would help with that or not.  The frame might need re-working too.  Depends on how realistic you want to go I'd say. 

Could give it the engine(s) out of a Twin Huey for starters.  One would increase its power by 50%.

My $0.02
-Mike

[elmayerle]

MQ-8 variant.

[Weaver]

True ASW is pushing it. I think the most you could get is something like the MD500 ASW version, with a MAD bird to help localise the target before dropping the fish.

The Wasp only had about 2000lb between it's empty and max weights. Power always helps with helicopters, and although the standard Gazelle has a 590shp Astazou, there were also engines of up to 870shp available.

[ChernayaAkula]

IAR-317 Airfox-style attack chopper with a twin tandem cockpit

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Take the forward fuselage/passenger compartment and mate it to that 1:32nd scale Glider from Revell of Germany

[jcf]

Take the forward fuselage/passenger compartment and mate it to that 1:32nd scale Glider from Revell of Germany

Which one? 
They do three 1/32 sailplanes: ASK 21, Duo Discus, and two variants of the LS8, LS8a-18 and LS8-t
with fold down engine.

[KiwiZac]

Heller also did a 1/50 kit.

Conventional tail rotor (swap the fenestron onto something else that never had one in real life, of course...)

Sorry to say, but....



How about a compound?

[Weaver]

Nice one MangoKing!  :)

I take it those are prototypes? If so, you could make a productionised one in real-world markings (like British or French army) to mess with heads....

Jon and Jeff:

It really is a tiny little thing, so a glider seems a pretty credible idea:  I considered grafting the cockpit of one onto a Strikemaster to make a FAC aircraft, but it's WAY smaller... (I am going to convert one into a FAC aircraft by other means though..... )

[GTX_Admin]

Maybe some in the markings of the RAN Squirrels:

[Weaver]

I remember that compound Gazelle - it went like a bat out of hell if IIRC (standard Gazelles are damn quick). I wonder how it would go with a pair of little Microturbo/Turbomecca turbojets/turbofans fitted on top of the wing?

[elmayerle]

How about using the cabin of the Gazelle for an enlarged Optica?

[Volkodav]

Maybe some in the markings of the RAN Squirrels:

What is that blue, is it the same as used on the RAN FAA Macchis and Wessex?

[GTX_Admin]

I believe so.

[Volkodav]

Oxford or insignia blue?  I have heard both

[Weaver]

How about using the cabin of the Gazelle for an enlarged Optica?

That's kind of my idea for a FAC aircraft: Gazelle cabin, engine in the back of the pod,  wings and tail boom from a Heller 1/170th Noratlas and a big, slow, quiet geared pusher-prop attached to the ex-gearbox fairing. The idea is it's a cross between an Optica and a Lockheed Q-Star/YO-3.

[Cliffy B]

Back to the ASW idea, compare the Gazelle to the Wasp!  Very close in size and weight.  Take the more powerful engine from the Wasp, put it in the Gazelle, navalize it and call it a Wasp replacement!

[Weaver]

Here's an idea: swap parts between a Gazelle kit and an Alouette III kit to make the former seem more primitive and the latter more sophisticated. The Alou gets skids, a partially shrouded engine and a fenestron tail, while the Gazelle gets wheels, an exposed engine and a conventional tail rotor. Since the basic fuselages and tails are about the same shape, this should work well and cause some serious head scratching.....

[jcf]

1957, SNCASE SE 3131 Governeur, Alouette II with streamlined body by Raymond Loewy, predecessor to the Alouette III:

[elmayerle]

If you wanted to do a different Alouette, there's always the Republic Lark, a US-built Alouette powered by a Garrett TSE331 engine.

[dy031101]

What says about a Gazelle Canon- a Gazelle with co-pilot-operated 20mm cannon, roof mounted sight, and provision for rockets or ATGMs?

[Volkodav]

What says about a Gazelle Canon- a Gazelle with co-pilot-operated 20mm cannon, roof mounted sight, and provision for rockets or ATGMs?

Well they did, there was a 20mm cannon available as well as HOT ATGMs

[GTX_Admin]

Cannon:



Missiles:

[GTX_Admin]

Here's an interesting "Almost Whiff" - an Israeli Gazelle (actually a Syrian one also with Israeli markings):

[dy031101]

Well they did, there was a 20mm cannon available as well as HOT ATGMs

I mean having both at the same time in sort of a jerry-rigged way (which is how I feel about the cannon on Alouette-Canon).

[GTX_Admin]

How about one armed for Air-to-Air with Cannon + something such as Stinger or Mistral or even up to Sidewinder/Magic 2 missiles?