Author Topic: Apophenia's Offerings  (Read 906119 times)

Offline lauhof52

  • Dutchie
  • The Decimator Guy!
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #850 on: May 29, 2013, 05:48:21 PM »
Outstanding work! :-*

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #851 on: May 30, 2013, 03:16:50 AM »
Beautiful aircraft and story, but one typo.  "...undraught carburettor ..." should be "...updraught carburettor ...".  Still, I like the way things are evolving here.

Ooops  :-[  So that's why they couldn't get the X-100 to work!
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #852 on: May 30, 2013, 03:20:07 AM »
Seversky Reborn - End of the Line for the British Mercury-Serval

While the Mercury-engined Serval pioneered the 'low attack' role in 'domestic' Army Cooperation squadrons, it was soon eclipsed by the more-powereful Curtiss Tomahawk. The Servals were then passed on to AC squadrons in Africa where they would serve alongside similarly-engined Blenheim bombers.

Ex-II (AC) Squadron Serval Mk.IIs went to the Western Desert to equip 208 (AC) Squadron. RCAF No.112 Squadron became a fighter unit (as No.412) and its Serval Mk.Is went to the Sudan where they replaced the Hardys in B and C Flights of No.237 (Rhodesia) Squadron.

(Top) A 208 (AC) Squadron Serval Mk.II in Greece, April 1941. Note the 250-lb GP on the belly rack and tailwheel locked in the 'down' position. This Serval was lost when, heavily damaged by AA fire, it crash-landed at Kalamata airfield.

The Mercury-Serval series got an unexpected reprieve when Seversky received an order from the Fleet Air Arm. The Seversky Sea Lion carrier fighter was based on the Serval prototype navalized by Gloster. Intended as a fill-in until sufficient Grumman Marlets were available, the Sea Lion gain a place in posterity nonetheless. The FAA Sea  Gladiators of the Hal Far Fighter Flight on Malta could cope with bombers but not the Italian monoplane fighters. Using long range tanks, a dozen Sea Lions were flown in to HMS Falcon in February 1941. These Sea Lions flew top cover for the Sea Gladiators until the RAF took over full responsibility for the aerial defence of Malta.

(Bottom) A 'de-navalized' Seversky Sea Lion Mk.IA of the of the Hal Far Fighter Flight, Malta, March 1941. Note the longer tail wheel leg of the Sea Lion.
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline raafif

  • Is formally accused of doing nasty things to DC-3s...and officially our first whiffing zombie
  • Whiffing Insane
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #853 on: May 30, 2013, 05:55:30 AM »
"undraught carburettor" = fuel injection ??

now we need a late-war tricycle-undercarriage version ;)

Offline elmayerle

  • Its about time there was an Avatar shown here...
  • Über Engineer...at least that is what he tells us.
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #854 on: May 30, 2013, 10:55:24 AM »
Evan: Hmmm, hadn't thought of a Vulture ... though Bob would approve of doing a Re.2004! Any idea what the size difference would be between the IF Zeta and a Vulture?
I can't find exact dimensions for comparison, but looking at pictures, they appear of comparable dimensions.  With a bit more development, the Vulture could be a most useful engine.

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #855 on: May 31, 2013, 06:59:03 AM »
"undraught carburettor" = fuel injection ??

 ;D

I did a little playing around with Evan's idea of a Vulture Seversky. I used the original Hawker Tornado cowling as my model. The scaling is crude but Rolls-Royce's X-24 would just fit into the Re.2000 airframe. The big concern would be propeller clearance on landing!  :o

I've attached a Re.2004 sideview for comparison. I couldn't find any specs for the IF Zeta but the 'base' Delta RC.35 is bigger (other than width) than the Vulture's 'base' Peregrine. But, somehow, Isotta Fraschini seems to have created a smaller package with the Zeta. So, no Vulture-powered Re.2004s  :icon_crap:

FWIW, here's the Rolls-Royce Vulture specs:

Displacement - 42.47 L
Length overall - 2,226 mm
Width overall - 909 mm
Height overall - 1,071 mm
Weight - 1,111 kg
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Tophe

  • He sees things in double...
  • twin-boom & asymmetric fan
    • my models
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #856 on: May 31, 2013, 11:14:40 AM »
Thanks for this great addition! :-*

Offline elmayerle

  • Its about time there was an Avatar shown here...
  • Über Engineer...at least that is what he tells us.
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #857 on: May 31, 2013, 12:12:45 PM »
Beautiful!!  I do wish someone made a conversion for a Re.2004.

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #858 on: June 01, 2013, 03:52:35 AM »
Hey, if ItalianKits can do the unbuilt MC.205M, why not the Re.2004? (BTW, go on your captured Veltro fitted with a Merlin concept!)
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #859 on: June 01, 2013, 03:55:45 AM »
Seversky Reborn - Late-Model Radial-Engined SF200s With Sea Legs

The Mercury-Serval series was not the end of the radial-engined Seversky SF200 series. British Fleet Air Arm  interest in the stillborn Cyclone-Serval was transferred to the more promising X-100-powered version as that project matured. Pratt & Whitney was finally able to begin delivering production R-2000 engines in late 1942. By that time, Seversky had already improved its original engine installation.

To take full advantage of the extra powered delivered by the R-2000, Seversky had lengthened the fuselage. This pushed the cockpit rearward leaving space for an additional fuselage fuel tank behind the firewall. Less obvious changed included the strengthened the main gear (along with the undercarriage door revisions introduced on the
inline-engined SF250 series). Compared with its X-100 installation, Seversky revised the exhaust outlets,  replacing a single pipe on each side with multiple exhaust thrust augmenter tubes. An updraught Bendix-Stromberg PD12 carburettor was used and twin oil cooler intakes were let in to the wing leading edges.

The driving force behind the R-2000-powered SF225 was the British Fleet Air Arm. But, ironically, the FAA released the first SF225s for use by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army. But the NEI fell to the Japanese for a single  SF225 had been completed for the ML-KNIL. Eight airframes near completion were taken over by the US Navy. The remainder were converted on the line into FAA Sea Horse F.Mk.Is.

(Top) A Seversky YF2N-1 of the US Navy's Fleet Air Combat Training Unit (Fighter) using dissimilar air combat training to familiarized Naval Aviators with Japanese fighter tactics. Note 'shipping out' style buzz codes.

Although the Seversky Sea Lion had not been an impressive performer, the FAA had appreciated its cannon armament. At the time, Sea Hurricanes were considered interim equipment and the FAA was very interested in more powerful,  radial-engined fighters. The SF225 Sea Horse was seen as a potential Marlet replacement. Unfortunately, R-2000  deliveries were never a wartime priority for Pratt & Whitney. High numbers of Sea Horses were never attained. Despite this, the Sea Horse was one of the most highly regarded FAA fighters until the advent of the Hawker Sea Fury.

(Bottom) A Seversky Sea Horse F.Mk.IA of No.804 Squadron on convoy duty aboard HMS Emperor, Oct-Nov 1943. Note 'carrier' tailwheel, catapult spools, and belly arrestor hook. The F.Mk.IA introduced a bulged canopy and eliminated wing-mounted machine guns.
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #860 on: June 03, 2013, 08:03:42 AM »
The Sea Horse is a real looker but as for that Vulture-Seversky...... contra-props, for the love of purty flying things, contra-props!!!! I need to see that beauty in service colours!!!  :-*  ;)

Offline Cliffy B

  • Ship Whiffer Extraordinaire...master of Beyond Visual Range Modelling
  • Its ZOTT!!!
    • My Artwork
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #861 on: June 04, 2013, 01:51:50 AM »
I have to echo what Empty Handed said about the Sea Horse  8)

To me, with that long canopy its crying out to have a second seat facing rearwards and a twin .30 in it.  Oh yeah, and a center line float and wing floats  ;)  Its a shoe in for an early scout float on a cruiser/battleship.  Would be a nice counterpart to my SFC-1 Osprey in the '46 GB  :)
"Radials growl, inlines purr, jets blow!"  -Anonymous

"Helos don't fly.  They vibrate so violently that the ground rejects them."  -Tom Clancy

"If all else fails, call in an air strike."  -Anonymous

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #862 on: June 05, 2013, 09:54:57 AM »
Thanks folks. Some inline Severskys are pending (but I'm a little hung up at the mo').

EH: I'd forgotten about the DH contra-props on that Tornado prototype. I was thinking that the Vulture-Seversky was a dead  end but ... tempted.

Cliffy: I like this two-seat floatplane idea. I may have to start whiffing my whifs  ;D
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #863 on: June 13, 2013, 05:37:57 AM »
Seversky Reborn - Son of Serval - the Inline-Engined Scimitars

The US War Department had been hostile towards Seversky since the export of SEV-2PA-B3 fighters to Japan. In consequence, the US Government was often unwilling to release military engines for installation into Seversky fighters -- even for export to Britain. That situation changed when Packard began building Rolls-Royce Merlins under contract for the RAF.

While SAC Engineer Tony Alessio developed the Sea Horse, Bob Longhi was working on a refined, inline-engined development of the Serval. Being denied access to the US Allison V-12 may have been a stroke of good forture. When the Merlin-engined EF250 appeared, its performance was dramatically better than the rival Curtiss Kittyhawk. The British assessed the EF250 and quickly ordered it for the RAF as the Scimitar.

(Top) The prototype EF250 Scimitar flew in November 1941. It was powered by one of the first Packard-built Merlin engines. Note the large belly radiator housing plus Serval-style cockpit glazing and undercarriage fairings.

The production Scimitar F.Mk.I was powered by the Packard Merlin 28. These fighters were armed with six .50" Browning machine guns (although two guns were often removed in the field to lighten weight).

The Scimitar F.Mk.II was powered by a Packard Merlin 28 or 31. The F.Mk.II returned to the Serval's 20mm Hispano cannon armament. These fighters were often flown as top cover for bomb-carrying Scimitar F.Mk.IAs.

(Bottom) A brand-new Scimitar F.Mk.II of No.94 Squadron RAF at Gasr el Arid, Libya. This RAF Volunteer Reserve squadron converted from Hurricanes onto Scimitar Is and IIs in March 1942.
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Tophe

  • He sees things in double...
  • twin-boom & asymmetric fan
    • my models
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #864 on: June 13, 2013, 11:49:30 AM »
Beautiful Severkies, thanks! :-*
(almost as gorgeous as Reggiane Re-2005)

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #865 on: June 16, 2013, 10:16:25 AM »
Thanks Tophe! Here's a few more ...

Seversky Reborn - Merlin-Engined Scimitars in RAF Service

The Scimitar F.Mk.III standardized on the Packard-built Merlin 31 and cannon  armament. Also standard were mounting points for a belly rack for bombs up to 500 lbs or a 52 gallon drop tank.

(Top) A Scimitar F.Mk.IIIA of No.26 (South African) Squadron at RAF Gatwick in May 1942. No.26 was the only squadron to operate the Scimitar in the temperate
camouflage scheme. Surviving aircraft went to the FFAF in North Africa when No.26 re-equipped with Mustangs later in 1942.

The Scimitar F.Mk.IV was externally identical to the Mk.III but had additional armour plate to protect the pilot and engine (the Mk.IVA having a 1,400 hp Merlin 33). The Mk.IV was a ground attack specialist which first saw action in Tunisia and remained in RAF service in Italy until early 1945.

(Bottom) A Scimitar F.Mk.IV of No.225 Squadron in Sicily, late July 1943. No.225 Sqn had arrived in Tunisia in late 1942.
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #866 on: June 24, 2013, 11:25:57 AM »
I've skipped to the end of my AltHist Seversky story.

(Top) A Reverse Lend-Leased late-model Scimitar in US markings. The USAAF wasn't interested in procuring the Merlin 68-powered Scimitar F.Mk.XI. Rather the sole
XP-41Q was used by the USAAF for comparative trials against Curtiss' XP-40Q prototype.

(Bottom) The last Scimitar was a partially-completed F.Mk.XIIIA converted into an unlimited racer for publicity purposes. The Packard Merlin 69 was replaced by a special, race-prepared Rolls-Royce Griffon 72-R.

The for EF250R, radiators were replaced with an evaporative cooling system. Steam pipes ran though the wings and a condensing tank sat in the original cockpit (the new pilot position being maved aft to the radio compartment).

The new cooling system did not function well in ground tests but it was hoped  that forward airspeed would cure the problems. Alas, this was not the case. On its maiden flight, the engine of the EF250R overheated and seized. The test pilot was forced to ditch and the EF250R sank just off the coast of Staten Island.

Much of Seversky's late-war production had been dedicated to building P-47 wing  and empennage sets for Republic's Farmingdale, NY line. With wartime orders cancelled in August 1945, the Seversky plant was forced to close. In December 1945, a take-over offer was accepted and the Miller Field facility became part of Republic Aviation.
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Tophe

  • He sees things in double...
  • twin-boom & asymmetric fan
    • my models
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #867 on: June 24, 2013, 11:45:33 AM »
Wow, wonderful! :-*
I was dreaming of a YP-37-like derivative with a rear canopy and you designed it into this racer, thanks!

Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #868 on: June 24, 2013, 06:16:12 PM »
The XP-41Q is really really nice!!!  :-*

Offline perttime

  • The man has produced a Finnish Napier Heston Fighter...need we say more?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #869 on: June 24, 2013, 06:30:42 PM »
I like racers and the EF250R definitely looks the part - and it is different enough from any real-world racers  :D

... it should really be recovered from the waters, if it hasn't yet.

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #870 on: June 25, 2013, 08:42:51 AM »
Thanks folks!

perttime: As for the EF250R, Raritan Bay where she went down is shallow so recovery would not be difficult. On the other hand, maybe the EF250R should be maintained as a gravesite for a really bad idea -- has anybody ever made evaporative cooling work properly?   ;)
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline perttime

  • The man has produced a Finnish Napier Heston Fighter...need we say more?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #871 on: June 25, 2013, 02:06:24 PM »
I guess all sorts of cooling systems have been made to work OK on racers. The boil-off system on the Galloping Ghost was apparently working adequately. Or... with the bigger engine, they might also have balanced things by burying a pretty conventional radiator in the tail.

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #872 on: July 22, 2013, 11:14:25 AM »
raafif did up a float-fighter version of the Airabonita for my 'Canadian Cobras' story line.
http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=3320.msg49233#msg49233

That inspired a float version of the production CanCar Cobra:
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Tophe

  • He sees things in double...
  • twin-boom & asymmetric fan
    • my models
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #873 on: July 22, 2013, 11:32:58 AM »
Lovely! and well balanced! :-*

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #874 on: September 30, 2013, 09:22:19 AM »
Inspired by Greg's idea for Allied Luftwaffe aircraft after a successful July Plot...
http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=1687.msg53927#msg53927

(Top) He 162A-0 Gelbe 11 of I/JG.71 in Jan 1945. Flying in defense of Berlin, this Spatz wears the so-called (and short-lived)  Kapitulation Rondelle and the neue Republik flag covered its tail Hakenkreuze.

(Bottom) He 162A-1 JE-105 of the newly-formed II/JG.73 'Steinhoff'. This aircraft was lost on April 1945 while flying top cover for Kurland-Kessel Schlachtgruppen bases. By this stage, Luftwaffe markings consisted of the new-style Eiserne Kreuz in six positions, neue Republik flags on the tail, and new squadron codes/aircraft numbers.

Both images are retouched from Simon Schatz's excellent profiles.
http://luftwaffe-aviation-art.blogspot.ca/
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."