Beyond The Sprues

Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Aero-space => Topic started by: The Big Gimper on November 18, 2013, 09:55:03 AM

Title: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: The Big Gimper on November 18, 2013, 09:55:03 AM
Arado 1055

Don’t get me wrong but the Arado E 555 is a great kit. I will be building several OOB. Inspiration struck while I was watching “V for Vendetta”.   But that stubby nose just does not look right to me. And Hugo Weaver is one the best good/bad guys ever. Elves notwithstanding. Right, Agent Smith?

So as part of a design review to making the Ar 555 a cool Nachtbomber, it was determined that it needed:

to make the 555 an effective, greater carrying capacity,  shorter range night bomber. 

So an extended nose was added as well as two canards supporting 4 additional engines.  The bombing radar was reversed engineered version of the H2S, named FuG 400 “München”.

It has a crew of 4:

The forward fuselage included a tandem seating for the pilot and the navigator/gunner. The Bombardier/gunner was located in the fuselage and flight engineer in the wing root.  A small window was installed in the forward right fuselage for the Navigator / Bombardier.  There is a crawl way between the cockpit and the aft crew area. 

Defensive armament consisted of four MK 103 30mm cannon under the cockpit, a remote controlled turret armed with two MG 151/20 20mm cannon located just behind the cockpit, two remote controlled FPL 151 20mm cannon barbette mounted above the wing and out board of the tails and a further two MG 151/20 20mm cannon in a remote controlled tail turret.

External bombs will be carried under the front engines like the Ar 234 and 4 more under the wings. 

Bill of Materials to date:

To combine the Ar 555 and the Me 1099, I sawed off the cockpit and tail, attached bulk heads which I then glued together to get a large contact area for the glue. The wings were are easy fit after a quick touch of the dremel tool and also cut back.

I have not installed the radar yet, under the fuselage bridging the area between the Ar 555 and Me 1099. Lots of PSR ahead to hide the joint. 

By the way "10" is the number of engines.

Pictures temporarily removed. Migrating them to Flickr.
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: apophenia on November 18, 2013, 11:56:39 AM
Wow! That is a very cool concept  :)
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: Tophe on November 18, 2013, 12:35:47 PM
Very nice new silhouette! :-*
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: raafif on November 18, 2013, 12:53:04 PM
that is INSANE !!!  it will probably work quite well 8)
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: FAAMAN on November 18, 2013, 12:53:44 PM
This is gonna be good  :-*
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: taiidantomcat on November 18, 2013, 01:10:56 PM
Very nice  :o
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: ChernayaAkula on November 18, 2013, 02:22:15 PM
Hot damn!  8)
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: finsrin on November 18, 2013, 02:49:07 PM
that is INSANE !!!  it will probably work quite well 8)

Correct --- Held Insaneness Meter up to computer screen, clicked "read" button and display said "Refinely insane".
Is there an internal bombay ?
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: PR19_Kit on November 18, 2013, 07:13:06 PM
Excellent stuff there. I've always thought that the 555 kit's engines looked woefully undersized for such a large aircraft, so adding another four should do the job a treat.  :)
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: The Big Gimper on November 18, 2013, 07:16:45 PM
that is INSANE !!!  it will probably work quite well 8)

Correct --- Held Insaneness Meter up to computer screen, clicked "read" button and display said "Refinely insane".
Is there an internal bombay ?

There is a quite a large one Bill but I closed it up. The only bombs seen will be those hanging off the engines and wings.
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: ysi_maniac on November 18, 2013, 09:36:39 PM
 :) :) love it  :-* :-*
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: Tophe on November 19, 2013, 01:28:41 AM
Your Ar-1055 model inspired me an Ar-2055 drawing... thanks!
(at http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=22.465 (http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=22.465) )
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: father ennis on November 19, 2013, 10:39:24 AM
Wicked Kool !!
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: arkon on November 19, 2013, 12:01:02 PM
very cool!!
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: Brian da Basher on November 20, 2013, 04:38:49 AM
You've got an imagination that's simply off the charts, Carl!

I really like the canards with engines slung underneath. Now that's something I don't think I've seen before!

Eagerly awaiting more,
Brian da Basher
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: Tophe on November 20, 2013, 07:40:06 AM
I really like the canards with engines slung underneath. Now that's something I don't think I've seen before!
Would the exhaust burn the wing? That would be good for Nazism defeat!
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: Frank3k on November 20, 2013, 11:50:56 AM
It's a good looking design - is the range measured in 100s of meters?
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: Spey Phantom on November 20, 2013, 04:43:33 PM
great looking design, looks like something from a Gerry Anderson show.
the engine setup looks like that from the Zero-X from the movie "Thunderbirds are go"  :)

(http://www.keithmcneill.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/zero%20x3ismall.jpg)
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: The Big Gimper on November 20, 2013, 09:33:40 PM
@Nils: yes Zero-X was one of the influences for my design

@Tophe: The Luftwaffe discovered a very light metal with excellent heat resistance characteristics. They called it "insulatium". The leading edge was built with this metal. 
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: Dr. YoKai on November 20, 2013, 10:54:19 PM
 Snazzy improvement to the original design - and at least now its got room for more than a three man crew. I gotta figure, even at 900 kph, thats a looooooong slog across the Atlantic and back for a single pilot.
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: The Big Gimper on November 21, 2013, 01:25:15 AM
Snazzy improvement to the original design - and at least now its got room for more than a three man crew. I gotta figure, even at 900 kph, thats a looooooong slog across the Atlantic and back for a single pilot.

Yes, it is strange that there is only one pilot on the box art/kit. Maybe the bombardier is a washed-out pilot so he gets to fly home?

But that leads to another possible build where a 2 pilot front end is attached.
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: CSMO on November 21, 2013, 11:29:02 PM
Forget the external bomb-load. With 10 Junkers Jumo.004s, all of the external racks will be full of Bf.109 or Fw.190 drop-tanks. Or you could make a big slipper belly tank like that used on the Bf.110Ds. Adios, Larry.
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: Diavel on November 23, 2013, 07:59:36 AM
Before I packed all my stuff up I measured up the front end of an IL-28 to the fuselage/nose end of the E555, and they are very very close to the same width. I was going to put one together as such as a Cartel build to go with the other one I did for them.
Chris.
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: The Big Gimper on November 23, 2013, 09:51:22 AM
Before I packed all my stuff up I measured up the front end of an IL-28 to the fuselage/nose end of the E555, and they are very very close to the same width. I was going to put one together as such as a Cartel build to go with the other one I did for them.
Chris.

Funny you should mention this Chris. I was moving the stash around and was packing up my Trumpeter H-5 donor kit which has donated wings to a Mossie and and nose gear to my 1055. 

There was a moment of "WHIFFY-ness" and sure enought the H-5/IL-28 fuselage when cut just before the tail could fit on the 555. 

But as noted earlier I'd like find something with a tandem cockpit. 

Carl
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: Diavel on November 25, 2013, 08:01:55 AM
How about the front end from an IL-28 Mascot, that is a 2 seater of sorts. Bilek made one as I have done one with the upper cockpit omitted.
Chris.
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: finsrin on January 04, 2015, 11:41:25 AM
Carl - Is there a 2015 update on this build ?
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: Modelling_Mushi on January 06, 2015, 04:36:30 PM
Carl - Is there a 2015 update on this build ?
Doubled. Please please please please  :-*
Title: Re: Arado 1055 - Nachtbomber
Post by: The Big Gimper on January 07, 2015, 09:09:49 AM
Carl - Is there a 2015 update on this build ?
Doubled. Please please please please  :-*

@MM: I'm on the road this week. I'll get some pictures uploaded this weekend. 

@Finsrin: you helped me figure out what my next Ar 555 Whif will be.