Hawker Beechcraft Twins Ideas and Inspiration

[GTX_Admin]

Hi folks,

An area for your Hawker Beechcraft Twins (e.g King Airs, Super King Airs, C-12s/RC-12s etc) Ideas and Inspiration.

To start with, *Brag Mode On* I recently acquired a 1/48 RedStar RC-12K Guardrail (see here for details) *Brag Mode Off* and was thinking of doing it as a more heavily armed compliment to the Beechcraft AT-6B (shown below):



This was actually inspired by a Hawker Beechcraft advert that shows both an RC-12 and an AT-6B together.  As soon as I can find the advert again I will post the pic.

What other ideas do you have?

Regards,

Greg

[elmayerle]

AT-6 with rocket rails all the way out to the wingtip?

For something different, any of the King Air/Super King Air series with the horizontal tail moved down lower, say to a cruciform tail location?

As an export version, a King Air or Super King Air with Astazou engines (as on the I.A.58) in place  of the PT6As or use two Tucano T.1 Garrett engines to replace the Super King Air 350's PT6s (essentially an enlarged Super King Air B200).

For something different, swap the tricycle gear for a Twin Beech's taildragger gear.

[Stargazer2006]

The Raytheon Model 2900 Bel Air, a much shortened derivative of the Beechcraft Model 1900 family for inter-city commuting and short-haul.

[GTX_Admin]

I almost read that as intra-city commuting...

[apophenia]

The Raytheon Model 2900 Bel Air, a much shortened derivative of the Beechcraft Model 1900 family for inter-city commuting and short-haul.

A King Air with head room -- excellent idea.

Jon: Astazous would really change the look. If that modelling challenge was daunting, you could always leave on the PT6s but claim a Smyrna Power90 engine conversion with M601s 

[elmayerle]

Isn't GE teaming up with Motorlet to offer a highly upgraded version of the M601 in competition with the PT6A for some uses under the H80 designation?  I could see that fitted to some King Air and Super King Air models.

I don't know about pictures, but Astazou engines for modelling purposes, at least in 1/72 scale, can be obtained from Pucara kits or kits to convert Airfix's kit of the Jetstream into the twin-engined trainer version used by the RAF and FAA.  For that matter, if you search hard and have deep pockets, there's the very kit of the Mitsubishi MU-2A prototype that flew with Astazous rather than TPE331s.

[GTX_Admin]

Isn't GE teaming up with Motorlet to offer a highly upgraded version of the M601 in competition with the PT6A for some uses under the H80 designation?  I could see that fitted to some King Air and Super King Air models.

Yes they are, though I think it will take a lot to knock the PT6 off its dominant position.

[Logan Hartke]

There's no way this image isn't photoshopped (despite being passed off as real in numerous places), but it's still cool, especially for what if inspiration.



Cheers,

Logan

[finsrin]

That is kit bash inspirational.

[ericr]

There's no way this image isn't photoshopped (despite being passed off as real in numerous places), but it's still cool, especially for what if inspiration.

ouf, great potential indeed !

[apophenia]

There's no way this image isn't photoshopped ...

Yep ... here's the real, twin-engined C-FXUO (1952 D-18S s/n A-858, ex-RCAF 2329) registered to Eddie Showalter (Showalter's Fly-In Outposts), Ear Falls, Ontario. AFAIK, "Gibsons Airways" doesn't exist, either.

[Kerick]

Looks like the props would be whacking together!
Scale o rama some 1/72 nd B-17 engines on to a 1/48th Beechcraft.

[Logan Hartke]

There's no way this image isn't photoshopped ...

Yep ... here's the real, twin-engined C-FXUO (1952 D-18S s/n A-858, ex-RCAF 2329) registered to Eddie Showalter (Showalter's Fly-In Outposts), Ear Falls, Ontario. AFAIK, "Gibsons Airways" doesn't exist, either.

I know. I Googled it before I posted the image. I also found the original on airliners.net, too.

Cheers,

Logan

[GTX_Admin]

Although it's not, one could almost see this as a Beech 18 AEW bird:

[raafif]

HELP !  looking for more pics of this French AT-11-ish thing.  Particularly the new engine & glass nose.

Also this shortened ?? Beech with  spats - what is it ?

[apophenia]

HELP !  looking for more pics of this French AT-11-ish thing.  Particularly the new engine & glass nose.

Also this shortened ?? Beech with  spats - what is it ?

Both of those Beechcrafts were whifs of mine.  I did a search for them in my Profiles & Pixels thread but couldn't find them ... 

[finsrin]

Although it's not, one could almost see this as a Beech 18 AEW bird:

Using 1/144 or so radome can build 1/72 Beech 18 AEW bird !

[raafif]

1950s Italian mod to a standard C-45.

[apophenia]

1950s Italian mod to a standard C-45.

Cool. A 'BomoBice'     Obviously the AMI never received AT-11s. An interesting mod, nonetheless 

[raafif]

HELP !  looking for more pics of this French AT-11-ish thing.  Particularly the new engine & glass nose.

Also this shortened ?? Beech with  spats - what is it ?

Both of those Beechcrafts were whifs of mine.  I did a search for them in my Profiles & Pixels thread but couldn't find them ... 

RATS !  If I had the skill I'd build a 48th model of it ... but pixels will have to do.

[apophenia]

RATS !  If I had the skill I'd build a 48th model of it ... but pixels will have to do.

Nice! I really like your short-nosed variant (and probably more practical). 

BTW, if it wasn't obvious, the engines are Renault/Snecma 12S IV-12s. Maybe an actual Beechcraft version with Ranger V-770s?

[Gingie]

I'd love some more photos of the CANSOFCOM King Airs, but I've only seen them up in the sky, trying to use their mind control rays on the citizens.

[apophenia]

I'd love some more photos of the CANSOFCOM King Airs, but I've only seen them up in the sky, trying to use their mind control rays on the citizens.

FWIW, DND released a few images of CANSOFCOM's King Air 350ERs back in December 2020. Mind you, this was before fit out. So, basically a drab 350ER with those bulgy nacelle fuel tanks.

I've never been clear on what, if any, distinction is made between RCAF ISR and CANSOFCOM King Airs. And maybe that lack of clarity is intentional?

I'd also be curious about an official designation (although we usually have to wait for crash reports to see those!). DND seems to have largely abandoned its previous designation system. Like the RCAF surveillance King Airs, the CANSOFCOM aircraft should've had a Cx-145 designation ... but that seems to have gone out the window.

The RCAF's utility King Airs are just being called generic BE-350s now. So ... probably something similar for CANSOFCOM's 350RE ISRs.

[Gingie]

I've never been clear on what, if any, distinction is made between RCAF ISR and CANSOFCOM King Airs.

I've assumed the MAISR are the same thing? I say CANSOF, but I imagine they will be RCAF. Maybe 427 SOAS? I'm pretty sure the one I saw was painted dark grey, but it could have been a visiting demo MC-12 / RC-12. I may have to get nosy next time I'm in Trenton :-)

[apophenia]

I've assumed the MAISR are the same thing? I say CANSOF, but I imagine they will be RCAF. Maybe 427 SOAS? I'm pretty sure the one I saw was painted dark grey, but it could have been a visiting demo MC-12 / RC-12. I may have to get nosy next time I'm in Trenton :-)

Yes, the three MAISR airframes were specifically for CANSOFCOM (but RCAF-operated as you say). And L3Harris artwork (attached) shows a camo scheme similar to that of the CP-140Ms.

Still unanswered is whether MAISR are currently fully kitted out. Probably ... as the PMC originally said IOC by 2023/24. If ISR kit is all installed, as per FMS doc, it should consist of MX-15D, AN/AAR-47B(V)2, AN/ALE-47, KIV-77 Mode 4/5, and various black boxes for comms/encryption, etc.