In the late 1930s, twin engined "destroyers" were all the rage in aviation design circles. The Bf 110 was a prime example of this philosophy, and turned out to be a good example of how an idea can be utterly wrong.
Grand Fenwick, despite it's size, is a nation of incredibly gifted designers, engineers and scientists. Lacking in manufacturing and educational institutes, most of these people emigrate and become experts in their field, never to return home. The "Bartrammer Mark 1" is one of the few times something was actually manufactured in that tiny country.
Designed as a heavy fighter by Dr Roger Kokintz, construction began in 1936. Obtaining engines from France, guns from Germany, avionics from Britain, aluminum from the US and paint from the USSR, it was a work of international proportions. This led to it becoming one of the slowest progressing designs, with delays and holdups with the various countries withholding components at various times.
As the building of the prototype dragged on, the role began to change too. Realising that the heavy destroyer concept was flawed, Dr Kokintz adjusted the design to incorporate level and dive bombing abilities. As time dragged on, and the vulnerability of smaller bombers became apparent, he again modified the plane to be a high speed reconnaissance aircraft, without the speed really required, and eventually a night fighter. It was then discovered that any attempt to install radar would cause the electrical system to overload.
So it became a target tug. Hey, everyone needs a target tug, right? Well, it turned out Romania owed the Duchy a substantial amount of money over a wine purchase, so they agreed to buy the Bartrammer to sooth over the hurt feelings. Completed in the summer of 1943, it was marked with high visibility markings of a triangular nature to designate it as a non-combatant aircraft, and was test-flown several times before proceeding to Romania.
Unfortunately, it took off on the morning of August 1, 1943, and took a course that put it right in the middle of the infamous "Ploesti Raid". It is not known if it was shot down by B-24 gunners, Bf 109s, Bf 110s, or IAR-80s. It's also possible it may have been accidentally rammed or knocked down by wake turbulence. No trace of it was ever found.
:O
Kits used: Two Airfix Kingfishers, an Airfix B-25 for the nose and aft section, a Matchbox Brewster Buffalo for the canopy, and a Frog Fokker D XXI for the cool spats. I think the props came from an OV-10, but I've forgotten. I basically came up with the idea after poaching the floats from the Kingfishers for other projects, and was left with a couple Kingfisher hulks.
Alvis 3.1
