Author Topic: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft  (Read 45439 times)

Offline Weaver

  • Skyhawk stealer and violator of Panthers, with designs on a Cougar and a Tiger too
  • Chaos Engineer & Evangelistic Agnostic
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #25 on: December 21, 2013, 10:41:49 AM »
Dr.Yokai and Buzzbomb : those are great ideas on great models - thanks for sharing!  :)
"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides

"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

"I'm a general specialist," - Harry Purvis in Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

Twitter: @hws5mp
Minds.com: @HaroldWeaverSmith

Offline GTX_Admin

  • Evil Administrator bent on taking over the Universe!
  • Administrator - Yep, I'm the one to blame for this place.
  • Whiffing Demi-God!
    • Beyond the Sprues
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #26 on: December 22, 2013, 02:49:51 AM »
Some other SARO/BHC concepts.

Source?
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline GTX_Admin

  • Evil Administrator bent on taking over the Universe!
  • Administrator - Yep, I'm the one to blame for this place.
  • Whiffing Demi-God!
    • Beyond the Sprues
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #27 on: December 22, 2013, 02:50:27 AM »
Speaking of mine-sweeping.  ;D

 ;D :)
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline jcf

  • Global Moderator
  • Turn that Gila-copter down!
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #28 on: December 22, 2013, 09:20:22 AM »
“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014

Offline GTX_Admin

  • Evil Administrator bent on taking over the Universe!
  • Administrator - Yep, I'm the one to blame for this place.
  • Whiffing Demi-God!
    • Beyond the Sprues
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #29 on: December 22, 2013, 09:37:41 AM »
Suspected as much - Ta.
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline jcf

  • Global Moderator
  • Turn that Gila-copter down!
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #30 on: December 28, 2013, 02:20:05 PM »
SRN2, SRN3 and SRN5, same source.







« Last Edit: December 30, 2018, 05:44:06 AM by jcf »
“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014

Offline PR19_Kit

  • Likes to brag about how long his...wings are.
  • Made it at last!
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #31 on: December 28, 2013, 06:01:40 PM »
I'm pleased to say I've travelled on the SRN2 and a couple of SRN5s.

Westland used the SRN2 on the Southsea-Ryde service for a short while in the early 60s at the same time as using the much smaller SRN5s on the same route. The SRN2 was hugely impressive and towered over us even when landed on the gravel beach, and my then wife, then former Mrs_PR19  :), did a film star-like 'turn and wave' at the top of the gangway even though there was no-one seeing us off! The SRN2 was fitted with some very bulbous skirts in service then which I think were the 'fingerless' type and so they lay in canvas heaps alongside the hull and looked most untidy, but I think they had fingers added later on.

The SRN5 was a tiny thing which we boarded over a fold down ramp right in the bow and which actually incorporated part of the windscreen! The SRN5s didn't last very long on that route and were soon replaced by the much larger SRN6s which were just lengthened versions of the SRN5s but had a more versatile control system. On a couple of the SRN5 trips I made the Captain/Pilot had the devil of a job getting the craft lined up with the beach and had to turn away and have another go. I think the SRN6s used Harrier-like ports on the bow to improve their turning ability, and I can't remember any trips on an SRN6 being anything but smooth and straightforward.

They still use hovercraft on the route to this day, indeed the current Mrs_PR19 and I travelled on them earlier this year, but the current craft use DIESEL engines for goodness sake, and almost seem throwbacks, especially after the magnificent SRN2.

[Later] I just looked at JCF's drawings again and noticed the torpedo tube on the SRN3! I've never heard or seen of that idea before but I guess it made a lot of sense. I saw the SRN3 'do it's thing' at an IHTU Hoverday demo at Lee-on-Solent and it was SERIOUSLY impressive! There are some good photos of it in action here  :-
http://www.jameshovercraft.co.uk/hover/srn3/srn3.php

In fact that whole site is a very useful source of hovercraft information.
« Last Edit: December 28, 2013, 06:08:45 PM by PR19_Kit »
Regards
Kit

--------------------------
Any aircraft can be improved by fitting longer wings

Offline jcf

  • Global Moderator
  • Turn that Gila-copter down!
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #32 on: April 05, 2014, 01:31:57 AM »
SRN.6
Same source plus Jane's Surface Skimmers(67-68, 72-73, 76-77).









« Last Edit: December 30, 2018, 05:47:23 AM by jcf »
“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014

Offline jcf

  • Global Moderator
  • Turn that Gila-copter down!
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #33 on: April 05, 2014, 01:38:39 AM »
SRN.6 part 2.











More to come, BH.7 next and I've not even started on Hovermarine, Vosper, the Yanks and the oddballs.  ;)
« Last Edit: December 30, 2018, 05:49:55 AM by jcf »
“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014

Offline The Big Gimper

  • Any model will look better in RCAF, SEAC or FAA markings
  • Global Moderator
  • Cut. Cut. Cut. Measure. Cut. Cut. Crap. Toss.
    • Photobucket Modeling Album
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #34 on: May 16, 2016, 09:47:56 AM »
When Greg and I went to the Niagara Aerospace Museum a year ago at the old Bell Plant in Niagara Falls, I took the following pictures with my iPhone.







Work in progress ::

I am giving up listing them. They all end up on the shelf of procrastination anyways.

User and abuser of Bothans...

Offline GTX_Admin

  • Evil Administrator bent on taking over the Universe!
  • Administrator - Yep, I'm the one to blame for this place.
  • Whiffing Demi-God!
    • Beyond the Sprues
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #35 on: May 17, 2016, 02:25:08 AM »
And someone wasn't dedicated enough to distract guards so that I could make off with their models... ::)
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline elmayerle

  • Its about time there was an Avatar shown here...
  • Über Engineer...at least that is what he tells us.
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #36 on: May 17, 2016, 07:01:27 AM »
Crossing that SR.N6 Mk.6A gunship with an LCAC could give you quite a nice little gunboat, a definitely start toward the PGAC of SeaFighter.

Offline jcf

  • Global Moderator
  • Turn that Gila-copter down!
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #37 on: May 18, 2016, 12:44:24 PM »
BH.7 Part 1









« Last Edit: December 30, 2018, 05:53:11 AM by jcf »
“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014

Offline jcf

  • Global Moderator
  • Turn that Gila-copter down!
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #38 on: May 18, 2016, 12:45:56 PM »
BH.7 Part 2







« Last Edit: December 30, 2018, 05:55:51 AM by jcf »
“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014

Offline GTX_Admin

  • Evil Administrator bent on taking over the Universe!
  • Administrator - Yep, I'm the one to blame for this place.
  • Whiffing Demi-God!
    • Beyond the Sprues
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #39 on: May 19, 2016, 02:49:17 AM »
A kit of one of those would be great!
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline The Big Gimper

  • Any model will look better in RCAF, SEAC or FAA markings
  • Global Moderator
  • Cut. Cut. Cut. Measure. Cut. Cut. Crap. Toss.
    • Photobucket Modeling Album
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #40 on: May 19, 2016, 03:03:18 AM »
In Glorious 1/72nd scale.  :o
Work in progress ::

I am giving up listing them. They all end up on the shelf of procrastination anyways.

User and abuser of Bothans...

Offline LemonJello

  • MARPAT Master
  • Member number 100...WooHoo!!!
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #41 on: May 19, 2016, 04:34:18 AM »
In Glorious 1/72nd scale.  :o

So I could scale-o-rama it up to 1/35?

Offline jcf

  • Global Moderator
  • Turn that Gila-copter down!
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #42 on: May 19, 2016, 05:38:12 AM »
In Glorious 1/72nd scale.  :o

So I could scale-o-rama it up to 1/35?

Unfortunately the skirts don't scale well, the 1/72 LCAC skirts come out too shallow for a 1/35th model,
and you can pretty much forget about the 1/144 LCAC. 
:-\

That said the old Airfix 1/144 SR.N4 can be scale-o-rama-ed to a 1/72 machine, maybe 1/48 at a stretch,
but it doesn't look right with a 1/35th tank hull mounted, I know because I put an S-tank hull on the SR.N4
platform/skirt and it just doesn't look right, a turreted tank would be even more off.
 :-\
“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014

Offline GTX_Admin

  • Evil Administrator bent on taking over the Universe!
  • Administrator - Yep, I'm the one to blame for this place.
  • Whiffing Demi-God!
    • Beyond the Sprues
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #43 on: May 20, 2016, 02:10:28 AM »
If you want, there is a 1/35 hovercraft kit available...that also provides a starting point for whiffing:  the 1/35 Masterpiece Models PACV





All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline jcf

  • Global Moderator
  • Turn that Gila-copter down!
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #44 on: May 20, 2016, 03:24:10 AM »
Get two of them and you could lengthen it to make an SR.N6.  ;D

Or, you could convert it into a US Army SK-5 Model 7255.


http://1project2far.blogspot.com/2015/05/air-cushion-cavalry-us-armys-bell-sk5.html
Note that the Model 7255s built and deployed (two assault, one transport) didn't get the centerline mounted
power turret shown in the drawing, they had two gunpits with rings, and only a single grenade launcher,
mounted on the port side.

I do note that the Masterpiece kit doesn't appear to have the fingers on the bottom of the skirt.
« Last Edit: December 30, 2018, 06:00:37 AM by jcf »
“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014

Offline Weaver

  • Skyhawk stealer and violator of Panthers, with designs on a Cougar and a Tiger too
  • Chaos Engineer & Evangelistic Agnostic
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #45 on: May 20, 2016, 05:44:23 AM »
In Glorious 1/72nd scale.  :o

So I could scale-o-rama it up to 1/35?

Unfortunately the skirts don't scale well, the 1/72 LCAC skirts come out too shallow for a 1/35th model,
and you can pretty much forget about the 1/144 LCAC. 
:-\

That said the old Airfix 1/144 SR.N4 can be scale-o-rama-ed to a 1/72 machine, maybe 1/48 at a stretch,
but it doesn't look right with a 1/35th tank hull mounted, I know because I put an S-tank hull on the SR.N4
platform/skirt and it just doesn't look right, a turreted tank would be even more off.
 :-\

In general, people tend to over-load sci-fi hovertanks. They forget that the ratio of hover platform to payload has to be quite large, which is why most hovercraft are, on average, thin and flat, and ones with a non-negotiable heavy centre tend to have a large, flat deck surrounding it.
"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides

"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

"I'm a general specialist," - Harry Purvis in Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

Twitter: @hws5mp
Minds.com: @HaroldWeaverSmith

Offline jcf

  • Global Moderator
  • Turn that Gila-copter down!
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #46 on: May 20, 2016, 06:00:53 AM »
Yep, the inflated skirt depth is around 1/3, or more, of the total depth.

“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014

Offline The Big Gimper

  • Any model will look better in RCAF, SEAC or FAA markings
  • Global Moderator
  • Cut. Cut. Cut. Measure. Cut. Cut. Crap. Toss.
    • Photobucket Modeling Album
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #47 on: May 21, 2016, 07:07:51 PM »
Stumbled on this:

On May 20, 1972, the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) participated in testing Bell Aerospace Canada's hovercraft Voyageur on the Great Lakes and on the Mackenzie River and Beaufort Sea.



1 minute video here shot in glorious 0.000004K Video

Work in progress ::

I am giving up listing them. They all end up on the shelf of procrastination anyways.

User and abuser of Bothans...

Offline GTX_Admin

  • Evil Administrator bent on taking over the Universe!
  • Administrator - Yep, I'm the one to blame for this place.
  • Whiffing Demi-God!
    • Beyond the Sprues
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #48 on: May 22, 2016, 04:47:47 AM »
I have a plan for a military SR.N4 assault transport.  Anyone know where I can get a 1/144 set of British military vehicles.  Ideally at least 1 Chieftain plus probably some other vehicles.  Some SAMs etc might be good too.
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline jcf

  • Global Moderator
  • Turn that Gila-copter down!
Re: Air Cushion Vehicles and Hovercraft
« Reply #49 on: May 22, 2016, 05:06:21 AM »
This is probably as close as you'll get for most of it, however no Chieftain, just Challenger:
http://pg-models.co.uk

1/152 (2mm:1') scale.

Found listings for a couple of other Brit machines, Centurion and a Landie, but not much, at least PG has an extensive range.
“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014