RAF Coastal Command Fairey Battle

[GTX_Admin]

 

Someone should really release some conversion kits (maybe 3D printed) for the various Fairey Battle Engine Testbeds:

Wright Cyclone engine:




Napier Sabre:
 


RR Exe:

 

Fairey Monarch or Prince 4 (also see images above):

 

Bristol Taurus:



Bristol Hercules:

[The Rat]

Someone should really release some conversion kits (maybe 3D printed) for the various Fairey Battle Engine Testbeds:

There certainly seems to have been a lot of them.

Which begs the question: which aircraft in history has had more test-bed derivatives that any other? Some manufacturers have used a single aircraft with which they often attached engines; Pratt and Whitney Canada used a Viscount and a B-720 for years, but those are in a different class. They were strictly used for testing new engines and their descendants. I'm talking about modifying an aircraft some way so as to find out how the whole thing behaved, from front to back, inside and out. Performance, handling, range, altitude, etc. I'll start a separate thread on this.

[Buzzbomb]

This is getting more interesting. But for goodness sakes, with that engine please don't put floats on it 

GTX's brief overview on the various test beds just highlights that even after withdrawal as a front line aircraft, the Battle provided excellent service. Over the years I have read with interest if there was a new engine.. stick in on a Battle to test it seemed to be the way it went.
Surprised they did not try the Whittle Turbine on it (That might get somebody thinking  )

[elmayerle]

This is getting more interesting. But for goodness sakes, with that engine please don't put floats on it 

GTX's brief overview on the various test beds just highlights that even after withdrawal as a front line aircraft, the Battle provided excellent service. Over the years I have read with interest if there was a new engine.. stick in on a Battle to test it seemed to be the way it went.
Surprised they did not try the Whittle Turbine on it (That might get somebody thinking  )

Perhaps test a Trent turboprop in it before sticking two of them in a Meteor?  Or some of the other early turboprops?

[kitnut617]

Surprised they did not try the Whittle Turbine on it (That might get somebody thinking  )

An article in Air-Britain's AeroMilitaria revealed they had something else in mind, an Avro Anson ----- someone doing research at Kew (UK National Archives) stumble across the file while looking for something else. There was a couple of drawings published with the article showing the engine was to be installed mid fuselage (in the cabin) with a nose air intake and a duct that snaked around the pilot's position to the front of the engine, and bifurcated exhaust. These were shown in two exit locations.

[The Rat]

Puttying and sanding done, lick of paint to show any flaws - looking okay.

[Brian da Basher]

Looking good, Rat!

Brian da Basher

[elmayerle]

Developing very nicely, there.

[Old Wombat]

 

[The Rat]

Close to being together, soon the painting will begin. Haven't had a lot of success in that area lately, disasters abound. Oh well, press on.

You'll notice that the decal sheet also includes Belgian markings. So now I have to poke through the stash to see where they might come in handy. Maybe the 'Composante air' could have used a Bristol Type 170 post-war? I also have another Vickers Wellesley. Hmmm...

[Buzzbomb]

All of a sudden it looks like a Blackburn Skua on 'roids
Really interesting shape

[apophenia]

All of a sudden it looks like a Blackburn Skua on 'roids...

It does, doesn't it?  Very interested to see how this turns out 

[Brian da Basher]

All of a sudden it looks like a Blackburn Skua on 'roids
Really interesting shape

It's got a dash of Vultee to it too.

Brian da Basher

[The Rat]

One of the annoying things about this model is the bomb bays in the wings. If you assemble them open, with the supplied bombs, the bombs actually hang down so far that it would be plainly obvious to any observer that the doors would not be able to close. So I've made it with them closed, but the fit is terrible, the doors are too wonky to look smooth, and there are big gaps. Might rip them out and try making my own. Also might try reworking the bombs to make them fit.

Back story will have 12 Squadron moved to Coastal Command, that way I can just stick with the kit decals. It re-equipped with Battles in 1938, so the timeline for that doesn't need to change.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

@The Rat - why not make it without the bomb bay doors on your panniers?  Call it an expedient move during war time operations that it was necessary to remove the doors in order to accommodate larger stores.  Something that might have/could have been done in order to carry the larger ASW weapons needed to kill submarines with stronger hulls.

[The Rat]

@The Rat - why not make it without the bomb bay doors

STOP DESTROYING MY MASOCHISM! 

[Camthalion]

coming along nicely. 

[Buzzbomb]

Ahhh, the somewhat "agricultural" fit of some of the earlier kit offerings !

Like Jeff said, the option of semi recessed housings would work, it worked for the Skua.
Depth Charges were somewhat beefier than bombs in some cases. This would allow for a Bigger weapon. We all know that bigger is better 

[The Rat]

Removed the masking. Touched up the fuselage areas where there was a little bit of bleed under the tape, now I'll have to spend about a year or so scraping the edges of all those windows and touching up them.  :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Couldn't find the instruction sheet, so I did the camo pattern just any old way. And of course, after it was done I found the instructions.  :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: Not repainting.

[FAAMAN]

Inspired so far Mr. Rat 

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Sharp looking Coastal Command scheme Rat san!

[GTX_Admin]