Beyond The Sprues
Current and Finished Projects => Profiles and Pixels => Topic started by: Stargazer2006 on December 24, 2011, 07:00:12 AM
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Hi folks! New place, same old faces, or just about... My first post, glad to be here (thanks Logan for the invite!).
I'll be starting this gallery by posting my favorite stuff from past works... Then in 2012 I'll be posting the new stuff!!
But first allow me to introduce myself in a few words for those who may not know me. I'm a 46-year-old Frenchman who knew all the Japanese code names and USAF designations at an age when kids only learn where to place their country on a map. Yes, I grew up surrounded by aircraft models and aircraft books, having a dad completely obsessed by it! But I also had a fondness for doctored photos already: at age 8 I pasted a girl in bikini sitting in the open hands of Pope Paul VI...
As a teenager I was obsessed with US comics and even considered working for Marvel, but I thought I wasn't good enough and shied away from the notion altogether. All the while my passion for aircraft never quite left me, really. After an 11-year stint as an English language teacher in French high schools, I decided to quit and work on websites instead. My first website in 1997 contained an article on the Yak-23 evaluated by USAF, another one on the Boscombe Down crash and a whole section on the Lockheed Aurora . I also did sites on jazz and pop music, Renault cars and much more (so far I have designed about 20 websites for my pleasure or on order).
In 2006 I devoted a lot of time and energy to a pet project that became a reality: an online database on all projects related to Burt Rutan: I called it Stargazer, as an evocation of his reaching for space and constant desire to push the limits further. I had to register the site under the name "stargazer2006" because "stargazer" had already been reserved (though never used). Little did I know at the time that the name "Stargazer2006" was going to become my alias on several forums...
Being probably too lazy to learn my way through sophisticated and expensive software, I've been using an old Paint Shop Pro 5 for over 10 years now! Not the best thing around but it covers most of my needs nicely and I know my way round it so I'll stick with it for more time to come... Combining my taste for photo-montages and aircraft just came naturally. I personally strive to conceive pictures that are "realistic", i.e. aircraft that are plausible, that look real, or that could have existed. I'm never more satisfied than when the invention fits in nicely within the real timeline of events, like a little-known or forgotten part of history... And the icing on the cake is to know I've inspired someone to turn the dream to plastic!
Enough of this. Watch for the next post and the first images, and pleeeease let me know if you like them (any thoughtful piece of criticism is also welcome!).
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A bit of Lockheed history revisited...
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Lockheed XP-73 Swordstar
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After the XP-58 Chain Lightning was turned down by the USAF, Lockheed took the half-assembled second prototype and reworked all the elements to turn it into a single fuselage design for a fast piston interceptor, the Model 39 Swordstar (a mix of "Swordfish", as in the XP-38E test-bed and the usual "star" suffix used by Lockheed). Though unsollicited, the proposal was judged interesting enough for the USAAF to borrow the aircraft from Lockheed and give it the XP-73 designation (serial 43-45315).
However, the Swordstar was sadly lost after only three hours of test flying in mid-air collision with a Culver PQ-8 Dart target drone gone wild, killing test pilot Shane Bolt. The embarrassment was such that the Air Force agreed on a refund of the prototype and all of Lockheed's expenses on condition that the XP-73 be erased from the records, which was done on both sides. It would have remained a lost chapter of aviation history were it not for a set of documents hidden away by one of the project's engineers that resurfaced recently after his passing. Only this one very rare photograph of it has survived to this day.
The Swordstar was a sort of missing link in Lockheed design history, being the last distant grandson of the P-38 Lightning family and also the company's last piston design before the F-80 Shooting Star, which was to incorporate its tail design with very little change.
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Lockheed YF-136/R9V-1 Super Constitution (Model 1089)
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When the Lockheed Model 89 Constitution was retired in 1953, the U.S. Air Force expressed some interest and decided to purchase the two prototypes. The Military Air Transport Service (or MATS in short) needed large capacity transports that could carry both troops and materiel in large quantities. However, the two R7V-1s were not adapted to the demands of modern transport, and uphauling them proved more complicated than building two new aircraft.
Lockheed was asked, therefore to produce two off-the-shelf fuselages that could receive brand new swept wings with underwing jets on pods and a brand new tail. The Air Force requested that the wing's shape and engine configuration follow closely those of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet, which had recently entered service. In effect, the wings of the resulting YF-136 Super Constitution (or Model 1089) appeared like scaled-up B-47 wings with beefed up General Electric J47 jet engines. The bottom deck became all cargo, while the top deck windows were fashioned after those of the Super Constellation. A nose radome was installed and a newer, modern cockpit introduced. The latter would soon serve as a basis for that of the Hercules.
The Navy briefly considered ordering two more examples as the R9V-1, but this plan fell short when they realized they did not possess enough facilities and landing fields adapted to a transport aircraft of that size. Attempts by Lockheed to market the type on the civilian market also failed. The two Super Constitutions were the pride and joy of MATS but were used only from November 1954 until June 1963, a short lifespan which can be explained by the fatigue of the fuselages, conceived just after the war for straight wings and props, and therefore not optimized for jet engines or swept wings.
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Lockheed YU-12A Twin Star
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The Lockheed YU-12A Twin Star prototype was proposed by Lockheed to the US Air Force as a way to augment the range and autonomy of the original U-2 spyplane. Apparently this was not conclusive and the experiment was halted.
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Lockheed Model 98 Super Stardust
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The Lockheed Stardust and Super Stardust were revolutionary VTOL passenger transports used by TWA in the mid-1960s and using technology developed for the Bell-Lockheed D-2064 assault transport project. These caused quite a commotion when they appeared and passengers mostly shied away from such revolutionary technology. Consequently, TWA reverted back to more traditional aircraft very soon.
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Lockheed CL-1860 Bright Star
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The Lockheed CL-1860 Bright Star was an original attempt from Lockheed to produce a naval observation type at a reduced cost using elements of the U-2 spy plane. Though the length of the airframe was unchanged, the fin, rudders and wings were shortened (the latter being hinged for carrier use). 45% of the aircraft were taken directly from the U-2 production lines, and another 25% were modified from U-2 elements, leaving only 30% new, basically the cockpit and dorsal intake. The Navy evaluated the sole prototype in 1973 but tests were not conclusive enough to justify procurement.
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Lockheed Raven, a.k.a. "Baby Blackbird"
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Ever wondered how the CIA and USAF could have accepted the most advanced aircraft in the world without even a single demonstrator first to validate the technologies? Well, the answer is easy: there actually WAS one. The Lockheed Raven (affectionately known at the Skunk Works as the "Baby Blackbird") was a sub-scale proof-of-concept demonstrator for the Oxcart/Cygnus programs, which spawned the famed Blackbird family of aircraft. It was first flown on August 23, 1961.
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Lockheed A-24 Grumbler
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The Lockheed A-24 Grumbler (inhouse designation) was an unrequested proposal for a fast, high-flying interceptor which built largely on SR-71 Blackbird technology, using the same engine, fuel and other components. Its original feature was to have a circular air intake all around the rear of the cockpit, not unlike the French Coleoptère VTOL prototype of the 1950s. The sole Grumbler prototype was never acquired by the US Air Force and therefore retained its civilian registration. It is seen here in formation with the classic Lockheed TR-1 (U-2RT) Dragon Lady spyplane.
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Lockheed SR-72A Blackbolt
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The Lockheed SR-72A Blackbolt was a triangular shaped variation on the famous SR-71A Blackbird stratospheric spyplane. As most information pertaining to the program is still classified, it is not known how many were procured and whether the type is still in active service.
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Lockheed C-30A Super Galaxy
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The Lockheed C-30A Super Galaxy, a six-engined Lockheed Galaxy with widened fuselage, came in very handy in Yugoslavia and Somalia to deliver relief aid or material (12 armed tanks or two fully assembled fighter aircraft could be carried), but also for mass paratrooper droppings (no less than 200 soldiers could jump in one single flight).
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Lockheed YSR-5A 'Senior Pike'
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Developed under the 'Senior Pike' program, the SR-5A answered a DoD specification for an Advanced Cruise Rocket Plane (ACRP). It consisted of a scaled-up Raytheon (General Dynamics) AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile (ACM), a program that everyone thought had been axed while it actually served as a subscale prototype to this larger rocket plane. The SR-5A has flown in greatest secrecy since 1996, launched from NASA's famous NB-52 mothership, and this is the first time ever that a photo of it is published. No-one knows if the program is still running or if it was abandoned.
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Lockheed Martin YA-25A StarViper
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The Lockheed StarViper demonstrator was the missing link between the famed F-16 and the F-22 Raptor. It was never procured in quantity and only 22 were built. All but two ended up with the Taiwanese Air Force.
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Lockheed X-55 Rising Star
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A technology demonstrator for a possible VATOL fighter.
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Lockheed Martin QF-35D UCAV
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The Lockheed Martin QF-35D UCAV is an unmanned variant of the new multiservice F-35 Lightning II combat platform.
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Lockheed Martin A-40A Thunderstar
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In 2017 the budget cuts that plagued many a defense program are no longer in order. The war in Afghanistan has been long and costly. The U.S. Department of Defense badly needs some high-flying light bombers to strike repeatedly the mountains hideouts of Afghanistan as a means to end war as quickly as possible. A requirement for a brand new, dedicated attack aircraft is issued, to which Lockheed Martin answers with the Thunderstar, a four-jet, enlarged derivative of the Raptor with side-by-side seating. The company wins the contract over Northrop Grumman and Boeing/Bombardier, and the Thunderstar becomes the A-40A. Eightly aircraft are purchased by USAF, and nearly 200 get exported to Britain and Germany. A naval variant, the A-40B, is also produced in 50 examples for the U.S. Navy, while 40 more examples find their way to Britain.
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Lockheed Martin YF-45A Starbolt
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Lockheed Martin answered a tender to procure a VLF (Very Light Fighter) by the year 2025 by reusing some of the F-35 experience and engineering. Thus was born the Lockheed Martin YF-45A Starbolt, which will begin production in 2019... that is, unless some clever Congressmen decide to give it the axe...
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Frikken AWESOME :in-love: So glad you are here
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:)
Welcome here Stargazer, and thanks for this batch of marvels (my favourite of them I think is the twin U-2: YU-12A TwinStar)
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Welcome aboard Stephane. Great to see you again.
Regards,
John
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Hi Stephane,
Welcome. :D
Great work as usual.
Love the Blackbolt and QF-35. :in-love:
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Thanks for the welcome, folks, and Merry Christmas/Hannoukah/whatever to you all!
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Great to see you here, Stéphane! I love the YA-25A StarViper! Have a Merry Christmas!!!
Cheers,
Logan
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Thanks for the welcome, folks!
Today I'll be exploring the "other side"...
Forgotten aircraft of the Soviet forces
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Kocherigin Ko-3 Glupysh
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The Kocherigin Ko-3 Glupysh (Fulmar) was a large pre-War transport aircraft of which very little is known.
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Beriev R-2 "Foghorn"
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This very rare brochure clipping from 1949 depicts the little-known Beriev R-2 (NATO reporting name: "Foghorn"), a patrol flying boat armed with cannons in the nose and machine guns in the dorsal turret. Ten of these machines were built in 1949-50, but three were lost, with at least two on account of seabirds being sucked into the frontal intake. The "Foghorns" were soon struck off charge and replaced by less complicated prop-driven types. The picture shown depicts a somewhat retouched R-2 flying over Petrograd (now Saint-Petersburg).
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Lavochkin La-144 Lastochka
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In September 1945, the Soviet Union captured a small batch of Messerschmitt Me 262 fighters from Germany. These were redesignated as the Lavochkin La-142 and underwent numerous tests in the latter part of 1945. One of these was modified with a single engine in the nose and designated the La-144. All the Me 262 and their derivatives were known as the "lastochki" (swallows) as an evocation of their original German name "Schwalbe", but the only aircraft that actually carried the name officially was the La-144 Lastochka, seen in this picture over Zhukovsky airfield some time in December 1945.
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Yakovlev Yak-16 "Fistful"
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One of the many forgotten jet aircraft prototypes built in the post-war years by Soviet manufacturers.
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-18 "Fatso"
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Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-10
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The experimental Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-10 prototype shown above was the Soviet counterpart of North American's F-107 (NA-212) which had the intakes in the exact same dorsal position. The Ye-10 was not known of NATO intelligence services and therefore never received an official monicker in the West.
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-112 "Fickle"
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The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-112 "Fickle" (dubbed "Fickle Sickle" by Western observers) was a "midget" low-cost derivative of the classic MiG-21 "Fishbed".
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Sukhoi Su-125 "Foghorn"
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Antonov An-222 "Custard"
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The rare Antonov An-222 (NATO: "Custard") is seen here doing a low pass over Odessa Airport, in Ukraine.
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Tupolev Tu-150 "Crossbow"
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In the late 1970s, the Tupolev design bureau fiddled with the idea to use the basic shape of the Tu-160 Blackjack then in development and turn it into a subsonic airliner. This resulted in the little-known Tupolev Tu-150 (NATO codename: "Crossbow"), of which 6 examples only were used on Aeroflot's lines.
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Tupolev Tu-218 "Boiler"
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An ultra-secret canard bomber prototype that was discovered just before the Berlin Wall fell...
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Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum-Q"
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The Mikoyan MiG-29RV "Fulcrum-Q" is an unmanned version of the famed "Fulcrum" fighter. The text of the advertisement says: "It is our greatest asset for the future, and yet none of our pilots can fly it."
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Sukhoi Su-27RV "Flanker-Q"
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The Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker-Q" is an unmanned version of the famed "Flanker" fighter. The text of the advertisement says: "Tomorrow's war... today."
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Antonov An-94 "Crawler"
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The Antonov An-94 (NATO: "Crawler") was a development of the An-72 Coaler with the engines lowered to the bottom of the fuselage sides to make room for an AEW radome. This was tested as an alternate configuration to the An-71.
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Really cool stuff, I really love the Starviper!!! :in-love:
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Some brilliant stuff there.
Regards,
John
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Welcome aboard Stephane, really good to see you here, i love your 'adapted' images, a few of those im sure will cause headaches in years to come when theyre seen as 'real' prototypes
:D bestest wishes, cheers, Joe
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Nice to see you here Stephane! :) Lauhof
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Forget about Queens and Kings... Barons and Earls... Today we're in for...
A bit of British history
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Fairey Faucon
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In late 1939, the French government decided it was perhaps too risky to continue building combat aircraft on the French territory, for fear they might fall in enemy hands should the war intensify and Germany seize them. Several foreign types were ordered, among them the Fairey Faucon ("Falcon" in French), the prototype for which had already been built to a strictly French specification.
The aircraft was hastily shipped to France and flight tested at Bretigny airfield, where it demonstrated great performance. The surrender of France in 1940 put an end to several aircraft orders, including one for 200 Faucons. The crewmen at Bretigny decided to set the aircraft ablaze instead of allowing it to fall into adverse hands. That was the end of what could have been France's greatest asset in combat.
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Bristol 162H Beaumort I
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The most elegant of the Beaufighter family of aircraft was most certainly the Type 162H Beaumort. Not to be confused with the Bristol Bowmore flying-boat, the Beaufort bomber and the Beaumont bomber project (which he reused the basic Type 162 number from), the Beaumort was the only high-wing variant of the family, a stretched Beaufighter with enlarged tail and a gun turret on top. Another unique feature of the Beaumort was the use of two 2000hp Rolls-Royce Griffon 65 engines with the same 4-bladed propellers that were used on the Spitfire PR.19 fighter.
The Beaumort performed remarkably well but the Griffon engines were badly needed on the fighters, and without them, the type was only marginally better than the existing Beaufort so it was decided not to proceed with it.
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De Havilland D.H.98R Musketeer
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The De Havilland D.H.98R Musketeer was a British single-engine fighter prototype whose purpose was to obtain the lightest and fastest possible configuration with a D.H.98 Mosquito airframe. It was not put into production.
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Fairey F.30/43 Arrow
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The Fairey Arrow was very little-known British prototype of 1944 that resulted from a specification calling for a fast push-pull fighter-interceptor, the Fairey F.30/43 Arrow. This was not put into production.
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Westland Woomera I
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Here is the Westland Woomera, an asymmetrical fighter for Australia, derived from the Whirlwind.
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Westland Wyndham B.II
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And here is the Westland Wyndham B.II, a torpedo-bomber with double fuselage able to carry a huge amount of ordnance.
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Airspeed A.S.70 Sea Horse
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The Airspeed A.S. 70 Sea Horse was the company's swan song before merging with De Havilland in 1951. It was a flying-boat version of the Horsa glider, a concept already obsolete at that time. Towing was typically done by Short Sunderland type flying boats.
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Miles M.78 Twinvan
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The Miles M.78 Twinvan was a twin-fuselage version of the Miles M.57 Aerovan. The sole prototype was lost when the central wing section broke in the middle while in flight, killing the pilot and three passengers.
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General Aircraft GAL.62 Super Universal
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The General Aircraft GAL.62 Super Universal was an eight-engine freighter developed at the same time as the smaller GAL.60 Universal Freighter and with capability for combined troop, freight and vehicle transport. It was thought that the GAL.62 would represent a great option for India and the prototype was test-flown there in 1949 (as seen in this ad's picture). However, the company had already been merged with Blackburn, and the recent independence of India made the market opportunities a lot less attractive there. All development of the Super Universal was therefore halted, and the effort was placed on the smaller Universal Freighter, which developed into the Blackburn Beverley...
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Fairey Jet Gannet
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The Fairey Jet Gannet was a development of the Gannet that was put into production for the Royal Canadian Navy in the early 1950s.
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Westland Jet Wyvern
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The Westland Wyvern was the most advanced ever of all British piston-engined fighters but it came too late to go to war, and by the time it was operational, the jet age had dawned, so it became obsolete pretty soon. Soon enough, Westland developed a jet version, the Jet Wyvern, which came as an interim aircraft until better types were available. 50 aircraft were built and delivered but were soon sold to India, where they continued to serve for a while.
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De Havilland Sea Devil I
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In the 1950s, no one was willing to develop forward-swept wing aircraft, but De Havilland nonetheless gave the idea a try. The Sea Devil flew well, but Navy commandment was more than lukewarm about the idea so only 5 aircraft were built and soon retired.
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Fairey Crocodile HC.I
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The Fairey Crocodile for the Royal Australian Air Force was the only production model of that compound helicopter.
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English Electric P.6 Thunder
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Started off as an English Electric project, the B.A.C. P.6 Thunder was an interceptor development of the famed but ungainly P.1 Lightning fighter. It was underpowered and performed so unimpressively that it was decided not to proceed with it.
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Handley-Page Sea Victor I
(http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/341/3/6/handley_page_sea_victor_mk__1_by_bispro-d34echq.jpg)
Conceived as a seagoing Royal Navy development of the successful RAF Victor bomber, the Handley-Page Sea Victor was no more successful than the Martin Seamaster developed in the U.S. along similar requirements. Only three prototypes were built and they were scrapped in 1965 when the program was cancelled.
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B.A.C. (English Electric) P.26 VG-Lightning
(http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/303/c/8/b_a_c__p_26_vg_lightning_by_bispro-d31sz3e.jpg)
The Luftwaffe expressed interest in a variable sweep version of the English Electric P.1 Lightning fighter, and ordered 100 examples of the B.A.C. P.26 VG-Lightning variant, which unfortunately found no other customer.
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Short S.500 Skybox
(http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/026/9/d/short_s_500_skybox_by_bispro-d3844cu.jpg)
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That Sea Victor is cool!
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I LOVE the MiG-18, Tu-218, Thunder, and Sea Victor. Those all look great. The Thunder, in particular, is an improvement on the original. That tandem cockpit on the MiG-18 is more proportional, too.
Cheers,
Logan
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I love the twin-boomers and asymmetric one, perfectly "built", while I also love the cargo-eggplane Skybox, thanks for this one too!
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The bulk of my work may deal with American and British aircraft, but there are also quite a few "forgotten" types from other countries... So today let's have a look at some of these
Rare European birds
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B.A.C.-Heinkel Haukka ("Falcon")
(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/294/a/0/bac_heinkel___haukka___or_falcon_by_bispro-d4dhdsq.jpg)
The BAC-Heinkel Haukka ("Falcon" in Suomi) was an exclusive 1963 fighter-bomber design for the Suomen ilmavoimat or Finnish Air Force.
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Sipa S.500 Vedette
(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/268/3/3/sipa_s_500_vedette_by_bispro-d4awqw0.jpg)
The French SIPA (Société Industrielle Pour l'Aviation) imagined in 1955 a small twin-jet business aircraft called the S.500 Vedette and developed from the smaller S.300 turbojet-powered basic trainer. The only prototype flew for the first time on June 16, 1956 and showed promising enough for SIPA to start promoting it with several potential customers. However, the Vedette , despite its being a clean and pleasant design, was not looked upon favorably because of its high estimated operating cost and also because of the crash of the S.300 prototype a few months before, so that the project was brought to an abrupt end in February 1957.
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Fiat 7500"Treno Volante"
(http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/198/0/7/fiat_7500_treno_volante_by_bispro-d3y8omd.jpg)
The Fiat 7500 « Treno Volante » or « Flying Train » was an improbable tandem-rotor development of the ungainly Fiat 7002 prototype. Unsurprisingly it never generated any interest from the Italian military or from any foreign customers and was eventually scrapped.
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Arsenal VG.200 Aiglon
(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/093/5/a/arsenal_v_g__200_aiglon_by_bispro-d3d5gtx.jpg)
The Arsenal V.G. 200 Aiglon ("Eaglet") was a beautiful research jet prototype which proved hard to manage with its conventional landing gear. A tricycle V.G. 201 variant was planned but there is no evidence that this was built.
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Fokker Dr.II "Doppeldreidecker"
(http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/093/d/b/fokker_d_r_ii_doppeldreidecker_by_bispro-d3d3nwq.jpg)
The Fokker Dr.II "Doppeldreidecker" ("Double triplane") was an experimental twin-fuselage variant of the famed Dr.I triplane.
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Sud-Est (S.N.C.A.S.E.) SE-8200 Hirondelle II
(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/093/2/1/sud_est_se_8200_hirondelle_ii_by_bispro-d3d3ltv.jpg)
In 1946, the French Société nationale de constructions aéronautiques du Sud-Est (better known as "Sud-Est Aviation" or SNCASE) proceeded to extensive testing of two Messerschmitt Me 262s retrieved in Germany the previous year. Redesignated as the SE-8000 Hirondelle (French for "swallow") they provided a lot of information to be used in forthcoming French jet programs.
In 1955, Sud-Est and SFERMA reconditioned one of the two aircraft as the SE-8200 Hirondelle II in order to test a prototype turbine engine which, if successful, could be used subsequently on light twin-engined business aircraft. With its modified tail and forward protruding turbine engines, the Hirondelle II was not the handsomest of aircraft, but it served its purpose and paved the way for the Turbo Travelair, the Marquis and subsequent turbo-prop-powered French aircraft.
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Sud-Ouest (S.NC.A.S.O.) SO-6650 Triton III
(http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/028/5/6/sncaso_so_6650_triton_iii_by_bispro-d389o4u.jpg)
Developed from the lessons learned with the original Triton prototype (the very first French jet aircraft), the SNCASO (Sud-Ouest) SO-6650 Triton III was an elegant aircraft but a poor airliner. Air France took delivery of 5 four-jet Tritons in November 1951 for use on short range local lines, but clearly this was a type in search of a purpose, being the size of a business jet at a time when the concept did not yet exist, too small to make an efficient airliner and too costly to make it worthwhile. Seating was only one on each side of the central aisle, and room was ridiculously small, making it impossible to stand up in the aisle for the average passenger. All five Tritons were written off in August 1953, less than two years after entering service.
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Dassault-Bréguet/Dornier Beta Jet
(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/183/4/c/Dassault_Brg__Dornier_Beta_Jet_by_Bispro.jpg)
The development of the Dassault-Bréguet/Dornier Alpha Jet advanced trainer was done in parallel with that of two differently configured types, the Beta Jet and Gamma Jet. Prototypes of these were built and tested operationally, alongside the Alpha Jet, but none of them proved any better than the Alpha Jet, and they soon disappeared out of sight. Interestingly, the Beta Jet had found one customer abroad, as it was meant to train Iranian Air Force pilots, but this plan never materialized after the Shah's demise.
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Saab Sk 50 Kadett
(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/183/0/2/Saab_Sk_50_Kadett_by_Bispro.jpg)
In 1967, Saab studied a reduced size trainer following the success of their Sk 60 (Model 105) trainer. This was designated Model 110 and procured in 15 examples only by the Swedish Air Force as the Sk 50. The Kadett, as it was known, was unarmed and used strictly as a primary trainer, being popular with the pilot trainees because of its forgiving handling and great natural stability. The 14 Kadetts that remained (one had been lost during a ground fire) were exported in 1992 to Sri Lanka, where they continue to train the young recruits of the local air force.
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EADS Airbus Super Transporter (U.S.A.F. C-58A)
(http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/026/e/c/eads_c_58a_airbus_st_for_usaf_by_bispro-d38311u.jpg)
With the C-5 Galaxy nearing retirement and the insufficient length of the C-17 Globemaster III, the USAF issued in 2013 a specification for a ULMT (Ultra Large Multitask Transport). Quite naturally, EADS/Airbus submitted a cargo version of its A380 airliner, which they called the A380M Super Transporter. Boeing declined to bid as the company didn't think it could produce a rivaling design and fly it within the three years allocated by the Air Force. The A380M was accepted on June 6, 2014 and was designated the EADS C-58A Airbus ST.
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Grob D-600 "Egrett One" (U.S. Government VU-32A)
(http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/302/3/4/grob_vu_32_egrett_1___grobama___by_bispro-d31roia.jpg)
A passenger derivative of the Grob G-500 Egrett is the seven-seat G-600, used in small numbers by the U.S. Government and military as the U-32A. A special example was assigned to presidential transport as the VU-32A "Egrett One". The story goes that the crew casually refers to the plane as "Grobama"...
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Saab JA 38 Hermod
(http://stargazer2006.online.fr/bonus/hermod.jpg)
Next to the canard AJ/JA-37 Viggen fighter, the Swedish Air Force also used a few examples of a more conventional delta winged variant designated the Saab JA-38 Hermod.
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AMD-BA (Dassault-Bréguet) Mirage 1000A
(http://stargazer2006.online.fr/bonus/mirage-1000a.jpg)
In an attempt to offer a complete range of fighters in various sizes, Dassault developed the diminutive Mirage 1000 alongside the 2000 and 4000, but eventually only the 2000 was proceeded with. The "A" suffix indicated the Air Force variant, while the second prototype in the Aéronavale version was designated the Mirage 1000N.
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Some brilliant stuff there Stéphane.
Regards,
John
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It's shocking just how plausible some of these photos are! Good work, Stéphane!
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Once more, many ones are delicious (my favourite being of course the Fokker twin-fuselage)
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Those are some really wonderful, imaginative and humorous "could've-beens" (and my, what lovely spats you have too!). I like your light-hearted approach and I'm sure I'm not the only one smiling.
Brian da Basher
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It really means something to read such encouraging compliments from seasoned whiffery experts like you guys, so thanks a bunch!!!
Probably my last whif for 2011 (and the first since I joined the BTS forum) here is Lavochkin's "Samolyet 335".
(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/363/a/2/lavochkin___samolyet_335___prototype_by_bispro-d4knbie.jpg)
Developed from the unbuilt Do 835 project, an unbuilt jet derivative of the Dornier Do 335 Pfeil, this undesignated Lavochkin was only refered to as "Samolyet 335" ("Aircraft #335") by Lavochkin engineers and pilots (rumors make it a possible candidate for the "La-16" designation but this was never circumstanciated). The aircraft remained a prototype and Lavochkin was required to work on combat types while most jet transport programs were assigned to Tupolev.
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Once again, a superlative shot. Many happy returns for the New Year and another year full of wonders.
Regards,
John
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HAPPY 2012 everyone !!!
Today's work is less personal in the sense that I pretty much reused an existing profile, but I hope you'll enjoy it all the same.
I started with an Aichi M6A1 Seiran painted in fake US colors to deceive US pilots (see attachment) and added bits and pieces to make it look like a genuine reverse-engineered Nanzan as produced by Vultee, the TB2V-1 Weevil torpedo bomber. The US recognized the superiority of the Aichi design, and after capturing a couple of aircraft, decided to have the type produced at home by an American company, improving on it whenever possible (differences being mostly structural and not visible on the outside).
(http://aviadesign.online.fr/images/vultee-weevil.jpg)
Bad news is I accidentally saved the master file as a JPEG instead of a multilayer format and therefore lost all possibility to rework it easily for other profiles. Blast!
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Ah, very neat, Stéphane!
Cheers,
Logan
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Looks very nice indeed. I've always thought the Seiran/Nanzan was a nice looking ship.
I'd suggest that they erred with the national markings under the left wing though. It was a rarity to see it used under both lower wings.
Regards,
John
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Great Gallery , Gazer'. Always liked the whiff as advertisement and graphic art Style.
:meaw:
Russ
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Great Gallery , Gazer'. Always liked the whiff as advertisement and graphic art Style.
:meaw:
Russ
I second that! :want:
Lauhof
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It's nice when the work is not only fun to do, but appreciated by connoisseurs... :)
Although I'm mostly into photo-manipulation, I have come to appreciate the profiling side of things to a certain extent. In most cases I work from existing plans which I manipulate in pretty much the same fashion as the photos, but on occasion I DID create profiles or three-views from scratch. Anyway, today I thought I should treat you to...
Some unusual profiles (Part 1)
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Boeing Belphegor US Army transport
(http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/345/1/a/boeing_belphegor_us_army_transport_by_bispro-d4ista4.jpg)
Here is something I had on the side for a few weeks, the Boeing Belphegor. As you can see, this is a cross between the Polish PZL M-15 Belphegor and the Boeing CH-47 Chinook. I don't think the scales of the two match in real life... As usual, consider this as a marrying of shapes rather than a possible real-life combination...
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Grumman Manxcat fighter-bomber
(http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/341/6/2/grumman_manxcat_fighter_bomber_by_bispro-d4igbot.jpg)
What exactly do you call a cat without a tail? That's right, a manx cat. Well, here is the Grumman Manxcat... a tailless fighter-bomber.
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Westland-Delanne Weymouth I
(http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/284/5/b/westland_weymouth_i_by_bispro-d4cj8oc.jpg)
Is there anything weirder that the real-life Westland-Delanne P.12 prototype? Well, yes, a float version thereof!!
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Vought ES-5A Kingfisher II
(http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/268/5/9/vought_es_5a_kingfisher_ii_by_bispro-d4awx62.jpg)
Another "forgotten" piece from last year: the Vought ES-5A Kingfisher II, a multipurpose aircraft combining the Electronic Warfare and ASW missions. The original, real-life Vought OS2U Kingfisher was an observation/scout floatplane series of the 1930s. It seemed logical, therefore, that this new type should be called the Kingfisher II...
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Martin-Northrop XP-65 Meteor
(http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/219/4/e/martin_northrop_xp_65___meteor___by_bispro-d45qw6c.jpg)
I was taking a look at Logan Hartke's excellent Martin XB-51 and Northrop XP-61F color profiles, and the silly idea of combining them into one single aircraft dawned on me... Of course the end result owes very little to each of the original designs, but it's mostly made of bits and pieces cut, reshaped, resized from Logan's artwork. About 40 layers in all, and I accidentally merged them on saving! Needless to say that was most frustrating... (full story of the XP-65 can be read here http://bispro.deviantart.com/gallery/24200217?offset=24#/d45qw6c (http://bispro.deviantart.com/gallery/24200217?offset=24#/d45qw6c)).
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Royal Navy Fairey Gumbo I
(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/268/2/e/royal_navy_fairey_gumbo_i_by_bispro-d4awv5y.jpg)
The Fairey Gumbo was developed using Bagera3005's profile of the real-life Gannet as a basis.
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Grushin DSh Dvoinoi Tandem
(http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/277/9/b/grushin_dsh_double_tandem_by_bispro-d4awu99.jpg)
Going through a forum topic on the Soviet Kalinin K-12 prototype, in which the Grushin Sh, or Tandem was also discussed, I was inspired to create a development of the latter called the Grushin DSh Dvoinoi Tandem (Double Tandem).
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Sud-Ouest (S.N.C.A.S.O.) SO.2000 Roussette
(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/268/a/6/s_n_c_a_s_o__so_2000_roussette_by_bispro-d4awtms.jpg)
Another German jet spin-off was the S.N.C.A.S.O. (Sud-Ouest) S.O. 2000 Roussette, a rocket plane evaluated by the French Aéronavale in 1946 and derived from a wartime Messerschmitt study. Please note that the word "roussette" in French refers to both a variety of shark and a variety of bat, a fitting play on words for a bat-like and offensive naval type.
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USMC Ryan XN2R-1 Fireblaze
(http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/223/3/2/usmc_ryan_xn2r_1_fireblaze_by_bispro-d468pfc.jpg)
When the US Navy and Marine Corps were looking for an advanced trainer, both piston and jet configurations were considered. Ryan submitted their Model 33 Fireblaze, which was evaluated by the USMC in 1946-47 as the XN2R-1. The US Navy prefered to go the piston route and opted for North American's XSN2J-1, the forerunner of the Trojan.
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Vought A-11A Corsair III
(http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/123/6/0/vought_a_11a_corsair_iii_plan_by_bispro-d3fh4iv.jpg)
Although the U.S. Marines rejected the Vought Corsair II, they showed interest in a reworked version that featured two dorsal air intakes instead of the wide ventral one. Procured as the Vought A-11A Corsair III, it entered service in 1981 (NOTE: the A-11A also appears earlier in this thread in photo form).
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Lockheed Martin/Aermacchi AL379 StrikeStar
(http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/198/a/8/lockheed_aermacchi_strikestar_by_bispro-d3yijl4.jpg)
Glanini's profiles of the Aermacchi M.346 on the What If forum inspired me to create this elongated version, the Lockheed Martin/Aermacchi AL379 StrikeStar.
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Nord Aviation 4500 Noralcor
(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/093/7/5/nord_aviation_4500_noralcor_by_bispro-d3d5giw.jpg)
The Nord Aviation 4500 Noralcor was a lengthened, four-wing derivative of the famed Noratlas to transport freight and paratroopers. The Nord 4501 variant was for freight only. The 4502 was a in-flight refueling variant (NOTE: caption wrongly refers to the plan as depicting the Nord 4501 when it should read "4500").
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Kaiser-Fleetwings XO2K-1 Seabird II
(http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/198/5/6/fleetwings_xo2k_1_seabird_ii_by_bispro-d3yid8v.jpg)
A little something I did by modifying an existing design into an economical 1944 U.S. Navy observation type, the Kaiser-Fleetwings XO2K-1 Seabird (the Seabird name had been previously used by that company for a commercial flying boat). Can you tell what I started from? (I haven't changed it much...).
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Henschel Hs 626 Narwal
(http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/198/3/1/henschel_hs_626_narwal_by_bispro-d3yhxti.jpg)
The Hs 626 Narwal was an experimental aircraft of the wartime Luftwaffe made up of two existing Henschel designs blended into one, the Hs 129 and the P.75 (with the cockpit of a Messerschmitt Me 163 added for a more advanced look). This pusher aircraft with contra-rotating propellers was meant to carry two target drones, one under each wing.
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Sikorsky YCH-60Z Stealth Hawk
(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/198/c/e/sikorsky_ych_60z_stealth_hawk_by_bispro-d3yiw90.jpg)
Following the discussions on various forums about the mysterious "black" helicopter that crashed over Bin Laden's final abode, this was my little contribution to what a stealthy mod of the Black Hawk could look like... I used a profile that was found at militaryphotos.net as a basis. I modified the nose's shape, made the landing gear retractable and removed as many appendices as possible for cleaner streamlining. I also added the tail fairing at the rear and blended the tail unit a bit more into the dorsal spine. This image sort of lived a life of its own in the weeks to follow as it was republished on various sites along other artist's views of the same.
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That Kingfisher II is nice!
Cheers,
Logan
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Some brilliant stuff there.
Regards,
John
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My first photomanip for 2012 is the Piaggio P227 Ashanti, a double-decker development of the successful Avanti.
Besides the obvious reworking of the fuselage...
... The tail was reshaped and the horizontal stabilizer extended.
... The canard was enlarged.
... The wing was extended and two extra engines were added.
... The wheels were all enlarged.
Original photo by Stephen Lane is attached for reference. Enjoy!!!
(http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/002/e/7/piaggio_p227_ashanti_by_bispro-d4l3xa7.jpg)
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Great work on the Ashanti!
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I like the Ashanti. Still a good looking ship if a bit curvier.
Regards,
John
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Just saw this posting for first time. Many favorites. Model 98 Stardust is one of favorites.
Bill
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Thanks for the feedback, folks, and finsrin, I'm glad you've discovered my gallery and enjoyed it!!
Today I'm sharing with you all the second installment in the profiles and plans series...
Some unusual profiles (Part 2)
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(http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/093/b/3/fairchild_thunderfighter_by_bispro-d3d3x00.jpg)
A U.S. Navy fighter prototype, the Fairchild-Republic Thunderfighter, which is basically a combination of their AVS and FX proposals...
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(http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/093/0/4/chengdu_fb_3___fastlane___by_bispro-d3d3wsd.jpg)
My first Chinese "whif", the Chengdu FB-3 (NATO: "Fastlane") fighter, made up from bits and pieces of U.S. aircraft!
The fuselage is from an F-111 and an F-18, the tail fin is from an F-18, the cockpit is adapted from that of a P-51D (!), the nose cone is from an Su-27...
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(http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/093/f/b/grumman_c_104_bobcat___g_55_2_by_bispro-d3d3w1s.jpg)
The original G-55 design was a 1943 torpedo bomber project which would have been designated XTB2F-1 by the Navy if built. The aircraft was canceled and only a full-scale mockup was built. As I've always liked the G-55, I took an existing line art profile and reworked it as a medium size transport as follows: I raised the wing slightly (it was already a high wing aircraft), removed the turrets and guns, added windows and did the coloring and shading. Even if it stays kid of basic, I'm quite satisfied with the result on the whole. What do you think? The real world C-104 designation was initially allocated to what became the Lockheed C-60C Lodestar. In my "what-if"world it was immediately reassigned to Grumman's G-55-2 Bobcat... A Navy variant designated RF-1 is still in the plans.
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De Havilland DH.88TT Comet Trainer
(http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/093/b/1/de_havilland_comet_trainer_by_bispro-d3d3vqo.jpg)
An unexpected development of the De Havilland D.H.88 Comet, the DH.88TT Comet Trainer ("TT" standing for "Tandem Trainer").
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Vought XBTU-1 Trident
(http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/093/6/3/vought_xbtu_1_trident_by_bispro-d3d3vka.jpg)
The Vought XBTU-1 Trident may look like the unflown F5U Skimmer ("flying pancake") prototype at first glance, but it is in fact very different. The body and wings were flipped (front is now rear) and three booms were added at the rear to hold a wide triple tail.
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(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/093/6/2/dornier_do_835_libelle_by_bispro-d3d3nov.jpg)
As I do not share the somewhat morbid fascination that many modellers have for Third Reich militaria, I do not often tackle aircraft topics of that era and place... However I absolutely love some of the designs such as the Dornier 335 and its planned derivatives. Here is the Dornier Do 835 Libelle (Dragonfly) which would have been a natural evolution as an airliner had Germany not been at war with the Allies... I created this using the Junkers Ju 635 derivative as a basis; I then grafted the vertical fin from the Heinkel He 535 project, and the (modified) cockpit and wheel trains from a Horten Ho 229... Sort of a German Douglas Skybus...
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(http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/093/c/6/sikorsky_s_670_white_condor_by_bispro-d3d3orx.jpg)
Ask me what's my favorite helicopter design ever, and I'll tell you "S-67 Blackhawk" in a hearbeat...
Since I can't top this design, this is bound to be more ungainly, but it was fun nonetheless. Here's the Sikorsky S-670 White Condor demonstrator, a much enlarged transport derivative. It was produced as a demonstrator for small commuter airlines and troop transport...
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(http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/093/9/8/avions_cappe_c_101_transport_by_bispro-d3d3ljo.jpg)
In 1938, a Frenchman by the name of Augustin Cappe, who had started as an ironmonger in the northern town of Douvrin (Pas-de-Calais) and had then spent his whole life designing and building experimental motorbikes, bikes and all manners of machines, set up the Avions Cappe company and started work on his first aircraft, the C.100. This was a small elegant twin-engine two-seater that appealed so much to the king of nearby Belgium, Albert 1er, that the latter offered to purchase the prototype for his personal use. Cappe's next design was a medium-sized 10-passenger twin-engine transport which he destined to commercial use, being approached by Belgian airline SABENA over a possible order for 10 aircraft. The Cappe C.101 was a sleek and beautiful design for its time that represented a major leap forward compared to most of its French equivalents. However, the outbreak of the Second World War put an end to Cappe's efforts, and the only two airframes he had built were taken over by the French Armée de l'Air as staff transports. Confiscated by the Germans but apparently never used, they were found in a hangar after the war and drafted briefly at the Amiens base after being refitted with radial engines. Unfortunately, Augustin Cappe had died in prison in 1942 and had no male offspring to take over his activities. With no spares or company documents left to service them, the aircraft decayed rapidly, being both scrapped in 1950.
(http://aviadesign.online.fr/hline.gif)
(http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/093/6/7/seversky_aa_1_archer_by_bispro-d3d3ndw.jpg)
The Seversky AA-1 Archer was a stretched development of the AP-1/EP-1/P-35 series for three crew, with a gun turret at the rear end of the cockpit. Filling both the fighter and attack roles, it was procured by the Army Air Corps as the A-15A and 68 examples were produced and delivered in 1936.
(http://aviadesign.online.fr/hline.gif)
(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/034/8/4/argentine_fma_i_ae__39_charran_by_bispro-d38qe56.jpg)
A new installment in my series of offbeat and rare types... The FMA I.Ae.39 Charrán ("Tern"), an Argentine advanced trainer of the mid-1950s whose designer was a German engineer who, like Kurt Tank, had worked at Messerschmitt during the war, notably on the Me 262...
(http://aviadesign.online.fr/hline.gif)
(WATCH OUT FOR PART 3 OF THE PROFILE SERIES!)
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Love the new cockpit layout on the White Condor.
Also the FMA I.Ae.39 Charrán has very pleasant lines.
:want:
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As much as I super like Vought XBTU-1 Trident, make for cool model. Have problem with landing gear placement and rotating for takeoff.
Be nice to have time and skill to build many concepts I'm seeing pictured by everyone.
Bill
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Some really nice pics there. The FB-3 and Charran are standouts for me.
Regards,
John
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As much as I super like Vought XBTU-1 Trident, make for cool model. Have problem with landing gear placement and rotating for takeoff.
Be nice to have time and skill to build many concepts I'm seeing pictured by everyone.
Bill
:) ;) :D ;D HEE HEE HEE
Just build it bubba :yush: Wheels up :slow: Then just maybe scribe some panels in the belly to represent landing gear :serious-business:
This is the essence of whiffery :) We are all frustrated engineers :in-love: but we get to strafe our pets with our creations and let other folk argue about where the landing gear will fit :) :in-love:
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Yep - fudged landing gear bassackwards in wheel wells of last two bashes so they will stand on all three. OK, I'm with ya.....
Bill
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I don't know which of these I like best, the Archer, the Avions Cappe or the Comet Trainer. They're all wonderful and imaginative and made me smile.
Brian da Basher
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([url]http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/034/8/4/argentine_fma_i_ae__39_charran_by_bispro-d38qe56.jpg[/url])
A new installment in my series of offbeat and rare types... The FMA I.Ae.39 Charrán ("Tern"), an Argentine advanced trainer of the mid-1950s whose designer was a German engineer who, like Kurt Tank, had worked at Messerschmitt during the war, notably on the Me 262...
This one wins. Very nice!
Cheers,
Logan
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Many interesting things here,I know some of them,you do a good job Stephane...keep up
Alex
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Here is the Ryan XSR-1 Firescout, one of the unfortunate contenders for the US Navy's armed scout competition won by the Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk.
The whole Firescout project is detailed in a parallel topic in the "Inspiration" section: http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=275.0 (http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=275.0)
First picture is an imaginary ad. The original photo displayed a Seahawk, and was reworked with a Fireball's fuselage, in turn reworked to match the three-view arrangement. The catchphrase « New "Flying Eye" for the Navy » is taken straight from... a Curtiss Seahawk ad of the era! The pilot is from a Flying magazine article. The Firescout logo is made up of letters taken from another Ryan ad and slanted. The fire image is a clipart I found on Google.
(http://aviadesign.online.fr/images/ryan-firescout-ad.jpg)
This is one project that will eventually lead to a plastic build using an Antares 1:72 Seahawk model and a 1:72 model of the Fireball (if I manage to find one).
(http://aviadesign.online.fr/images/ryan-firescout.gif)
Somebody questioned the positioning of the main float in the "other" topic. This particular aspect may still change, as the shape of the wing tips. Of course I'm open to any comments or suggestions!
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Love the Firescout!
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Here is the Martin YF-97A Midget:
(http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/012/b/3/usaf_martin_yf_97a___midget___fighter_by_bispro-d4m3nqr.jpg)
This one was elaborated using a Convair XFY-1 photo as a basis.
(http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTE01Xif9RY73VjQaE92VbDLajRWzozP2ZLq6Jj2LdGQ5X3-oKU2NCWYWem)
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Cool, that would fit in my garage! :)
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You know, I was just thinking about something like that as a XF-85 alternative. The way you did it is cool!
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You know, I was just thinking about something like that as a XF-85 alternative. The way you did it is cool!
You know what?? The parasite fighter was my initial idea but I changed it as I went along because it seemed to large for an XF-85 competitor. But I still plan on doing one, so stay tuned!! ;)
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thats a sweet little design, kindv reminds me of the old Monogram 'Flapjack' kit 8)
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You know, I actually look forward to sitting with a brew and checking your thread out. Excellent and imaginative work Sir.
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You know, I actually look forward to sitting with a brew and checking your thread out. Excellent and imaginative work Sir.
Thank you so much!!
Today, another forgotten Martin aircraft... In the immediate afterwar years, the U.S. Army Air Force and the U.S. Navy started a series of joint evaluation programs which for the most part proved unsuccessful. The Martin Model 233 Mighty Mite was the Navy's own "parasite" escort fighter, evaluated in parallel with the Air Force's McDonnell XF-85 Goblin under the designation XF3M-1. Slightly bigger and heavier than the Goblin, the Mighty Mite first flew in August 1948 and handled much better, but fell a victim of changing requirements. When the Navy's involvement in the program ceased abruptly early in 1949, some of the XF3M-1's successful features were incorporated in the Goblin, but this itself was canceled a few months later (NOTE: the Goblin is included as an attachment for comparison).
(http://aviadesign.online.fr/images/martin-mightymite-ad.jpg)
(http://aviadesign.online.fr/images/martin-mightymite.jpg)
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Love the Midget :-*
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The Martin YF-97A Midget is super cool. :)
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Golly... Seven hours' work on the Mighty Mite and not a single comment...
Why do I get the feeling that if it was plastic and I'd only posted one image at any time of my work's progression, there would have been encouragements?
Probably because pixel work is still very much undermined compared to plastic, albeit unconsciously. :-[
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Golly... Seven hours' work on the Mighty Mite and not a single comment...
Why do I get the feeling that if it was plastic and I'd only posted one image at any time of my work's progression, there would have been encouragements?
Probably because pixel work is still very much undermined compared to plastic, albeit unconsciously. :-[
I suspect part of it is that the Mite is not that distinctive, especially comapred to the Midget above ( which is superb, by the way. )
I didn't even register that the Mite was a modifaction of the Goblin until I read this post-its a subtle enough variation that it
doesn't immeadiately register with the mind's eye.
As for pixels vs. plastic, well maybe. You speak of seven hours work, where a comparable piece of plastic might take considerably
longer-but thats not all that relevant in my view. I've seen any number of what I thought were outstanding builds get one or
two replies, while a profile that did little besides change a paint scheme went on for pages. Profiles and mash-ups* like this
don't typically show the work in progress, so its had to encourage someone if they've already finished, no? ;)
I'll be the first to admit that I don't pay as much attention to this part of the hobby as I might-its not something I feel all
that drawn to, and I doubt my own ability to get anywhere near the kind of work you and others have produced here. The
latter is probably the stronger motivation really.
Anyway, the Mite is a beautiful piece of work. Subtle, as I said, but the sort of image that rewards close study. Most of us
physical modelers would all but kill to achieve so flawless a finish.
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That is ugly. In a good way!
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I suspect part of it is that the Mite is not that distinctive, especially comapred to the Midget above ( which is superb, by the way. )
That one took less than an hour... :icon_crap:
I didn't even register that the Mite was a modifaction of the Goblin until I read this post-its a subtle enough variation that it
doesn't immeadiately register with the mind's eye.
Anyway, the Mite is a beautiful piece of work. Subtle, as I said, but the sort of image that rewards close study. Most of us
physical modelers would all but kill to achieve so flawless a finish.
A subtle variation!?!?!? ???
Although I reused a few elements from the Goblin (hook, wing and wheelcart) the Martin Mighty Mite was created using a Convair Pogo as a start, NOT a Goblin!! Check the image below (and Pogo attachment) and see for yourself...
(http://aviadesign.online.fr/images/martin-mightymite-compare.jpg)
As for pixels vs. plastic, well maybe. You speak of seven hours work, where a comparable piece of plastic might take considerably
longer-but thats not all that relevant in my view.
Indeed, it's not even comparable as you don't have to wait until glue or paint dries up.
Profiles and mash-ups* like this don't typically show the work in progress, so its had to encourage someone if they've already finished, no? ;)
I agree. ;)
I'll be the first to admit that I don't pay as much attention to this part of the hobby as I might-its not something I feel all
that drawn to, and I doubt my own ability to get anywhere near the kind of work you and others have produced here. The
latter is probably the stronger motivation really.
Thank you so much anyway for your long and thoughtful answer. I do appreciate it immensely.
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very sweet, the 'on the ramp' image gives a direct comparism of the subtle differences between the two, hehe, methinks this time it looked too good, ie. most of us took it as being an incarnation of the Goblin :)
My favourite part of your artworks are the contempory advertisments, really sets them off well and causes a few double takes as to original source imagery 8)
cheers, Joe
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Warning: I sometimes do realistic collages... here's the Boeing YF-38A Trihorn, and... er... well... this is not one of them!
Other than the visually interesting aspect of a tri-fuselage Hornet, the operational value of such a configuration remain to be seen... Hope some of you guys enjoy it, anyway!
(http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/087/d/6/boeing_yf_38a_trihorn_by_bispro-d4u7cu2.jpg)
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Is quite interesting...
Alex
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Should not this A/C be a F-54? 3x18? :-)
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Should not this A/C be a F-54? 3x18? :-)
You've got a point here!!! lol ;D
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Stargazer: Love the TriHorn :) Who needs stealth when you've got six engines?
Are you going join the April Fool's Day GB Stéphane? Your 'adverts' would be perfect for it!
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Stargazer: Love the TriHorn :) Who needs stealth when you've got six engines?
Are you going join the April Fool's Day GB Stéphane? Your 'adverts' would be perfect for it!
Why not? I'd love that. Haven't taken the time to check it out. Maybe it's too late? Let me see...
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Stargazer: Love the TriHorn :) Who needs stealth when you've got six engines?
Are you going join the April Fool's Day GB Stéphane? Your 'adverts' would be perfect for it!
Why not? I'd love that. Haven't taken the time to check it out. Maybe it's too late? Let me see...
Certainly not too late. A damn fine idea I think.
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Certainly not too late. A damn fine idea I think.
Thanks for the suggestion! I'm glad there is a 15 April deadline...
I have only one word to say: Grumman... ;)
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I have only one word to say: Grumman... ;)
Oh you tease! Looking forward to it Stéphane :)
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Should not this A/C be a F-54? 3x18? :-)
Yes -- F-54 is a fitting designation.
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As far as I am concerned, I prefer the F-38 code for this delicious oddity :-*, and I will try to invent a FP-38 Triple Lightning on the same principle. Thanks!
EDIT: I did it:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/Tophe2712/r_P38eclairF_ml.jpg)
Thanks Stéphgazer!
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I have only one word to say: Grumman... ;)
Oh you tease! Looking forward to it Stéphane :)
Me? No! But remember unbuilt aircraft sometimes DO get built... 8)
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These are quite amazing. I particularly like the Beta-jet and the Mirage 1000A!
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These are quite amazing. I particularly like the Beta-jet and the Mirage 1000A!
Thanks Lensfire! Glad you like my work! And welcome to this forum.
As far as I am concerned, I prefer the F-38 code for this delicious oddity :-* , and I will try to invent a FP-38 Triple Lightning on the same principle. Thanks!
EDIT: I did it:
Thanks Stéphgazer!
Very nice! :D
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Thanks Stéphane.
Well, in this World, it is maybe more complicated. According to me, it is fully wonderful when your creation inspires creations of mine, like multiplying creation of each one, turning fans into creators themselves. But... a lawyer may argue, saying this is Copying without paying the price for it... Well, with Internet sharing, I hope this will never be such a nightmare. You are using a realist picture to invent a fake art, I am using your creation to make one of mine, a modeller may turn this into plastic, everyone is happy, with no money involved at all, just hobby and fun. I hope. So... thanks again Stargazer, from the bottom of my heart... :D
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I couldn't agree more. Creation is a living process! It should be shared, expanded upon, reinvented... I think our modern world puts WAY too much emphasis on intellectual propriety when in fact it would be more honest to just acknowledge that every creator draws his inspiration from other sources himself. If I had my way in this world, the copyright system would be there just to guarantee an author's RECOGNITION that would give him/her the paternity and a right to accept/refuse any further uses of his work, but not to guarantee any lifelong fees or revenues paid to him for his "inventions." (I'm talking here about art, not patents of course).
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I couldn't agree more. Creation is a living process! It should be shared, expanded upon, reinvented... I think our modern world puts WAY too much emphasis on intellectual propriety when in fact it would be more honest to just acknowledge that every creator draws his inspiration from other sources himself. If I had my way in this world, the copyright system would be there just to guarantee an author's RECOGNITION that would give him/her the paternity and a right to accept/refuse any further uses of his work, but not to guarantee any lifelong fees or revenues paid to him for his "inventions." (I'm talking here about art, not patents of course).
Well said, both of you.
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Well said, both of you.
Agreed. Protect patents, share artwork!
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At least in Whif-World we aren't really beholding to the wankers -- the RAF seems to have someone determined to stop use of "their" roundel by everyone else including modellers & pixel-artists :icon_fsm:
We need to create a whole new set of national symbols for real-world countries to avoid this. :-\
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Oh dear, time to re-set the 'Wanker Alert' buzzer! In the off chance that sense should break out amongst lawyers, I'd like to see such 'rights' legally restricted to 1/1 scale.
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At least in Whif-World we aren't really beholding to the wankers -- the RAF seems to have someone determined to stop use of "their" roundel by everyone else including modellers & pixel-artists :icon_fsm:
We need to create a whole new set of national symbols for real-world countries to avoid this. :-\
Well Richard ( aka Gekko1) did an alternative UK or RAF one a while back...
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If the RAF starts sueing people for using their roundels on whif profiles, then I guess my fake photos make me eligible for a full lifetime sentence in "gaol" (makes it more English...).
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And if a modeller has bought two kits, Typhoon and Rafale, a policeman will come and knock his door, to check (pistol in hand), that the roundels have not been inverted... I like this policeman job, far more easy than fighting armed bandits... ;)
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Certainly not too late. A damn fine idea I think.
Thanks for the suggestion! I'm glad there is a 15 April deadline...
I have only one word to say: Grumman... ;)
Completely FORGOT to submit the whif I had prepared for the occasion. In fact I remember now: I had left it aside to rework it a bit (fuselage seemed to long compared to plans) but then I went on holiday and completely forgot about it... What a disappointment!!!
Anyway, here it is "as is", for your enjoyment (hopefully...). The Grumman G-66C, known inhouse as The Chinese Cat. Officially the U.S. Navy canceled the XTSF-1 torpedo-bomber program before a prototype could be completed. The truth of the matter, however, is that the prototype had been partly completed, so that when Free China requested a multi-purpose aircraft from Grumman for possible local production, they merely took the unfinished G-66 prototype and finished it as the Chinese Cat. Due to rising tensions with Communist China the aircraft was test-flown in secrecy and shipped in crates to Formosa. It is unclear why the aircraft never reached its destinatation, but some sources pretend that a Communist Tupolev SB bomber raided the ship a few miles from the Chinese coasts. Anyway, that was the end of the aircraft which was to have been the GJ-1 彪 (Biaoor "tiger cat").
(http://aviadesign.online.fr/images/grumman-biao.jpg)
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but then I went on holiday and completely forgot about it.
Those holidays are bad for you, I tells you... ;)
Great work still.
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Lovely plane, Stéphane! It definitely looks too much like a B-25 to my eyes for my brain to accept it's a Grumman, though. As a HUGE NAA buff, however, that's not a bad thing, aesthetically.
Cheers,
Logan
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Lovely plane, Stéphane! It definitely looks too much like a B-25 to my eyes for my brain to accept it's a Grumman, though. As a HUGE NAA buff, however, that's not a bad thing, aesthetically.
And yet you'd be surprised... This was fashioned as closely as possible to the original G-66 (XTSF-1) project. Look at the attachments for comparison!
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Oh, I'm familiar with the XTSF, but the image still has a lot of the B-25 in my eye ;) It looks very nice, though!
Cheers,
Logan
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Love the Chinese Cat!
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Remember the Republic AP-75 project? It was the company LRI (Long Range Interceptor) entry for the WS-202A program.
Well, imagine that Republic gave it a "Thunder-..." name, promoted it through a brochure, and you happened on one of the company's marketing executives in the early 1960s. Probably it would have looked something like this...
(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/126/0/b/republic_ap_75_thunderbird_vintage_desk_top_by_bispro-d4yrotu.jpg)
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I've been thinking that if the AP-75 could be fitted with the turbo-ramjet engine of the XF-103 while preserving the rest of the design features (I think the Thunderchief influence is too iconic to let go), the result might be even more super-cool. ;)
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Nice work. :)
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Interesting stuff
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Nice! The AP-75 is a real looker and your brochure shows it off well.
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Excellent concept (and execution) Stéphane :)
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I've been thinking that if the AP-75 could be fitted with the turbo-ramjet engine of the XF-103 while preserving the rest of the design features (I think the Thunderchief influence is too iconic to let go), the result might be even more super-cool. ;)
That's rather less power than the AP-75 used, it was spec'd with two J75's. I'm thinking that the inlets and center fuselage of a 1/48 scal F-105 mated with the wings and tail surfaces of a 1/72 F-103 and bits from a couple of 1/72 F-105s (I"m thinking front seat and canopy from an early Revell F-105 plus the aft ends of a couple of them (for the nozzles without speed brakes) plus a F-105F second seat would give you a good start.
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Remember the Republic AP-75 project? It was the company LRI (Long Range Interceptor) entry for the WS-202A program.
Well, imagine that Republic gave it a "Thunder-..." name, promoted it through a brochure, and you happened on one of the company's marketing executives in the early 1960s. Probably it would have looked something like this...
([url]http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/126/0/b/republic_ap_75_thunderbird_vintage_desk_top_by_bispro-d4yrotu.jpg[/url])
Gorgeous work on the brochure and model.
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Thanks for the kudos folks! I'm glad you appreciate that different sort of photo-composition. Will do more in the future...
Meanwhile... Here is the Convair Dartmaster, a scaled-down fighter/light bomber derivative of the Hustler.
I also provide a comparative view with the Hustler profile I used as a basis so you can appreciate the differences between the two.
(http://aviadesign.online.fr/images/convair-dartmaster.jpg)
(http://aviadesign.online.fr/images/convair-dartmaster-comparison1.jpg)
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Beautiful presentation on the Thunderbird Stephane. :-*
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I love the Dartmaster. I'll have to find and scan a drawing of a twin-engined B-58 based LRI. It's a most attractive design.
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I love the Dartmaster. I'll have to find and scan a drawing of a twin-engined B-58 based LRI. It's a most attractive design.
Are you saying that I conceived something that had already been considered 55 years ago? Oh blast! Can't wait to see that!
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Are you saying that I conceived something that had already been considered 55 years ago?
Amazing how often that happens! Anyway, love your Dartmaster ... it's got a pugnacious look about it :)
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What if the Curtiss C-46 Commando, a transport aircraft of World War II fame, had been further developed after the war?
Enter the Super Commando, an imaginary development of the C-46 with a high wing and a raised tail for rear loading and parachuting.
This image was created using a C-46 profile and a Fairchild C-123 Provider profile as a basis. I took bits and pieces from each and redrew several elements. I then incorporated all the markings and captions, mostly made from genuine company documents.
But why North American? Because the aeroplane division of the Curtiss-Wright company was absorbed by North American Aviation in the early 1960s. The AC-146K is a 1960s aircraft that could have been used in Viet-Nam for instance. Don't try to find any accuracy or likeliness in the markings. I did not try to make them credible, just to look nice!
(http://th01.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/173/6/1/north_american_ac_146k_super_commando_by_bispro-d54gnmw.jpg)
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Very cool, but I'd hate for you to have to try to work out the geometry of a front view for this one. ;)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3525/3460905537_fb0e4247a8_z.jpg)
(http://razzbuffnik.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/c123_k3.jpg)
Cheers,
Logan
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Logan, you have just killed me!! ;D
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Very nice Stéphane! Any plans for shiny post-war civilian growth versions of the Commando?
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Very nice Stéphane! Any plans for shiny post-war civilian growth versions of the Commando?
Why not, though I think the C-46 was a bit too chubby to make a convincing post-war airliner (though I know it was used that way in some parts of the world).
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Very nice Stéphane! Any plans for shiny post-war civilian growth versions of the Commando?
Why not, though I think the C-46 was a bit too chubby to make a convincing post-war airliner (though I know it was used that way in some parts of the world).
737 wings help with it being a mini wide body.
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Here is an imaginary Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing advertisement based upon a real one from 1935. The only remaining elements from the original are the aircraft at the top, the text and the footer.
All the rest (including the markings on the aircraft) was added from bits and pieces to create an imaginary fighter variant which I called the Outfighter.
There existed a military variant of the Model 17, called the C-43 Traveler (Army) and the GB (Navy) but a combat variant would have been interesting (though I guess it would have required quite a bit of redesign for it to be a fighter...). Bah! It's only fantasy anyway!
The tough bit was to add some old paper texture and rework the various elements to give them that old worn out mag feeling.
Did I succeed?
(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/173/e/7/beechcraft_17_____outfighter_____advertisement_by_bispro-d54h4ez.jpg)
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A biplane fighter 1936? This is not impossible, to match the Japanese/Russian/Italian/British ones, with top maneuvrability...
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You succeeded beautifully Stephane! I did a doubletake for a second thinking it was a "real" old ad! Thinking of a Staggerwing-based fighter is reminiscent of the Curtiss XF13C-1 of 1933. It had the look of a cabin biplane, but was later converted as a high-wing monoplane layout. It also had retractable landing gear like the Staggerwing (albeit a different style).
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The tough bit was to add some old paper texture and rework the various elements to give them that old worn out mag feeling.
Did I succeed?
And then some! NIce effect ... care to give away any trade secrets Stéphane? :D
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If memory serves me correctly, Beeh did look at fighter versions of the Staggerwing with the upper wing being a gull wing to improve vision from a bubble canopy or greenhouse. ISTR that an Allisn-powered version was considered.
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That would be this one:
(http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww291/joncarrfarrelly/BEECH_PURSUIT_01.png)
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Cool pic, thanks for sharing!
When someone recently mentioned the Northrop C-125 Raider in a post, I realized how much I like that forgotten transport and what potential it held for "whiffing" (what-if-ing).
From that strict U.S. Air Force landplane I developed a seagoing floatplane for the U.S. Navy, the C-125C Sea Raider.
This time I took the time to do both a fake photo and a three-view arrangement. Hope you guys like it!
(http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/178/0/2/northrop_c_125c_____sea_raider_____by_bispro-d551t46.jpg)
[PLAN REPLACED BY A BETTER VERSION. SEE NEXT PAGE.]
(http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/%20http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/178/6/4/northrop_c_125c_____sea_raider_____plan_by_bispro-d551tha.jpg)
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:)
Looks better with floats then the real thing did.
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Looks like some Bellanca influence there. I approve!
Cheers,
Logan
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:)
Looks better with floats then the real thing did.
Agreed!!! ;)
Looks like some Bellanca influence there. I approve!
Indeed. The floats and background were taken from the photo of Bellanca 77-320 and then the port float was stretched aft. I specifically wanted that Bellanca float arrangement for the Raider, I think they work really well together. I also had to invent the underwing housings for the main triangular struts. Glad you approve!!!
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Ouch! It hust hit me that I had forgotten to add the additional tail fins on the top and front views. Blast... Got to rework it quick!
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Ouch! It hust hit me that I had forgotten to add the additional tail fins on the top and front views. Blast... Got to rework it quick!
Done. There were actually a few mistakes that needed fixing, so to anyone who already saved the plan onto their computer, please update the file!
(http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/178/f/f/northrop_c_125c_____sea_raider_____plan_by_bispro-d551tha.jpg)
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Great plane. For me it look like successor of Antonov An-2, build for filling gap between An-2, and bigger soviet transport planes. Especially due nose engine, and "barrelish" fuselage.
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Great plane. For me it look like successor of Antonov An-2, build for filling gap between An-2, and bigger soviet transport planes. Especially due nose engine, and "barrelish" fuselage.
Yeah. I do think the Raider was a great plane. It deserved much better than the small production batch purchased by the USAF.
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Yeah. I do think the Raider was a great plane. It deserved much better than the small production batch purchased by the USAF.
Canadair planned to build the Raider as the CL-3/CL-12.
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1949/1949%20-%200924.html (http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1949/1949%20-%200924.html)
Can't you just see the Sea Raider sitting on a remote Canadian lake? And those Bellanca floats would feel right at home too ;)
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Seeing your C-125C kick started the old gray cells to remember YC-125 which gone off my memory screen.
C-125C with three T-56 or similar could scoot in-out of places deposit and retrieve Seal teams.
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Canadair planned to build the Raider as the CL-3/CL-12.
Now that you mention it!!! I'd completely forgotten about that, otherwise I might have used that piece of information in my project. Sure adds some substance to the possibility of a float Raider, doesn't it? 8)
Can't you just see the Sea Raider sitting on a remote Canadian lake? And those Bellanca floats would feel right at home too ;)
Sure would!!! :) ;)
Seeing your C-125C kick started the old gray cells to remember YC-125 which gone off my memory screen.
C-125C with three T-56 or similar could scoot in-out of places deposit and retrieve Seal teams.
Omigod. I had thought of a Navy Raider, a Coast Guard Raider... but I had never thought a Marines Raider could be possible. You're right!
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Just got an interesting message from Russ1 on deviantART:
That would be an amazingly handy machine. They would get snapped up by private concerns after the Navies were done. Could picture them in markings for Cousteau Society, USGS, Forest Service, many others.
Kinda extends the possibilities and makes the mind boggle!!!
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The Douglas DC-2 transport was actually used by the U.S. Navy as the R2D-1. If a second version had existed, it would no doubt have been designated "R2D-2". Now considering that Douglas always used aircraft names starting with "Sky..." (Skytrain, Skytrooper, Skymaster, Skybus, Skyraider...) it was only too tempting to do an R2D-2 Skywalker!!!
(http://th01.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/179/3/d/douglas_r2d_2_____skywalker_________by_bispro-d555odo.jpg)
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;D
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LOVE the Skywalker. At first I glanced at the picture and thought, no big deal, just a DC-3 (didn't even look close enough at first to see that it was a DC-2). Then I read the caption, and did a double-take on the photo. Kinda subtle until you SEE it. very cool details.
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Kenny Baker would be proud! 8)
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Kenny Baker would be proud! 8)
The Autopilot is model No. C-3P0? >:D
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Kenny Baker would be proud! 8)
The Autopilot is model No. C-3P0? >:D
Ha ha! Actually the C-3 P.O. is a separate version of the DC-3 I'm planning to do soon... Not to mention the Inn-Vader...
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Don't forget one of the two (or both) Douglas Star-Destroyers (XSB2D and B-66) ;D
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Recent works for your enjoyment (hopefully...):
(original pictures are provided as attachments)
(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/235/9/1/ryan_f_109a_____fireshark_____by_bispro-d5c6qak.jpg)
(http://th07.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/235/8/4/arsenal_vb_210_____arbalete_____by_bispro-d5c6rea.jpg)
(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/240/9/4/northrop_grumman_____peregrine_____twin_deck_airliner_by_bispro-d5cs9hs.jpg)
(http://th05.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/241/5/d/teledyne_ryan_____spirit_liner_____by_bispro-d5ctzyo.jpg)
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... and my latest work:
(http://th01.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/254/b/c/north_american_a_51_____stallion_____by_bispro-d5ee4fe.jpg)
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LOVE the A-51!!!!!! IT must be built! Now, who has 3 spare Dog model 51s?
Thought, how about expanding the cockpit aft to make room for an RO (but keep the one piece canopy) and make her night fighter? Would probably fool a bunch of a people especially if you kept the F-82 designation ;)
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I think the prop clearance for the center pod would be dangerously close, but other than that, this is just plain gorgeous, Stéphane!
(http://teleobjetivo.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/p82-twin-mustang.jpg)
It's an absolutely lovely, believable piece of work! I'd love to see some more doctored P-82 images to show it from other angles!
Cheers,
Logan
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Wow! What a beauty! :-* That might just be the most aesthetically pleasing Mustang whif out there! :-* :-*
As Cliffy B said, it HAS to be built. Didn't Revell-USA just re-release their 1/72 Twin Mustang?
I think the prop clearance for the center pod would be dangerously close, but other than that, this is just plain gorgeous, Stéphane!<...>
Checked a drawing and if it's any accurate, you'd have around 4 inches either side between nose and prop. If the pod is just as wide as the fuselages are, that is.
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Gorgeous!! Have you tried seeing what a "razorback" center pod would look like?
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Love the A-51 :)
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So glad you guys like the A-51!
(Too bad none of you commented on the four aircraft I posted before it... :-X )
As for propeller clearance, the kind of fuselage I had in mind was more like the narrow type of the Grumman Tigercat, since it doesn't house an engine anymore... but of course it might not be enough. Those who wish to turn it into plastic will have to make sure it's feasible, otherwise some additional work might have to be done on pushing the boom apart from each other.
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(Too bad none of you commented on the four aircraft I posted before it... :-X )
People don't have to comment on everything...
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People don't have to comment on everything...
Of course they don't... But if they don't, it means they don't like it... There is nothing worse than spending 4 hours or more on a piece and getting complete silence over it... and I wish they would comment to say why, so I can improve!
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But if they don't, it means they don't like it...
Stop being ridiculous. Silence does not mean people did not like your creations. Maybe they just didn't have anything to say or didn't have time or were simply wowed more by the A-51 or any one of many other reasons...
Remember also that if you post en masse, people are not necessarily going to comment on each individual image...
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I am in awe of the A-51!
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I see a P-83 essence in the center pod as well. Was that intentional? Either way, the A-51 is awesome.
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Nifty concept. I never liked the aesthetics of the twin Mustang, flying from one pod always seemed odd somehow.
Alvis 3.1
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But if they don't, it means they don't like it...
Stop being ridiculous. Silence does not mean people did not like your creations. Maybe they just didn't have anything to say or didn't have time or were simply wowed more by the A-51 or any one of many other reasons...
Remember also that if you post en masse, people are not necessarily going to comment on each individual image...
Hear, hear! I particularly liked the Ryan airliner, but I'm such a sucker for any North American aircraft that they always take prominence over anything else on the page.
Cheers,
Logan
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I love your A-51 and the other ones previously, I swear I do.
(To explain better, sometimes I answer here sometimes I answer on the other forum, where I still go like you)
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Stephane, I honestly didn't see the previous 4 until you mentioned them, being as how they were on a separate page. I enjoy your work quite a bit but don't always get a chance to comment.
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Your work continues to amaze, Stephane-I'm not a big fan of the Mustang, but the twin variation
you recently did is really striking.
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A-51: brilliant work, so real looking, love it :-*
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Recent works for your enjoyment (hopefully...):
([url]http://th07.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/235/8/4/arsenal_vb_210_____arbalete_____by_bispro-d5c6rea.jpg[/url])
([url]http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/240/9/4/northrop_grumman_____peregrine_____twin_deck_airliner_by_bispro-d5cs9hs.jpg[/url])
The first of these looks so natural and quite aesthetically pleasing. As to the second, are we really ready for a "stealth airliner"? That greatly resembles a scaled-up Tacit Blue with a few tweaks for more conventional appearances.
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(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/240/9/4/northrop_grumman_____peregrine_____twin_deck_airliner_by_bispro-d5cs9hs.jpg)
[/quote]
The first of these looks so natural and quite aesthetically pleasing. As to the second, are we really ready for a "stealth airliner"? That greatly resembles a scaled-up Tacit Blue with a few tweaks for more conventional appearances.
[/quote]
Given the nose shape, a Shamu paint scheme would seem appropriate. ;D
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are we really ready for a "stealth airliner"? That greatly resembles a scaled-up Tacit Blue with a few tweaks for more conventional appearances.
Actually not. It's the Teledyne Ryan BQM-145A UAV (see attachments in related post for original photo).
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are we really ready for a "stealth airliner"? That greatly resembles a scaled-up Tacit Blue with a few tweaks for more conventional appearances.
Actually not. It's the Teledyne Ryan BQM-145A UAV (see attachments in related post for original photo).
Hmm, convergent concepts. A lot of it does look like Tacit Blue. I wonder if it was something in the water in SoCal during that time?
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Stéphane: I haven't been around for a while but I love your Arsenal VB.210! I'm a sucker for most things Arsenal but a twin VB.10 is pure genius.
The RW has just fallen short in providing us with enough four-engined fighter aircraft!
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As usual, I'm grateful for all your comments, folks!
Haven't got round to doing the A-51 three-view, but I definitely will. Meanwhile, here's a project I started a few months ago and forgot about...
The Lockheed XO-3D « Sirius » was an experimental development of the YO-3A « Quiet Star » with two staggered wings connected at the tips, enlarged rudder, and three-place cockpit...
(http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/273/3/2/lockheed_xo_3d_____sirius_____by_bispro-d5gd6rq.jpg)
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Finally, the 4-view plan of the North American A-51 Stallion is here. Took me a while but I think it was worth it, especially since many of you seem to have enjoyed in photo-edition form.
This should serve as a good base for those who are tempted to model it in plastic.
Please note that:
- The nose gear is adaptated from a P-38 Lightning.
- The main gear was modified a bit, with the wheel moved slightly back.
- Tail wheel was removed.
- Nose is custom, though inspired in profile view by that of the Martin XB-51.
Feel free if you have any questions, remarks or even positive criticism!
Full-size download (1883 x 1366 pixels) is available by clicking here (http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/273/2/5/north_american_a_51_____stallion_____plan_by_bispro-d5ged4b.jpg).
(http://th01.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/273/2/5/north_american_a_51_____stallion_____plan_by_bispro-d5ged4b.jpg)
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Oh Hell Yeah! :)
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Luv it. Maybe the fate of one my stashed F-82s. :)
The nose looks like it could be build from the proboscises of a P-38 and P-80.
Did you bend in the wing tips?
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Did you bend in the wing tips?
I didn't actually. But since I used elements from the P-82B and others from the P-82E, it just so happens that the wings are from the latter, and shaped differently... Consider this the "A-51" production version instead of the YA-51 of the photo... ;)
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Gorgeous 3 view of the Stallion!
Cheers,
Logan
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That tandem-wing Quiet Star is inspired! :)
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Thanks a lot, folks! Glad you've enjoyed the Stallion plan!
And now the Pilatus J-1 Drachen, a Swiss jet fighter from the post-war years.
(http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/274/c/0/pilatus_j_1_____drachen_____experimental_jet_fighter_by_bispro-d5gifuf.jpg)
Can you found out what aircraft I used as a basis?
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really sweet, first time iv seen a derived 'operational' Boulton paul P.111/120 8) funny it does look like something the Swiss would have designed in the late 50's prior to the Arbalete, Aguilon, etc
i just love that NA. Stallion, just wondering who will be first to reproduce it in plastic :D
cherrs, Joe
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really sweet, first time iv seen a derived 'operational' Boulton paul P.111/120 8)
Good guess! Though I stretched it quite a bit...
funny it does look like something the Swiss would have designed in the late 50's prior to the Arbalete, Aguilon, etc
Thanks, I really take it as a compliment.
i just love that NA. Stallion, just wondering who will be first to reproduce it in plastic :D
Can't wait to see someone do THAT!!! :))
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Interesting dragon, while I prefer sharp noses (would you do a version with lateral intakes?)
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Tophe, that would be the J-2 I guess... I might give it a go...
Meanwhile, here is a special how-to that not only shows you what aircraft I used as a basis, but also how easy it is to completely change an aircraft's change with minimum effort (well, sometimes at least!).
Hope you enjoy it!
(http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/275/9/2/tutorial__an_imaginary_aircraft_in_7_easy_steps__by_bispro-d5gljm1.jpg)
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waw im in awe, having tried tweaking an image pixel by pixel im truly impressed at the talents of those that make it 'look' easy (as i know its a lot harder than it looks !) 8)
cheers, Joe
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Ack! He's giving away the trade secrets :o
Nice job on the step-by-step Stéphane :)
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Tophe, that would be the J-2 I guess... I might give it a go...
This is not a requirement. Just in case you run out of ideas... someday.
For the step by step lesson, I am amazed, how do you elongate/lengthen a fuselage without turning blurred?
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how do you elongate/lengthen a fuselage without turning blurred?
When you resize an picture in Paint Shop Pro (and I believe in other software too) there is a choice between bilinear, bicubic or intelligent resize. Intelligent resize is best, it smoothens the contours and gives a more natural feel. When it's done, you can apply the "sharpen" filter to make the picture, well... sharper.
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Thanks for the explanation! Corel Paint Shop Pro seems to have turned better than my Corel Photo Paint 6...
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Ever wondered what a cross between a Blackbird and a Fighting Falcon XL would look like? Of course not.
Well, anyway, that's what it would look like... Introducing the Lockheed Martin XF-38A Black Crow! (see attachment for original photograph)
(http://th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/274/9/6/lockheed_martin_xf_38a_____black_crow_____by_bispro-d5gg8gq.jpg)
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Very beautiful, thanks! :-*
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Looks a little like some of the early ATF concepts.
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That XF-38 is a sexy craft! :-*
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agree with Greg on that one, thinking Lockheed CL. ATF. pre definition designs as soon as i saw your hybrid 'Black Crow', again very neat work Stephane 8)
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Glad you guys liked the Black Crow!
And now a biplane version of the Heinkel 111, the Heinkel 311... (yeah, I know, I'm crazy...) :lol:
(http://th02.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/274/5/3/heinkel_he_311_by_bispro-d5gg72p.jpg)
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I have always loved the unique design of Burt Rutan's Pond Racer. Too bad that aircraft had a sad ending, I think it really deserved a longer career.
In this image, I envisioned a military derivative, the Scaled Composites F/A-44A Banshee, used by the U.S. Marines in numbers as assault fighters. Banshees typically attack ships or subs in "swarms" of 20 aircraft, using the cannons installed in the propellers and an array of small-sized ordnance.
The "Banshee" name refers to the unique screeching sound of its two engines.
(http://th06.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/277/d/7/scaled_composites_f_44a_banshee______pond_fighter______by_bispro-d5gqq76.jpg)
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Oh how I wish there was a 1/48 kit of the Pond Racer available...
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Oh how I wish there was a 1/48 kit of the Pond Racer available...
Wish I had this one here... Must have been a limited run display model.
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Any further details?
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Any further details?
Unfortunately not. All the page says is "A precision-built scale model of a Pond Racer."
http://flightcrusaders.org/burt-rutan-his-aircraft-and-spacecraft-designs/203 (http://flightcrusaders.org/burt-rutan-his-aircraft-and-spacecraft-designs/203)
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Hold on! I think I've found it!
Pond Racer
Original Cobra Company Kit Release
Cobra Catalog Number 72030
List Price $55.00
http://www.cobracompany.com/72030.htm (http://www.cobracompany.com/72030.htm)
The page also has a PDF instructions sheet.
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A company called XS-Models also did a 1:32 scale version.
Actually I think this is the one from my original pos.
This page is in German, but the photo gallery is fantastic:
http://www.modellversium.de/galerie/18-flugzeuge-zivil/4422-pond-racer-.html (http://www.modellversium.de/galerie/18-flugzeuge-zivil/4422-pond-racer-.html)
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I have seen one of the 1/32 ones. Unfortunately, the Cobra one is 1/72...
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the 1/32nd one is resin & would be very nice but unfortunately it has many dimensional issues -- I have a build review (from Hyperscale?) somewhere. If onlt Wingnuts could be convinced to branch into racers :icon_crap:
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With the two wings and serious superchargers HE311 might top 40,000ft.
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Finally, the 4-view plan of the North American A-51 Stallion is here. Took me a while but I think it was worth it, especially since many of you seem to have enjoyed in photo-edition form.
This should serve as a good base for those who are tempted to model it in plastic.
Please note that:
- The nose gear is adaptated from a P-38 Lightning.
- The main gear was modified a bit, with the wheel moved slightly back.
- Tail wheel was removed.
- Nose is custom, though inspired in profile view by that of the Martin XB-51.
It's not quite identical, but I reckon you could use the nose from Unicraft's conversion for the XNI-02 Kameleon, http://www.unicraft.biz/on/kameleon/kameleon.htm (http://www.unicraft.biz/on/kameleon/kameleon.htm) .
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I've always loved creating fake advertisements...
In this example, I picked the Fleetwings company, which specialized in building steel aircraft (here the Air Force's BT-12 Sophomore), and imagined that Superman, the "Man of Steel" might have been used as a means of promoting the company.
Step #1: The basic ad (source 1) remains but I've moved the aircraft and clouds to the right so as to leave more space for Supes.
Step #2: I took the Superman from the classic #2 cover and inserted it, then modified its colors so it fit with the rest of the ad.
Step #3: The catchphrases from another period advert (a steel company that supplied Fleetwings) are modified and inserted in the ad in the form of comic-like balloons.
Step #4: The final paragraph of the original text is changed to match the "Man of Steel" theme. I had to reuse bits and pieces from the rest of the text so that the font looked the same.
Step #5: A mention of Superman and DC Comics is inserted in a corner of the ad because I guess even in 1942 they wouldn't have used such a character without an authorization and due crediting of the source and copyright.
Hope you like it!
© Stéphane Beaumort / BIS Productions / AviaDesign 2012
(http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/283/7/9/____fleetwings_builds_men_of_steel_______by_bispro-d5hdwu4.jpg)
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Awesome work, Stéphane! The old ads are my favorite part of the old Janes guides I pick up.
Cheers,
Logan
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Yup, love those old ads. And great choice of subjects Stéphane!
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really cool work, seamless and very in period too :)
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The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an endless source of inspiration for all "what-if" modelers and imagers worldwide... Introducing the Lockheed Thunder, designated as the FTO-1 by the U. S. Navy. I guess our pal Tophe must have come up with one such variation in his seemingly infinite variations on the P-38, but my challenge here was to create a fake period advert for my "fighter-torpedo" type...
Hope you guys enjoy it!
(http://th09.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/325/3/e/lockheed_fto_1___thunder___by_bispro-d5lp2ms.jpg)
Full resolution picture here: http://bispro.deviantart.com/art/Lockheed-FTO-1-Thunder-338772628 (http://bispro.deviantart.com/art/Lockheed-FTO-1-Thunder-338772628)
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Thanks Stargaze for still enriching the family... :-*
Look, your FTO-1 is very different from my old TP-38R:
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Love the Thunder Stéphane ... and that is one serious, kick-ass torpedo! :)
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What size would that torp be?
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What size would that torp be?
Way too big, probably, but I have little knowledge in ordnance and so I reused a photo I found on the web without much consideration for the torpedo's size... :icon_crap: Plus it's probably a submarine-launched torpedo, not an airborne one... :-[ :-X :-\
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I thought it was a mini-sub ;D Might work for some spec ops stuff although I don't think it could of carried one...
BTW, the mainstay torpedoes for the USN during the war were:
Planes - Mk-13; 22.4" diameter, 13.5" long, weighed 2,200 lbs, 600 lbs warhead.
Subs - Mk-14; 21" diameter, 20.5' long, weighed 3,280 lbs, 643 lbs warhead.
Ships - Mk-15; 21" diameter, 24' long, weighed 2,840 lbs, 825 lbs warhead.
So as you can see they were all very similar in size and weight.
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I may end up downsizing the torpedo a bit. Thanks for the comments, folks!
Here is the Northrop White Ray, a prototype that was the missing link between Tacit Blue and the B-2 Spirit...
Original picture here: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Tacit_Blue_Whale_USAF.jpg (http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Tacit_Blue_Whale_USAF.jpg)
(http://th00.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/326/a/e/northrop___white_ray___by_bispro-d5lth7u.jpg)
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Nice! I look at that and instantly think sci-fi VIP shuttle. Just needs some markings 8) Would be neat if the mother ship had a custom triangular inset on the hull somewhere for it to hook into for docking.
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*snicker* Plausible intermediate step as a tech demonstrator.
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I certainly looks like an interesting competitor to the Gulfstream
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I certainly looks like an interesting competitor to the Gulfstream
??????? :-\
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Maybe I got it wrong but it looks like the perfect corporate jet for a flamboyant billionaire
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Maybe I got it wrong but it looks like the perfect corporate jet for a flamboyant billionaire
Well, I was thinking more along the lines of a sub-scale B-2 bomber demonstrator! But then... why not a (very original) bizjet?
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Stéphane, a few pages back you wrote something about spending 4 hours doing your thing. Well, I'm amazed at how fast you are in imagining, creating, prototyping, and making your projects become reality. And still I do not tire of admiring your vintage ad style. The Superman one is splendid!
Kudos on a job well exceedingly well done!! :icon_alabanza:
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The White Ray picture is not fantasy dreaming: look at the shadow on the ground...
(Congratulations!) :-*
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Lockheed Thunder is too cool 8)
If you are going to shrink torpedo. Recommend two more touches.
1 > fins on torpedo
2 > tail wheels as this woul be a tail dragger
Like how the whole add sheet reads and looks. Super job.
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Maybe I got it wrong but it looks like the perfect corporate jet for a flamboyant billionaire
Well, I was thinking more along the lines of a sub-scale B-2 bomber demonstrator! But then... why not a (very original) bizjet?
Actually, there's a whole lot of Tacit Blue in the B-2, but you have to look for it. Take the side outline of the Tacit Blue, turn it upside down, and compare it with the side outline of the B-2. For that matter, turn it over, shrink it down, and compare it with the outline of TSSAM.
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Small stealth transport to parachute special forces teams of four or less and do supply drops.
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Thanks a lot for the kudos, folks! ;)
If you are going to shrink torpedo. Recommend two more touches.
1 > fins on torpedo
2 > tail wheels as this woul be a tail dragger
You are the second person who sees this as a tail dragger. What is the technical aspect of this? I would have thought that the weight of two engines, two cockpits, two pilots, and a torpedo would take the center of gravity very much to the fore, and therefore require a nose gear configuration... Can you help?
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Another case of reality greater than fiction...
This started as a project to turn the beautiful 1946 reconnaissance/transport Republic RC-2 Rainbow prototype into a bomber. I thought that since Republic had also projected a fighter called the Warrior, having a Republic bomber called the Rainbow Warrior was kind of a funny twist...
And then I realized that there had actually been company plans to turn the Rainbow into a bomber! The project was designated AP-60 and goes back to 1949.
So here's the Republic AP-60B Rainbow Warrior ("B" to indicate that it's not the actual project). The footer and "rainbow" logo are real, the "warrior" part was recreated.
(http://th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/327/6/c/republic_ap_60b___rainbow_warrior___by_bispro-d5lvp9y.jpg)
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For some reason the White Ray looks like a VTOL jet to me.
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I need a three view of that bomber now 8) Would lake great it in WWII camo or zipping over Korea.
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I thought the white-ray had gull-wing doors! Sort of a retro-stealth commuter aircraft. I got a VTOL vibe from it, too - must be the intakes and the head-on view.
The AP-60B looks great! I love the Rainbow. The only changes I would make would be to move the bomb bay further back (starting around where the prop blur is). The turret breaks up the sleek lines of the plane, but in this case I think it works!
Stephane, your work seems so effortless, but having tried photoshopping planes, I know it isn't.
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Another case of reality greater than fiction...
This started as a project to turn the beautiful 1946 reconnaissance/transport Republic RC-2 Rainbow prototype into a bomber. I thought that since Republic had also projected a fighter called the Warrior, having a Republic bomber called the Rainbow Warrior was kind of a funny twist...
And then I realized that there had actually been company plans to turn the Rainbow into a bomber! The project was designated AP-60 and goes back to 1949.
So here's the Republic AP-60B Rainbow Warrior ("B" to indicate that it's not the actual project). The footer and "rainbow" logo are real, the "warrior" part was recreated.
([url]http://th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/327/6/c/republic_ap_60b___rainbow_warrior___by_bispro-d5lvp9y.jpg[/url])
Your work Stephane is a great example of why a letter such as this needs to be written:
Dear Mr. Model Maker:
Stop making low volume kits such as the 1/48 Phantom. 1/48 Me 509 or 1/48 F-35B and tool up the Republic F-12 and a few derivatives such as the AP-60B or RC-2 and watch the crew at BTS buy hundreds of your kit. And while you are at it, could you also do a XP-72?
Just saying.
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That looks great, Stéphane! It looks like a natural!
Cheers,
Logan
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Don't believe everything you see...
The brochure below does NOT exist... simply because the North American Ravage dive bomber is also a product of my imagination!
The aircraft was completely re-worked from an existing aircraft type. Can you guess which?
(http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/328/8/9/north_american___ravage___dive_bomber_by_bispro-d5lzsi5.jpg)
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Way cool. Totally 1950's style excellence 8)
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Reworked from a F-84F?
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Reworked from a F-84F?
Nope. I know it does have a Thunderjet feel to it, but only the cowling of the wing's engine was taken from an F-84... :D
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Ah, so there are multiple aircraft donating to this then...
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Ah, so there are multiple aircraft donating to this then...
Are they all from NAA products or other manufacturers?
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B-45 Tornado base, Super Sabre canopy, plus AJ Savage tip tanks ... ?
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Ah, so there are multiple aircraft donating to this then...
Are they all from NAA products or other manufacturers?
Brilliant, Apophenia, you're almost there.
Okay folks, now it's time for the answer... Original photo was this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_public_domain_photos/6329169144/# (http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_public_domain_photos/6329169144/#)
What I did:
1°) Manual rearward sweep of the wing, tail stabilizers and fin.
2°) Split of the underbelly podded jet and integration into nose and tail.
3°) Replacement of the wing pod's dual intakes by an F-84 Thunderjet's nose cowling.
4°) Addition of a wingtip tank snatched from an AJ-2 Savage.
5°) Replacement of cockpit by that of an F-105 Thunderchief.
6°) Modification of serial numbers.
7°) Recreation of a fake brochure using original "NAA", "North American Aviation" and "Savage" logos.
By looking at the aircraft's buzz number's prefix "BE-" I guess one could have found what type I used, since I completely forgot to modify it!!
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What aircraft did I base the following whif upon? Hint: it was a pretty ugly attack aircraft that never got produced (answer is just below the plan)
(http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=152.0;attach=5178;image)
Yeah, right. The Vultee Model 90, a.k.a. the Convair XA-41.
In fact it wasn't such an ugly design... All it took to make it look good was to fit the cockpit of the Vought Kingfisher to it... (also added the tail hook and torpedo).
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I like the Viper
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Me too :)
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Oooh, that I really like! Very nice!
Cheers,
Logan
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+1.
The XA-41 Fuselage looks under utilized.
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That Viper is a real silk purse! A vast improvement over the XA-41 :P
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Looking back at your A-51, might the XA-51 prototype have used a razorback canopy and associated structure? I'm real tempted to try that one.
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Looking back at your A-51, might the XA-51 prototype have used a razorback canopy and associated structure? I'm real tempted to try that one.
Not a fan of the razorback canopies myself, and I think it wouldn't look anywhere as sleek, but who knows? By all means go for it! ;)
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A little something to start 2013. Not much but hopefully inspiration will come back soon...
(http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/019/e/a/mcdonnell_rockwell_f_a_68a___sabre_spectre___by_bispro-d5s0kp2.jpg)
An imaginary fighter in an imaginary alternate reality where McDonnell merged with Rockwell instead of Douglas, and they came up with an attack/fighter named the Sabre Spectre. This profile was done using original artwork by E. Omelchenko for the F-100 Sabre, F-4 Phantom and A-4 Skyhawk, which I merged into one single aircraft.
© Stéphane Beaumort / AviaDesign 2013
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Different...
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oooh ! F/A-68A 8)
So late 1950s to 1970s.
Lot of options for which (who's) wings to use.
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(http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/044/a/7/gloster___gannet___early_jetliner_by_bispro-d5usk49.jpg)
We get so used to the shape of modern airliners, all derived from the general configuration introduced by Boeing on their 707 and 737 models, that we often tend to forget that the design of airliners was not always as boring as that. The early years of aviation are ripe with plenty of odd and original airliners, and even the jet age began with many original proposals: pusher propellers, double decks, flying boats, and so forth.
My Gloster Gannet tries to recapture that era when everything seemed possible. Of course, there is kind of a twist here... Although entirely fictitious, the Gannet is based on a perfectly real aircraft design. Can you guess which?
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What is that based upon?
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Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka?
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Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka?
Oh my, I think he's right. He found an airliner design sure to be even deadlier than the original Comet. I'm canceling my ticket...
Cheers,
Logan
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The Ohka it is... Well done, Empty Handed!
Remember that the Ohka was called the "Baka" by the Americans, which means "crazy" or "mad" in several languages.
The French for "mad" is "fou", the same word used for the... "gannet"...
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Innovative!
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I like the look! :)
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Very nice.....I like it.
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I really like this. Too bad the Testors Ohka (or "Oka" as the boxtop says) is OOP, otherwise I'd build it.
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Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka?
Oh my, I think he's right. He found an airliner design sure to be even deadlier than the original Comet. I'm canceling my ticket...
Cheers,
Logan
Laughs
As soon as I took a look at the image the lines took me immediately to known aircraft shape. Very creative despite of being a bit suicidal.
As Logan, I'll pass mine. :)
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The Ohka it is... Well done, Empty Handed!
Remember that the Ohka was called the "Baka" by the Americans, which means "crazy" or "mad" in several languages.
The French for "mad" is "fou", the same word used for the... "gannet"...
Ahh. Interesting link! Your Gannet is quite the looker! :)
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Thanks a lot folks! Glad you've enjoyed the Gannet!
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Love your Gannet! Great word play and I'm a sucker for alliteration. But, is is just me, or does that Ohka tailplane in BOAC livery have a Handley-Page look about it?
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Great concept. Perhaps some more aircraft based on manned "missiles" ...?
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Great concept. Perhaps some more aircraft based on manned "missiles" ...?
Something like the Snark just screams for it...
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Great concept. Perhaps some more aircraft based on manned "missiles" ...?
Something like the Snark just screams for it...
Sure. I did a few in the past already... Remember the Vought Vigilant and Cutlass II? The piloted Boeing Bomarc? The Boeing Dragonliner?
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And what about the Boeing 7047? The Lockheed Senior Pike? The Northrop Grumman Peregrine? The Scaled Composites Blue Nile?
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Or the Teledyne Ryan Spirit Liner? See, I did quite a few of these RPV/missiles-turned-piloted-aircraft...
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The Cutlass II is one sexy aircraft! :-*
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The Blue Nile, is giving me evil thoughts toward the HellerNatter in my stash ...... >:D
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ypu-1 vigalent give me robotech/macross vibes.....like it!!
blue nile.. is that a russkie version of tacit blue?
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blue nile.. is that a russkie version of tacit blue?
Looks more like an iteration on the same concept by the Ryan division of NGC. You realize, of course, that Tacit Blue was originally designed with the intent of deploying Pave Mover behind the opposition's line of battle; when Pave Mover morphed int J-STARS, Tacit Blue became Northrop's first LO demonstrator.
Looking at these, I'd love to see what you could do with a Snark. I'm thinking it'd make a great business jet, possibly as a competitor to the "Quest jet" (cf. Johnny Quest).
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Only concern I would have with the Cutlass II would be FOD. That intake after the nose wheel would just gobble up everything...
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Love the Cutlass II
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Only concern I would have with the Cutlass II would be FOD. That intake after the nose wheel would just gobble up everything...
Nah, there's a big mudguard on that front wheel ;D Besides, with anything that gorgeous, you could afford to lose a few!
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Great concept. Perhaps some more aircraft based on manned "missiles" ...?
Something like the Snark just screams for it...
Remember the Vought Vigilant and Cutlass II? The piloted Boeing Bomarc?
Um...... (http://www.eagletransporter.com/forum/showthread.php?s=17b02faea16438166ffa5097d93c3fbd&t=9507) ;)
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The Bv 1001 Donnerkeil (literally, "thunderbolt") was a unique project in that it was a mixed-power aircraft; in other words, it was powered by both a prop engine and a jet engine. Jet engines were not yet combat proven, and Blohm und Voss considered that keeping a propeller-driven engine for take off and maneuvers while adding the power a small jet for fast level flight meant taking the best of both worlds. The Bv 1001 was never completed and therefore not flown. The near-complete fuselage was found by the Allies, and at first the combination of prop and jet puzzled the experts. Since it was painted red, Western specialists dubbed the type the "Blohm und Voss red riddle."
(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/096/4/5/blohm_und_voss_bv_1001__donnerkeil__interceptor_by_bispro-d60otrr.jpg)
"Don't believe everything you read or see!!" The above text and three-view arrangement do NOT depict a real Blohm und Voss project.
The Bv 1001 a personal creation inspired by several existing World War II projects by that company. Wings are direct from a real Blohm und Voss project, although I gave them a little more sweep. I also used genuine German fonts of the time to give a feel of that era. The whole story is completely fictitious as well...
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Nice.....Very nice.
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So beautiful machines!
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Two airliners that might have existed in the 1940s if there had been no Second World War...
The Lockheed Aldebaran, a twin-engined, single-tail kid brother to the Constellation.
(http://th07.deviantart.net/fs71/150/f/2013/154/8/c/lockheed__aldebaran__airliner_by_bispro-d67o3wo.jpg)
Full version and explanation of creative process here:
http://bispro.deviantart.com/art/Lockheed-Aldebaran-airliner-375679176 (http://bispro.deviantart.com/art/Lockheed-Aldebaran-airliner-375679176)
The Douglas DC-20 Sky Sovereign, a commercial version of the XB-19 "Hemisphere Defender" bomber.
(http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/150/f/2013/155/7/7/douglas_dc_20__sky_sovereign__by_bispro-d67u0ma.jpg)
Full version and explanation of creative process here:
http://bispro.deviantart.com/art/Douglas-DC-20-Sky-Sovereign-375954850 (http://bispro.deviantart.com/art/Douglas-DC-20-Sky-Sovereign-375954850)
Enjoy!
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Beautiful!!! Now we need the Sky Sovereign crossed with the original, and unsuccessful, DC-4E, especially the DC-4E tail.
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Beautiful!!! Now we need the Sky Sovereign crossed with the original, and unsuccessful, DC-4E, especially the DC-4E tail.
Nah... The DC-20 is meant to have been developed three or four years after the DC-4 (which was only called the DC-4E retroactively, by the way), and Douglas had now opted for single-fins only (besides, it would have been awkward to keep the triple fin with the Constellation now on the market!). From an aesthetic viewpoint, I can't really picture that weak-looking triple-fin tail on such a huge and sturdy aircraft... Can you?
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Beautiful work as always Stéphane! I especially liked the Lockheed Aldebaran concept :)
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Beautiful!!! Now we need the Sky Sovereign crossed with the original, and unsuccessful, DC-4E, especially the DC-4E tail.
Nah... The DC-20 is meant to have been developed three or four years after the DC-4 (which was only called the DC-4E retroactively, by the way), and Douglas had now opted for single-fins only (besides, it would have been awkward to keep the triple fin with the Constellation now on the market!). From an aesthetic viewpoint, I can't really picture that weak-looking triple-fin tail on such a huge and sturdy aircraft... Can you?
Actually, no I can't. This one would call for a prominent vertical surface, or surfaces, no matter how many.
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Stéphane,
I just chanced across your work and wow, am I impressed. Wonderful stuff, lots of fun. I'm a big fan of prewar U.S. designs (XB-19, Seversky P-35, Bell YFM, etc.) as well as oddities like the Vought V-173, so was glad to see variations on some of those types represented.
I have two nits that might interest you. 1) The inlet cones on the SR-72 really must project ahead of the leading edge of the wing, as on the SR-71. Otherwise they won't be able to do their job, and a supersonic shockwave will cause unstarts or worse. 2) The cruciform tail on the Fairey F.30 (nice that you named it "Arrow," a nod to the DO 335) requires a three- or five-bladed prop. Dornier recognized that, as did Molt Taylor with the Aerocar (triplane empennage, two-bladed prop). Put a four-bladed pusher prop on a four-plane empennage (or a three-on-three), and there will be aerodynamic/structural hell to pay!
BTW I'm a big fan of PSP, have been using it since version 3 (now on v8, pre-Adobe) and have hope to keep it as long as Microsoft allows!
Cheers and best regards,
Ramblerdan
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Thank you so much for your message ramblerdan! I'm glad that you've taken the time to browse through the gallery, and it's nice to get some constructive criticism like this, especially considering the fact that I wish for my what-if aircraft to be plausible... but being no engineer I play it by ear, so to speak!
If you visit my deviantART gallery, there may be more aircraft to be seen than just what's in this here topic:
http://bispro.deviantart.com/gallery/24200217 (http://bispro.deviantart.com/gallery/24200217)
Also, I have created a group for all quality what-if aircraft creations on dA. It's called Whifcraft:
http://whifcraft.deviantart.com/ (http://whifcraft.deviantart.com/)
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If only someone could realize Aldebaran in 3D. :)
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Via Facebook.
Vickers VC10 Series 200
A few years ago, my buddy Terence Wong-Lane asked me if I could do him a favor: he wanted me to create in photoshop form the unbuilt Series 200 version of the Vickers VC10 (it was to have been a stretched version that was almost produced). The fake advertisement below was the result. I'm adding comparative profile views of the original projects, as well as the real photo of a Series 100 that I used for the modification.
(https://scontent.fxds1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/108321558_10219995997923337_5747806665234704021_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=07e735&_nc_ohc=U2I98a1lbe0AX_J7_wl&_nc_ht=scontent.fxds1-1.fna&oh=67478dafe7511deb0bc41b1526a7ecc0&oe=5F324FFE)
(https://scontent.fxds1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/107635362_10219995999643380_233113963702077768_o.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_sid=07e735&_nc_ohc=HVWkivAwMzUAX8A3S88&_nc_ht=scontent.fxds1-1.fna&oh=2d216a55fe20deab3a903f9610ad468c&oe=5F2F797D)
(https://scontent.fxds1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/107950519_10219995969522627_6726635993623522635_o.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_sid=07e735&_nc_ohc=rCwJx_SiAJAAX8Tu6mF&_nc_ht=scontent.fxds1-1.fna&oh=e180f4be59dfbb6a63c2d83d36d0aaae&oe=5F311ED0)