Airbus A400M

[kitnut617]

Thought I'd start a thread on this aircraft.

I finally got hold of the Revell 1/72 kit on Thursday, and I've had a look at the plastic.  This first look reveals a very nice model but I was extremely curious at how it compared with a C-130 and a C-17.  Here's a couple of pics I've just done, top one of the three and the bottom one compared to a Airbus CC-150 (A310), and theres not much in it when compared to that one.

[GTX_Admin]

Every time I see a photo or model of the A400M in these markings I think it is a Pakistani one:

[GTX_Admin]

Some possible inspiration:

[GTX_Admin]

Putting the A400M in context in comparison with the C-17 and C-130:

[GTX_Admin]

As for another idea, maybe an AEW/AWACS style A400M?  After all, since Airbus military have developed the C.295 AEW (see below), why not give it a bigger brother?

[kitnut617]

I picked up a C-27 Spartan a few weeks ago too, I might just do it like that C295.

Doing some calculations, I find that the A400M is roughly 1.2 to 1.3 bigger than a C-130, and .8 smaller than the C-17.  I'm going to do mine as an RCAF one and my plan is to just use some off-the-shelf decals of either the CC-177 or CC-130 which can be printed in any scale by CanMilAir plus a change to the serial number.  I wonder though if it was to go into Canadian service, just what it's designation would be, CC-400 maybe!  If I use the CC-177 ones I need to have them printed at about 1/87 scale for them to about right for a 1/72 A400M, or I get the C-130 decal sheet in 1/60 scale for the same result.  Or I might just get a mix of both ---

[kitnut617]

Looking at the comparison photo between the A400M and the A310, I got thinking ---

What if you grafted the tail end of the A310 onto the A400M and also attach the A310 wings to it.

[elmayerle]

Well, one thought is to go back to earlier FLMA concepts and replace the turboprops with suitable turbofans.  Snother thought, use a new wing and couple the turboprop/turboshaft engines to make one rather large prop-rotor transport.

[GTX_Admin]

ala

[Daryl J.]

It's that much bigger than a Herculese!? 

[GTX_Admin]

Yep.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Thought I'd start a thread on this aircraft.

I finally got hold of the Revell 1/72 kit on Thursday, and I've had a look at the plastic.  This first look reveals a very nice model but I was extremely curious at how it compared with a C-130 and a C-17.  Here's a couple of pics I've just done, top one of the three and the bottom one compared to a Airbus CC-150 (A310), and theres not much in it when compared to that one.

I managed to pick one up via ARC from Jennings several months ago.  The box is huge and the kit is very impressive.  I guess I was attracted to the multi-blade propellers and the kit comes with feathered and unfeathered propellers so you have a choice on how to display the model.  Just wish there was a second set of propeller spinners to support that second set of propellers. 

[kitnut617]

For this A400M I'm going to build it OOB, only changing the main decals to RCAF ones.  I'm going to add a bear decal to the side, mostly under the wing area but I had to create an image.  I found a photo on the web and then traced around it, from there I filled it in with a colour because I've asked CanMilAir to do me a decal of it in the grey used for markings on a CC-177 (my printer doesn't have an ideal shade of RCAF greys to do this) and it's easier for him to change the colours with the system he uses for his decals.

This below is my creation.

[kitnut617]

I did a trial run on the A400M, I taped the fuselage and wing together, then printed off a bear shape, cutting out an area for the wing box and then just taped it to the model to see what it would look like.  Somewhat as I thought it might.

[GTX_Admin]

[apophenia]

What if you grafted the tail end of the A310 onto the A400M and also attach the A310 wings to it.

Does anyone remember a RW British proposal to develop a strategic airlifter using the wings of the A310 (or A300?)?

[kitnut617]

What if you grafted the tail end of the A310 onto the A400M and also attach the A310 wings to it.

Does anyone remember a RW British proposal to develop a strategic airlifter using the wings of the A310 (or A300?)?

There was a plan to use a C-141 wing on the Belfast ---

[simmie]

What if you grafted the tail end of the A310 onto the A400M and also attach the A310 wings to it.

Does anyone remember a RW British proposal to develop a strategic airlifter using the wings of the A310 (or A300?)?

They were Avro proposals (I think there were 3 or 4 of them, I have to check on that!) if I can find the link.

[apophenia]

Thanks simmie! I knew I wasn't hallucinating ... I just can't file for toffee 

The confusion probably sprang from these being considered Avro projects while having Hawker Siddeley Type numbers 

The Airbus A300B-based proposals were:

Type 820: 1970 Hercules replacement proposal. High-winged, ramped configuration. Rearranged Airbus A300B wings and tail components. Span 147 ft, AUW 264,100 lb. 2 x RB211-22. Not built.

Type 826: 1972 enlarged variation on Type 820. A300B-2 components. 2 x CF6-50, RB211-22X, or RB211-524. Span 147 ft, Length 151 ft 7 in, Height 49 ft, AUW 290,000 lb. Not built.

The Type 841 was among those that led to the A400M (and sounds very similar to the four-turbofan concept Greg posted).

Type 841: 1983 design for Future International Military Airlifter (FIMA) contest. T-tail, 4 x turbofans.

[kitnut617]

While rumaging through my stash trying to find a kit I haven't looked at in years, I came across the Magna Models 1/72 Short Belfast I have.  I did a comparison to the A400M and to my surprise I find that they're very close in size with each other.  Which prompts the question, why does the RAF think a transport the size of the A400M is needed now when it dumped a similar sized aircraft years ago ?

And another question, will the RAF dump these aircraft after a few years and will HeavyLift take them all on ?

[GTX_Admin]

Which prompts the question, why does the RAF think a transport the size of the A400M is needed now when it dumped a similar sized aircraft years ago ?

And another question, will the RAF dump these aircraft after a few years and will HeavyLift take them all on ?

Answer 1: Different operational requirements for a different world.
Answer 2:  I seriously doubt it, though it will be interesting to see how the RAF goes supposedly operating C-17s, A400Ms and C-130Js...maybe they will on-sell one of the platforms (probably one of the prop jobs IMHO) to another military.

[GTX_Admin]

I wonder:  use the wing and engines to create an A400M derived long rang maritime patrol plane or even bomber.  Kind of akin to a Euro-Bear (Tu-95/142).