Beyond The Sprues

Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Aero-space => Topic started by: ericr on June 21, 2014, 05:52:20 PM

Title: single-float plane, or flying boat? Re: twin-hull flying boat or float plane?
Post by: ericr on June 21, 2014, 05:52:20 PM: some time ago my attention was brought by our very excellent Tophe towards the astonishing Levasseur PL201 :
it has a quite unique structure : is it a twin-floats? or a twin hull flying boat? A quite typical occurrence of the French cultural exception.

(http://www.aviafrance.com/image.php?im=9445)

(http://auto.img.v4.skyrock.net/4568/49844568/pics/3130509138_1_2_y0HmCnos.jpg)

It is anyway very tempting, although, by its shere existence, it can not anymore pretend to the quality of Whif.
This latter issue I solved by adopting a red livery, and by observing that in the absence of any known kit for it, I would go at it from bits and pieces in my spare parts boxes. So let it be considered a sports version, with smaller fuselage and bigger floats.

I actually had two Cams37 hulls, spare from the Azur kits for the E and Lai versions which still have the A hull on the sprues. Upon this I added wing parts from Curtiss Condor kits, and a bit of a fuselage from a NiD72, plus bits from forgotten origins ...

It started as quite an adventure, and it came out like this :

(http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y435/ericr63/hyd/pl201-s_zps5a98e835.jpg)

(http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y435/ericr63/hyd/P6090225s_zpse1f0cf28.jpg)

(http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y435/ericr63/hyd/P6090233s_zps2537c2de.jpg)
Title: Re: Levasseur PL201
Post by: Brian da Basher on June 21, 2014, 10:28:00 PM: Very nice! The unique layout is complimented by the striking red scheme!

A real beauty!

Brian da Basher
Title: Re: Levasseur PL201
Post by: GTX_Admin on June 22, 2014, 03:23:39 AM: Very nice. And I wouldn't worry about the whiff/no whiff aspect - as has been mentioned many times before, that is not an issue here at BTS
Title: Re: Levasseur PL201
Post by: FAAMAN on June 22, 2014, 07:33:27 AM: Beautiful, beautiful work, a superb build complimented by your excellent red finish, looks fast just sitting still !!! 8) :-* :P
Title: Re: twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane? Levasseur PL201
Post by: ericr on June 22, 2014, 06:49:48 PM: thanx!

apparently that structure, twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane?, was used also for a few other planes, like a Dornier from 1931 : still it is quite an original concept!
Title: Re: twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane? Levasseur PL201
Post by: Dr. YoKai on June 23, 2014, 04:30:49 AM: What a nifty concept! Very nicely done, Eric - and I will be mining this for inspiration as well.
Title: Re: twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane? Levasseur PL201
Post by: Frank3k on June 23, 2014, 05:18:32 AM: Very nice. I like the larger floats and the fuselage. It looks more realistic than the original plane!
Title: Re: twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane? Levasseur PL201
Post by: taiidantomcat on June 23, 2014, 09:44:15 AM: Talk about inspiring! What a great layout! Thanks Tophe and Ericr. Red was the right choice on this one too!!

Filled my head with ideas Where is my razor saw? :icon_punal:
Title: Re: twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane? Levasseur PL201
Post by: ericr on July 06, 2014, 06:24:36 PM: thanks all!

in between I discovered a few other instances indeed of that kind of fin-equipped floats, some related bythe horizontal stabilizer ... still, not many aircraft tried it, it remains a surprising structure.
Title: Re: twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane? Levasseur PL201
Post by: Tophe on July 20, 2014, 12:20:41 AM: Quote from: ericr on June 22, 2014, 06:49:48 PM
thanx!
apparently that structure, twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane?, was used also for a few other planes, like a Dornier from 1931 : still it is quite an original concept!

There were even Mustangs in this little family:
(http://www.kristofmeunier.fr/r_P82-51B_bb.JPG)
(at least: in my crazy mind...)
Title: Re: twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane? Levasseur PL201
Post by: GTX_Admin on July 20, 2014, 03:33:17 AM: Sweet.
Title: Re: twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane? Levasseur PL201
Post by: ericr on July 20, 2014, 02:20:38 PM: Quote from: Tophe on July 20, 2014, 12:20:41 AM
Quote from: ericr on June 22, 2014, 06:49:48 PM
thanx!
apparently that structure, twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane?, was used also for a few other planes, like a Dornier from 1931 : still it is quite an original concept!
There were even Mustangs in this little family:

lovely! and doable ;)
Title: Re: twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane? Levasseur PL201
Post by: finsrin on July 25, 2014, 01:47:28 PM: Didn't know of Levasseur PL201. It and your build have character :)
Can see it in a 1940 movie where Nazi spys are thwarted.
Title: Re: twin-hull flying boat or twin float plane? Levasseur PL201
Post by: Daryl J. on July 27, 2014, 04:43:15 AM: Now that's cool.
Title: single-float plane, or flying boat?
Post by: ericr on August 20, 2014, 03:54:57 AM: another questionable classification : is it a single-float plane, or a flying boat?

There could be a back story for this one : the French had a flying boats airbase in Viet-Nam/Indochina where they flew CAMS 37s, and later they used Gearcats in that part of the world, so they might have float-planized a Bearcat using the hull of of a Cams? at least in their dreams? or at least in mine :smiley:

And more than this : it became a biplane by adopting and adapting a pair of SOC Seamew wings. But for the presence of these in a French airbase there is no plausible explanation.

(http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y435/ericr63/hyd/cams37-s_zpsf1dfe4b2.jpg)

(http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y435/ericr63/hyd/P8070519s_zps3769909c.jpg)

(http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y435/ericr63/hyd/P8070514s_zps5dc19d4e.jpg)
Title: Re: single-float plane, or flying boat? Re: twin-hull flying boat or float plane?
Post by: FAAMAN on August 20, 2014, 01:00:42 PM: Bearcatfish? Super cool 8) 8) 8)
Title: Re: single-float plane, or flying boat? Re: twin-hull flying boat or float plane?
Post by: GTX_Admin on August 20, 2014, 04:05:35 PM: I like! :)
Title: Re: single-float plane, or flying boat? Re: twin-hull flying boat or float plane?
Post by: Tophe on August 22, 2014, 02:26:21 AM: Thanks a lot, ericr, the ErP-38H (Vertical) Double-Lightning has been born today from your idea. Er stands for Ericr, P is for Pursuit.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/Tophe2712/r_P38eclairJ_aabo_zps5067faf3.jpg)
Title: Re: single-float plane, or flying boat? Re: twin-hull flying boat or float plane?
Post by: ericr on August 22, 2014, 03:19:12 AM: great! it's a pleasure!