Author Topic: london to christchurch...dh super hornet (Read 6982 times)

oz rb fan · « **on:** November 18, 2013, 04:29:22 PM »

when the london to christchurch race was announced Dehavilland decided to built two modified hornets...one cleaned up and special build merlins painted to resemble the dh88 "Grosvenor House"..the other was this monster...twin 3 stage griffons producing around 3000hp.whilst not competitive with the jets it should have easily won the piston speed section...

it wasnt to be...whilst leading strongly and approaching Darwin the right engine let go it made a safe landing at Darwin airport but with no replacment of the angines available it was retired...allowing history to repeat and "Grosvenor house" to win the speed piston class of the race.(will have to build that one later).
the kit is the very old wings86 kit unusual as all the detail parts are white metal...it goes together ok (except the canopy)but weighs alot for a 1/72 scale kit.
the props and spinners are aeroclub ones for a seafire fr47.

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #1 on:** November 18, 2013, 04:59:12 PM »

Wicked! :)

FAAMAN · « **Reply #2 on:** November 18, 2013, 05:45:26 PM »

Great idea,brilliant build !

The Big Gimper · « **Reply #3 on:** November 18, 2013, 06:56:15 PM »

Very sharp looking in the all-black paint scheme. Great idea and build.

PR19_Kit · « **Reply #4 on:** November 18, 2013, 07:02:05 PM »

Excellent stuff there, well thought out and built too.

The Wings86 kit sounds very much like a Skybirds86 Hornet, did they give them different names in Oz?

finsrin · « **Reply #5 on:** November 18, 2013, 07:21:13 PM »

Welcome to you and modified Hornet.
One of fastest hand full of recip powered planes in world.

With those engines & props 45+ degree climbouts must be common.
Right concept, right pieces, right background. :)

oz rb fan · « **Reply #6 on:** November 18, 2013, 08:09:42 PM »

pr19 you could be right...i lost the instructions years ago ...so im guessing as much as anything......now that i think about iti thing wings are vacformed kits.
so skybirds 86 it must be.

ysi_maniac · « **Reply #7 on:** November 18, 2013, 09:31:11 PM »

Black Hornet, what a beauty!

taiidantomcat · « **Reply #8 on:** November 18, 2013, 11:46:26 PM »

Sharp as a tac!

kitnut617 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 19, 2013, 02:56:40 AM »

Very nice --- :)

Contra-props was an original requirement for the Hornet in it's early development ---

However, my thoughts about plonking Griffons onto the aircraft is slightly different to how most people think would have happened. I'm more or less convinced De Havilland would have scaled the airframe up a bit so the nacelles kept their really sleek form when wrapped around the Griffon engine. This thinking is because of what really happened between the DH.98 (Mosquito), the DH.101 (scaled up Sabre powered Mosquito) and the DH.102 (scaled down DH.101 with Griffon power)

Brian da Basher · « **Reply #10 on:** November 20, 2013, 04:39:59 AM »

That's such an outstanding concept!

You really pulled off that famous color scheme fabulously!

Brian da Basher

Tophe · « **Reply #11 on:** November 20, 2013, 07:43:01 AM »

Great civilian model, thanks!

Old Wombat · « **Reply #12 on:** November 22, 2013, 09:50:27 AM »

That has got to be one of the best racer conversions I've seen. Love it!

:)

Guy

uncle les · « **Reply #13 on:** December 21, 2013, 05:09:31 PM »

That Hornet's quite nice and it certainly suits the racer scheme.

Conversely here's what happened when a DH88 gets conscripted..

PR19_Kit · « **Reply #14 on:** December 21, 2013, 08:38:22 PM »

Quote from: uncle les on December 21, 2013, 05:09:31 PM

That Hornet's quite nice and it certainly suits the racer scheme.
Conversely here's what happened when a DH88 gets conscripted..

Actually one of the Comets did fly with the RAF, in an all-over pale blue scheme. I built a model of it DECADES ago, but I'm not sure if I still have it anywhere now.

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #15 on:** December 22, 2013, 04:03:47 AM »

Quote from: PR19_Kit on December 21, 2013, 08:38:22 PM

Quote from: uncle les on December 21, 2013, 05:09:31 PM
That Hornet's quite nice and it certainly suits the racer scheme.
Conversely here's what happened when a DH88 gets conscripted..

Actually one of the Comets did fly with the RAF, in an all-over pale blue scheme. I built a model of it DECADES ago, but I'm not sure if I still have it anywhere now.

Photos of the real one:

PR19_Kit · « **Reply #16 on:** December 22, 2013, 05:28:05 AM »

Looks a sight better than my model did. :)

CSMO · « **Reply #17 on:** December 22, 2013, 09:41:18 AM »

The early'70s FROG DH.88 release had the RAF decals in the kit for a silver-doped aircraft. Adios, Larry.

uncle les · « **Reply #18 on:** December 22, 2013, 06:44:33 PM »

Quote from: CSMO on December 22, 2013, 09:41:18 AM

The early'70s FROG DH.88 release had the RAF decals in the kit for a silver-doped aircraft. Adios, Larry.

Hey, you're right !

Quote

Actually one of the Comets did fly with the RAF, in an all-over pale blue scheme.

..but not with a spitty canopy and a coupla pop guns at the pointy end...

The Big Gimper · « **Reply #19 on:** December 22, 2013, 07:24:26 PM »

Cool. I did not know that. Provides justification to buy more DH.88's.


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Author Topic: london to christchurch...dh super hornet (Read 6982 times)