Grumman FB-2G Grebe

[Old Wombat]

OK, the chances of this being finished before the end of the GB is nil, nix nada & zilch but it has given me the incentive to start it.


So, first images:

The boxes


What's in the boxes (well, some of it, anyway)


First cutting done (last night)


What a Sunderland looks like without its belly


Where I'm going with this

[The Big Gimper]

Cool. A near perfect fit. So will you shorten the hull or lengthen the fuselage?

[Old Wombat]

Possibly a bit of both.

Not 100% sure on where I'm going with it. I'll definitely extend the Tracker nose forward & (probably) fit a radar nose; however, if I shorten the tail, I can fit the MAD boom or I could extend it & fit a tail radar, instead.

Decisions! Decisions!

[apophenia]

Looking very promising!  :)

[Tophe]

Very nice piece of scale-o-rama 1/48+1/72...

[finsrin]

Great scale-o-rama perception.  Having good vibes about this build. :)

[Claymore]

Looking good!  :)

[Old Wombat]

Thanks, guys! :)

This build has been calling to me for quite some time now & I'm really enthused (Almost like an armour build!) by it. Hopefully it stays that way!

[Kerick]

Well I will give you all the encouragement I can! This looks to be Epic!

[Buzzbomb]

Hackage.. begin.

[Old Wombat]

Thanks! :) :)

[Old Wombat]

Think I've settled on a SAR role for this build, with a radar nose, & wing mounted DF units (to home in on EPIRB's), plus the Grumbly's search-light, & the sonobuoy chutes can be for flares.

I'm still tossing up whether to do a radar tail or enlarge the MAD boom housing to become a chute for emergency bundles (a tube with an inflatable raft, medical supplies, food & water).

I'm currently in the process of trying to work out if I have the skill-set/confidence to make it an amphibian.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

I'm currently in the process of trying to work out if I have the skill-set/confidence to make it an amphibian.

Is it too late to find a different amphibian kit for the hull containing the wheel cavities? 

Maybe the old Monogram 72nd scale SA-16 Albatross kit?  Not sure about other amphibians that would be good candidates for your kit bash.

[Old Wombat]

I'm looking at my 1/72 Catalina with a view to copying its gear to fit the Tracker & kit wheels. Looks complex but do-able.

[Old Wombat]

Things have been happening. Slowly, I'll admit, due to work & 1:1 scale fernery construction, but happening, none the less.

I hope to get some photo's up sometime in the next day or two - mostly it's been detailing the sadly sparse cockpit & fitting the nose-wheel well.

 :)

[kitnut617]

I'm looking at my 1/72 Catalina with a view to copying its gear to fit the Tracker & kit wheels. Looks complex but do-able.

You would be better off using CL-215/415 gear which you can get from Scale Aircraft Conversions

[Old Wombat]

I'm looking at my 1/72 Catalina with a view to copying its gear to fit the Tracker & kit wheels. Looks complex but do-able.

You would be better off using CL-215/415 gear which you can get from Scale Aircraft Conversions

Nah, I'll stick with the Cat gear. :)

[Old Wombat]

Photo's of minimal progress:

Almost all the lumpy-bumpy bits are scratch-built;














Most was built from my memory without references but I've brightened up the panels because it's not a Tracker. The vertical control column is what our (RAN) E's & G's had (don't know what model the kit's front-panel style column came from), I'm pretty sure I have the wing-fold controls modelled on the top panel somewhere, & the curtain is to block the void behind the cockpit.

[finsrin]

Killer interior work.  At least order of magnitude beyond my best.  :)

[Old Wombat]

Thanks, Bill!

[Old Wombat]

Next update:

The fuselage bunged together with some filler strips (more required) & the radome nose fitted.









Still don't know what to do with the rear end; drop chute for survival equipment or radome?

Suggestions?

[Claymore]

Oh my but that is looking mighty fine!  :)

I would have thought that a MAD boom à la the P3 Orion was the obvious addition to the rear... but perhaps too obvious?

[Old Wombat]

Yeah, mate. I'm making her a SAR bird, plus, if I was to fit a MAD boom, I'd use the Tracker's retractable item (less chance of damage on take-off & landing).

Also, if I was to make her an ASW bird, there'd need to be a second (different) aircraft type with her to drop the ordnance.

Options I'm toying with are;

Sonobuoy chutes are going to be for smoke-flares, with

1) A chute coming out the rear, loaded & launched by the non-pilot crew, for cased emergency equipment with maybe 4 or 6 internal reloads.

2) 2 x wing-mounted drop-cases & a radome on the butt

3) Go for nothing & just square off the end, with the crew relying on the smoke-flares to guide in watercraft if they can't land.


Note: The casings will have a small raft (3/4 person) & emergency supplies (medical, water, food) in them for those situations when the water is too rough to make a landing.


(Odd thought: How does one "land" on water? )




Edit: Tidied up reply, it was a mess.

[Claymore]

Doh! Please excuse my buffoonery, I entirely missed your plan to go down the SAR line. 

A smoke/flare chute out the rear seems logical, as does the under-wing containers. Probably also need a high powered search light (could be fitted in the wings as a fixed mount) or in some sort of turret for maximum flexibility. Perhaps said turret could also mount a thermal camera system too.

Not sure if the turret could fit in the rear but it's worth a thought.

[Old Wombat]

S-2 Tracker comes with an insanely brilliant arc light mounted on the starboard wing as is (there's a joystick for it next to the co-pilot's window) but I may try  to find a way of fitting a thermal/IR camera system to the port wing, too.

 :)