1:144 Anigrand Vultee XP-54 Swoose and XP-68 Tornado

[ajmm]

 

I love the Swoose - I built the Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet two years ago and this is Vultee's design proposal to the same USAAC directive. 

 

XP-68 Tornado
The XP-68 was actually based on a slightly older design than the XP-54 and is closer to what Vultee was originally looking to achieve, so it's especially interesting to see this kitted up by Anigrand. 

 

 

In short, the Swoose was initially designed with a number of engine options - one of which was the 2,500hp Wright R-2160 Tornado. This was a hugely ambitious, hugely powerful but overly complex radial engine design that never made it past testing, leading to a whole lot of scrapped designs (an XP-69 I built last year was also a design that was abandoned when the Wright Tornado was cancelled). The XP-68, also named Tornado by Vultee, was a September 1941 derivative of an early XP-54 design, the Vultee Model 78, which was intended to utilise this Wright engine. The design never got off the drawing board. 

 

 

 

The kit is included with Anigrand's C-82 Packet. I find both of these designs fascinating, of an era and very predatory with their inverted gull wings and aggressive stance. Of the two, I think the Tornado is the more handsome. The kit went together beautifully with no dramas anywhere along the line. This was even from a more recent era of Anigrand kits where the props come moulded to the hubs - such luxury! I replaced undercarriage doors with thin plasticard but otherwise this was OOB.

 

 

 

The instructions say to paint this natural metal overall but I thought that sounded very tedious and went with olive drab and neutral grey like the first XP-54 prototype. I added a yellow serial from my spares box just to liven things up a touch, and some prop logos on those big old contra-props. I weathered with pastels and prismacolor pencils (I figured that Tornado engine would need a lot of maintenance...).

 

XP-54

 

 

The XP-54 was based on a subsequent Vultee design, the Model 84. This did get off the drawing board and two prototypes were built. A sad tale of design intent frustrated by ill-fortune, client whim and over-ambition. Vultee was under pressure from the start to ensure that the airframe could accommodate the Wright engine should it become available, so inevitable compromises were made in the layout and proportions. Then the backup P&W engine was also scrapped so Vultee was stuck with a less powerful Lycoming powerplant. 

 

 

Vultee also (rashly) promised to include a nose section that could pivot upwards enabling the armament to fire at a target in a turn-fight - incredible stuff for 1941, but predictably overcomplicated and heavy. The mission brief was then abruptly changed in September 1941 to high altitude interception - meaning turbo-superchargers and more armour were needed (read: a load more weight). 

 

 

The performance estimates for the XP-54 with a compromise engine and lots of flashy gadgets (see also: ejector seat, pressurised cockpit, ducted wings) were successively revised downwards until it was clear that the aircraft was unlikely to pass the Air Force's tests. The project was shelved after flight testing in early-1943, which confirmed its dismal performance.

 

 

The second prototype, which I've built from Anigrand's XB-31 Raidmaster box, was left in natural metal but only flew a couple of times before being transported to California by road and scrapped as a parts donor to keep the first aircraft in the air for a few more flights. A sad end to quite an intriguing design.

 

 

The kit was good in most parts but pretty basic. I did a lot of work on the nose gear with plasticard and wire as it's pretty prominent. I also had to drill two holes in the spine to accommodate some brass tubing for the supercharger outlets which were curiously not moulded onto the kit at all. I also did some work sprucing up the cockpit with radio equipment and so forth - some of which is pleasingly visible. 

 

 

I painted it with a brushed base coat of Humbrol Metalcote 27002 followed by AK Interactive's TrueMetal Aluminium. I then varied some shades but this hash' t come out in the photos really. Also added steel on the spine for the engine covers, as the few reference photos of the second prototype show. Hugely enjoyable build. Tempted to get hold of another with which to do the first prototype.

 

 

 

And finally - who doesn't like a scale comparison?! An F-Toys P-51B I'm planning to restore/repaint. It's a big old thing, the XP-54....

 

 

 

Thanks very much for looking (and reading, if you made it this far!).

Angus

[Head in the clouds.]

Nice models of a reasonably unknown plane, just the sort of thing I like, the two together gives a good comparison.

[polo1112]

Two very interesting models of two rather unknown aircraft.

The story is very interesting too.

Great work you did there ajmm.

 

[greggles.w]

Thanks for the introduction to two types previously unknown to me.

 

And what ambitious designs.  However the development story shows that innovative ideas need to be matched with judgement of what might be achievable & a good sense of timing for all that promise is to be realised!

 

Lovely models.  Much respect for models of this quality at this scale!

[stevej60]

Two beautifully built rare aircraft and a very comprehensive background history,thank's for posting.

[Parabat]

Very cool planes which I knew nothing about, great work.

[russ c]

Cool pair of builds there Angus, great subjects too