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Double rocket on Oxford: conversion question with pic


28ZComeback

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http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e68/GTwiner/45-eb00209842_zpsaa91cfb9.jpg

 

Greetings all, I am attempting to add a double rocket configuration to a 1/48 Special Hobby Oxford--can anyone suggest a set of double rockets to convert the trainer to an armed anti-insurgency plane as depicted above?  I cannot find an aftermarket duel rocket set but perhaps there are parts from a donor kit (Beaufighter? Mosquito? Firefly?) that someone might recommend?  Many thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Edited by 28ZComeback
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1 hour ago, 28ZComeback said:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e68/GTwiner/45-eb00209842_zpsaa91cfb9.jpg

 

Greetings all, I am attempting to add a double rocket configuration to a 1/48 Special Hobby Oxford--can anyone suggest a set of double rockets to convert the trainer to an armed anti-insurgency plane as depicted above?  I cannot find an aftermarket duel rocket set but perhaps there are parts from a donor kit (Beaufighter? Mosquito? Firefly?) that someone might recommend?  Many thanks in advance for any suggestions.

That's a very interesting photo! I don't think I've ever seen a twin rocket installation with the rockets staggered like that- just the one above the other as on Mosquitos and Beaufighters. I guess the bottom rocket in each tier could be mounted to either side or beneath the one above it, as the second rocket was clamped to the one above it. So, I think whatever donor kit or aftermarket set has rockets that were not mounted on rails, but on the stub fairings would work- you would just have to figure out how to "clamp" the lower rocket of the tier... onto the one above it maybe fine brass wire or orthodontist wire would work?

Mike

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hi all - these are just standard double staggered RPs - as found on this "obscure" post war aircraft :)

 

https://modelingmadness.com/scott/korean/uk/rn/seafire17.htm

 

https://jonbryon.com/spitfire-html/

 

http://www.brigandboys.org.uk/index.php/my-tour-with-84-squadron-jun-dec-1950

 

The latter is interesting as it shows the mk3 launcher rail with the staggered carriage

 

 

cheers

 

Jonners

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Very interesting photo! Please note that there are also two cannons or MGs in fairings beneeth center of wing. What country are markings? Iraq? If someone would like to work on this in 1/72 I have a feeling that such set of rockets is in Spitfire XIV by Academy. I do not have it in stash so difficult to check... 

Cheers

J-W

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The guns in the under-fuselage pods are .303" machine guns.

 

There's a photo of the same aircraft (UB339) at the same time and location (Boscombe Down) but from a different angle on p.249 of Air Britain's The Oxford, Consul and Envoy File, which says that the rockets are 25lb rocket projectiles.  What you see in the photographs are, I think, concrete practice heads.  Believe all the suggested kit options so far have been for RPs with 60lb HE heads.  Think the only 1/72 representation of the munition I see in the photos was in the old Airfix Jet Provost T.3 kit which provided 4, though not in tiered mounts. 

 

Total deliveries to Burma between 1948 and 1950 were at least 15 Oxfords (UB331-338, 341-2, 346-7, 350-2 plus others that retained their RAF serials) and 9 Consuls (UB339-40, 343-5, 348-9, UBC-1, UBC-2).  Oxford UB333 had a dorsal turret with Lewis gun reminiscent of early Oxford Is.  Consul UB340 was destroyed on 15/6/50 when a rocket blew up underwing during a demonstration flight.

 

Edited by Seahawk
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It's a really fascinating pic.  Thanks for sharing it.  I can't help but think that the 4 FTS crews who took their Oxfords into battle at Habbaniyah in May 1941 would have appreciated the gun pods and rockets!

 

Note the Avro Tudor lurking in the background.  Perhaps the photo was taken at Farnborough?

Edited by mhaselden
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12 hours ago, Jon Kunac-Tabinor said:

hi all - these are just standard double staggered RPs - as found on this "obscure" post war aircraft :)

 

https://modelingmadness.com/scott/korean/uk/rn/seafire17.htm

 

https://jonbryon.com/spitfire-html/

 

http://www.brigandboys.org.uk/index.php/my-tour-with-84-squadron-jun-dec-1950

 

The latter is interesting as it shows the mk3 launcher rail with the staggered carriage

 

 

cheers

 

Jonners

Jonners- great photos and models, BTW!

 

28Z- I think Seahawk is correct about those rockets in the photo being concrete practice heads.  I think if you can find a set of 1/48 rockets with the same mounting stubs as the ones in Jonners' photos, you could make the concrete heads out of styrene tubing or sprue.  You could then carefully clip the mounting clamps from the upper rockets and remount them at an angle to the stub fairing, which would give you the staggered arrangement as seen in your photo. Does that make any sense? Pretty nasty Oxford, with the rockets and gun pods! I say go for I- a very interesting and unusual model!

Mike

 

Edited by 72modeler
added text for clarity
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15 hours ago, 72modeler said:

Jonners- great photos and models, BTW!

 

28Z- I think Seahawk is correct about those rockets in the photo being concrete practice heads.  I think if you can find a set of 1/48 rockets with the same mounting stubs as the ones in Jonners' photos, you could make the concrete heads out of styrene tubing or sprue.  You could then carefully clip the mounting clamps from the upper rockets and remount them at an angle to the stub fairing, which would give you the staggered arrangement as seen in your photo. Does that make any sense? Pretty nasty Oxford, with the rockets and gun pods! I say go for I- a very interesting and unusual model!

Mike

 

Hi all - the Airfix Seafire 17 has the correct staggered RP parts - though you'd need to lengthen the mounting stub fairings a tad looking at the photo, and  mod the heads to the flat fronted concrete ones ( not hard)

 

If the OP wants 'em - just drop me a PM - my Seafire 17 is in the process of becoming a 15 anyway.

 

Just to clarify - the lower rocket is not mounted at an angle ( as seem from front-on) to the  upper - its just staggered forward - so the rear fins clear each other.  The photo makes it look like the lower RP is angled but if you look closely you can see the heads of the lower RPs on the starboard wing "just" obscure the upper heads a tad ( if they were angled to one side you'd expect it to be the other way round), and on the port wing its pretty clear they are just vertically staggered.

Note the Avro Tudor 8 jet transport in the background too - where was the pic taken - farnborough perhaps?

 

Just found this too: https://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?113516-Burmese-Airspeed-Oxford-question

 

Jonners

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I never saw an Airfix-tooled Harvard with underwing gunpods.  I suspect you are thinking of the Heller T-6G, but these were wider twin-gun pods anyway.

 

I don't think that Burma would have had much use for the 25lb AP rocket heads, but the 60lb HE ones would have been more useful to them anyway.  We could certainly use some of the 25lb heads for anti-shipping Mosquitos/Beaufighters, but there are plenty of the 60lb heads around.  At least in 1/72nd.

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