Col. Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 I'm with Martin on this one. It looks rather like a cartoon drawing of a Tempest but very cool with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted November 19, 2012 Author Share Posted November 19, 2012 A bit more work done to refine the fuselage. It is looking more and more like a Boulton-Paul Balliol. Just wait until you see it with the spinner in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted November 25, 2012 Author Share Posted November 25, 2012 Weirdness abounds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChancerUK Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 I like how that is taking shape, nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 Primed and ready for painting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted December 9, 2012 Author Share Posted December 9, 2012 Ocean Grey sprayed on using Xtracrylix XA1006. Masked with paper stuck on with Copydex. Disruptive camouflage sprayed with Xtracrylix XA1001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted December 16, 2012 Author Share Posted December 16, 2012 The yellow leading edges masked off ready to be sprayed. Then some minor touchups and we are ready for the stickers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arniec Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Great camo. I can't wait to see it with some markings on! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephLalor Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Weirdness abounds! Balliol occurred alright, but Hawker Henley got there first for me. Joseph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 How on earth have you managed to get away with putting together parts from machines of very different characters and make the result look 'right'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 How on earth have you managed to get away with putting together parts from machines of very different characters and make the result look 'right'? I reckon you can make just about anything look right with enough "fillin and sandin"! As strange as it looks, it's looks sort of normal for the period. I don't know what they were drinking in that time period (even into the late 50's) , but they did have some "unusual" designs around! but what a great job, an excellent kit bash....we gotta have more of these! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted December 24, 2012 Author Share Posted December 24, 2012 (edited) Stickers on! I used roundels from a Tamiya Spitfire Vb with codes and serials from an Airfix Spitfire XII. Up on wheels as well. I have added a standard Griffon Spitfire prop and spinner to illustrate a minor problem. Let's face it, that prop simply isn't big enough to deal with all the power from that humungous great engine. But you can't use prop blades from a Tempest. Have a look... They almost touch the deck. Any jockey taking off would have to be very careful indeed. Lift the tail too far and the prop is just going to dig in. Landing would always have to be a perfect three-pointer otherwise there would be a massive problem with the blades "pecking" the ground. So... how to solve that problem... More tomorrow... Edited December 24, 2012 by Enzo Matrix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Enzo, 2 x 3 bladed contra-prop? It may not have a large diameter, but it could absorb a lot of power. It'll also help your ground handling. I don't care how big your fin / rudder is, with 3000hp and the narrow Spit wheel track, at low speed you might find things somewhat exciting . . . Just had another thought: what does this mighty beast weigh? Bigger wheels / tyres, mayhaps? regards, Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted December 24, 2012 Author Share Posted December 24, 2012 2 x 3 bladed contra-prop? Nope. Sadly I didn't have a spare one, otherwise I would probably have gone for it. It may not have a large diameter, but it could absorb a lot of power. It'll also help your ground handling. I don't care how big your fin / rudder is, with 3000hp and the narrow Spit wheel track, at low speed you might find things somewhat exciting . . . Just had another thought: what does this mighty beast weigh? Bigger wheels / tyres, mayhaps? That's a very good point about the ground handling. I figure that there would have been a lot of work put in to redesigning the undercarriage. The Napier Sabre weighed about 400lb more than the Griffon. However, the wing redesign would have saved a bit of weight, as would the use of a single radiator under the nose rather than two under the wings. So I reckon the aircraft would have weighed slightly more than a Spitfire 24. So rather than use larger diameter wheels, I went for the chunkier wheels from the Airfix Spit 24 kit. I figure that the exigencies of war would lead to the RAF accepting the poor ground handling qualities of the aircraft. Also, the superiority of the Victor would lead to a reduction in RAF fighter pilot casualties, leading to the experienced pilots surviving to become instructors and thereby causing a general increase in the level of training in RAF fighter pilots. Well... that's my story and I'm sticking with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Maas Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 5 blade with shortened Tempest blades perhaps? That's the other option for increased power. The Spitfires really did have something of a piddly little prop on them. Or how about a F4U-4 prop? It's smaller in diameter (13'2" vs 14') than the Tempest prop, but is suitable for the power output. The late R2800 in the F4U-4 was actually about 100HP more powerful than the Sabre in the Tempest. I'd also suggest maybe finding a set of Seafire XVII gear (or steal the gear from the Hobbycraft Seafire XV) to get some extra length for prop clearance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 Looks great, like it really could have being. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted December 26, 2012 Author Share Posted December 26, 2012 5 blade with shortened Tempest blades perhaps? That's the other option for increased power. The Spitfires really did have something of a piddly little prop on them. I'd also suggest maybe finding a set of Seafire XVII gear (or steal the gear from the Hobbycraft Seafire XV) to get some extra length for prop clearance. On the nose! I have used Spitfire 24 undercarriage legs as they always seemed a little longer than those of other kits. That helps to alleviate the ground clearance problems slightly, but the prop blades still need to be cut down because otherwise they would impinge on the line of fire of the inboard cannons and therefore would require the fitment of interrupter gear. Anyway, I have used cutdown Tempest blades. I reckon that with the fifth blade there is the same blade area as on a four-bladed Tempest prop. I've always liked the look of prop blades which have a square tip, so these have simply been hacked off at the relevant point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted December 26, 2012 Author Share Posted December 26, 2012 And here we are.... finished! Photos taken about two hours ago, literally five minutes after the final bit of work. And yes.... it's a baby Tempest! Well, from some angles. From others it's definitely a Spitfire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 What a mad looking Spitpest! Or is it a Tempfire? The lines still shout Tempest to me but in an almost cartoon-esque manner. It does have a unique character and I'm sure provides a cracking link from your recent Tempest builds across to the Spitfires in your collection. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 that'a a really nice job, well done!! what a beast that thing would have been to fly! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Maas Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Very nice, great looking aeroplane and the prop looks dead on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehed Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Very impressive. Shown a black and white photo I'd happily accept it as a real thing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Jumbo Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Really well done - it looks spot on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 That's a lovely finish, especially given all the hacking around you've done! regards, Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfires Forever Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Excellent work Dr. Frankenstein, way beyond my patience, but I just love learning about these obscure aircraft that I never knew existed. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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