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Supermarine Victor


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I like how that is taking shape, nice work.

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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'?

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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"! :D

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! :mental:

but what a great job, an excellent kit bash....we gotta have more of these! :D

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Stickers on! :D 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.

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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...

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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... :hmmm: More tomorrow...

Edited by Enzo Matrix
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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

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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. :lol:

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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.

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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!

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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.

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And here we are.... finished! :yahoo:

Photos taken about two hours ago, literally five minutes after the final bit of work.

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And yes.... it's a baby Tempest! Well, from some angles. From others it's definitely a Spitfire.

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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.

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