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Saunders - Roe SRA/1 AKA 'Squirt'


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Hi All,

Not sure if I've followed formalities for a group build as I've never done one before but hopefully this thread will be allowed. After looking through the builds that are running, I thought I'd bight the bullet and build a subject that was in my float plane stash and start a subject that nobody else is covering.

So, here I have my future build, a Saunders - Roe SR.A/1 Prototype Flying Boat Fighter. Some preamble:

During the closing stages of WW2 the design of a jet-powered fighter flying-boat was conceived for use in the Pacific. Three prototypes were built and allocated serials TG 263, 267 and 271. The first flight was successfully  made on 16th July 1947, the second and third machines were completed and joined the programme during 1948. Due to the lack of orders, the project was suspended but was revived for a short while after the outbreak of the Korean War but the increasing capability of land-based fighters forced the subjects cancellation. The aircraft made its final public appearance at the Festival of Britain by landing on the River Thames.

Now the obligatory box shots

 

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Boxart.

 

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Fuselage sprue.

 

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Wing sprues.

 

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Other stuff.

 

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Decals look nice. Two vac-canopies, nice and clear.

 

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Instructions (side 1) containing some blurb, paint scheme and decal placement.

 

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Instructions (side 2) ... I've seen better:rofl2:.

 

So their we have it. First job is to remove all the parts, clean it all up and pray:pray: . Also I'll need to find out the cockpit colour as nothing is mentioned about that. I plan to display the beastie on a sea base doing its stuff ,so I'll be putting test pilot 'Geoffrey Tyson' in the seat.

 

Thanks for looking.

Stuart 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Thom216 said:

The inst make it look so simple.

Indeed, what could possibly go wrong...

3 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said:

You mean you're not building the AirModel vac form?

Err, no. 'Cos I didn't know that a Vac existed, would've been cheaper.

 

Stuart

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10 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Very nice, will watch with interest as this unusual machine builds up. 

Good luck with your build

Cheers Chris.

 

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I have done one resin kit but I have never seen lugs this size before. The tail end lug is about 3mm thick and the nose is 2mm. So, its out with the 240 Grade wet'n'dry sandpaper. :tumble:

 

Stuart

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6 minutes ago, JOCKNEY said:

I was thinking more chainsaw, angle grinder, file then sandpaper !

It might have been quicker but lack of safety equipment excludes everything except sandpaper and water.

 

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Lugs duly removed and halves temporarily taped together. A all round join but a few bits to sort...

 

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...a 'bubble hole' right on the nose and the intake needs smoothing out.

 

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More bubble holes and the seam.

 

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A couple more bubble holes. Also of note is that the port rear fuselage seems to have a little shrinkage, black line is maker pen on the inner starboard face.

Bound to be some micro-bubbles but seems to be relatively free of them at the moment.

 

Stuart

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17 minutes ago, jrlx said:

Welcome to the GB! Interesting and unusual choice! I'll be very curious to seeing it taking shape!

Thanks Jaime.

 

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More thick resin tabs at the wingtips :wall:

 

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Upper and lower wing halves taped at wingtips, think we have a bit of 'warpage' here. I think I'll be fitting some stiff spar in here to help with that.

 

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Wings taped up and now showing the float housings. I haven't found an image yet showing these housings and was wondering if I'll need to box them in, much like wheel wells. I'd think so, wouldn't want to fill the wing voids p with water and stuff :shrug:.

 

Chow for now.

Stuart

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You probably know this already but resin can apparently be bent to shape in warm water - just don't use boiling water as the parts will probab;ly collapse like a vac form canopy I tried to re-shape!

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What an interesting type - did not know that kits were available for this one. I ahve never attempted a resin kit and seeing what you are having to contend with I think that I will stick with scratch building - it is easier. I will still follow your tribulations/build log with interest though.

 

P

 

 

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On 9/15/2019 at 10:52 PM, PeterB said:

You probably know this already but

Thanks Peter, I did know but it never hurts to remind me. Never done but I'll give a try and if it doesn't work it'll be stiffeners.

On 9/16/2019 at 12:14 AM, greggles.w said:

Resin plugs at the wingtips is just cruel!

Cheers Gregg, cruel indeed but job done.

On 9/16/2019 at 11:21 AM, Doc72 said:

This will make a most interesting model once it is finished. 

Thanks Doc.

21 hours ago, Thom216 said:

Despite the extra work though, she's shaping up.

Thanks Thom.

2 hours ago, pheonix said:

I will still follow your tribulations/build log with interest though.

Follow away Mr P. Resin isn't that bad really, take precautions and take your time, and like vacforms, don't take too much off.

 

Anyways, update.

 

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Cockpit tub with a basic seat, control column, an i/p and a bit of coaming. With no cockpit photo as yet, I will most probably tart this up a bit; strap a pilot in, whack some dials and stuff on to the i/p, maybe some side panels. With no cockpit photos yet and nothing on instructions, I'll most probably paint it like a 40's Meteor; black and interior green.

 

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Little bits. I don't know what the cylinder type thing on the left is, it's not shown on the instructions but photo's show it as being mounted directly in front of windscreen. The vertical vane (aerial?) is mounted on the spine behind the cockpit. Exhaust nozzles are next. The part on the right is a 'bullet fairing (?)' that is fitted on the tail section, this was a modification and not fitted on initial builds.

 

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Float assemblies, designed to be raised when not landing or taking off.

 

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Something was missing from my cleaned up parts. I laid the float leg into its wing position and noted that rectangular part seemed to be missing. Again, nothing in the instructions, no, we shall call them a sketch.

 

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I found these among the remaining resin parts that seem to do the trick. How they are meant to be mounted when the floats are down, I have no idea.

 

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Lastly for tonight, the remaining stuff. On the right are two wing 'probes', one I assume is a pitot, don't know what the other could be as it's much smaller. The left pile is a collection of two different types of wheel and associated supports that I assume are fitted prior to rolling up a slip way.

 

Phew, that's it for now.

 

Stuart 

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8 minutes ago, Courageous said:

Lastly for tonight, the remaining stuff. On the right are two wing 'probes', one I assume is a pitot, don't know what the other could be as it's much smaller. The left pile is a collection of two different types of wheel and associated supports that I assume are fitted prior to rolling up a slip way.

 

Phew, that's it for now.

 

Stuart 

Hi Stuart,

 

As it was a prototype under test then various probes might have been fitted for instrumentation. I know Eric Brown flew (and crashed) one of the prototypes so there will be pics in his book. I will have a look and see if I can spot anything. He hit floating debris in the water when landing, tore a ruddy great hole in the hull, and was trapped in the wreckage for a while. He was pulled out and it then sunk - lost without trace, and presumably still on the bottom.

 

Pete

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Hi Stuart,

 

Had a look at the entry for this in Brown's "Wings of the Weird and Wonderful". There is a long pitot tube on the starboard wing, and in one pic it looks like there might have been a short one fitted on the port wing, but it is not visible in all the other pics - they seem to show that one in the instructions. There is a fairly thick and short rod like object on top of the fuselage in front of the windscreen and slightly to the right in some pics and again they seem to show that in the instructions as part of the canopy. There appears to have been a whip aerial just behind the cockpit though the instructions show a short mast further back. The fit may have changed several times during the test flying.

 

As to the small doors, I cannot see them hanging down in any of my pics so perhaps they covered the exposed struts as an extension of the main "door" and just need gluing across them?

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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4 hours ago, PeterB said:

 

Had a look at the entry for this in Brown's "Wings of the Weird and Wonderful".

Cheers Pete. As a matter of interest, do you know if EB wrote a number of books with this title, are they the same content but with a different cover or are they different?

 

Stuart

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