Jump to content

56 Sqn Gloster Gladiator


Aims

Recommended Posts

  • 2 weeks later...

If you look you will see loads of photos of pre-war Gladiators with no guns in the pods. 

That particular Gladiator, on that day, doesn't have any fuselage guns either.

 

All the Gladiator guns are quite easily removed and pre-war you might well prefer the extra performance especially for a display aircraft or if you are leaving an aircraft outside overnight for some reason. 

 

Here for comparison is a wartime Met Flight Gladiator in service with all the guns removed

4530669469_665x436.jpg

 

I wouldnt get too exercised about the top cowl panel: if it's recently landed it might just be that whoever's wiped the oil off has short arms 

Edited by Work In Progress
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 03/12/2019 at 06:52, MigModeller said:

1)  the dark coloured engine cowling tpo panel

 

 

Do you mean the cowl around the engine or the rectangular panel between the cockpit and the engine? If you mean that panel, then that is the oil cooler.

 

 

 

Chris

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Work In Progress said:

I assumed he meant the compound-curved top cowl panel ahead of the oil cooler and behind the trailing edge of the Townend ring. It;s possibly just a shade darker-looking than the side panel below it.

 

Ah! i didn't notice that at first.

 

 

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the interesting replies

 

I think I mean the air corrugated oil cooler that when Ray Rimmell  reproduced a 87 squadron machine using Modeldecal sheet 31 also painted a darker colour, though the Modeldecal instructions made no such recommendation.  Nor did it suggest removing the machine guns from neither wings nor engine cowling, even though it's an aerobatic display a/c.

 

So what colour should the oil cooler be? 

 

I'll probably leave the machine guns in place on my Airfix Gladiator for no other reason than it looks impressive!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, MigModeller said:

Here is Ray Bimells Gladiator.  Oil cooler appears to not cover the top completly

 

The oil cooler plate is only on the starboard ( right-hand ) side of the forward fuselage.

 

 

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, MigModeller said:

Nor did it suggest removing the machine guns from neither wings nor engine cowling, even though it's an aerobatic display a/c.

 

Why would it? It's was only an aerobatic display aircraft on the days when it's doing aerobatic displays. The next week it might be off to squadron summer camp for aerial gunnery practice.

This is not the Red Arrows. Just pilots selected from the ordinary squadrons they serve with every day. 

 

Aircraft configurations and appearance tend to change very frequently in service and modellers often ask questions which suggest that there is "one true appearance" for a given airframe, when in fact unless it was destroyed on its first day of service the one thing you can guarantee is that it never looked exactly the same two weeks running

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, TimK said:

Follow this link for superb detail photos of the Gladiator, including the oil cooler on the starboard side:

 

 

And please pay close attention to the colour of the exhaust collector. This is what a real functioning, heat-stained collector ring looks like!

 

 

 

Chris

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...