Ar 234C underside

[Chuck1945]

The Arado 234C DML/Hobby2000 kit has a cut-out on the underside to fit a bomb or other device. What little reference I have for the aircraft isn’t at hand  and since I hope to model one of the very few documented recce aircraft, I won’t be fitting any of the under hung ordinance. I suspect the real thing didn’t have a permanent oval cut-out, but I also have no idea how it looked if not carrying anything centerline. Any suggestions or information?

[RainierHooker]

Profile Publications #215 shows a B model Recce aircraft with the cutout on the underside taken up by a bulged fairing in place. I am going to presume that it is additional fuel perhaps?

 

[dogsbody]

About all I have regarding the belly recess is this, taken from Monogran Close-up # 23. If the recon versions had this, I cannot say.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Chuck1945]

Thanks RainerHooker (always liked Rainer’s ‘running of the wild Rainers’ ad) and Chris. I figured some sort of fairing, need to check my Ar 234B kit to see if the tank is included. I started the Frog Ar 234C kit years ago but it didn’t survive the move from Dallas to Pittsburgh in ‘93. At least my 234B kit made it all the way to Cheney. Just got the Hobby2000 edition of the ‘C’ model.

[SafetyDad]

Interesting question Chuck and not that easy to come up with a definitive answer. 

 

Checking through my references, I find this:

 

 

This schematic is drawn from original Arado sources and gives you an idea of the camera installation and cross-section of your preferred recce variant of the 234C. Note the Rustsatz weapons fit under the fuselage- this is significant for two reasons. First it means that the the speculated rear-facing cannon were not fitted within the aft fuselage (but are here instead). Additionally the pack needs to be structurally supported and mounted, so this lends credence to the idea of a under-fuselage weapons point on the C version.  Interestingly this drawing is one in a lengthy series of proposed weapons fits for the 234C making use of this underfuselage mounting - there's BT bombs and even a torpedo in other illustrations!  

 

The pics in this post all come from here:

 

 

Smith J. R & Creek E (1993) Arado 234 Blitz  Monogram Publications Boylston Mass

 

 

Then there's this:

 

 

Very similar. 

 

Photographic evidence is hard to pin down. There aren't that many pictures of the Ar 234C and I couldn't find any underside pics. I think what we are left with is some educated reasoning - namely that there were plans to mount weapons under the fuselage, that some of these weapons (e.g the midget fighter series) would have needed to be semi-recessed for ground clearance purposes, so it seems likely that a fuselage recess was present on this variant.  In the absence of other information, it seems credible that the recess would have been similar to that used on the B variant.

 

HTH

 

SD 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dogsbody]

I have that book, too, but like you say, there aren't any photos of the underside that show any details.

 

 

Chris

[Denford]

On 10/19/2021 at 5:00 PM, Chuck1945 said:

The Arado 234C DML/Hobby2000 kit has a cut-out on the underside to fit a bomb or other device. What little reference I have for the aircraft isn’t at hand  and since I hope to model one of the very few documented recce aircraft, I won’t be fitting any of the under hung ordinance. I suspect the real thing didn’t have a permanent oval cut-out, but I also have no idea how it looked if not carrying anything centerline. Any suggestions or information?

I'll go along with exactly what you say: nothing.

The kit makers have used the same fuselage (only modified 'up front') and I guess Arado did the same.  In real life, a recess with strong point above, possibly plumbed for tankage.

The 'C' series had even less need for rear facing armament being faster (4 x 800 kg thrust) vs (2 x 900 kg) of the B series.

I note you plan quote 'one of the very few documented aircraft'.  I've been unable to find any useful documentation and so planned on just a plain finish.   What did you plan?

[Troy Smith]

12 minutes ago, Denford said:

I've been unable to find any useful documentation and so planned on just a plain finish.   What did you plan?

I remembered a thread on this recently, turns out it was yours!   Anyway,  this is probably worth cross linking

 

I don't know if this will add anything, but the Monogram close up on the Ar234 is here 

https://boxartden.com/reference/gallery/index.php/Monogram-Close-up/Arado-Ar-234-B-Blitz

 

[Chuck1945]

Thanks again for the replies. It was the topic Troy linked that inspired me, and I didn’t remember quite correctly insofar as operational use was concerned. I have the Hobby2000 boxing H2K72050 with WNr decals for three Ar 234C aircraft.

I do have the 1993 Monogram publication but is not readily accessible.

[fishplanebeer]

The Aircraft Monograph publication number 10 (by Seweryn Fleischer and Marek Rys) has a 72nd scale underside plan view of the C-3 albeit with a central bomb rack fitted but happy to scan and add if it is of any value? The book also has side view plans of what appears to be all of the known versions.

 

Regards

Colin.

[Chuck1945]

Yes please.

[fishplanebeer]

OK, I'll do the scan tomorrow morning and upload.

 

Regards

Colin.

[Giampiero Piva]

Some images of Ar234 ETC. HTH

Giampiero

 

[Chuck1945]

Thanks, those pictures are quite helpful. Appears then that the recess in the belly on the DML kits is in error, and it should be an attachment point for an ETC rack.

[SafetyDad]

1 hour ago, Chuck1945 said:

Thanks, those pictures are quite helpful. Appears then that the recess in the belly on the DML kits is in error, and it should be an attachment point for an ETC rack.

 

Maybe. Maybe not.

 

I've had a further foray into my references using this:

 

 

Now, experience tells me to be careful here: this volume looks great but some of the picture captions are just awful and there's a rather annoying tendency to group the Ar234B and C models together in the text. 

That said, I found this:

 

 

Now drawings (and profiles) sometimes need careful thought. Here though the draftsman is, as you can see, Gunter Sengfelder. He appears to show a recessed space beneath the aircraft fuselage. It's better seen in one of his models

 

 

Yes, I know, we're using models as references now! . Still, in the absence of photographic evidence from the real thing, as a published Luftwaffe author and a nifty model maker, Gunter seems a credible source. I fully accept that I am making an unusual suggestion here, but I believe that conclusive photographic evidence may simply not exist.

Perhaps it's possible that a variety of racks were/could have been fitted into the recess depending upon the intended role of the aircraft (much like the differing ETC racks beneath Fw190s for example?)

 

HTH

 

SD

[Chuck1945]

Curiouser and curiouser🙀

Thanks SD

[tempestfan]

Does anyone happen to have looked into Luftfahrt Dokumente #20, by Karl Pawlas? Possibly a long shot, but the series (and Luftfahrt International) used some quite good archival material; at least at times. I have it upstairs (once again) but at the moment am on a much delayed train.

If only I could find the Monarch at a sensible price…

[fishplanebeer]

 

 

 

As promised.

 

Regards

Colin.

[Chuck1945]

Thanks Collin

Edited October 21, 2021 by Chuck1945