Jim's suitcase...

[Jagewa]

Hi ho,

Dug the Hampden out of 'The Stash', and had a quick fondle... ooo lovely..

So quick prerequisite piccies..

Box


Plastic bits, I think some one has tested it, to see if its a shake and bake kit...


Airwaves etch set, Falcon canopies and kit decals, which have been well baked over the years...

I've not used etch before, so this'll be fun. I got this set cheap, $10NZ about 4GBP a couple of years ago, I'm not sure if I'll use much of it, most of it is for the interior, which I'm suspicious you can't see much of..

So off to dig out Bombing Colours and see if I can see a scheme that takes my fancy.

Cheers
Jim

[Jagewa]

Not much to show for today's effort, just been cleaning the parts, counting rivets and then removing them

Cheers
Jim

[PaulBradley]

I dunno - if you were counting rivets, you were probably there most of the day just doing that.......

[JamesPerrin]

Nice boxart. I like to way it's been closely cropped.

[Jagewa]

Yes I like the boxart too, I get a laugh at the proportions of the crew, the pilot sort of fills the cockpit, but the nav/bomb aimer, looks like he's in the nose of a Halifax..

[Jagewa]

Well there I was counting rivets and sanding them away, and what happens half the bally fuselage disappears!



Must be more careful.

Ok after seeing all the the cool Whatif's in the Angel Interceptor build and stumbling across this thread..
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php?topic=24619.0
I'm doing a Whatif, night fighter version, slimmed down and packing heat for those bally sneaky night bombers.

Thinking nose job like this ..


Cheers
Jim

[bluesteel]

Now this one I want to see. That profile you linked to of the 'fighter version' looks quite natural to me. the Hampden was renown for it's good fighter like handling anyway (at least good for an early war bomber), so slimming down with better engines - how about Merlins? Would look the part. You could put a searchlight in the nose and have a nightfighter Hampden Turbinlite....

[Jagewa]

..how about Merlins? Would look the part. You could put a searchlight in the nose and have a nightfighter Hampden Turbinlite....

Hey! what you doing reading my mind! I've just been digging out an old Lanc, and the turbinlite idea crossed my mind this morning as well.

I'll think I'll have a play about and see what looks good. Great fun.

Cheers
Jim

[JohnRatzenberger]

Be mindful of weight and especially balance with all that you are adding forward of the C/G ....

[Martin R]

Be mindful of weight and especially balance with all that you are adding forward of the C/G ....

Jim,

Cool idea! Hope you don't mind us playing with it a bit.

John,

Hmmm. You may have a point. Adding a ventral gun pack approx. on the c.g. instead of the gun nose would reduce the weight up front. A Boulton Paul 4 gun rear upper turret as mentioned on the Whatif thread would also help counteract the engines a bit - but there's no way you'd enclose it in that slim fuse!

The Lanc nacelles are a bit longer than the Hampden too aren't they? More side area up front = more tail area needed!

As one of the pilot's of the Northrop flying wing said on landing, shaken, after a test flight, "Both pilots and airplanes need a reasonable amount of tail".

regards,

Martin

[Martin R]

<snip> A Boulton Paul 4 gun rear upper turret as mentioned on the Whatif thread would also help counteract the engines a bit - but there's no way you'd enclose it in that slim fuse!<snip>

I don't see that as an issue. You would just have to either make a fairing for it, or expose some of the lower part of the turret. A good opportunity for detailing

I do! Try it and see.

[Jagewa]

Oh yes please play along, I enjoy these group inputs..

I thought I had my hands on some Lanc nacelels, but they've been piffered already, I think they're really narrow and I'd have to really attack the nacelle farings to match anyhow, how about Vultures or Napier Sabres?

As far as nose area, I thought loosing the bomb bay takes a bit of area away, and if I stuck with the peggies, it wouldn't be a prob.

The CG problem did cross my mind and I thought Boulton Paul 4 gun might be the idea. I wonder what they did with Ju88 and Do217 with all those 20mmm in the nose?

Fun stuff.

Cheers
Jim

[Martin R]

Oh yes please play along, I enjoy these group inputs..

I thought I had my hands on some Lanc nacelels, but they've been piffered already, I think they're really narrow and I'd have to really attack the nacelle farings to match anyhow, how about Vultures or Napier Sabres?

As far as nose area, I thought loosing the bomb bay takes a bit of area away, and if I stuck with the peggies, it wouldn't be a prob.

The CG problem did cross my mind and I thought Boulton Paul 4 gun might be the idea. I wonder what they did with Ju88 and Do217 with all those 20mmm in the nose?

Fun stuff.

Cheers
Jim

Dunno about the German night fighters, but a thought struck me: would Beaufighter cowlings fit the nacelles? If so, up-engine it with the mighty Hercules!

regards.

Martin

[JohnRatzenberger]

The CG problem did cross my mind and I thought Boulton Paul 4 gun might be the idea. I wonder what they did with Ju88 and Do217 with all those 20mmm in the nose?

Fun stuff.

Cheers
Jim

Short nose, probably "easy" to compensate for.

I was more concerned about the loads of guns, followed by adding the (longer) Merlins.

It is an interesting idea, make something like an A-20 or B-25 "strafer" or a Beau/Mossie style "rocketeer".

[Jagewa]

I'm definitely heading down the night fighter route.

Been working on the interior so I can button it up, and then turn the attention to the wings and power.. So added a section of plasticard as a floor, keeping in nd Bluesteels work and keeping the floor above the slots for the wings tabs. A few gubbins about the place, and a new pilot chappy, and modified one of the kits crewmen, haunched over the box o magic tricks.



Good fun this.

Cheers
Jim