It's a WHAT? It's a Predator actually.

[PR19_Kit]

You may well ask.......... 

Those of you 'of a certain age', and probably British, may remember a TV series called 'The Planemakers' in the mid '60s which was really about 'Big Business' and industrial relations, but also featured a couple of rather outlandish 'aircraft'. The fictional company involved was called Scott Furlong, and the first of their aircraft to feature was the Sovereign, a short-medium range airliner in the Trident-727-DC9 mould. Very few pics of it are available, this one being maybe the best, and I really MUST build a model of it one day. I love those outward retracting mainwheels, surely modelled after the Valiant. 



Although I watched the series avidly back then I'm darned if I can remember what happened to the Sovereign, whether it sold in thousands or fell by the wayside, but later on Scott Furlong bought out another company, Ryan Airframe, who were developing a 2-seat, supersonic, VTOL fighter, which Scott Furlong continued with, and this was the Predator.



I'm not at all sure if a real, mobile, Sovereign existed, but the Predator surely did, and it could even move under it's own power! OK, so it was only a 500 cc motorcycle engine, but move it did, and the whole thing was remarkably realistic, albeit a trifle impractical as it would have just got the airfield boundary before it ran out of fuel, maybe..........

As it had one socking great forward propulsion engine, and eight vertical lift engines, its fuel consumption would likely have been astronomical, and it may have needed a tanker before  it reached the runway threshold! 

Anyway, returning to modelling, at the last Telford event in 2019 Joe Cherrie presented me with two pre-production moulds of his resin Predator, and after taking them home I promptly lost them. (Dead easy in my chaotic house I can assure you) But last week I found them again. 

So here we go on a Whiffed Whiff build, as I'm going to build the Predator GR3, the later version as used by many RAF Squadrons in the 70s for close air support tasks, a bit like their Harriers in the RW.

Yeah, right..... 



These are the kit components, not very many of them as with many resin kits, and this one needs some fettling due to its pre-production status. It comes with resin landing gear, and I'm not a fan of such things as they're either too brittle and snap off, or they soften under the weight of the model. Mine will probably end up with some gear salvaged from a Harrier GR3 or 5 kit, as they're about the same size and look reasonable, plus I have a lot of both types in The Loft.

[NARSES2]

I can remember the programmes title, but not what it was like. Indeed doubt if I watched it, probably in bed if it was a school night 

Looking forward to the Predator

[The Wooksta!]

I think it's available on doovde from Network.

[scooter]

Is it just me or does the starboard horizontal stab look like its got a bit of a severe anhedral?

[TomZ]

Is it just me or does the starboard horizontal stab look like its got a bit of a severe anhedral?

I think it's just swept back?

Looks a bit like a Fokker F-27 with Fokker F-28 engines.

TomZ

[JayBee]

If you talk to TSRJoe he will tell you that the filming prop was made from an old HP Herald fuselage. 

[The Rat]

I love those outward retracting mainwheels, surely modelled after the Valiant. 

That wing doesn't look quite thick enough to accommodate those dual wheels. Might look cool with a rearward retraction into Russian style bullets.

[Tophe]

Interesting, thanks!

[Knightflyer]

I'm too young to remember the series (I must have been busy being born at about the time it was on! ) but I have to say that is 'one-hell-of-a' good looking, realistic looking movie prop - could be a photo from a  Farnborough Air Show?

Did Fairey realise one of their aircraft had been 'borrowed' 

[chrisonord]

This looks quite  interesting  Kit,  I  take it the AW 52 has gone in to draw 101 then??
Chris

[PR19_Kit]

If you talk to TSRJoe he will tell you that the filming prop was made from an old HP Herald fuselage. 

Yes, that makes some sense, it's around the same size.

And I have one of those in a plastic bag in The Loft. 

This looks quite  interesting  Kit,  I  take it the AW 52 has gone in to draw 101 then??

Not at all Chris, I like to have 2-3 builds going at the same time, gives me something to do during the endless PSR sessions......

It's a surprisingly small aeroplane actually, almost exactly the same length as a Harrier GR5, but looks longer because of that HUGE pointy nose.

[chrisonord]

Same  here, except I  have 3 kits and a wing on the go at the moment 
I have a  resin conversion  a resin  kit and kit bash on the go as well as a wing for the Kittleton.  All good fun. I will be  watching this  with interest  .
Chris

[NARSES2]

Is it just me or does the starboard horizontal stab look like its got a bit of a severe anhedral?

Looks that way to me, but then I think we all know what my eyesight is like nowadays 

I've just noticed the "pilots" position in the Predator, is he kneeling down, or sitting on a low seat with his legs in the false nose ?

[Gondor]

I wonder if these may be of help Kit?

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmUsLsSP

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

Thanks Alastair, I've got most of those, but two I hadn't.