A curious SuperHarrier

[McColm]

There are rumours that the Yak-141 will make a return with a bit of help from the Chinese.

[steelpillow]

There are rumours that the Yak-141 will make a return with a bit of help from the Chinese.

The Chinese were given the engine blueprints many years ago. Much good it will do them, when the West can do without separate lift engines.

[steelpillow]

Update. What I didn't show first time round is the drooped leading-edge extension to the Nord 1500 wing, following a roughly conical profile outboard of the undercarriage fairings.
Now added are many small refinements including air dam bays finished, shorter nosewheel bay, longer main legs, and vortilons extending beyond the front of the housings to initiate a stable vortex at high AoA. This was the era of transition from simple symmetrical-section deltas with no washout, and many a prototype got a leading-edge makeover before its handling could be tamed.
Yet another of my endless coincidences here, as the wings are from an Airfix Mirage and were made up ca. 1980. Over the decades the lower mouldings have shrunk and the whole thing bowed, saving me the trouble of cut-and-shut to make those curves and washout.
A proper undercoat, and side burners blu-tacked in place for the photoshoot. Since then, some further sculpting of the rear fuselage to improve area-ruling, and all now in hibernation until next year so all the evaporation and shrinkage can sort itself out.

[Captain Canada]

That's really looking good !

[chrisonord]

I found these pictures one line the other week, forgot to post them here.

[kitbasher]

Reminds me of https://www.numonday.com/product/coming-soon-1-72-scale-resin-printed-armstrong-whitworth-aw-58-delta-wing-variant-wheels-down/

[Old Wombat]

More like the La-200 prototypes, to my eye;

[steelpillow]

Got the wings on. Much fiddling, filling, filing and undercoating to fashion long, thin upper root fairings and smooth them in. Very pleased with that bit.
Followed by endless more rounds of the same for the tailcone, cockpit coaming, afterburner exhaust nozzles and a dozen minor aerodynamic refinements.
Going to have to start painting this thing seriously soon

On the nose-heavy look, this is something of an illusion. Where most jets have a hollow jetpipe and solidly packed nose, the Busard has no conventional jetpipe but the nose is 2/3 hollow tubing. From the side, the oval nose is no fatter than a conventional nose, while from above it acts as much like a wing root extension as a fuselage - especially when supersonic. So it all balances neatly, with no need for an especially large fin or anything like that.

(Sorry, didn't notice the canopy had slipped)



Nozzles will point down on the finished model, so don't have to fit perfectly in flight position 

[Captain Canada]

That's a neat looking machine !

[NARSES2]

That's a neat looking machine !

Yup, got a certain Soviet, possibly Yak look to it ?

[Wardukw]

That's a neat looking machine !

Yup, got a certain Soviet, possibly Yak look to it ?

Yeah like a Yak from the late 50s or 60s ...still a cool looking build so far 👌 😀

[steelpillow]

Main airframe silver paintwork almost done, just got to finish the stainless steel nose job.

Aft fibreglass fairings are: upper, telemetry and anti-spin 'chute; lower, adjustable counterweights for CG trim changes.
Fuselage is Tamiya X11 acrylic, wing fidlly bits Humbrol 11 enamel, nose and flaps Revell 90 enamel, side burners Brush'n'Leaf silver leaf enamel, all brushed. Nozzles are old Tamiya XII acrylic chisel marker, resurrected with Humbrol enamel thinners.

Main wing and tail areas will be silver decal sheet, brand forgotten as it was almost 50 years ago.




The story is that BAC/BAe made the fuselage, Nord nicked the main surfaces off the old Griffon project and altered them fore and aft, with a tail tip extension attached via a chassis around which the plastic fairing is wrapped. R-R made the nozzles and Rolls-Turbomeca the side burners. Phew!
The nose was thought too thin and sharp for light alloy at up to Mach 2+, so late in the design was changed to stainless (and the counterweight mount added). But the French never aimed above Mach 1.7 anyway, so the Brit's traditional obsession with Mach 2+ was misplaced.

Coming up: decals first, then the fiddly bits.

[NARSES2]

  

[su27rules]

 

[steelpillow]

Fuselage painted and decaled. All little wiggy bits ditto. Only the final assembly and inevitable woopsie touch-up to go. Just don't ask how many times I had to write "Busard" with a fine tipped waterproof pen, before I found out that acrylic thinners still dissolved it and I got two clean decals that matched well enough. I am going to die young after that.

Bit blurred and looks more grey than silver here, but good enough for a quick progress report: