Ricks' Ramblings

[NARSES2]

The La-5 is a brutish looking plane but not unattractive. 

Agree, I've always found it an an attractive aeroplane.

You've done a good job with that camo scheme Rick. I've always liked that late war "greys" scheme

[kerick]

I see the pics now. Nice job! That canopy makes it look like a racing plane. Another idea for another day.

[zenrat]

Nice work on the Lavochkin.   

[Rick Lowe]

Thanks, fellas.   

[Charlie_c67]

Excellent! Now you just need an La-3 (Toko or Roden), La-5, La-5F (both KP), La-7 (Eduard) and La-9/11 (MPM) to complete the set   

[Rick Lowe]

Hmm, interesting idea.
But no. 

Though there is a Normandie-Niemen Yak-9 in my future... I salted away the Hasegawa kit when it came out, and it's still on the Build List... sometime...

[Rick Lowe]

1/72 P-72 JetBolt **What If**

Late in WW2 the USAAF chose the P-51 Mustang as the standard Air Superiority Fighter; leading other aircraft, such as the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, to being phased out of service and production ceasing.

Thus, there was spare manufacturing capacity available when other, more advanced designs were required to counter the new Axis aircraft entering the conflict. The only US jet fighter then in existence was the Bell Airacomet, but with its less-than-stellar performance, the Planners turned elsewhere. The British could only make enough Meteors for their own use, so they looked for an indigenous design.

They realized something was needed rapidly and therefore an existing design being adapted was better – or at least quicker and easier – than one being manufactured from scratch, in order to get something into service while new designs were going through the process of getting into production.

As the Thunderbolt was considered a simpler design to modify, it was chosen; also due to the easiest way to convert the aircraft to jet power being the substitution of the piston engine with a jet mounted underneath. The new nose could then be used for weapons and would therefore also concentrate the weight of fire. The main undercarriage was modified and moved to the rear wing spar and a new front undercarriage gear mounted in the nose. With the armament and ammunition concentrated in the nose, the wings were able to be used for fuel; these modifications all went to help iron out any potential CofG issues.

The Westinghouse model 19A jet engine had been first flown in January 1944 and while performance was not startling at 1360 lbs. of thrust, with a diameter of only 20 inches it was seen that two would fit under the keel of a P-47 and it was considered that this would provide sufficient agility in combat.
The engine along with the rear fuselage mounted turbosupercharger and associated ducting were removed; this provided sufficient room and ground clearance for the new pod containing the now renamed J-30 engines which were mounted directly to the wing spars.
The new pointed and extended nose mounted 4X M3A2 20mm cannon with 180 rounds per gun, but it would provide ample room for larger weapons should they be needed in the future.

The 56th Fighter Group, having ample experience with the P-47, was chosen as the first to be reequipped. They put the aircraft to good use and gave a good account of themselves.

*********************************************

I saw a side view depicting a version based on the Razorback and decided that whilst that was all very well for a test or prototype aircraft, the production version would use a later type. A mention on Dizzys' build of the P-47H also helped the project along – challenge accepted!

My model is based on a Heller P-47N, as I figured that by the time this aircraft was built, the N would be the main version in production and a newer version was better than the older D model. I also didn't want to put the Heller wings on a Hasegawa Bubbletop kit and have the remaining bits unused. The nose being replaced also removed the major inaccuracy of the Heller kit.

I scratched up a cockpit and filled the outlets in the rear fuselage, then joined the fuselage halves. Then the nose and keel were cut away and the hole in the underside faired over, with troughs for the jet exhausts, and the tail wheel well was filled.
The model was sanded to remove rivets & panel lines.

The engine pod started as a couple of ballpoint pen barrels and some plastic card, faired in with milliput.

I did try to use an Airfix Me262 nose (sorry, Herr Noizer – though it was the old kit anyway) but it wasn't symmetrical for some reason; so, I made card X-Y profiles with epoxy putty filling between them, and a box was set in for the new nose gear well. The weight of the filler also helped stop it from being a tail-sitter. I cut a section out on the top and glued in some thick styrene sheet, into which I drilled the new cannon troughs. Not in as straight a line as I had intended, so we'll say some of the guns had to be offset for some reason: ammo feed, perhaps (Kit's Second Rule applies).

New wheel wells were cut into the lower wing surface and boxed in with thin strip, while the well roof detailing was cut out from old 3D print rafting. New Doors from 20 thou and landing gear from spares.

A Hasegawa Canopy, as I will be using a Falcon unit on the D version I build.

Paintjob: the Blues are Humbrol and the Silver is Vallejo, with detail painting using whatever; and the markings from the spares bank depict an aircraft from the 63rd Fighter Squadron of the 56th Fighter Group.

Some of the markings are downright ancient ESCI nose art that I wasn't sure would work.

WIP shots, Parte the Firste:

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[Rick Lowe]

WIP shots, Parte Deux:

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[Rick Lowe]

And the finished pics.
Part 1

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[Rick Lowe]

And part 2

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[The Rat]

SWEET!    

[PR19_Kit]

A neat idea Rick, I can't recall anyone doing a 'jet conversion' like that before. 

[zenrat]

 

[Pellson]

Wow!!

It is interesting that your build actually connects very well to the RW F-84 Thunderjet, which basically started out as a jet converted piston fighter

[NARSES2]

Looks good Rick 

It is interesting that your build actually connects very well to the RW F-84 Thunderjet, which basically started out as a jet converted piston fighter

Indeed