Mustang drone hunter

[kerick]

In a different thread I talked about converting a P-51 or other WW2 type to shoot down drones in Ukraine. Not the most practical idea but a good whiff project. There are stories of a YAK-25 with a guy in the back seat with an assault gun and an AN-28 equipped with a side firing minigun. Supposedly, the AN-28 has shot down 150 or more drones.
https://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=11301.msg236536#msg236536
Here's the decades old Monogram P-51B, raised panel lines and all that I started back in 1090 or so.





I actually glued stretched sprue on various places to replace sanded off raised panel lines. I may have to change that.
I'm thinking of a WW2 green over grey with blue and yellow invasion style ID stripes. I already have various Ukraine roundels and such.
The idea is a wealthy Hollywood actor with time on his hands who is addicted to adrenaline packs up his fully restored Mustang to join the fight against drones in Ukraine and maybe get his name in the papers.
This project will at least get this model off the shelf of doom and onto the completed display. I have the decals for Ukrainian aircraft so while doing the standard OD green over neutral grey I'll also put blue and yellow strips in place of the usual invasion strips for further ID markings.
I sanded off the raised panel lines on the top and bottom of the wings except for the gun bays and the fuel tanks. I did scrape them and the lines on the fuselage down so they weren't quite so obvious. I tried to engrave a few lines and that didn't go well. I had to putty them up and sand them off.
I just painted the underside grey, so we'll see what happens next.

If I come across a PC-9 or Super Tucano they might join the fray. Maybe the Hollywood star gets tired of risking his prized $6,000,000 Mustang and picks up a used Tucano from South America. Hey, it could happen!
Hmmmm, digital camo on a Tucano........

[Rick Lowe]

Fun idea. 

[su27rules]

 

[PR19_Kit]

Raised panel lines or not, that kit's a lovely one to build, it fits like a dream. 

[kitbasher]

Makes complete sense to me.

I'm thinking for new builds I'm thinking adaptations of agricultural aircraft:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Tractor
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PZL-Mielec_M-18_Dromader
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PZL-106_Kruk
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zlin_Z-37_%C4%8Cmel%C3%A1k

Etc.

There are/have been military versions of some of these.

[poru48]

I wonder if you could fit a Bolton Paul style turret onto a Tucano. Might improve the odds of killing drones.

[kerick]

I'm thinking of a FLIR sensor ball mounted in an old fuel tank to hang under one wing. Then a pod for these laser guided 2.75" rockets under the other wing.
Then there was the Typhoon/Tempest interceptors in WW2 downing buzz bombs by flying alongside and tipping them out of control by whacking them with their wing tip. I wonder how that would work with modern drones.

[Andrew Gorman]

Too bad there don't seem to be any PZL M-15 Belphegors still flying, but there should be for this use!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PZL_M-15_Belphegor#/media/File:PZL_M-15_Belphegor_at_Central_Air_Force_Museum_Monino_pic1.JPG

[Rick Lowe]

Then there was the Typhoon/Tempest interceptors in WW2 downing buzz bombs by flying alongside and tipping them out of control by whacking them with their wing tip. I wonder how that would work with modern drones.

If they've got a real-time camera/operator, rather than being 'fire and forget', they'd be as likely to start going 'Drone Hunter Hunting'...

[kerick]

Too bad there don't seem to be any PZL M-15 Belphegors still flying, but there should be for this use!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PZL_M-15_Belphegor#/media/File:PZL_M-15_Belphegor_at_Central_Air_Force_Museum_Monino_pic1.JPG

The UGLIEST aircraft in the world!

Then there was the Typhoon/Tempest interceptors in WW2 downing buzz bombs by flying alongside and tipping them out of control by whacking them with their wing tip. I wonder how that would work with modern drones.

If they've got a real-time camera/operator, rather than being 'fire and forget', they'd be as likely to start going 'Drone Hunter Hunting'...

The US lost an Apache over the Straits of Hormuz that they say was attacked by a drone. I guess nobody briefed them that some of those drones can be armed.

I've got to put together a FLIR ball into the fuel tank. I've got a few beads and tanks lying around. I need to search for a 1:48 rocket pod. I started painting the yellow for the stripes. Tamiya acrylic yellow. It's going to take a couple coats as I'm trying not to puddle it on like I usually do. Maybe I can get this finished soon. I seem to be having trouble focusing long enough to get much done. Plus my butt starts to hurt sitting in a chair for more than a half hour.

[kerick]

I just pulled the tape off the stripes. Not bad, a little touchup required except where I misjudged the fuselage width. That will require more than a little touchup. The yellow is Tamiya flat yellow which required several coats and the blue is Apple Barrel bright blue, which required only two. Both colors definitely look the part.





These are the decals I made on power point. There are the Ukrainian ones and also for the Schnibblemobil. I tried to make drone kill markings but I'm not 100% happy with them. The rest will come from the decal scrap box.

[kerick]

I found two thirds of a 1/48 Micro Scale P-51B sheet. Everything I need except it has that red and yellow spinner I would have to paint. More difficult colors. I still need to paint the OD green topside yet. I'm afraid this build is not going to make the cutoff for the GB at BtS. But at least it's much farther down the road than it was before. I've had some grey paint peel off the silver that was the first coat. Not really a big problem as it made it look chipped. Now I have masking all over ready for the OD and I hope it doesn't pull off big chunks. I've touched up the yellow so that looks pretty good. OD tomorrow, then gloss acrylic, then decals, then flat acrylic. No way there will be enough drying time in between all that. I'll have it done in another week or two. No contest winner but at least it will be done. If I keep finishing things I'll need more cabinet space.
Any ideas for really light, thin wall tubing I can use to simulate pipe for the load on the Schnibblemobil? If I get really lucky I might have that done for the nationals. Just for display at the Tiger Meet tables.

[Andrew Gorman]

For scale big pipe, check out CPVC pipe at the the plumbing store.  Plastic, but much thinner than PVC. Allegedly the same dimensions of copper pipe.

[kerick]

For scale big pipe, check out CPVC pipe at the the plumbing store.  Plastic, but much thinner than PVC. Allegedly the same dimensions of copper pipe.

That's a good thought. And probably cheap too compared to aluminum. I could shave the inside of the ends to make them look thinner.
I was thinking about paper tubes like for model rockets but hard to get in a three foot length.

[Rick Lowe]

It might delay the painting again, but might a clear coat under the OD stop the tape pulling the stuff under it off?