maxmwill
I really should change my personal text
- Joined
- 29 October 2011
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- 60
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I just acquired a new book, titles, "Beyond the Spitfire: the unseen designs of RJ Mitchell", which I recommend very highly to everyone here, if you're interested in those designs of Mitchell's which never left the paper stage. On the cover is a large flying boat with 4 engines, gull wings and sponsons instead of stabilizing floats.
This caught my eye the second I saw the ad in Amazon(I ultimately bought the book on EvilBay for a lot less than the list price in Amazon), because I have a soft spot in my heart for flying boats with sponsons, and gull wings make my heart a flutter(except for the Corsair, but that's personal preference), and was my goal when I first got the book. I was intrigued, and wanted to learn more.
Well, first off, this was, according to the author, Mitchell's favored design for the specification R2/33, which called for a four engine general purpose boat seaplane, a long-distance patrol aircraft with a top speed of 200 mph, and a cruising speed of 170 mph. This was to be equipped with four Goshawks, and the radiator opening being the entire leading edge of the wing, and was Mitchell's own patented system. It was also designed to carry the COW gun.
There is a section of illustrations of the various designs, including this, and it is depicted in flight with camo.
There are no dimensions given, but judging from the size of the nacelles relative to the rest of the flying boat, I'd hazard that it would have been roughly the size of the Lancaster or Sunderland.
After I got the book, I decided to ask Professor Google about it, and found not a bit on it, so I can't share the three-view, unless I figure out the scanner portion of the new printer I just got for Xmas.
I'd like to scratch build this thing in quarter scale(because the only model with a COW gun is that new Karaya kit of the Vickers Cow gun fighter, and it is in quarter scale.
However, I don't have much experience scratch building, and none with such a large model, so I'll have to take a lot of time trying to figure things out, such as making the fuselage of fiberglass, as well as the wings.
But, if you like lots of Southhamptom variations(Mitchell really liked the Southhamptom), as well as other views into the mind of a classic aircraft designer, you will enjoy this book.
This caught my eye the second I saw the ad in Amazon(I ultimately bought the book on EvilBay for a lot less than the list price in Amazon), because I have a soft spot in my heart for flying boats with sponsons, and gull wings make my heart a flutter(except for the Corsair, but that's personal preference), and was my goal when I first got the book. I was intrigued, and wanted to learn more.
Well, first off, this was, according to the author, Mitchell's favored design for the specification R2/33, which called for a four engine general purpose boat seaplane, a long-distance patrol aircraft with a top speed of 200 mph, and a cruising speed of 170 mph. This was to be equipped with four Goshawks, and the radiator opening being the entire leading edge of the wing, and was Mitchell's own patented system. It was also designed to carry the COW gun.
There is a section of illustrations of the various designs, including this, and it is depicted in flight with camo.
There are no dimensions given, but judging from the size of the nacelles relative to the rest of the flying boat, I'd hazard that it would have been roughly the size of the Lancaster or Sunderland.
After I got the book, I decided to ask Professor Google about it, and found not a bit on it, so I can't share the three-view, unless I figure out the scanner portion of the new printer I just got for Xmas.
I'd like to scratch build this thing in quarter scale(because the only model with a COW gun is that new Karaya kit of the Vickers Cow gun fighter, and it is in quarter scale.
However, I don't have much experience scratch building, and none with such a large model, so I'll have to take a lot of time trying to figure things out, such as making the fuselage of fiberglass, as well as the wings.
But, if you like lots of Southhamptom variations(Mitchell really liked the Southhamptom), as well as other views into the mind of a classic aircraft designer, you will enjoy this book.
