AWESOME "When Hell Freezes Over!" Groupbuild...

pzl66

 

thanks to the Trumman Witch Hunt.. And the Helldiver had so many restrictions on it during the time of it development. 

 

Like floats?

But seriously. Yes. Development hell. Though I have to imagine part of it was in how the specs were executed against. I mean when the head of NACA (is that who it was?) laughs at your design and says it'll never be stable, and you build it anyway, and it's not stable, and you have to basically make the tail as big as the rest of the plane...someone mucked that one up.

I'd be curious to see what would have become of a next-gen Douglas dive bomber (SB2D, anyone?)

From what I was reading was the limitations put on the Helldiver was the size and what not. So Curtis designed within the limits given. The Curtis design won the contract but by the time all the kinks where worked out the dive bomber was becoming an obsolete role. Like said before the Hellcat and Corsair could carry the same load just not as far as the Helldiver. But it proved itself with taking down alot of ships and also joining the Avenger with the raids on Iwo Jima, Tinian, and the Japanese Mainland. The floats were added to alot of Naval aircraft for testing but just like the Wildcatfish was dropped. The NACA (now NASA) could only test so much about an aircraft before it entered service and could not really anticipate some of the problems occured with battle damaged or damage caused from novice pilot landing hard on the carrier, aka broken tail. Out of all the Helldivers the only one I dont like was the SB2C-6 with the thin/tall tail, for some reason the big round tail works with the rest of the airframe design. It like the beast was just meant to have that huge tail.

pzl66

 

Sprue-ce Goose:

 

The Navigator:

pzl66:

How do you dive bomb with floats?

Didn't need to bomb using that aircraft.

Curtis management did such a good job of bombing, they put the company out of business after the war.

 

thanks to the Trumman Witch Hunt.. And the Helldiver had so many restrictions on it during the time of it development. 

 

I am unaware of the Truman administration's involvement in an anti-Curtis witch-hunt.

i am only aware of failed fighter designs which were either designed and produced after competing designs were already successful and in mass production or designs which simply were unable to produce the promised performance.

Examples are:

Curtis XP-60 A/C/D/E  vs. Republic P-47

Curtis XP-40Q  vs. NA P-51

and the last of the breed:

  the  Curtiss XF-87A Blackhawk  jet powered night fighter, which lost out to the Northrop XP-89.

Curtis management had not anticipated war production cuts at the end of WWII and, therefore, had no civilian designs available to keep it's production plants operating.

That was my reason for commenting about Curtis management.

DoogsATX

pzl66:

thanks to the Trumman Witch Hunt.. And the Helldiver had so many restrictions on it during the time of it development. 

Like floats?

But seriously. Yes. Development hell.

Development Hell sometimes created by outdated requirements.

Curtis and Bell produced outdated pre-war designs due to US Government  / military demands as well as budget limitations.

The P-40 , P-39 and the Douglas B-18  immediately come to mind.

Curtis management had not anticipated war production cuts at the end of WWII.......

Really? Did they think they were just gonna keep crankin` out war planes with no war?  No wonder they went bust. 

how about this one ??..[Last i Knew..this plane was in Greenville Maine.. I've actually touched it.. and have my own pics of it. on land.. and flying..

:550:0]

Word around the Lair is that Fermis is building the floatie version of the Helldiver with Harry Truman flying and Truman Capote manning the tail gun....

p38jl

how about this one ??..[Last i Knew..this plane was in Greenville Maine.. I've actually touched it.. and have my own pics of it. on land.. and flying..

:550:0]

All sorts of floatie things were made

I look forward to celebrating Fermis' new build with a couple of extra large milkshakes

What happened to Fermis?  The world wonders...

Too many cupcakes and  jugs of milk?

Been workin like a slave......gotta pay for that 6 months off every year! Thanks to the rain Gods, I got off a little early today, but have band practice, so no building time (might get the intermediate blue painted though)

Managed only a little time last week, started painting yesterday.

No floats on this one, but cupcakes and milkshakes are stowed between the gunner and pilot!

Needs more tea-tin...

Nuts...

Ok, I'm in... But there're too many blue ones in the build..

1/48 Monogram SB2C kit converted to A-25A Shrike..

Hans von Hammer

Nuts...

Ok, I'm in... But there're too many blue ones in the build..

1/48 Monogram SB2C kit converted to A-25A Shrike..

Now when you say Monogram are you talking about the vintage folding wings model or the new tool? 

pzl66

Hans von Hammer:

Nuts...

Ok, I'm in... But there're too many blue ones in the build..

1/48 Monogram SB2C kit converted to A-25A Shrike..

 

Now when you say Monogram are you talking about the vintage folding wings model or the new tool? 

pzl66

Hans von Hammer:

Nuts...

Ok, I'm in... But there're too many blue ones in the build..

1/48 Monogram SB2C kit converted to A-25A Shrike..

Now when you say Monogram are you talking about the vintage folding wings model or the new tool? 

I'm talking about the classic, 1960s Monogram kit.... 

Fermis is giving all of you MUGS a big head-start and ya'll 'aint taking advantage of it...

Haven't bought tha kit yet.. Searching Ebay for the best price.. Fermis can just wait..

Hans von Hammer

Haven't bought tha kit yet.. Searching Ebay for the best price.. Fermis can just wait..

I'd sell ya mine, but I got the same plan as you.....but then again????.....did the Shrike still have the wing-fold option?

Only the first few had the wing fold, the rest were fixed wings. After the USAAF deemed that dive bombers were no longer needed they were given the the Marines.

So, a folded Shrike is not out of the realm of possibility??? (gears are gringing!)

pzl66

Only the first few had the wing fold, the rest were fixed wings. After the USAAF deemed that dive bombers were no longer needed they were given the the Marines.

The one I posted was without wing-fold, but it was kinda unique flown by a WASP in target-tug squadron

fermis

Hans von Hammer:

Haven't bought tha kit yet.. Searching Ebay for the best price.. Fermis can just wait..

 

I'd sell ya mine, but I got the same plan as you.....

Scored one on Ebay today, thanks!

Too much jaw-flapping and not enough sprue-cutting...

Not enough kits on hand yet...

Once I get to a good stopping point with the Avenger I will start the Diver.. Now I stuck though trying to figure out which scheme I'm gonna do.. Nicely weathered "Tri-color" or the big blue beast... Then Hans comes along and drops a Shrike in my mind.. And then there is the British Reject.. So many choices..

pzl66

Once I get to a good stopping point with the Avenger I will start the Diver.. Now I stuck though trying to figure out which scheme I'm gonna do.. Nicely weathered "Tri-color" or the big blue beast... Then Hans comes along and drops a Shrike in my mind.. And then there is the British Reject.. So many choices..

....or grey/white Atlantic scheme!!!

fermis

 

pzl66:

 

Once I get to a good stopping point with the Avenger I will start the Diver.. Now I stuck though trying to figure out which scheme I'm gonna do.. Nicely weathered "Tri-color" or the big blue beast... Then Hans comes along and drops a Shrike in my mind.. And then there is the British Reject.. So many choices..

 

 

 

....or grey/white Atlantic scheme!!!

Thanks Fermis, not to make it anymore difficult to chose a scheme..

I've got Atlantic markings I'm not planning to use if you're interested. Leaning toward an SAR craft myself...

DoogsATX

I've got Atlantic markings I'm not planning to use if you're interested. Leaning toward an SAR craft myself...

I may have to take you up on that. Right when Fermis mentioned that I looked up at my Atlantic Avenger and oh how it would look good next to it..