One 'aircraft' in my stash:

Oh wow those are crazy awesome! Love that Fokker Steve and the Belphegor and AD Scout F-8. 

The weirdist i have is the BV-141 been gnawing at it for a while since i live in a 26' trailer right now.

Several of those were available in the '80s as vac kits, including the XC-99 and XP-55.

In 1915 Fokker tried to make a "Battle Plane", factory model M9. The front of each outboard fuselage was meant to hold a gun and gunner. The fuselages were not connected, so when the wings warped so did the the rest of the plane. The test pilot made two flights, one with gunners and one without, and said "No more!"

I always liked the Saunders Roe SR. A/1 flying boat jet fighter.  

Here are some that really got beat by the ugly stick:

Jet powered biplane anyone?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PZL_M-15_Belphegor

The AD Scout sure looks like it would tip over in a slight breeze...would hate to have to land this beast in a crosswind...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AD_Scout

How about the VFW 614?  Let's take an airliner, and put the engines on top of the wings....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VFW-Fokker_614

Some were offbeat, but others were only about 15-25 years ahead of their time, and the technology wasn't there yet to take full advantage of them.   Even with being bombed day and night, they made tremendous strides in advancement.....Could have done even more had not Hitler kept jumping around from one next great weapon to another.

Definitely some bizarre designs; I especially like the submarine/airplane hybrid.

Of course the Germans during World War Two had some offbeat plane designs.

Thanks G for the warning, I haven't had any intentions of picking up the Mach 2 Leduc ramjet though. Just too darn fugly! It's funny, the French produce some of the most beautiful aircraft like the Mirage series and then they make this. 

Added to the collection of unusal aircraft, is the Edgley Optica. Built in Britian as a low cost alternative to the helicopter and slow speed observation. Not exactly in mass demand, as only 23 have been built, while two more were discontinued.

Happy modeling          Crackers   

ikar01

Here's a couple of my favorites:

 

 

 

 

There once was a kit of the Guppy in 1/144 I believe but I haven't been able to find one in several years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XF-85 Goblin,  XF-84H Thunderscreach.

Gamera

Ikar: Those are cool! 

G: That R2Y2 looks really good, I'd love to see her completed. 

And I think someone did produce a resin kit in 1/72nd of the Leduc ramjet, no idea if it's still in production. 

 

Gamera - Mach 2 procuce at least two of the Leduc ramjet aircraft, but stay away from them!  If you want a model, you are better off scratchbuilding one.  There is a large hardback French language book on the Leduc ramjet series which has a lot of detail photos, but my Google-Fu is weak.  I picked up a copy in Japan at Hobbyland, one of my favorite hobby shops in Osaka.  I think that was my heaviest purchase on that trip!

So that Soviet sub-airplane was actually built?  I wonder how the engineers resolved the conflicting requirements of sturdy structure demanded by the submarine portion of the design with the minimal weight requirements of an airplane?  Kind of like trying to design a paper kite that you can use as a surfboard!

Phil_H

As far as unconventional goes, I'll drop a vote for the Boeing YC-14

 

It's like a C-17 and C-123 made a baby. I'd like it in styrene in 1/144 and 1/72. Anigrand does this one in 1/144 for $102 shipped and 1/72 for $173.00. Nice, but too big for my budget.

Ikar: Those are cool! 

G: That R2Y2 looks really good, I'd love to see her completed. 

And I think someone did produce a resin kit in 1/72nd of the Leduc ramjet, no idea if it's still in production. 

crackers

Gamera, if you forgot the flying tank, surely you must remember the Soviet Ushakov flying submarine. This is not scifi, but such a craft was actually produced. The US Navy also had such a concept on the drawing boards in the event war with Russia. Thus, flying subs could penetrate into the Baltic, or Black Sea should the Soviets close off these water bodies.

Happy modeling    Crackers   

 

 

 

Ok, can't argue with that as the most abnormal plane 

Gamera,

Here is where my R2Y2 project stands (still).

https://flic.kr/p/FFbPe7][/url]R2Y2-04 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I have loads of unfinished project like thi one in the stack.  I even started a Rutan Boomerang:

http://rutanboomerang.com/

I think that's gotta be one of the weirdest factual aircarft to fly.  Okay there are others like the Leduc ramjets as well:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leduc_0.22

I have to start another project!

Here's a couple of my favorites:

Of course the XC-99 would be good too.

Gamera, if you forgot the flying tank, surely you must remember the Soviet Ushakov flying submarine. This is not scifi, but such a craft was actually produced. The US Navy also had such a concept on the drawing boards in the event war with Russia. Thus, flying subs could penetrate into the Baltic, or Black Sea should the Soviets close off these water bodies.

Happy modeling    Crackers   

Ohhhhhh, really cool G, I'd love to see her. 

Very cool Crackers. I've got the Czech Model 1/48th kit of the ***ender - I mean Ascender... And the Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet (which was actually USAAF Olive Drab over Neutral Grey). They're so cool I have to get them built some day.

There's a 1/72nd kit of the P-75 but it's priced way more than I want to spend on a 1/72nd resin kit. 

And how can I forget the Antonov A-40 flying tank. 

BTW, I had started a jet powered R2Y2 Keiun conversion from the Fine Molds R2Y1.  I got a little hung up on fairing the front end of the engine nacelles to the wing.  The R2Y1 looks like an improbable "napkin" design, but it amazingly was built and flown breifly.  A second airframe was under construction when the war ended.

Crackers, that diamond wing transport concept is certainly weird, but it has a surreal coolness about it!  I think the biggest hurdle for such a design to take to the air is that commercial customers are terribly gun shy about buying revolutionary designs that don't look familiar.  Engine maintenance looks like fun too.  Mechanics must not be afraid of heights!

The blended body designs also look really neat, but I had read that skin drag predominates on that type of configuration.  The diamond wing aircraft with a nominally conventional fuselage would probably be more aerodynamically efficient.

I remember watching a program where the bumblebee conundrum was discussed, and the guy in the show pointed out that the aerodynamicists that made the original claim that the bee could not possibly fly used the wrong model - they were thinking fixed wing, whereas the bee is more like a helicopter (or Triebflugel).

This is a fun thread - I am one of those who love bizarre aircraft designs!

The Curiss-Wright XP55 Ascender. Remained in the experimental stage and never really considered for militaty mass production. Would make an interesting kit for those who like unconventional aircraft.

Happy modeling    Crackers   

Well, all of those are odd if not abnormal. Let me add:

Fisher P-75, cobbled together from parts including the tail of a Douglas SBD Daultless, the wings of a P-40, and the landing gear of a F-4U Corsair.

Couple of Japanese Second World War X-Planes

Six-engine America bomber:

Ryan XF2R Dark Shark, turbo-prop in the nose and jet engine in the tail. 

Goldhammer, I think this is the bumble bee you saw trying to make three attempts of flight. Must have been sampling alcoholic honey.

Happy modeling      Crackers    

crackers

You want abnormal, unconventional, or weird aircraft design ? Try this one on for size. It is so grotesque and ugly looking, that this aircraft must defy all the aerodynamic principals of flight. It would make an interesting kit for the offbeat modeler.

Happy modeling    Crackers  

 

 

Actually from an aerodynamic standpoint it is a beauty.  Sweptwing, with vertical stabs fairing into the wing and horizontal sabs and engine mounts. It takes the current short wingtip verticals to the next step. Beautiful design concept.

I really like it.

As to principles of flight, last week I watched a black and yellow bumble bee make 2 attempts to get off the ground before it finally made it on the third try.

Here are a couple of wierd ones I built from kits.

The first is the Williams Bros kit of the Pitcairn autogyro.  I don't remember the kit mfg for the second one, but the plane is the Flying Flea tandem wing plane, sold as a kit for homebuilders.

I'm a bit interested in purchasing this kit of an abby normal aircraft: