For those of you who like the offbeat and the weird, here is some aircraft designs that would make interesting conversations at any model display event. These would have to be scratch built, as any kit manufacture worth their reputation would never consider to issue an unorthodox design to the modeling public.
Happy modeling Crackers [:)]
That Horten (I think that is the German wing there) and the Twin Mustang are existing, currently available kits.
Another unusual design is the German Bv-141. Single fuselage, no cockpit but an offset cockpit pod attached alongside the boom fuselage.
Ye, those last two are least are both issued as kits, the 229 in at least 3 scales.
Now this is a weird design.
That one exists as a paper model in 1/33 i believe.
If you think the Short 330 looks “abnormal”, you should see its older cousin, the SC.7 Skyvan. It looks rather like someone drove a 330 into an immovable object.
(and yes, there is/was a kit of this)
PS: I’d prefer the term “unconventional” rather than “abnormal”.
You mean the Triebflugel. There was a 1/72nd model by Huma, the company has gone but the model can still be found.
As far as unconventional goes, I’ll drop a vote for the Boeing YC-14 [:)]
Building a 72nd scale F-82 now. Old Monogram kit.
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 [:P]
Engine maintenance would have to be a dream…
I’m a bit interested in purchasing this kit of an abby normal aircraft:
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.
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.
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 [:S]
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.
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 [:D]
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!
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.
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.
Ohhhhhh, really cool G, I’d love to see her.