Scratch-built 1/72 High Speed Flying Boat project
-1930-
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Introduction
The quest for Speed has originated a plethora of beautiful shapes, dazzling
prototypes, unique machines which only purpose was to combine lots of
power with a polished, streamlined, efficient, lean airframe.
 The
object of this article was just a study, a proposal on the subject by
W.G. Carter published in the “Aircraft Engineer” supplement
of Flight Magazine of September 1930.
This racer was supposed to use two Napier Lions in a tandem configuration,
thus canceling the dreaded torque effects that made these super-powered
machines hard to control specially in take-off runs. Of course the tremendous
heat delivered by the power plants needed a huge radiating surface –
these were water-cooled engines – that had to be spread over almost
every surface. The oil radiators were placed on the model in the lower
surfaces of the engine gondola, while the water radiators were represented
by colored decals in several areas, depicting the aluminum “skin”
type radiator also used, for example, in the Supermarine S6.
Construction
 The
model is based on the 3–view given in the second page of the above-mentioned
article. With extremely attractive lines this proposed machine was conceived
to embody the state of the art of the trade for the time. Since this design
was just a study, there is no really detail to talk about, so for example
radiators surfaces location, cockpit interior and colors are speculative.
I did the best to…please myself regarding those issues. A trolley
was also devised to help exhibit the model. The tiny canopy was vacuformed
in my smelly Mattel contraption.
In-progress images will tell the story of the building development,
while shots of the finished model will give an idea of the refined concept
and gleaming beauty of this 1930 study on marrying horsepower with elegance
and efficiency.
 Ingredients:
One float – modified – from the Aeroclub generic floats vacformed
sheet. One seat from a long ago forgotten kit, reversed and modified.
A Napier Lion metal casting also from Aeroclub. Several aluminum tubes,
wires and liberal use of styrene sheet and rod. Home made decals. Completing
the ingredients list are Yerba Mate, putty and a modicum of predisposition
towards sanding, and a couple of Fellini’s DVDs for the breaks.
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