danse Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 (edited) Hello everyone! I've gotten the mods to move this thread out of the What-If GB and into the In-Progress area, as I didn't finish in time for the GB, but I want to continue with the build. So, just ignore the references to the GB and all will be well! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Here's (hopefully) the first of my contributions to the group build. If Canada hadn't cancelled the Arrow, and continued with engine and airframe developments to improve the interceptor concept, this is where I envision the Arrow would have ended up. Originally inspired by RL Whitcomb's silhouette: Here are some additional components that I intend to incorporate into my design: Diverter-less Supersonic Inlets RAM-Air scramjet-type Engines from Sentou Yousei Yukikaze (Described as ramjet, but functions physically more like a scramjet) Edited June 2, 2009 by danse Quote Link to post Share on other sites
danse Posted April 20, 2009 Author Share Posted April 20, 2009 Here's a photo of my two projects together. Jeez. I know that the Arrow was bigger than most modern aircraft, but that's extreme. Here's a photo that's more of a plan view to compare the size of the Hornet to the Arrow. Hard to believe there's 30 years separating them! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
danse Posted April 20, 2009 Author Share Posted April 20, 2009 So here's the last thing I'm going to upload tonight: I started with plans that I've got for the Arrow, and put them into Illustrator. Then I started adding the outline from Whitcomb's version: I then added the structural members (I think I may have gone overboard) as well as the diverter-less supersonic inlets and the scramjet engines. At this point, I've finally realised where the Whitcomb idea might have come from: the XB-70. The canards are quite thin and I've read that these types of canards are for creating lift only, and not for maneuverability. I'll have to rethink the angles and size of these, then. Also, I'm not sure if the main wing outer sections will be movable (same anhedral across the plane of the wing but will swivel down at supersonic speeds like the XB-70) or if they should be canted downwards all the time... Suggestions? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
danse Posted April 30, 2009 Author Share Posted April 30, 2009 (edited) Right-o. Here's an update! More to come tomorrow... After three tries, I've got the fuselage cleaned up & rescribed to my satisfaction; once I prime it, I'll look for further imperfections. For those who are gonna build the Hobbycraft Arrow in 72nd.... sinkmarks and non-alignments galore! Here's the port side. And the starboard side with the nose section... I think I'll have to clamp the nose tip. Finally, here's my -nearly- finished plan for the Arrow! The cockpit hasn't been updated - I've got some ideas coming. The canards are full movable surfaces, along with the stabilators at the back (I'll scribe in those reinforcement joints) and I've added the scramjets along with the ram scoops along the top of the fuselage. Underneath the main wings are FAST packs which will also double as a shaping element for the supersonic shockwave. (no, I'm not an aeronautical engineer... but I could hope, right?) The shockwave will be compressed by the dropped wingtips using the same "Waverider" concept as the XB-70... Looks like an interceptor, I hope! Comments, feedback, words of outrage? Edited April 30, 2009 by danse Quote Link to post Share on other sites
illithid00 Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I was never a big fan of the Arrow's original design, but I love the revamp you put on it. Definitely a much more appealing aircraft. Great job! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChernayaAkula Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Man, this is gonna look cool! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TaiidanTomcat Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Brilliant looking! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Amen Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Seems ok to me.Very good inspirations and wills!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
danse Posted May 28, 2009 Author Share Posted May 28, 2009 (edited) Ohhhh it's been a number of weeks, and life gets in the way... but here's an update. If anyone's still following this build, I don't abandon it if the GB ends before I finish! So, here goes: One thing I can't stand is the incomplete detailing of the intake trunking (as evidenced in my other build - the Stealth Hornet) so I started cutting away the intake blanks in the Hobbycraft molds. Here's a top shot of the opened up intake blanks, and holes made in the stock first rib support. Intake ducting will be installed thru the openings. Had some ideas about a COFFIN type system (adopted from Ace Combat 3) for the cockpit; because this version of the Arrow is hypersonic (Mach 5+) capable, it didn't make sense to me to have a glass canopy. I ended up picking the version on the right. Here's the canopy that I've sanded down to a more streamlined shape... to get the shape that I wanted, I sanded through the canopy itself! Here's the COFFIN Overlay that I've templated onto styrene and carved out. Added some notches / darts so the styrene wouldn't overlap itself as I bent it around the sides of the canopy. I dipped it in boiling water a number of times to gradually shape it so it wouldn't crack (as much!) as it I glued it over the canopy. Also a better view of the damage I did to the canopy during sanding... Here's another image of the canopy and COFFIN overlay; I glued styrene over the hole that I made during the canopy sanding; after gluing, I added Tamiya putty over the styrene to finish the canopy shaping. Comparison of the original canopy (taken from another Arrow kit) and the re-shaped one. The COFFIN overlay glued in place. Still need to putty and do some final shaping. Another view of the canopy. Errrrgh. Didn't know there were limits to how many pics I can post per reply.... and had to re-do the links for some strange reason! Anyway, I've split today's post in two. Edited May 30, 2009 by danse Quote Link to post Share on other sites
danse Posted May 28, 2009 Author Share Posted May 28, 2009 (edited) ONTO the WINGS.... I've added a brace so the bottom of the wing won't collapse into the cavity. I put the brace where I'll end up separating the wing for the Waverider component. You'll also see that I've closed up the MLG doors; the fit here was surprisingly decent; only a little few sanding tweaks here and there for a snug fit, and a teeny bit of putty needed on the outside to clean the edges up. Hobbycraft also included little seating pins for the doors which can be knocked off if you're going to keep the doors open. Here's the major bits that I've got to put together... the wings are post-severing, but pre-modding... Still need to finish the intakes, and the engines from scratch and I haven't figured out how the engines are going to be built yet! Oh, during the cutting process, I used the backside of a No11 blade (with a snapped tip) and scribed along the outside of the fence. Before I started scribing, I used Dymo Tape to guide the blade along the flaps - I left the Dymo Tape on the starboard wing for the photo. Comments? Feedback? Flaming bags of poo on the porch? Edited May 28, 2009 by danse Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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