kg4kpg Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I have the little Platz C-46 kit and would like to try converting it to the early twin-tail version but so far have only found 3 pictures of it. Trying to find a 3-view image so I can see how the tail planes look from above. If anyone has seen other pictures of this plane, please post a link. Thanks, Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimmaas Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Best info I know of would be Skyways Magazine 53 and 54, from early 2000. There's a small three view (sorry, it's not a Bentley scale plan). Check this LINK which shows they have issue 53 as a PDF download. Best of luck - Jim Maas Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 The CW-20 didn't have the double bubble fuselage cross section that the C-46 had. There are almost no parts in common between the two. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kg4kpg Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 Well crud, guess that puts that idea to bed. I'll just have to find a unique scheme then. Thanks for the info guys. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimmaas Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Well crud, guess that puts that idea to bed. I'll just have to find a unique scheme then. Thanks for the info guys. Not so fast - from Bowers' Curtiss Aircraft 1907 - 1947: "CW-20T - as completed in 1940, the prototype CW-20 was a twin finned transport....the fuselage cross-section was of the double-lobe type, with two circular sections intersecting at the level of the cabin floor..." There are a lot of things to change to get a prototype, but the cross section is not one of them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Not so fast - from Bowers' Curtiss Aircraft 1907 - 1947: "CW-20T - as completed in 1940, the prototype CW-20 was a twin finned transport....the fuselage cross-section was of the double-lobe type, with two circular sections intersecting at the level of the cabin floor..." There are a lot of things to change to get a prototype, but the cross section is not one of them. They must have faired over the double-lobe then, look at the pic of the CW-20 he posted (the one photographed from below and in front) compared with a C-46. The Commando has a very large crease at the junction of the lobes that the CW-20 clearly does not. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 It looks like, to me anyways, that the crease is present just below the wing level in the second picture that was posted. You can just see it along the forward fuselage. Sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimmaas Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Well, Lance and Jennings are right - in the Skyways articles there's a beautiful shot of the CW-20 under construction that shows the fuselage in cross section, with the distinctive double bubble crease. But in the text [memo - must actually read the text!] it states that the crease was plated over to reduce drag. The AAF thought that was unnecessary (along with many other innovative features) so the C-46 didn't have the overplating. That overplating is probably what looks, to me, like a crease line. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimmaas Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 (edited) duplicate Edited June 4, 2015 by jimmaas Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LanceB Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Found a bit more. Forward fuselage pic Main page Lots of good pics there, but no three-view plans. This pic seems to show the plating over the crease pretty well. There might be enough from this site to work out how to make the different cowlings of the CW-20, and I think (especially in 1/144) some putty work would sort out the fuselage contours, that leaves the tail feathers as the missing bits of the puzzle. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 It was faired over (plating is for ships!). The engine cowlings were substantially different, as was the landing gear. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ross blackford Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 :D, Curtiss-Wright refer to it as a ship so maybe "plating" isn't such an inappropriate word. , Ross. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve N Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I've always heard that the crease was intended to be faired over on the production airliners, but since the aircraft ended up being built pretty much exclusively for the military the fairings were eliminated. The reason for the "double bubble" configuration was ecause the plane was originally intended to be pressurized. Looking at that first CW-20 photo, it appears the aft fuselage has a more tapered "teardrop" shape than the single-tail production planes. But that may just be an optical illusion due to the fact that the production versions had a pronounced dorsal filet. SN Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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