Jairus- How about that race plane CPB?

[Jim Gibbons]

Thanks for posting the pictures, Jarius. My father's best friend flew fighters off the Essex in WW2. He flew F6F Hellcats, Corsairs, and after hostilities were over, Bearcats. His favorite was the Corsair, but he really liked the flight characteristics and performance of the Bearcat. I do actually have a Corsair I could use (an old Monogram working parts kit), but one of the inner upper wing sections was a short shot molding, so with a little scratchbuilding, it could be a candidate. Even if I end up not contributing, this will be a really cool topic to watch.

[LDO]

For those who like something different, a couple of Yak-11 trainers have been converted to racers. Here's a Yak-11 in stock form, notice the small spinner, huge 2-seat cockpit, and the fabric-covered section near the tail (where ribs are visible under the skin). Compare those to the modified planes.

"Mr. Awesome" got a T-33 (American jet trainer) tail, along with all her other mods:

"Perestroika" (Later "Czech Mate". The plane was actually Czech-built under license) has a cowling from a French bomber...and no, I have no idea which French bomber. Notice the NACA scoop below the cockpit. I would imagine that is for an oil cooler.

As Czech Mate:

The only 1/48 Yak-11 that I know of is a resin kit by RVHP. It's hard to find and about 50 bucks, IIRC. There is a 1/72 Yak-11 in styrene. I saw one on Ebay for 23 bucks. Kinda pricey for 1/72, if you ask me. If you want to do this on a budget, you could get an ICM kit of a V-12 Yak and widen the fuselage. You'll need a 1/48 cowl from a radial engine plane, then make the two mate up. Sounds like a lot of work, but it's not really that difficult. All your "surgery" will get covered with bondo and smoothed out for a glossy finish. No need to worry about panel line detail. There are ICM Yaks on ebay for 7 bucks.

You could also just build a Yak racer with a V-12

[Wagoneer81]

Well, this may be the reason that this kit didn't sell when I put it on eBay...

Might give me an excuse to work this pair in after I finish a few other projects...

[Aaronw]

First off I want to say that I do not yet have Gregg's blessing on this crazy build off. I will talk to him...

Second, I am very close to banning all twin engine aircraft so please don't push it. The twin Mustang was never a serious war machine in WW2 like the P-38 and since a racing sport plane needs to be maneuverable and quick. Anything big will have a serious disadvantage in cornering around pylons. The twin Mustang was also not widely produced until AFTER the war. None of the airframes saw action in WW2 according to all records so it is technically not a WW2 Warbird.

Talk me out of it if you want to try... but I initially want to say no.

I think the F-82 is neat, but I can't really disagree with your logic for wanting to exclude it. It is at best a what if racer, not a realistic option due to limited use.

The Twin Mustang was used in Korea as a successful nightfighter and ground attack. It scored some daylight kills early in the war against Soviet built prop fighters flown by the North Koreans, so the "not a serious fighter" is a bit harsh. It was very fast, nearly 500 mph. It's wing span and weight are nearly identical to the F7F Tigercat which has been used as a racer, although I don't know how successfully.

The Twin Mustang definately missed WW2, it's first flight was in mid 1945 and the first production version became available in 1946. It did not start to show up in fighter squadrons as a long range escort fighter and all weather / night fighter until 1948. At least the Tigercat, Bearcat and Sea Fury were available when the war ended even if not in time to see any combat.

No provision for spare parts was made when ordered so its wartime service in Korea saw many planes cannibalized for parts to keep the rest flying. As a result not many were left to be sold as surplus when it was phased out in the early 1950s. Only a 1/2 dozen or so still exist today and I don't believe any are air worthy.

[Aaronw]

Oh, and if anyone wants something truly unique (if unlikley, I think only 1 survived the war) have a look at the DO-335 Arrow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornier_Do_335

[Jairus]

Hey Aaron, go for it if you want to do the Twin Mustang! I just don't think it was/is maneuverable enough for pylon racing. But since this is "bench racing" at it's greatest.... what does it matter? The Twin Mustang was designed to give support to the B-29 bomber because of their greater range and they were indeed fast.

The ME 262 was fast too but very bad at cornering so it only practiced hit and run missions on our bombers.

When chosing a subject it pays to know the stock performance before modifying it into a real racer!

[droogie]

Don't dismiss the P-39 Airacobra. A P-39 with an engine out of a P-63 Kingcobra won the 1st post WWII National Air Race Thompson Trophy. Although a pre WWII design, the P-39 was fast and highly maneuverable at low altitude (where most air racing takes place). The P-39 also features a unique mid-engine layout. Good P-39 kits in all of the major aircraft modeling scales are as common as dirt.

[Jairus]

Robert, not forgetting and did mention it. I agree with you that the mid engine layout makes it a cool candidate as a racer for sure! I even have one on hand just in case my FW 190 bid falls through. Thanks for bringing it up tho. I wonder why nobody has raced one?

[Harry P.]

My knowledge of WWII planes amounts to about zero... but to me, the P51 Mustang just looks fast! Cool styling, it just looks like it run rings around the others. I remember building a kit as a kid... I seem to remember that it was all chrome? Anyone know the kit I'm remembering?

[Gregg]

Here's a possibility:

[droogie]

My guess is that the airframes are in short supply. At least half of all P-39s produced were given to the Soviet Union via lend/lease. Many of the types that are currently raced (P-51, F8F, Sea Fury) were built in much larger numbers or post war.

[Gregg]

Or these two:

[Jairus]

That 1/24th scale plane you posted Gregg is a Spitfire and very cool!

I have a 1/72 Bearcat that I started to make into an air racer. Got it out this afternoon and decided that I can't see details that small anymore...

Going to stick with 1/48th or larger.

[envious8420]

i picked up a built up p-51 for this, it will be completly rebuilt.

[Jim Gibbons]

I agree with Robert's (droogie's) assessment of the P-39. This is to be a sampling of theoretical racing planes, so I'd guess that anything goes within the basic guidelines (and frankly, I think a well done Aircobra could be a spoiler). If I'm gonna play with an F4F Corsair, it's going to be for fun, because so many of you are so much more talented than I! I'm looking forward to being a part of this, though.

[jeffs396]

I'm in with a Revell 1:48 P-39...this could be just what some of us need for the automotive "builder's burnout"!

Thanks for this gents!

[LDO]

My start: Monogram P-51D. Cheap plane; great for cutting up. I used a battery-powered Dremel to smooth out cockpit walls and then blocked it off with strip styrene. (I smoothed it out so I could glue in the first layer of strip, which is longer than the cockpit opening) The cockpit will be moved back and get a tiny "teardrop" canopy. The wing has been glued together with shell ejection ports and bomb mounting points filled in. The wing tips will get clipped a little. One wing has a removable panel so the builder can show the ammo feed chutes. That was glued shut and reinforced from behind. You can also see my basic idea for a paint scheme.

I really like this build project. I'm building entirely from my stockpile. I already have the plane, and everything else is stuff that any car builder likely has; Evergreen styrene, putty, and paint.

[Blake Rogers]

cool lee i cant wait to see her done

[LUKE'57]

Guys, there were several P-39 racers and even a few P-63 King Cobras. I've got some pictures of a one off Curtis P-40Q that was lost in an early post-war air race that had a factory bubble canopy and pretty smooth lines that would make a good candidate. I've got copies of Air Classic Magazines going back for years, including the yearly air race special issues that have bunches of photos of the air racers and once the cutting and engine swapping began in ernest it was Katy bar the door. This contest can be, according to drag race terms, pretty much "run what cha brung" and the entries should still be legal. As a long time air race fan, I am really looking forward to what this contest brings out.

BTW here's a link to some pics of a model of a very famous P-39 racer.

http://www.austinsms.org/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=-5

[Jairus]

Nice start Lee!

Cannot wait for my darned kit to get here...

In the mean time I will post cool pics one a day to keep the interest up!

[Jim Gibbons]

Guys, there were several P-39 racers and even a few P-63 King Cobras. I've got some pictures of a one off Curtis P-40Q that was lost in an early post-war air race that had a factory bubble canopy and pretty smooth lines that would make a good candidate. I've got copies of Air Classic Magazines going back for years, including the yearly air race special issues that have bunches of photos of the air racers and once the cutting and engine swapping began in ernest it was Katy bar the door. This contest can be, according to drag race terms, pretty much "run what cha brung" and the entries should still be legal. As a long time air race fan, I am really looking forward to what this contest brings out.

BTW here's a link to some pics of a model of a very famous P-39 racer.

http://www.austinsms.org/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=-5

Thanks for the link to the P-39 model; I REALLY like that!

[Jairus]

To those few who decided to choose the P-38 Lightning to modify into a racer. Click on the pic to be taken to a weird french web site (no not adult) that came up with every possible combination. A lot of strange stuff in there but also a few interesting and unusual designs that might be cool!

[1320wayne]

One that wasn't discussed, and maybe it never did make for a formidable racing component, was the P-40. It had an average top speed of 362 mph (based on 22,000 ft elevation testing) compared to the P-51 at an average of 430 mph based on the same guidelines.

But for the sake of this challenge, a suitable option for someone like myself that simply loves the p-40 frame. I have built a few of these, over the years, with quite a few left to go.

And for anyone, like myself, that appreciates the history behind these planes from WWII, there were some interesting stories behind certain actual planes from that time. Like this particular plane flown by Colonel Robert Baselar in the Pacific theater, with the 325th "Checkertail Clan". The plane had seen lots of heavy action and was torn up pretty good but since Colonel Baselar had made a name for himself as a quality pilot he was chosen for some PR duty to help boost support for the war effort back home. His plane was refurbished and repainted for PR use and even still saw some battle action after it's transformation. By today's standards it even has a bit of a rat rod/hot rod feel to it. Even though I can't hold a candle to any excellent plane builders I had a lot of fun building this one.

I might just have to take one of my remaining P-40 kits and join in on this as it has been some time since I opened up a plane kit.

[Aaronw]

Wayne, nice P-40. There was a late war P-40 that never entered production (P-40Q I think), it had a bubble canopy, 4 bladed prop, squared off wings and other improvements that got the P-40 over 400 mph. I thought it might give you some ideas for what someone might have done to make a hot rodded P-40 racer. If you were up to some major plastic surgery you could probably bash a P40 with a P-51.

[Jairus]

I too like the P-40! However the history of this airframe is as checkered as the tail of Col Baselar's plane. Seems that Curtis-Wright kept modifying the airframe rather than draw up plans for something new. The P-40 entered service in 1938 based on an older design, the P-36, and holds the destinction of being produced clear up to the end of the war. It was an obsolete design when Pearl Harbor was attacked in December 1941 and yet the manufacturer held onto their government contract with a vise-like grip continually producing and modifying right up to 1945. Then Senator Harry Truman found massive faults in the company but, like government waste of today, could do little about it but complain.

It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I would love to see a Sports Racer made from a P-40N!

Edited July 5, 2010 by Jairus