Fairey Twin Battle Daylight bomber

[Balsabasher]

Everyone knows the Fairey Battle,but how many know of the intended development into a twin engined machine using jigs and tooling of the single engine version ? on reflection the twin would have probably resolved a lot of the problems of the Battle which was overweight,slow and cumbersome lacking in performance,designed as a daylight bomber looking at the design I think if it had been placed into production then it would have been a successful aeroplane on a par with the Bristol Blenheim 1.
I have finally found the original Fairey works drawings for this little known type and the plan is to build a solid model of it.
Here are the first steps,scaling he drawing up and producing some card templates from which to cut the first wood.
Barry

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/20120422_2.JPG

[Will]

barry,

It looks like the fuselage was based on the later two canopy type?
Presumably by the time they could have got such a revision sorted, it would have been surpassed as a light bomber by Beauforts, Beaufighters and Mosquitoes...not to mention the US types arriving.  Two engines might have sorted the performance but the Battle's warload and armament was also lacking and I think it only had those funny wing cells for bomb bays?
Interesting historical sideline for a model though.

Will

[Balsabasher]

Yes I thought it was interesting to re-create  bit of little known aviation hitory as well Will,these what if sitations have become clouded in time,desperate times called for resourceful thinking and this configuration is no exception.
Barry

[lastvautour]

You select very interesting subjects.

Lou

[Balsabasher]

Thank you Lou,yes we are not restricted in any way what to build as scratch builders in wood,the world is our oyster ! and thats another good reason to build solids.
Barry.

[buccfan]

I must admit I'd never heard of a Twin Battle, you do pull some interesting projects out of the bag Barry.Regards Paul J.

[Balsabasher]

The wings were made for the Fairey Twin Battle and the Grumman Hellcat finally completed after sitting around in bare wood since when the cookup for this was first started,its finished in a simple overall midnight blue scheme,you can add the Hellcat to the 2012 folder Lou.
Barry.

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/20120529_2.JPG



http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/20120529_11.JPG



http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/20120529_10.JPG

[lastvautour]

Nice start. I have a bench that very same colour.

Lou

[lastvautour]

Excellent Hellcat. I cannot find any text on the subject. What scale is it?

Lou

[Balsabasher]

Lou it was so long ago that it has probably got buried in the archives but there are some build pictures in the Hellcat cookup section,the scale is 1=48th and it was made from Basswood,hollowed cockpit and a few internals added plus home brew canopy,I do not know why it has taken so long to complete probably put aside for other projects as you do sometimes.
Yes benches do get multi coloured after a while !
Barry.

[Balsabasher]

The Fairey Twin Battle seen today on the workbench,if this had been built then it would have been a very impressive machine,Faireys actually made a full sized mock up but proceeded no further with the project,a unique piece of aviation history and I bet this is the first solid ever made of it ?
Barry.

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pid=7104&fullsize=1



http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pid=7105&fullsize=1







http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pid=7106&fullsize=1

Sorry but I just cannot get any pictures to show up here tonight ? click directly onto the links and they will appear.
Gremlins at play ?

BARRY.

[lastvautour]

Good work Barry.

Lou

You were trying to post the "link" instead of the picture URL.

[Balsabasher]

Thanks for sorting that out Lou,I find this Firefox difficult to work with at times,not on my usual computer as that needs servicing.
Barry.

[lastvautour]

Pleased to be of service.

Lou

[Balsabasher]

Spinners have been tuned up and added,engine nacelles have been carved to shape plus a few coats of sanding sealer applied.
Barry.



http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/20120610_13.JPG