T Bolt
Colonel
User Name: T Bolt
Name: Glenn
Category: 1, Advanced
Kit: Czeck Model Curtiss A-8 Shrike
Scale: 1/48th.
Accessories: Kit supplied resin and scratch built guns made from hypodermic needles
My first and possible only entry in this group build is the first purpose built attack aircraft of The United States Army Air Corps.
Since I was in grade school seeing it in Lloyd S Jones' U.S. Fighters I have been fascinated with another Curtiss aircraft from the same time period, the P-31 Swift. The Swift looks very similar to the Shrike(from which it was developed) but was a failure being surpassed in all ways by the P-26. There never has been(and probably never will be) a 1/48th scale Swift, so when Czech Model came out with an A-8 Shrike a number of years ago I knew I had to have one. It's taken me some time but I finally laid my hands on one a month ago.
The Shrike was the first of the "Modern" all metal low wing monoplanes having won the 1929 competition for attack aircraft. It had such advanced features as "Leading Edge Slats" and "Trailing Edge Flaps". This at a time when the most advanced fighters in the Air Corps inventory were still biplanes with fabric covered wings and the Boeing P-26 Peashooter was not even on the drawing board yet.
There were 13 service test YA-8's built after the prototype(why the Air Corps obsession with 13 as in the 13 service test YB-17's?). These eventually were re-designated A-8 and were the only ones built, but that was not the end of the Shrike design as The A-12 Shrike was a radial engine version of the same basic airframe. The name "Shrike" would also be used later by Curtiss, first as a twin engine A-18 Shrike II of 1935 and then the A-25 Shrike which was the Air Corps version of the SB2C Helldiver.
Picture 1 ) The sporty little Curtiss XP-31
Pictures 2-5 ) The A-8 Shrike in the paint scheme I'll be using, olive drab fuselage and yellow wings and tail.
Picture 5 ) A close up of the Shrike's nose with aircrew in the flying clothes of the era
Picture 6 ) The box
Pictures 7-8 ) Profile from Wings Palette
Name: Glenn
Category: 1, Advanced
Kit: Czeck Model Curtiss A-8 Shrike
Scale: 1/48th.
Accessories: Kit supplied resin and scratch built guns made from hypodermic needles
My first and possible only entry in this group build is the first purpose built attack aircraft of The United States Army Air Corps.
Since I was in grade school seeing it in Lloyd S Jones' U.S. Fighters I have been fascinated with another Curtiss aircraft from the same time period, the P-31 Swift. The Swift looks very similar to the Shrike(from which it was developed) but was a failure being surpassed in all ways by the P-26. There never has been(and probably never will be) a 1/48th scale Swift, so when Czech Model came out with an A-8 Shrike a number of years ago I knew I had to have one. It's taken me some time but I finally laid my hands on one a month ago.
The Shrike was the first of the "Modern" all metal low wing monoplanes having won the 1929 competition for attack aircraft. It had such advanced features as "Leading Edge Slats" and "Trailing Edge Flaps". This at a time when the most advanced fighters in the Air Corps inventory were still biplanes with fabric covered wings and the Boeing P-26 Peashooter was not even on the drawing board yet.
There were 13 service test YA-8's built after the prototype(why the Air Corps obsession with 13 as in the 13 service test YB-17's?). These eventually were re-designated A-8 and were the only ones built, but that was not the end of the Shrike design as The A-12 Shrike was a radial engine version of the same basic airframe. The name "Shrike" would also be used later by Curtiss, first as a twin engine A-18 Shrike II of 1935 and then the A-25 Shrike which was the Air Corps version of the SB2C Helldiver.
Picture 1 ) The sporty little Curtiss XP-31
Pictures 2-5 ) The A-8 Shrike in the paint scheme I'll be using, olive drab fuselage and yellow wings and tail.
Picture 5 ) A close up of the Shrike's nose with aircrew in the flying clothes of the era
Picture 6 ) The box
Pictures 7-8 ) Profile from Wings Palette
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can't wait to see this one 
