P-40 Twin

[T Bolt]

Looks great!

Have you given any thought to enlarging he fin and rudder?

Assymetric thrust on this thing would be a b!7ch

You're probably right, but the prototype had the same fin so I'm going to stick with it here too - mostly because I want it to still look like a Warhawk. Maybe a reverse Allison engine like in the P-38? When I do the 1/48th version I'll be using a P-40L model with the longer fuselage. I don't know if a reverse engine would be an option on a P-40L because it had a Merlin engine. Anyone know if a reverse rotating Merlin was ever produced?

I did some filing and sanding last night before bed to blend in the upper nacelles a little better. Also finished and installed the cockpit with some lead foil harnesses.

Tonight I spent over 2 hours working on this one lower nacelle. Many little bits and pieces of plastic, a lot of super glue and a lot of filing and sanding. It's been the most difficult part of this project so far but seems to have turned out all right. Now I have to do it again for the other side.

 

[Capt. Vick]

Nice nacelle!

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

Great stuff Glenn. Don't know of any Merlin series with opposite rotation, although the Griffon, of course, rotated the opposite way to the Merlin.

 

[Wurger]

I have found that the P-40 twin in the first pic posted by Glenn, was a dummer only. It was made using parts of a P-40C s/n 41-13456. The US Army wasn't interested in this and the project was given up.

 

[MacArther]

Soooo awesome!

 

[T Bolt]

I have found that the P-40 twin in the first pic posted by Glenn, was a dummer only. It was made using parts of a P-40C s/n 41-13456. The US Army wasn't interested in this and the project was given up.

It wouldn't surprise me if it was just an elaborate joke thrown together my some mechanics. That serial number is a mystery though. 41-13456 is listed as a P-40C, but as can be seen in the blow-up of the picture below The fuselage and canopy is from a later model P-40, no earlier than a D model all the way until the canopy was changed again with the N model.

Looking at the serial number the last 3 digits are obviously 456 and the first 3 appear to be 113, but that isn't so certain. Assuming the first digit is a 1 for 1941, I looked up every 41- serial ending in 456 and only came up with 3 hits for P-40's.

-The first is the assumed number for this aircraft, P-40C 41-13456 listed as condemned may 6, 1943.

-The second is P-40F-10 41-14556 which is listed as condemned Feb 27, 1943, which is a possibility as it would have had a Merlin engine like the pictured aircraft.

-The third is P-40E-1 41-36456 which is listed as going to the USSR, so I think we can eliminate this one.

Another possibility struck me as I was looking up these serials: If this was a joke perpetrated by a maintenance crew, and to cover their @ss they painted on a new serial, 41-23456 would appear on the tail as the number sequence 123456 and could very well be the number in the pictures. I could see those guys getting a laugh putting on a number like that (That number really belonged to an A-29 Hudson by the way)

The more I think about it, the more I think this is the answer.

 

[Lucky13]

Great work Glenn!

 

[Wurger]

All is possible Glenn. However I found another brief info about the mock-up plane in the Kagero Monography for the Curtiss P-40. In October of 1942 , a few of P-40Cs being still used by the USAAF , were transfered to training units and marked as RP-40C. One of them s/n 41-13456 was converted into the "twin" by dismounting of the engine and its cradle. Two engines Packard/RR Merlin V-1650-1 were "borrowed" from P-40F and attached with nacelles to the wing tops. So it means that the cockpit conopy could have been taken from another late model of the P-40. It might have been the P-40D or E or F. Just JRD way.

 

[T Bolt]

Sounds like it fits the picture except for the canopy. The part that's different between the P-40C and the aircraft in the picture is the side windows behind the cockpit. These windows were of a different shape, the aft ends being much more pointed and narrow than the later model windows. A later model window would not fit on a P-40C rear fuselage.

Below in a comparison of the two types of canopies. Also the rear fuselage had a slightly different shape in the later models which I believe is the same as in the picture although I'll admit that's a harder call to make from that angle.

With this evidence I'm pretty well convinced that the fuselage in the picture is not from a P-40C, but from one of the later models. Possibly the wing and tail fin was From the P-40C mentioned.

It does look as though something has been done at the wing attachment as the fairing there is missing.

 

[Wurger]

I understand. And you can be really right. Especially that there is no proof she has ever been flying. No wonder. A such collapsible plane wouldn't be able to take off rather.

 

[Capt. Vick]

Love the detective work Glenn!

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

WWWWWow!
Keep up the excellent work Glenn.

 

[Gnomey]

Looks great so far Boats!

 

[ccheese]

I don't mean to hi-jack your thread, Glenn, but I thought your followers would appreciate this.... a flying model twin Texan. I pulled this off of one of the model airplane forums I belong to. The pic was taken after one engine crapped out and the "pilot" had to make an quick landing.

Charles

 

[T Bolt]

Cool Charles. More along the lines of the F-82 Twin Mustang. Both North American even.

 

[N4521U]

Now how did I miss this one.
Ah-may-zing!

 

[T Bolt]

Thanks Bill

I've been struggling on the other nacelle for the last few days. The problem was making it just like the first one. After a lot of work I think I've got it close enough so I glued them on. Still a lot if filling to do around the wing leading edged though. I also drilled out the gun ports in the nose. I figure four fifties on top and a couple of cannon on the bottom.

 

[Lucky13]

Smashing work pal!

 

[Wayne Little]

great work Glenn.