Twin Engine Thunderbolt in 1/72nd Scale

[T Bolt]

I saw that quite a while ago, and although he does it in a very annoying style, he does have a lot of good info there and has even identified the location the picture was taken. When it comes right down to it, my theory that it was just a joke put together by some guys with a supply of beer, spare time and various P-40 parts is pretty close to his.

 

[Ivan1GFP]

I have always been of the opinion this was just an exercise in sheet metal and very minimal work. It simply isn't a feasible design aerodynamically and never would have entered production with Merlin engines even it it were feasible. By contract, there were not enough Merlins available even for single engine P-40Fs and P-40Ls which is why production stopped on those. Another interesting feature which I had not noticed before was how close the two propellers are to each other. That doesn't leave much room in the nose for guns and there certainly isn't room in the wings for guns.
My guess is that the pieces scrounged from a P-40 were well painted, but the custom pieces were not such as the cowl. I am also guessing that the back of the nacelles came from spares from some other aircraft that Curtiss was building perhaps under contract.

 

[T Bolt]

Here are the final pictures. This was a challenging build, but I really enjoyed it.

 

[GrauGeist]

WoW!

Just wow...that turned out absolutely fantastic!

Well done, Glenn

 

[fubar57]

Really enjoyed following this build, Glenn

 

[SaparotRob]

AWESOME! It looks professionally built as opposed to what those bored Curtiss engineers did with a P-40 and some sheet metal. That's what the Blackhawks should've been flying.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

What a doozy Glenn a fantastic effort and brilliant "What If".

Well done.

 

[Wurger]

Well done !

 

[Airframes]

Beaut job Glenn !

 

[Gnomey]

Lovely work Glenn!

 

[RepublicP-47_grandson]

My grandfather, John Osedach, is on the right, shaking hands with Mundy Peale, when he got an award for his shop at Republic in Farmingdale NY. He was with Igor Sikorsky, and was a personal friend of his, before Republic. When Sikorsky was in Garden City NY, sharing space with Glenn Curtiss. He was with Grumman in Bethpage, after Republic, where he was part of the Lunar Module project. I have pictures from those places too, if anyone is interested. I was told a story, that Neil Armstrong visited Grumman, after they returned from the moon, and he gave out Apollo 11 Mission Patches to the "Grummanites" who were involved, in thanks for the work they did. In particular, the ASCENT stage engine for the LEM, which was the only thing that could not be tested prior to the mission. If it didn't work, they were stranded on the Moon. The explosive bolts, and the engine had to fire, or else!! It was the one thing that scared them. My grandfather gave me that mission patch when I was 7 or 8, and I still have it today. I'm including a picture of the patch, me in my astronaut suit that my grandparents gave me, and my grandpa's on the left side of the picture of the engine. Here are some pics of Sikorsky and my grandfather too. Hope you enjoy them.

 

[Maty12]

Excellent work, Glenn! I especially love the folding main gear doors

 

[Lucky13]

Well....

 

[SaparotRob]

My grandfather, John Osedach, is on the right, shaking hands with Mundy Peale, when he got an award for his shop at Republic in Farmingdale NY. He was with Igor Sikorsky, and was a personal friend of his, before Republic. When Sikorsky was in Garden City NY, sharing space with Glenn Curtiss. He was with Grumman in Bethpage, after Republic, where he was part of the Lunar Module project. I have pictures from those places too, if anyone is interested. I was told a story, that Neil Armstrong visited Grumman, after they returned from the moon, and he gave out Apollo 11 Mission Patches to the "Grummanites" who were involved, in thanks for the work they did. In particular, the ASCENT stage engine for the LEM, which was the only thing that could not be tested prior to the mission. If it didn't work, they were stranded on the Moon. The explosive bolts, and the engine had to fire, or else!! It was the one thing that scared them. My grandfather gave me that mission patch when I was 7 or 8, and I still have it today. I'm including a picture of the patch, me in my astronaut suit that my grandparents gave me, and my grandpa's on the left side of the picture of the engine. Here are some pics of Sikorsky and my grandfather too. Hope you enjoy them.

How did I miss this post? Great stuff! I'd love to see more pics from the birthplace of aviation, "Lawnguyland".
Go Grumman! I've actually piloted a few of Grumman's products. Great canoes!