Military Aircraft vol.52

Subject: General Atomics RQ-9 Reaper
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Revell

Work in progress vol.6 - General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper - READY!

Subject: General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Revell
Comments: Injection molded with recessed panel lines, detailed landing gear, armed with 2 GBU-12 bombs and 4 Hellfire missiles. Decals for UAS Reaper operated by 174th Fighter Wing, Hancock Field AFB, Air National Guard, USA in 2011.
     This is a large model. Wingspan reaches 42cm and the fuselage lenght is almost 24cm. Overall detail is nice, with fine recessed panel lines, although most of the surface is flat like in the real plane. the armament is also well detailed, specially the GUB-12 guided bombs. The colors of the real plane dos not help the modeler. The 2-tone grey scheme is boring, and the low visibility markings does not add more color to the airframe, but thats the objective of the camouflage. Some weathering will help, even when most pictures on the internet shows the plane in a clean configuration.
     Here are some of the construction photos:

Engine walkaround vol.12

Subject: Packard (Rolls-Royce) V1650 Merlin

Location: Dreams of Flight Museum, Orlando, Florida, USA, 2013

Comments: The Packard V-1650 was a version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engine, produced under licence in the United States by the Packard Motor Car Company. The engine was licensed in order to provide a 1,500 hp (1,100 kW; 1,500 PS)-class design at a time when U.S. engines of this rating were not considered ready for use even after years of development.

            The first V-1650s, with a simple one-stage supercharger, were used in the P-40F Kittyhawk fighter. Later versions included a much more advanced two-stage supercharger for greatly improved performance at high altitudes. It found its most famous application in the North American P-51 Mustang fighter, where it vastly improved that aircraft's performance at altitude, transforming the Mustang into an outstanding fighter with the range and performance to escort heavy bombers over the European continent. By 1944, P-51B, P-51C and P-51D "Merlin" Mustangs were able to escort Allied heavy bombers in daylight all the way to Berlin and yet were still capable of combating German fighters attempting to intercept the bombers. By late 1944, the Allies had won air supremacy over the whole of Germany, and Germany's defeat in World War II began to appear inevitable.

Engine walkaround vol.6: UPDATED!

Subject: Pratt & Whitney R2800 Double Wasp
Description: Air cooled, two row, 18 cylinder radial engine with  46L displacement
Power 2100hp at 2700rpm.

1) P&W R2800 National Air and Sapce Museum, Washington DC, 2010

2) P&W R2800 Flugausstellung L.+P. Junior, Geramny 2012

P&W R2800 Dreams of Flight, Orlando (Florida), USA, 2013



I could´nt resist building one of these engines for my colection! So here it is: Trumpeter´s R2800 for the Corsair F4U-4: