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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Baloo: [QB] Bernd is always complaining that kitbashes aren't correct and that scaling a ship up or down doesn't really work that way in real physics. I tried to find some real-life examples from aviation. When Bernd comes along, he'll correct my mistakes, so bear with me. <img src="http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/fta/xp38.jpg" align=left> The P-38 Lightning was very fast for its day, and until the P-51 Mustang came along, it was the longest-ranged plane in the U.S. arsenal. It was so good they decided to try scaling it up.<BR clear=left> <img src="http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/p58s.jpg" align=right> The XP-58 Chain Lightning was an enlarged version of the P-38. As you can see, it wasn't quite as graceful-looking as the P-38. It wasn't so good as a long-range escort so they tried turning it into a ground attack plane. No good. Tried long range escort again, then cancelled the project.<BR clear=right> <img src="http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/annex/c121.jpg" align=left> The Lockheed VC-121 Constellation was a sort of "kitbash", since it's wing was scaled up from the P-38 (at least in shape). Unlike the "Chain Lightning", the Constellation was a successful and long-lived design.<BR clear=left> <img src="http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/p51s.jpg" align=right>The P-51 Mustang was another long-ranged design that was fairly successful. It was faster than the P-38 and had better range, too.<BR clear=right> <img src="http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/air_power/ap34.jpg" align=left> When the U.S. decided it needed a longer-ranged plane than even the P-51 to escort bombers all the way to Tokyo, they came up with the F-82B "Twin Mustang". This plane was equipped with 2 cockpits so one pilot could sleep while the other flew the mission. Later they slung a radar pod under the center section and turned it into a night fighter. The F-82 wasn't just 2 mustangs grafted together, but was a completely redesigned aircraft. The fuselages were actually quite a bit longer than the regular mustang.<BR clear=left> <img src="http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/air_power/ap39.jpg" align=right> The Convair B-36 was America's first purpose-built intercontinental bomber. It was designed in case England fell, and America found itself having to attack Germany or Japan by itself. It was a very-long-ranged aircraft and a few people thought it would be a good idea to design variants for other purposes.<BR clear=right> <img src="http://www.smartlink.net/~westin/avphoto/xc99_5.jpg" align=left> The XC-99 was the first variant. At the time it was introduced, it was the largest cargo plane in the world. Unfortunately, it was so heavy it could only land at 2 airstrips in the world. It never went into production.<BR clear=left> [IMG]http://www.flash.net/~pye396/images/yb60top.jpg[/IMG] When the Strategic Air Command wanted a jet-propelled bomber, Convair built their YB-60 to compete against the Boeing B-52. The YB-60 was basically a B-36 with jet engines and swept wings. It was about 100 mph slower than the B-52 and wasn't selected for production. As you can see, none of these planes looks exactly like the one it was derived from. Let the debate begin. --Baloo [/QB][/QUOTE]
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