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Miles M-20


spacewolf

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Ok, I'm in with a project I've been wanting to do sense I was in my late teens ...(don't ask how long it's been !) The model will have to be scratch built so I'll be carving forms, vacu forming and cobbling together kit parts from various places.... Russ woulda loved to have seen this and I wish he was around to give advice and help keep me motivated.

 

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Does anybody have cockpit parts, or other bits left over from a Revel Hurricane or info/pictures/parts for the gun bays ? I have some ref for the cockpit but there are no shots of the gun bays so I'm going to base them on the Hurricane. Wheels are the same size and the cockpit was all Miles Master trainer parts which I can make up with parts from the Hurri as well.

 

Cheers

 

Vaughn

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Does anybody have cockpit parts, or other bits left over from a Revel Hurricane or info/pictures/parts for the gun bays ?

 

I have the Revell cockpit parts if you want them. If you do, drop me a PM and I'll post on Tuesday.

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I have the Revell cockpit parts if you want them. If you do, drop me a PM and I'll post on Tuesday.

 

Hey Jim, PM sent and THANKS !

 

To bring you all up to speed, this was a stop gap fighter conceived by the Miles Aircraft Co. From date of approval to first test flight was 9 weeks and 2 days. The concept was an all wood construction fighter with fixed landing gear, more fuel capacity (longer range/loiter time on station) and fire power than either the Hurricane or Spitfire. It was the (perhaps) first fighter to use an all round bubble canopy, could carry up to 12 X .303 guns, could carry up to 7,500 rounds of ammo. It used the Merlin XX 'power egg' borrowed from the Beaufighter or Landcaster. Fuel capacity gave it up to 1200 miles, 3 times that of the Spitfire and a flight performance better than the Hurricane !

 

By the time It was in flight testing it was clear the British were holding their own against the Luftwaffe and the new prototype would not be needed, but they could have popped these out very quickly if they had needed to.

 

Length was 30' 8", span of 34' 7", height 12' 3", top speed 345 MPH at 20,400'.

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I first saw this fighter in an old AERO magazine which also had some nice pics and a good three view of which I currently have a partial photo copy. I'm going home for vacation in two weeks so I'll be able to get my paws on it but for now I'm working off the side view.

 

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This shows the prototype before it was modified to move the elevators further aft. On one of the first flight tests they found out the hard way that the rudder was blanketing the elevators in a spin making recovery impossible. When the test pilot jettisoned the canopy to bail out of the fighter, the disruption in airflow allowed him to regain control....(test pilots have BIG brass ones ! )....wind tunnel tests showed they could get rid of the problem by extending the fuselage by about a foot. My rough sketch shows the diff.

 

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I'm going to have to scratch build the cowling and am thinking of starting with the nose of an old Revel Mk I spitfire and building up the lower cowling from that. Does anyone have drawings or fuse station info for the Landcaster/ Beaufighter II cowlings? I know the cowl is a bit 'fatter' as the exhaust is just inside the cowl and only a short tube extends at the rear but I have no idea how much bigger/wider it is from the Spit cowling.

 

Cheers

 

Vaughn

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's going t be a slow start for me, due to going on vacation but being that I'm going to visit family AND it just so happens thats where some of my model stuff was stored the trip will double as a scrounging for parts/info hunt ! :speak_cool:

 

I've been chatting with the Lads over on Britmodeler and they have been a great help. One of them suggested I used Typhoon wing panels so I dug out my old Revel Kit and checked the wing for size and shape.... I think it just might save me a LOT of work !

 

post-2514-1274981209.jpg

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I had a old Aerodata book on the Bombers of WWII which has drawings of the Lancaster and part of those include drawings of the engine with station lines which is going to make doing the master for the nose easier.

 

post-2514-1274981427.jpg

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Googling got me this awesome shot of the throttle quadrant on a Miles trainer. Being that they used standard Miles parts for the fighter this is what they would have used.

 

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Now if I wasn't flying off in 5 days and in the middle of packing I'd be cutting plastic tonight !!! :speak_cool:

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Outstanding plan spacewolf.

This will make fascinating viewing. I can't wait to see you get started.

 

Bon chance! :lol:

 

:piliot:

 

Unfortunately It'll be a couple of weeks before I can start. Heading back East to visit family and friends (plus pick up ref and kit parts for the build ! :lol: ) But as soon as I'm back I'll be on this like a Leaf fan to a hockey game !

 

Cheers

 

Vaughn

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I'm in the middle of vacation, running around like a dog chasing his tail trying to see everyone BUT !.. I got my ref. the Areoplane Monthly mag from April '76 and I may be getting the Jan. 92 one as well. I got my hands on the 1/32 Revel BF-110 and checked the fuselage against the drawings and it is close.. I think I'll be able to use it. I'm getting the Spitfire fuselage today and once I get back to BC I'll be able to start building !!!

 

(sorry about no pics, my sisters computer isn't up to the task :speak_cool: )

 

Cheers

 

Vaughn

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok.. I'm back ! I had a great time back east and thanks to a bunch of people I have the stuff to start this build. Thanks to Mike Lewis for the BF-110 kit, Bill Daisly for the Spit fuselage and the printout of the paper plane plan. Also thanks to the staff of the Shearwater Aviation Museum for the hard copy of the 1992 story in Aeroplane Monthly on the M-20 ...as well as letting me have access to the fully restored Firefly which will be taking her first flight at the airshow this fall !!!

 

So here we are, both stories and pics, the paper model printout...

 

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The 110 fuselage and the beat up Spitfire Fuselage

 

post-2514-1276805239.jpg

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I placed the 110 fuse over the drawings...it's close. The bottom lines up perfectly and the curve at the rear is just about bang on. Even the cross section is close. I think a horizontal cut and a wedge inserted will bring everything to where I need it. I'll need to add a shim to the top edge to get the proper cross section but this is a lot easier than carving and vacu forming a fuselage.

 

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