Anyone else who might want to make a Helldiver floatplane?

[MustangManiac]

Hello everyone, 

 

I'm interested in making a float equipped Infinity Helldiver. I'm just not sure which Edo floats the Helldiver actually used as an experimental floatplane. What kit(s) are out there that may be able to sacrifice the floats to make a Helldiver floatplane? I've been thinking maybe a Beaver or an Otter in 1/32 maybe the trick, if they're even available may be the real question. I'm open to all comments and input. 

 

Thanks, 

Brady

 

 

[thierry laurent]

Alas, no Beaver or Otter in 1/32! I'm thinking you can only get US floats more or less easily from the Revell Piper Cub: 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-04698-piper-pa-18-150-float-plane--111800

 

[Joe Hegedus]

I think you’re pretty much on your own; floats for a 2000-poundish Piper are going to be far too small for a 12000-poundish Helldiver.  You might be able to adapt the floats from that 1/24 snap-together DH Beaver that was available as a marketing thing for a whisky, but beyond that you are most likely going to have to scratch build.  

[Rick Griewski]

You say that Infinity did not release a float accessory pack along with all the others?

 

<I am so bad>

[MustangManiac]

2 hours ago, Rick Griewski said:

You say that Infinity did not release a float accessory pack along with all the others?

 

<I am so bad>

Sadly, no they didn't nor do they have any interest in it. I asked them if they would consider it and they said they were done with the Helldiver. 

[adameliclem]

Hi Brady,

 

Not many options for donor kits, and they’d require substantial mods. The big float on Kitty Hawk’s Vought Kingfisher could be a starting point; the kit is OOP, but Trumpeter may re-release it. There might be some people around here (or elsewhere) who built their Kingfishers with the wheeled gear and have the float parts to spare. You’d need two sets, or one to use as a pattern for modified copies, but you might get lucky. 

 

Poking around, I found that Halberd Models of Ukraine makes 1/48th scale floatplane conversion sets for the P-38 and Bf-109 floatplane prototypes. Maybe they’d be interested in your project? They have an eBay store and a Facebook outpost.

 

Another option? If you like good, old-fashioned scratchbuilding, is to find a 1/32nd scale paper card model with floats that are in the ballpark for the Helldiver design, transfer the pattern to plastic, and start modifying from there. Tex Mod sells plans for  a General Aviation GA-43 floatplane version. (Coincidentally, the GA-43 was developed by Fairchild, whose Canadian division eventually produced some Helldivers under license and a bunch of  different floatplanes.) 

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

Cheers,

Adam

 

 

[MustangManiac]

On 7/9/2022 at 1:30 PM, adameliclem said:

Hi Brady,

 

Not many options for donor kits, and they’d require substantial mods. The big float on Kitty Hawk’s Vought Kingfisher could be a starting point; the kit is OOP, but Trumpeter may re-release it. There might be some people around here (or elsewhere) who built their Kingfishers with the wheeled gear and have the float parts to spare. You’d need two sets, or one to use as a pattern for modified copies, but you might get lucky. 

 

Poking around, I found that Halberd Models of Ukraine makes 1/48th scale floatplane conversion sets for the P-38 and Bf-109 floatplane prototypes. Maybe they’d be interested in your project? They have an eBay store and a Facebook outpost.

 

Another option? If you like good, old-fashioned scratchbuilding, is to find a 1/32nd scale paper card model with floats that are in the ballpark for the Helldiver design, transfer the pattern to plastic, and start modifying from there. Tex Mod sells plans for  a General Aviation GA-43 floatplane version. (Coincidentally, the GA-43 was developed by Fairchild, whose Canadian division eventually produced some Helldivers under license and a bunch of  different floatplanes.) 

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

Cheers,

Adam

 

 

Hi Adam,

 

Thanks for all the great info! I didn't even think about asking Andrey with Halberd Models. I did ask Infinity themselves but I never thought of asking Halberd. I have purchased a bunch of Andrey's stuff and it is very high quality. I have to say the P-38 floatplane conversion was one I had wished for for years but I figured it would never come to fruit then amazingly enough it did.

 

I may look for Kingfisher parts too like you suggest using. 

 

Cheers,

Brady

[Neo]

This feels like a 3d print job

[MustangManiac]

On 7/16/2022 at 9:19 AM, Neo said:

This feels like a 3d print job

I'd go for that too, but I don't have one.

[MustangManiac]

On 7/9/2022 at 1:30 PM, adameliclem said:

Hi Brady,

 

Not many options for donor kits, and they’d require substantial mods. The big float on Kitty Hawk’s Vought Kingfisher could be a starting point; the kit is OOP, but Trumpeter may re-release it. There might be some people around here (or elsewhere) who built their Kingfishers with the wheeled gear and have the float parts to spare. You’d need two sets, or one to use as a pattern for modified copies, but you might get lucky. 

 

Poking around, I found that Halberd Models of Ukraine makes 1/48th scale floatplane conversion sets for the P-38 and Bf-109 floatplane prototypes. Maybe they’d be interested in your project? They have an eBay store and a Facebook outpost.

 

Another option? If you like good, old-fashioned scratchbuilding, is to find a 1/32nd scale paper card model with floats that are in the ballpark for the Helldiver design, transfer the pattern to plastic, and start modifying from there. Tex Mod sells plans for  a General Aviation GA-43 floatplane version. (Coincidentally, the GA-43 was developed by Fairchild, whose Canadian division eventually produced some Helldivers under license and a bunch of  different floatplanes.) 

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

Cheers,

Adam

 

 

Hi Adam,

 

I talked to Andrey at Halberd Models and he said they have plans to make the Helldiver floatplane conversion in 1/48 later on and possibly in 1/32 too. The real challenge for them right now is that Russians are attacking Ukraine currently he said they're 45 Km from his home and he may have to evacuate from his current location, so keep your hopes up they'll get to make it.

 

Cheers,

Brady 

[coogrfan]

On 7/8/2022 at 10:23 PM, MustangManiac said:

Hello everyone, 

 

I'm interested in making a float equipped Infinity Helldiver. I'm just not sure which Edo floats the Helldiver actually used as an experimental floatplane. What kit(s) are out there that may be able to sacrifice the floats to make a Helldiver floatplane? I've been thinking maybe a Beaver or an Otter in 1/32 maybe the trick, if they're even available may be the real question. I'm open to all comments and input. 

 

Thanks, 

Brady

 

 

  

So the off the shelf version of The Beast isn't ugly enough for you?