1/18 Ho-229 Project Build ( Retired ) !!

[pickelhaube]

With lots of trail and error this is what Jackson came up with !!!

Proof of concept !!!!

Click on the pic then enlarge. He did a great job

[Jnewboy]

Nice!!!!!

I was not looking forward to painting that!!

Jackson is a Master !!!

The best I've seen!

[gburch]

very neat idea, and well executed.

[pickelhaube]

A little bit of progress. I worked out the nose gear doors. They function !!!

But the nose gear will not. I originally had no intention on making anything work except the canopy.

In order to make the wheel work. I would have to tweak the cockpit and redo the slider apparatus I made for the canopy. After 3 days worth of work on that slider IT AIN'T GOING TO HAPPEN.

I have mounted the front gear

Progress pics.

[normandy]

Excellent, it looks great Matthew! I don't need functional landing gear, I'm fine with pop-in pop-out gear.
Oh man this is your best yet!!

....and another possible paint scheme......

[gburch]

Agreed -- excellent work and I think the solution you've crafted for the gear is quite sound.

[Jnewboy]

Good call, easier to build also

[Jackson]

Magister et simulacrum !! good job Spikedude....

[tko211]

It still looks like the nose gear can be "plug and play" and allow for the gear doors to close so... I LOVE the option to display this one on it's gear or in flight! -YES? Am I seeing that right Pickel? Looking very sweet! Excited to have one of these.

[pickelhaube]

It still looks like the nose gear can be "plug and play" and allow for the gear doors to close so... I LOVE the option to display this one on it's gear or in flight! -YES? Am I seeing that right Pickel? Looking very sweet! Excited to have one of these.

[flyboy_fx]

I may just have to save up for one of these...

[CW4USARMY]

Looking great and love the landing gear options. Going to be the pride of my collection!

[pickelhaube]

I have been looking at the practicality of converting the 229 into a night fighter.

The Dragon model has totally reconfigured the cowling area. I am not sure why but maybe to get a different look. Probably also to accommodate the front wheel so it can rotate.

All that aside. The canopy . In order for it to work, it would have to slide almost all the way back to the tail in order to get booth crewmen out. If that would be done. An unsightly groove would have to be cut into the top of the body to accommodate the track.

Another option would be to make the rear crewman's area glass to swing open . Kind of like the Me-109. But this way it would be hard to pose the model with an open cockpit. Because the glass would slide back and the pilot's glass would cover up the radar's man area.

A third option is to have the glass swing open kind of like the Tomcat's canopy.

It would not open cleanly because of the front wind shield.The glass would have to slide back about 1/2 of an inch and then swing up. Or reconfigure the shape of the front wind shield.

So the easiest way would be to make the canopy removable in order to fit the figures . BUT NOT OPERATE.

So those are my few seconds of thought on the night fighter.

Or just put the radar antennas on the front and back and back and call it quits.

I thought of another option . Place the radar man's seat backwards. That way the cockpit would not have to slide as far back. He would be staring at a screen anyway to locate the enemy. I could just add another widow pane back there. But the track for the window slide may still have to be visible.

On the front wheel. I read in my book that there was a reason for the larger wheel. If I can remember right it was to get the angle better for take off. Rather than make the front strut longer they installed a larger wheel. Also she was tail heavy and the larger wheel added nose weight. I would imagine that the production aircraft would have used a smaller wheel.

If they used a smaller wheel it would make the wheel well a lot smaller . That way maybe you could accommodate a second crewman.

Opinions ?

[flyboy_fx]

Meh, sounds like too much work.

[Jnewboy]

I have been looking at the practicality of converting the 229 into a night fighter.

The Dragon model has totally reconfigured the cowling area. I am not sure why but maybe to get a different look. Probably also to accommodate the front wheel so it can rotate.

All that aside. The canopy . In order for it to work, it would have to slide almost all the way back to the tail in order to get booth crewmen out. If that would be done. An unsightly groove would have to be cut into the top of the body to accommodate the track.

Another option would be to make the rear crewman's area glass to swing open . Kind of like the Me-109. But this way it would be hard to pose the model with an open cockpit. Because the glass would slide back and the pilot's glass would cover up the radar's man area.

A third option is to have the glass swing open kind of like the Tomcat's canopy.

It would not open cleanly because of the front wind shield.The glass would have to slide back about 1/2 of an inch and then swing up. Or reconfigure the shape of the front wind shield.

So the easiest way would be to make the canopy removable in order to fit the figures . BUT NOT OPERATE.

So those are my few seconds of thought on the night fighter.

Or just put the radar antennas on the front and back and back and call it quits.

I thought of another option . Place the radar man's seat backwards. That way the cockpit would not have to slide as far back. He would be staring at a screen anyway to locate the enemy. I could just add another widow pane back there. But the track for the window slide may still have to be visible.

On the front wheel. I read in my book that there was a reason for the larger wheel. If I can remember right it was to get the angle better for take off. Rather than make the front strut longer they installed a larger wheel. Also she was tail heavy and the larger wheel added nose weight. I would imagine that the production aircraft would have used a smaller wheel.

If they used a smaller wheel it would make the wheel well a lot smaller . That way maybe you could accommodate a second crewman.

Opinions ?

My vote is for a non operational canopy swing canopy. My thoughts are to make small fake hinges on the side of the canopy so that those who want to display it wheels down can glue it open and those who will display it in flight can glue it down. (No big gash down the middle)

I like the idea of the rear pilot siting backward but It would not be necessary I don't think if you do the above option

DML's shows hinges on the canopy, similar to the Me-262 night fighter (see below, I circled the visible hinge)



I bet the large tire also helped cushion that hard landing you spoke of....

I would not worry about changing the wheel, the way you built it with it drop in or out was great as it wont be effected by the second crew man.

I really hope this version gets built as it is my favorite and I dont want to have to do the custom myself.

[normandy]

Matthew,
If your were to do a night-fighter, I think the elongated canopy should operate like the Me-109 or the Me-262 as Jnewboy mentioned.
From a design point of view, the Germans probably would have gone with the 262 b-1a type of hinged canopy; the pilots and crewman's opening independent of each other.
Your in the realm of What If, since there never was an Ho 229 night fighter.... so its all up to you.

[pickelhaube]

Alright guys I think the construction part of the build id just about done.

Things that are left to construct.

1. Cockpit walls
2. Fit dash
3. Finish main wheel wells.
4. make cannon barrel, pitot tube, loop radar and bottom whip antenna.

But now I need to do the finishing. Scribe panel lines , scribe control surfaces, cowling fairings..

It looks like the list is getting longer.

Anyway the wheels have been made. I casted the big wheel with the new hubs. What you see is what you will get with the tires.



Landing gear is done !!!! She is sitting on her own with no crutches !!! The landing gear linkages are done as well !!











Mr Angry says " it now looks like a Horten "

[Airacobra]

How is it possible that you are not working for BBI, AllGO, or any other company producing 1/18 scale aircraft? That Horten is simply stunning. You should be very proud of your work.

[KWR190]

That looks great

[normandy]

Matthew,
Damn near fell out of my chair.......I think Mr. Angry is right, it sure as hell looks like a Horten!
The landing gear looks great and the detail is just incredible. I can't wait for this 229

[Jnewboy]

Looks Perfect!!!

[gburch]

I'm running out of superlative adjectives to describe this project!

It looks like the list is getting longer.

I know what you mean ...

[flyboy_fx]

This project made me start up my combat sim 3.

[pickelhaube]

Thanks guys it means a lot.

I am on my second month of the build.

Man that sounds like a lot of time. Of course I have been doing other things as well.

But 2 months is a lot of time.

The finishing , panel lines and dressing things up takes a lot of time.

I am never correct in guessing working time but my guess would be another 6 days or so and I just may be ready to start the mould making process.

[flyboy_fx]

Are you kidding me, the way my life is, it can take 2 months to repaint things let alone scratch build.