ScratchBuilder

Two subjects that may, or may not, interest you are the types from the 30s and 40s described below. The later one was the 1946 Canadian Car and Foundry product, the Cancar Cargomaster. One of several attempts at incorporating the “lifting body” principal as pioneered by Burnelli pre war. Earlier examples were built in the US and UK, none went into production. With it’s aerofoil section fuselage it presents a large volume for freight and/or passengers, for the modeller, lots of space for fuel, batteries ESCs and whatever else you may wish to add. The layout lends itself to glow or electric power.

The Miles M.20.

The other subject was a WW11 fighter, or more accurately; a panic fighter. When it seemed a possibility that Britain could run out of fighters before the up-coming battle was over. F.G.Miles was so concerned that he proposed that Miles Aircraft should build a utility fighter designed to optimize production rate and offer adequate performance for the task. Approval for the manufacture of a test item was immediately granted and nine weeks and two days later the aircraft flew! Built of wood and using as many as possible parts of Master trainers already in production and without hydraulics and retractable landing gear, space and weight was available to increase fuel and ammunition carried, consequently the eight .303 guns were allotted more ammunition than either the Spitfire or Hurricane and it had a better duration than both the standard fighters. The Miles M.20 was faster than the Hurricane and just a little slower than the Spitfire, the engine was a Rolls Royce Merlin, the whole power package was interchangeable with the Bristol Beaufighter 11. A second prototype was ordered for navel use with arrester hook and catapult spools. Both versions had the all-round vision teardrop canopy, certainly one of the first of it’s kind.

The anticipated fighter shortage did not materialise and neither version entered production, but I thought it would make an interesting model.