Testors (nee Hawk) 1/48 Travel Air Mystery Ship

Highlighting the aircraft during the interwar period between WW 1 and WW 2. Military and civillian. There are some great and colorful subjects and a number of air racers. Tuild one, Build them all!

Runs from July 1, 2022 until December 31, 2022

Carlos Cisneros (Stikpusher) and/or John Eaton (jeaton01) are moderators of this one.
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LyleW
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Testors (nee Hawk) 1/48 Travel Air Mystery Ship

Post by LyleW »

This will be the "official" entry in this GB....

This a pretty slick looking aircraft.

Image

From Wikipedia:

"The Type R "Mystery Ships" were a series of wire-braced, low-wing racing airplanes built by the Travel Air company in the late 1920s and early 1930s. They were so called, because the first three aircraft of the series (R614K, R613K, B11D) were built entirely in secrecy.

In total, five Type Rs were built and flown by some of the most notable flyers of the day, including Jimmy Doolittle, Doug Davis, Frank Hawks, and Pancho Barnes, not only in races but also at air shows across the United States, and most notably, by Hawks in Europe.

Under construction during 1928, the aircraft was kept under cover prior to the 1929 Cleveland Air Races, with the builders even going so far painting the windows on the factory to keep the curious press from getting a look at it. The local Wichita paper picked up on the secret program, with one reporter even going so far as to scale a ladder to try to peek into the vents in the factory roof. The paper dubbed it the "Mystery Ship" and the name stuck with R (for Rawdon) added.[2] Rawdon and Burnham both knew that to approach Travel Air CEO Walter Beech would be fruitless, unless they hit him with the idea just before the air racing season began, so they designed the aircraft in their spare time, without pay until they could get Beech to agree to build the type.[2]

During an era when biplanes were still common, the use of a monoplane planform, a NACA engine cowl, and large wheel pants significantly reduced aerodynamic drag, creating a streamlined design. Construction of the fuselage and wings was based on a plywood structure with the thin wings braced with wires. The sleek, polished fuselage continued the shape and width of the cowl throughout, with the cockpit featuring a small windshield, set nearly flush with the skin. A turtle deck extended from the cockpit to the vertical tail creating a fairing for the helmeted head of the pilot.[2]

Travel Air R Mystery Ship with Chevrolair engine. Photo from Aero Digest, November 1929.
The first "Mystery Ship", NR614K (Race No. 31), was designed for both closed-course and long-distance racing. NR614K had two sets of wings, a shorter set of racing wings, about one and one and a half feet (0.46 m) shorter in span and three inches (7.6 cm) narrower in chord than the set used for cross-country events. R614K was destroyed when it caught fire before the 1931 Thompson Trophy race. The plane has since undergone a complete restoration and now resides at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Specifications (NR614K)

Crew: One pilot
Length: 20 ft 2 in (6.15 m)
Wingspan: 27 ft 8 in or 29 ft 2 in (8.43 or 8.89 m)
Height: 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m)
Empty weight: 1,475 lb (669.05 kg)
Gross weight: 1,940 lb (879.97 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Wright J-6-9 , 300, 400 or 425 hp (224, 298 or 317 kW)
Performance

Maximum speed: 235 mph (394.29 km/h, 204 kn)"


This kit represents this aircraft, No. 31.

It is a fairly typical Testors/Hawk kit. Minimal parts count, wierd layout of instructions and that blasted etching of insignia, numbers and such into the plastic.

Here are the parts:

Image

Image

Many thanks to jeaton01 for the Silhouette cut file for the scalloped markings.
To make each build less crappy than the last one. Or, put another way, "Better than the last one, not as good as the next one!"..
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Stikpusher
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Re: Testors (nee Hawk) 1/48 Travel Air Mystery Ship

Post by Stikpusher »

:popcorn:

But… the wings aren’t yellow… :giggles:
"Surely I have made my meaning plain? I intend to avenge myself upon you, Admiral. I have deprived your ship of power, and when I swing 'round, I intend to deprive you of your life."

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LyleW
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Re: Testors (nee Hawk) 1/48 Travel Air Mystery Ship

Post by LyleW »

‘Tis true, but it is of the Golden Era/Age” timeframe...
To make each build less crappy than the last one. Or, put another way, "Better than the last one, not as good as the next one!"..
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Re: Testors (nee Hawk) 1/48 Travel Air Mystery Ship

Post by Stikpusher »

:wink:

I know. Just playing with ya Lyle :tease:

Yellow Wings/Golden Era :wub:

At IPMS here last nite somebody had brought in the Testors/Hawk Curtiss Racer and Supermarine S6B builds for entry into the contest. They were built very nicely. The theme was anything that floats, so that sure covers seaplanes/floatplanes.
"Surely I have made my meaning plain? I intend to avenge myself upon you, Admiral. I have deprived your ship of power, and when I swing 'round, I intend to deprive you of your life."

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LyleW
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Re: Testors (nee Hawk) 1/48 Travel Air Mystery Ship

Post by LyleW »

I knowers it! My Racer is slowly de constructing itself. The more I fuss with them, it happens.
To make each build less crappy than the last one. Or, put another way, "Better than the last one, not as good as the next one!"..
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Re: Testors (nee Hawk) 1/48 Travel Air Mystery Ship

Post by Gary Brantley »

You mean you're builoding it? :lol:
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LyleW
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Re: Testors (nee Hawk) 1/48 Travel Air Mystery Ship

Post by LyleW »

That could be one way of putting it!
To make each build less crappy than the last one. Or, put another way, "Better than the last one, not as good as the next one!"..
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Re: Testors (nee Hawk) 1/48 Travel Air Mystery Ship

Post by Gary Brantley »

That is a handsome airplane! Many years ago (1989?), I bought that kit in a vertical box and even attempted a start but made a big ol' mess out of those scallops. Then, around ten years later, I bought another, but like your boxing here. I'm excited to see one getting built Lyle! Go speed-racer go! :grin:

Almost forgot this; here's a book on the Travel Air Mystery Ships, bought for reference a couple years ago. The publisher is Flying Books International and I'm almost sure I found my copy through Amazon. Or perhaps just a simple Google search, don't really remember. But it sure has a lot of info!

Image
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LyleW
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Re: Testors (nee Hawk) 1/48 Travel Air Mystery Ship

Post by LyleW »

Then, go dig it out and jump in! I can cut you paint masks using the files Mr. Eaton graciously provided!
To make each build less crappy than the last one. Or, put another way, "Better than the last one, not as good as the next one!"..
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Re: Testors (nee Hawk) 1/48 Travel Air Mystery Ship

Post by BlackSheep214 »

Oooo... a nice one! Slick too. :lashed: :giggles:
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