Shipbucket

Never apologise for modeling an aircraft Yqueleden! Always great to have another artist cast their interpretation at FD scale.
However you've made a quite considerably smaller aircraft than I did.
The XB-31 design was a very large aircraft for the time. The dimensions I was working on gave a length of over 35m, whereas your model is just over 28m long. The engines are similar models to those used on the Boeing B-29, so do a cut&paste from one of Eswube's models onto your XB-31 to compare and check sizes.

@The_Sprinklez
Nice work.

@Sheepster, Yqueleden
It seems to be more complicated matter. Some authors, like for example Tony Buttler and Alan Griffith in American Secret Projects: Fighters, Bombers, and Attack Aircraft, 1937-1945 indeed give length of ca. 27m. That in turn, conflicts visually with size of the engines (and IMHO also cockpit). I think more clarification with sources is needed. :/

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-5



The DC-9-10 was the smallest of the DC-9 models, however MDC produced desktop models of a smaller DC-9-5 version as an in-house in-joke for MDC executives.
In the modern era where an A318 mini-airliner can exist, a DC-9-5 airliner no longer seems a comedy design.

McDonnell Douglas Model 253



Probably the most radical design of the DC-9 series, the Model 253 was a modified DC-9-10 design, proposed for NASA for VTOL research.
In 1973 NASA proposed a VTOL airliner for production in 1985. The final design was to have two rear mounted fan engines for VTOL and cruise flight, additional auxiliary engines in each wingtip and forward fuselage were to provide additional lift during VTOL - with 2 backup engines at the rear fuselage for redundancy. The Model 253 was to be an 80% size research aircraft for the final 100 passenger airliner.

Nice to see you back in action Sheepster.

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Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft

Very interesting additions.

Japan, Nakajima Ki-62-Ia Haitaka
The only thing that isn't real (besides the aircraft existing) is the name

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In your dreams. ~ Yae Miko
報園-872 (方義鑑銃)
Patriotic Presentation Number 872, Q-102 (A6M3-32 captured in Buna, New Guinea)

McDonnell Douglas US Navy UDF proposals

In 1987 the US Navy announced the LRAACA competion for a new Long-Range Air Anti-submarine warfare Capable Aircraft. Douglas tendered with UDF powered versions of both the MD-87 and MD-90. Lockheed countered with an upgraded Orion model, as the P-7A. The contract was eventually awarded to Lockheed, before being cabcelled in 1990 without an aircraft being built.



The shorter fuselage and hence lighter weight of the MD-87 derived version would probably made the better choice for a dedicated ASW aircraft. Although looking awkward as a "modifed airliner", the P-3 Orion also started life as a passenger airliner.



The MD-90-based design would probably have been better served as a transport aircraft, and as such may have entered service with the Navy as the C-9D Skymaster II, taking over from the DC-9-30 derived C-9B Skytrain II.
If the contract for these aircraft had have been awarded to MDC, GE may have been able to get the engine into full production, and with a military customer, civilian operators may have been more willing to enable the MD-90 series to be built as UDF aircraft rather than as "standard" jet transports.

More lovely additions!

_________________
Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft

Douglas 2067

With the completion of the transcontinental DC-8, Douglas turned their attention to designing a short-haul feeder airliner. The 2067 was planned as basically a 2/3 scale DC-8. With the economics of four engines airlines showed no interest, and this initial jet DC-9 was shelved. Douglas instead entered in to a marketing agreement for the Caravelle for its feeder airliner.



Douglas 2086

Once the Caravelle cooperation deal expired Douglas returned to designing their own Compact Jet Transport.



The original 2067 design was dusted off, and reworked to become a twin engined jet.
Further design work led to a T-tail design, very similar to the BAC 1-11 concurrently being designed in the UK. With the loss of the first prototype of the BAC 1-11 during a stall test, the tail and rear section of the 2086 was redesigned, leading to the model becoming the DC-9-10