Early in 1964 US Special Force advisors expressed a need for fast, shallow-draft patrol boats. An operational requirement for a vessel capable of carrying 4-5 troops in marshes and rice paddies at speeds in excess of 20 mph was issued. Following tests of pump jet, conventional propeller and air propeller designs, the Hurricane Aircat was selected and started operations in early 1966. It proved to be a successful, if very noisy, vehicle, and permitted US and ARVN operations in areas previously dominated by the Viet Cong. Further information can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Aircat and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vr1pCUPIuA.
This model is not an easy one to print, as it has a complex guard structure round the air propeller. Several alternatives have been investigated, and the partitioned model provided offers a good compromise on accuracy and printability. The base hull is straightforward. The engine/guard structure is best printed with the engine shaft facing vertically, and care needs to be taken to remove the extensive supports that the slicing programs generate. The propeller is provided as a separate part, as this could not be printed with the engine. The rudder and hull rear plate are printed separately, and it was found that printing with the rudders in normal orientation reduced the printing supports and generated stronger rudder framework. the front MG on its mount is also separate, and should be glued to the front of the hull as indicated in photographs of the Aircat.
The product is offered for personal, non-commercial use under the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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