KSP Stock Prop Design Challenge

[HolidayTheLeek]

Welcome to the...

KSP Stock Prop Design Challenge!

The aim of this challenge is to create the coolest looking stock prop designs you can! Your plane will be judged mostly on appearance and as such, speed and performance won't be judged very harshly; as long as it flies, and flies well enough it's okay (though good performance is always good to have).

The goal of this challenge is to create a plane that fits both the requirements and aesthetics of what a contract of your choice says. The contracts will range from 1920s-30s biplanes to post WW2 superprops. There will be no definitive winner to this challenge, but aircraft I especially enjoy will have a spot on this original post.

Please lay out your submission like this:

[Contact No. XY]
[Generation (biplane, ww2 etc)]
[Manufacturer name/author(s)]
[Craft name]
[Description]
[Pictures (max 3)]
[Download link (preferably on KerbalX)]

Guidelines/Rules

1) Unless otherwise stated in the contract, the plane must fly only with stock propellers.

2) The Design MUST be original and NOT a replica.

3) Stock designs only. DLC is not allowed.

4) Part clipping/craft file editing is allowed.

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The Idea

The idea for this challenge was blatantly ripped off HB Stratos' and Servo's Original Jet Fighter challenge. If you've stumbled here but aren't a fan, or don't know how to make props, visit their challenge instead:

Major thanks to HB Stratos for letting me actually make this challenge even it's literally the same thing.

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The Contracts

Biplane Era

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Contract No. #001 (by myself)

Biplane Era

The Army Air Corps requires a new fighter aircraft to replace the surplus WW1 fighters already in service. The fighter needs to be fast, nimble and have a biplane format as they aren't sold on the new cantilever winged monoplanes. The fighter must be armed with at least one .30cal gun and one .50cal gun. This plane is supposed to be small, but rugged enough to work on dirt runways on the front lines. It must also have a short takeoff and landing for these sorts of runways as well. The Navy is also willing to buy if the aircraft is capable of landing on carriers. Take inspiration from post WW1 fighters like the Hawker Fury, Ki-10, Gloster Gladiator or He-51.

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Contract No. #002 (by myself)

Biplane Era

The Army Air Corps is looking for a medium/heavy bomber which can drop at least 4-5 bombs. This bomber must be well defended with gunners or quick enough to evade enemies for daylight operations. Two engines are preferred for redundancy on long flights in case one engine fails, however single engined designs are still allowed. Take inspiration from late ww1 bombers like the Zeppelin-Staaken RVI, Vickers Vimy, Handley Page Type O, and post-war designs like the Hawker Hart light bomber, Short Overstrand, or the Keystone B-6.

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WW2 Era

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Contract No. #003 (by myself)

WW2 Era

The Army Air Force requires a monoplane new fighter interceptor to replace it's older pursuit biplanes. To keep the fighter small and nimble, a single engined design is preferred. The fighter needs to be fast, have a good rate of climb and be armed with at least eight .30cals, or four .50cals or two 20mm cannons; if possible, greater armaments are preferred. The aircraft must be able to operate on short dirt runways similar to the biplanes it's replacing; STOL capability is preferred. Take inspiration from ww2 fighter-interceptors like the Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, and P-40 Warhawk.

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Contract No. #004 (by myself)

WW2 Era

More and more heavy bombers aren't coming back from their missions. A brand new, long ranged fighter escort is required. Twin engined or single engined designs will be accepted. The aircraft must be able to take off from home runways/carriers, fly far to the enemy front lines, and return. If possible, a light payload of one or two bombs will be accepted. The Navy is also willing to buy if this new fighter is able to take off and land from carriers. Take inspiration from fighters like the P-51 Mustang, P-38 Lightning and the Japanese A6M Zero.

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Contract No. #005 (by PhantomAerospace)

WW2 Era

In Summer 1935, sensing growing hostilities In Europe, the USAAF and British Bomber command see the necessity of a four engine long range self defending bomber to carry at least two tons of ordinance at a speed no less than 45m/s with at least one rotating turret and three additional gun emplacements with a crew of 4 (pilot, navigator/radio operator, bombardier, gunners, one per rotating turret). Take inspiration from bombers like the B-17, Avro Lancaster, and B-24.

Note: More advanced bombers (stuff like the B-29) can also be submitted to this category.

Note II: More than or less than four engines will be accepted

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Contract No. #006 (by myself)

WW2 Era

The Navy is in need of a carrier-borne strike aircraft to defend it's increasingly vulnerable fleet. The aircraft must be able to carry either a torpedo, bombs, or 4 unguided rockets. The aircraft must be durable and easy to maintain for usage on carriers and be relatively easy to land as well. A Radial engined design is preferred however inline engined designs will still be accepted. A gunner for defending the aircraft is optional. Take Inspiration from aircraft like the TBF Avenger, SBD Dauntless, Fairey Firefly and the Aichi D3A.

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Contract No. #007

WW2 Era

The Army is in need of a CAS (close air support) aircraft to defend it's troops and tanks on the ground. The aircraft must carry four or more unguided rockets, or be armed with a big enough gun to take out targets from the air. The aircraft can be either single, or twin engined. The attacker must be able to stay up in the air for awhile and be strong/heavily armoured enough against small arms AA (anti air). A rear gunner or good enough performance is needed against the threat of enemy fighters. Take inspiration from aircraft like the JU-87 Stuka, A-26 Invader, IL-2 Sturmovik, P-47 Thunderbolt and Hawker Tempest.

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Postwar Era

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Contract No. #008

Postwar Era

The Air Force is still not convinced on whether jet aircraft would completely replace piston aircraft. As a result, the Air Force is in need of a superprop capable of matching the performance in early jet aircraft. Single or twin engine designs are allowed, but for single engined designs, contra-rotating propellers are encouraged. The aircraft must have heavy armament to defend against bombers or more heavily armoured jet fighters. Take inspiration from the Spitfire Mk 24, Seafire FR 47, P-51H, La-11, Hawker Tempest II, J7W1 and the MB.5.

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Contract No. #009

Postwar Era

There has been some uncertainty to whether pure jet aircraft would be able to perform on carriers due to their high landing speeds and slow acceleration. At the same time, pure piston aircraft are already showing their limits and cannot be improved much further. To remedy this, the navy needs you to design a mixed propulsion aircraft with jets and a propeller motor to get the best of both worlds. As a carrier aircraft, the design needs strong landing gear, a tailhook and low landing speeds. The aircraft needs to be on par against land based pure jet aircraft in speed or maneuverability or even both! Take inspiration from aircraft like the Ryan Fireball or the proposed late war motorjet aircraft from the soviet union. But as not many of these were made, feel free to let loose creatively but conform to the aesthetic of late 40s to early 50s aircraft.

Note: Turboprop aircraft like the Westland Wyvern also count as 'mixed propulsion'

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Hall of Fame!

@Jon144's fantastic K4F Scimitar is on the list because of it's superb performance; the best so far! While not as detailed as some of the other props, it's fast, and maneuverable enough to compensate. Good job!

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@erasmusguy's HF-108 fantastically detailed. It doesn't quite fit a category, but looks superb. I appreciate the detail added to it; especially the little men/RCS tanks. Well done.

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@Phantomic's P-45 bolt just looks like a plane straight from WW2. It has nice clean lines and isn't a bad flier either. Fits the contract almost perfectly. Great work!

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Edited March 19, 2019 by HolidayTheLeek

[ScaryTerry]

Hey man, nice challenge

I'll definetely try as good as I can

(Maybe not depending on how horrible the design ends up being)

 

[MR_somebody]

Contract No. #003

Generation WWII (???)

MR_Somebody

 

P-100 "electrifier"

The P-100 "electrifier" was first  rushed to the factory lines as a prototype with barely any testing after the bombing of pearl harbor, and it saw limited use, now, after WWII, it still has her prop engine and is now a proper aircraft with testing, but it is a little outdated now...(first used in WWII, now serving a little after WWII, but it was most used in WWII era)

 

 

 

download: https://kerbalx.com/MR_somebody/P-100-electrifier

[Phantomic]

Con. No.003

Contractor : Dominion aircraft, Phantom Division.

Gen. WW2

P-45 Bolt

A Pre-war design, one of the first to be of all metal construction, using the aging Quadronus engine from the early 30's. Owing to it's large size and small powerplant, R.O.C. is less than Ideal but has excellent energy from altitude making it superb in Boom'n zoom attacks. At high altitude, it can keep up with most heavy bombers making it acceptable for escort duties but not ideal.

speed measured at 6.5KM

Download: https://kerbalx.com/PhantomAerospace/P-45-Bolt

Edited February 17, 2019 by Phantomic

[HolidayTheLeek]

  On 2/17/2019 at 8:29 PM, Phantomic said:

Con. No.003

Contractor : Dominion aircraft, Phantom Division.

Gen. WW2

P-45 Bolt

A Pre-war design, one of the first to be of all metal construction, using the aging Quadronus engine from the early 30's. Owing to it's large size and small powerplant, R.O.C. is less than Ideal but has excellent energy from altitude making it superb in Boom'n zoom attacks. At high altitude, it can keep up with most heavy bombers making it acceptable for escort duties but not ideal.

speed measured at 6.5KM

Download: https://kerbalx.com/PhantomAerospace/P-45-Bolt

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I think this falls under contract 4 rather than contact 3  great fighter

[Phantomic]

  On 2/18/2019 at 2:08 AM, HolidayTheLeek said:

I think this falls under contract 4 rather than contact 3  great fighter

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guess the one i'm building now will be for contract 6 then

Edited February 18, 2019 by Phantomic

[erasmusguy]

Heinschmitt HF-108.

Doesnt really fall into any contract though I guess. May be it was a  pre-war fighter?

 

 

https://kerbalx.com/erasmusguy/Heinschmitt-HF-108 for the craft file

 

 

Edited February 19, 2019 by erasmusguy

[Jon144]

Contract No.006 (WW2)

Kerbatros Aircraft Company

K4F Scimitar 

 

Info/Download: https://kerbalx.com/Jon144/Kerbatros-K4F-Scimitar

( P.s. I have a new 270m/s stock fighter that I will soon post to the forums and kerbalx )

Edited February 19, 2019 by Jon144

[HolidayTheLeek]

  On 2/19/2019 at 2:38 PM, erasmusguy said:

Doesnt really fall into any contract though I guess. May be it was a  pre-war fighter

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It definitely falls under contract No. 3. Contract No. 3 is supposed to be prewar to midwar monoplane fighters. Your fighter definitely fits the contract

[erasmusguy]

Heinschmitt HS-116d

STOL carrier and land based light bomber/torpedo plane.

https://kerbalx.com/erasmusguy/Heinschmitt-HS-116d

 

[Phantomic]

Contr. no. 009

Gen. Postwar.

P-59A Gryphon

C-7 aeronautics, Phantom Division.

Following the success of the P-45 and it's variants, It was quickly modernized postwar, fitted with the newest engine from the motor division, the Griffon Contra-prop, and a juno turbojet engine as a boost, though it is capable of being powered rather nicely by the griffon alone, the Juno allows for an extra 25m/s at low altitudes and remains untested at high altitudes. Featuring an extended nose, heightened tail, clipped wings of a different design than the bolt's and Tricycle landing gear more suitable for it's frontal weight, elongated nose and for better braking.

 

UPDATED RECENTLY

With the removal of the plate armor behind the cockpit, suitable for peace time operations (and frankly wasnt very effective or good looking)

https://kerbalx.com/PhantomAerospace/P-59-Gryphon

Edited February 22, 2019 by Phantomic

[Alienwall]

Contract No. 005
WWII Era
Phi Aerospace Φ-C2A5

Hope the part count isnt too high!

The C2A5 was made to ensure the supply of a long range bomber for the US and Britain. It isn't very fast--with ordnance its max speed is about 52 m/s. But, it only needs two engines, reducing the complexity and making manufacturing easier. It has a rotating turret on the top, along with a nose gunner, side gunners, tail gunner, bombardier (hidden at the bottom of the nose), pilot, and nav/radio operator, for a total crew of 8. It carries 3.375 tons of ordinance in 5 bombs. Reducing the load to 3 bombs reduces the load to 2 tons of ordinance, while improving the speed.

https://kerbalx.com/Alienonawall/-C2A5

[Phantomic]

  On 2/28/2019 at 1:13 AM, Alienwall said:

Contract No. 005
WWII Era
Phi Aerospace Φ-C2A5

Hope the part count isnt too high!

The C2A5 was made to ensure the supply of a long range bomber for the US and Britain. It isn't very fast--with ordnance its max speed is about 52 m/s. But, it only needs two engines, reducing the complexity and making manufacturing easier. It has a rotating turret on the top, along with a nose gunner, side gunners, tail gunner, bombardier (hidden at the bottom of the nose), pilot, and nav/radio operator, for a total crew of 8. It carries 3.375 tons of ordinance in 5 bombs. Reducing the load to 3 bombs reduces the load to 2 tons of ordinance, while improving the speed.

https://kerbalx.com/Alienonawall/-C2A5

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Teeechnically it's supposed to be 4 engine but since there's 2 large engines, let's say it's a He-177 situation, 4 engines, 2 props

 

Edit, just re read the thing so nevermind

Edited February 28, 2019 by Phantomic

[HolidayTheLeek]

  On 2/28/2019 at 1:13 AM, Alienwall said:

Hope the part count isnt too high!

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Eh? 372 parts is nothing! I was expecting to fly some 1000 part craft lol

[Ol’ Musky Boi]

Interesting competition! Is the making history DLC or stock texture revamps still allowed? (specifically thinking about this mod).

(Edit: did some testing and the mod shuffles around some colliders, never mind then.)

Edited March 11, 2019 by Ol’ Musky Boi

[Pds314]

I just tried to build a new stock high-performance engine design with 35 of the medium-sized magic torque wheels. Sadly, I have no compact bearing that long that can handle over half a MegaNewton*Meter of torque and the huge thrust from the prop.

Still plan on trying to design an inline mk1-ish engine using Dumpling-based bearings instead of RCS ports, thermometers, or, antenna cones with the Mk1-sized reaction wheels.

Edited March 15, 2019 by Pds314

[Phantomic]

Contract No. 05

ww2

contractor : dominion aircraft.

XB-23 Pioneer

In 1942, Dominion Aircraft Placed a bid to build their Long range Bomber Platform, later receiving funding to build a Prototype.

Seating 5, a pilot, radio operator, gunner, tail gunner and bombardier; utilizing minimal armament due to rationing.

with speeds up to 70 m/s and a payload of 6 tons, outfitted with extensive communication antennae and receivers to be utilized in radio detection/relay, Ship hunting and various long range patrol duties.

https://kerbalx.com/PhantomAerospace/XB-23-Pioneer