Brakedwell wrote on the 15th of Januari:
They did - It was called a Hermes, but only 29 were built.
regarding why the Hastings did not have a tricycle landinggear. But to my view, the Hermes looks like a quite modified design, with a new front section, and the engines higher up on the wing. Of course, a taildragger will have a somewhat lower empty weight, the tailwheel is smaller and lighter.
What interests me as an engineer is:
Why did the Hastings have such low placed engines? The thrust-line is well below the wing plane, while almost all other prop aircraft have their thrust-line in the plane of the wing.
Can anybody shed any light on this characteristic?