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Today, both "The Land That Time Forgot" and "The People That Time Forgot" are fan favorites and hold a special 'cult' status among film buffs. I just goes to show that sometimes great films
don't need huge budgets to succeed, just dinosaurs and sexy cave women.
The Land That Time Forgot (1975)
Additional Photos in Set.
www.flickr.com/photos/morbius19/sets/72157639657354056/
youtu.be/d0K97czqecQ?t=1s Trailer
Amicus Pictures
Directed By: Kevin Connor
Written By: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jim Cawthorn, Michael Moorcock, Milton Subotsky
Cast:
Doug McClure as Bowen Tyler
John McEnery as Captain Von Schoenvorts
Susan Penhaligon as Lisa Clayton
Keith Barron as Bradley
Anthony Ainley as Dietz
Godfrey James as Borg
Bobby Parr as Ahm
Declan Mulholland as Olson
Colin Farrell as Whiteley
Ben Howard as Benson
Roy Holder as Plesser
Andrew McCulloch as Sinclair
Ron Pember as Jones
Grahame Mallard as Deusett
Andrew Lodge as Reuther
Runtime: 90 Minutes
Color: Color
Story
In the year 1916 during WW1, an Allied vessel carrying civilians, the SS Montrose, is torpedoed by a German submarine. The survivors manage to board the sub and successfully take control of it. After the two sides continuously plot to overthrow the other, the group become lost. With supplies and fuel dwindling, the two opposing factions decide to work together. They find a strange continent in the icy region of the Atlantic ocean, but strangely, the water surrounding it is warm. Christened Caprona by an early Italian navigator named Caproni, the ice encroached island has no place to land. Traversing a winding underwater cavern, the U-boat ascends into a river.
The group find themselves in a strange land filled with prehistoric creatures. With dangers lurking at every turn, the lost travelers haven't enough fuel for a return trip. The group journey North across the land of Caprona in search of fuel. The further north they go, the more highly advanced the creatures and inhabitants become. They later find crude oil deposits and build
machinery with which to refine the lubricant for use in the subs engines. Attempting to leave, the mysterious volcanic continent threatens to rip itself apart to keep the involuntarily exiled travelers from escaping The Land That Time Forgot.
The set design is amazing with the makers getting full use out of Shepperton Studios, the home of Amicus. Some years later, the famed Pinewood Studios would acquire Shepperton. The Director of Photography on LAND, Alan Hume, does an admirable job capturing the colorful landscapes and fauna of the lost world of Caprona. Hume also took the job of DP on the three other Connor directed monster movies. Hume would later perform photographic duties on several of the Bond pictures in addition to the comedic prehistoric opus, CAVEMAN (1981) starring Ringo Starr among a cast of other recognizable faces.
The first in a series of popular fantasy adventure movies from the team of producer John Dark and director Kevin Conner. A highly ambitious British film from Amicus Productions, the chief rival to Hammer Films. Hammer had done their own series of prehistoric epics beginning with ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. (1966). That film featured stop motion animation by famed animator Ray Harryhausen. The film was so successful a follow-up was ordered albeit somewhat hesitantly considering the length of time it took for the stop motion effects to be created.
Doug McClure leads the cast to Caprona in a role that suits his former cowboy persona on THE VIRGINIAN television program. McClure replaced Stuart Whitman who was originally cast. Apparently, Whitman never received his full compensation to not participate in the picture and McClure was a likewise unwanted commodity as well. At the time, he was going through a divorce and a spate of drinking which kept him in a volatile mood from time to time. However, according to Susan Penhaligon, McClure was always a gentleman with her. McClure is very good and any hint of rambunctious behavior behind the scenes isn't evident in his pulpy performance.
McClure would take the lead role for AT THE EARTH'S CORE (1976), in which he would be paired with a rather spunky Peter Cushing. In 1977's THE PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT, McClure took a 'Guest Star' credit and only appears during the finale although he's the main focus of the story when Patrick Wayne journey's to Caprona to rescue him. It's the only film in the series that is a direct link with one of the other pictures. The fourth film, WARLORDS OF ATLANTIS (1978), isn't a Burroughs tale and also isn't an Amicus picture. Columbia handled distribution in the US.
In the early 1970s’ Amicus Pictures (Owned by Milton Subotsky and Max J Rosenberg) decided to pump some life into the declining British fantasy film industry by bringing the works of Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs to the big screen. At about the same time the film company’s rival, Hammer, had abandoned its standard horror films for features starring half naked women in an attempt to put more bodies in the seats. Amicus felt that the time seemed right for a series of films based on Burroughs strait forward action tales to fill the cinematic void.
The first of the four Burrough’s stories to be produced by Amicus would be an adaptation of the short story “The Land That Time Forgot” which was first published in Blue Book Magazine in 1918. Milton Subotsky had first penned a screenplay for the film back in the early 1960s’ but his first draft was initially rejected by the late Burrough’s estate. It was under their prodding that the script was rewritten by Jim Cawthorn and Michael Moorcock. Their dialogue heavy, light on the action script however didn’t meet Subotsky’s approval, so it was reworked yet again.
"The Land that Time Forgot" began production at Pinewood Studios in April 1974 with a meager $750,000 budget that had been put up by American International Pictures in exchange for the American distribution rights. This extremely low budget forced the film-makers to settle for cost cutting measures in the effects department. Hand puppets were used for the films dinosaurs in many scenes where costly stop motion animation had intended to be used. The effect looks
primitive when compared to modern CGI effects, but for the time period in which it was created, these effects in "The Land That Time Forgot" fared well against most rival productions.
Script problems and hand held dino’s were not the only problems the production would face in its early stages. Originally Stuart Whitman was cast as the American engineer Bowen Tyler, but Samuel Arkoff of AIP protested. Their next choice, Doug McClure, finally agreed to take the role after initially passing on it. McClure was billed as the perfect leading man by director Kevin Connor. McClure had earned a reputation as a marketable lead on the TV Western “The Virginian.” On the set however, McClure earned another type of reputation after his tendency to hit the bottle caused him to miss a couple of days shooting and punch a hole in producer Johnny Dark’s office door. Despite this McClure was considered a nice guy by his costars. He even held the hand of a nervous Susan Penhaligon (cast as biologist Lisa Clayton) during the explosions of the films volcano erupting climax. John McEnry, who played the German U-boat Captain von Schoverts, was continually acting up on the set due to his belief that the production was beneath him as an actor. This lead to his voice being dubbed over by Anton Diffrin due to his demeanor and lackluster tone. Aside from this however none of the other off screen troubles manifested themselves in the finished product.
The films plot is a strait forward Burroughs adventure story.
John McEnery, who plays the somewhat honorable Captain Von Shoenvorts, the leader of the German forces, was dubbed by Anton Diffring. The first 15 or 20 minutes of the film are very well handled, having the American and British survivors take command of the Nazi sub only to have the Germans take the vessel back, only to lose it once more. During the final switch, the Allied survivors get some poetic justice on their German captors. When the sub is to rendezvous with a Nazi supply ship, Tyler quietly launches torpedoes destroying the enemy vessel in recompense for the prior destruction of the civilian ship.
Anthony Ainley as Dietz is the true antagonist of the picture. He appears to have much respect for his Captain, but at the beginning after the Germans have sunk the civilian vessel, Dietz asks if there is an order to surface to look for survivors. Capt. Von Shoenvorts declines, yet Dietz responds with, "Survivors may live to fight another day." The Captain then says, "They are in enough trouble already...besides, these were civilians." As the Captain walks away there is a look of unmitigated and deceitful envy on the face of Dietz.
He secretly harbors desires to command his own unit and this materializes during the finale when Dietz shoots his Captain and takes over the doomed submarine. Ainley played a much different character in THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW (1971) in which he played a priest who is seduced by a harbinger of the Devil.
Derek Meddings was in charge of special effects on the picture and his work here would foreshadow some great things to come. Meddings would tackle effects chores on a number of big movies including a slew of the James Bond movies and big budgeted fantasy pictures such as SUPERMAN 1 and 2, KRULL and the 1989 version of BATMAN.
Monster designer Roger Dicken was in charge of the ambitious dinosaur sequences seen in THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT. He also created special effects for several Hammer films including WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH (1970) in which Dicken worked alongside fellow luminaries, Jim Danforth and Dave Allen. Dicken was Danforth's assistant here but on LAND, Dicken was on his own.
Douglas Gamley composed the score which has that Amicus sound to it, but given the nature of the film, Gamley peppers the score with at least one rousing composition which is saved for the finale. The scene in question has Tyler and Lisa racing back to the refinery as the land explodes around them. The group has left without them, though. As the U-boat makes its way back across the now burning river, Tyler and Lisa watch as the sub is destroyed from the boiling water and overwhelming heat.
During the finale, Caprona (described as a gigantic volcanic crater) begins to seemingly erupt destroying life on the island. In the third film, also during the finale, Tyler tells his friend, McBride that the land is alive and will stop their escape. Tyler states that the volcano controls everything. This adds a mystical element to the narrative making Caprona a living character. Taking what is said by Tyler in the third film, the erupting of the volcano in LAND seems to be in retaliation against the stranded travelers attempting to escape the island. By destroying the sub and its inhabitants, Caprona's secret remains hidden away from the eyes of modern man. The film ends as it began, with Tyler tossing a canister with notes detailing Caprona and the creatures residing therein.
The survivors of a torpedoed allied cargo ship turn the tables on their German attackers and seize control of their U-boat. The ever scheming German crew manage to damage the ships compass and instead of steaming to a neutral port, the group finds itself off the coast of the legendary island of Caprona, where time has stood still since prehistoric times. Forced to venture ashore in search of food, supplies and fuel, the crew encounters a bevy of dinosaurs that intend on making sure no one escapes alive. As in all good adventure stories of this type, just about everything and everyone the group encounters is set on doing them mortal harm and danger lies behind every turn. The groups focus is a simple a straight forward one, keep from being eaten and figure out a way to get off the island before it consumed in a river of molten rock. Seems all good dinosaur flicks have to end in some kind of volcanic catastrophe, and this film is no exception, even though Moorcock had originally written it with a different ending.
James Cawthorn (1929-2008) Artist
Jim Cawthorn is best known to Burroughs fans for his early work on the British fanzine Burroughsiana, edited by Michael Moorcock from 1956-1958, and for Erbania, edited by Pete Ogden during the same period. He also illustrated for Tarzan Adventures, a series of Tarzan comics interspersed with other stories and articles, also edited by Michael Moorcock. The series was reprinted by Savoy in 1977.
American Burroughs fans were generally unfamiliar with the British Tarzan publications before the Internet came onto the scene, but they are certainly familiar with the film production of The Land That Time Forgot, for which Jim Cawthorn and Michael Moorcock wrote the screenplay.
This Amicus film starred Doug McClure, making his first appearance in a British film under the auspices of American International Pictures, Inc. Cawthorn is reported to have been dissatisfied with the changes made to their screenplay which was written and signed on October, 1973, and which was filmed a year later. Besides changing names, characters and situations, they blew up Caprona which did not sit well with most American fans.
Cawthorn had produced many unpublished comic strips, including The Land That Time Forgot, and was working on A Princess of Mars when he died on December 2, 2008. He and Moorcock edited Fantasy: The 100 Best Books, published in London by Xanadu in 1988.
Cawthorn had many admirers, including Tarzan artist Burne Hogarth who wrote that the young artist’s work had a quality "most compelling and fascinating... He has an authentic talent." Of the many Cawthorn illustrations available for viewing, we found an early (1958) original in the Burroughs Memorial Collection which he drew for one of Maurice B. Gardner’s Bantan books.
Really love the arts in this one :)
You should definitly make this your new desktop background if you were a macross fan!!
1st Set photos of Barton Community College Volleyball vs Garden City Community College on November 1, 2019, at the Barton Gym on the campus of Barton Community College in Great Bend, KS.
Photos by Kurumi Arakawa, student photographer for Barton Sports Information.
First time driving one of the original, native six bendy buses in the fleet and was not disapointed. Much like having 10044 for my 1s the other evening, 10052 was a fantastic drive for my afternoon on the 2s, not to mention on a cold day it has fantastic cab heating! Now just to get a shot of W2 FAL before it retires...
Seen at Ashwood on Monday 14th December 2015.
Berges du fleuve St-Laurent
Parc de la Commune, Varennes, Québec
Kayaking on the St-Laurence River - En kayak sur le fleuve St-Laurent
Pro #13
Hawker Siddeley Dominie T.1s at the British Aerospace Hatfield open day in September 1981.
Photo by John W. Read.
Some background:
The VF-1 was developed by Stonewell/Bellcom/Shinnakasu for the U.N. Spacy by using alien Overtechnology obtained from the SDF-1 Macross alien spaceship. Its production was preceded by an aerodynamic proving version of its airframe, the VF-X. Unlike all later VF vehicles, the VF-X was strictly a jet aircraft, built to demonstrate that a jet fighter with the features necessary to convert to Battroid mode was aerodynamically feasible. After the VF-X's testing was finished, an advanced concept atmospheric-only prototype, the VF-0 Phoenix, was flight-tested from 2005 to 2007 and briefly served as an active-duty fighter from 2007 to the VF-1's rollout in late 2008, while the bugs were being worked out of the full-up VF-1 prototype (VF-X-1).
The space-capable VF-1's combat debut was on February 7, 2009, during the Battle of South Ataria Island - the first battle of Space War I - and remained the mainstay fighter of the U.N. Spacy for the entire conflict. Introduced in 2008, the VF-1 would be out of frontline service just five years later, though.
The VF-1 proved to be an extremely capable craft, successfully combating a variety of Zentraedi mecha even in most sorties which saw UN Spacy forces significantly outnumbered. The versatility of the Valkyrie design enabled the variable fighter to act as both large-scale infantry and as air/space superiority fighter. The signature skills of U.N. Spacy ace pilot Maximilian Jenius exemplified the effectiveness of the variable systems as he near-constantly transformed the Valkyrie in battle to seize advantages of each mode as combat conditions changed from moment to moment.
The basic VF-1 was deployed in four minor variants (designated A, D, J, and S) and its success was increased by continued development of various enhancements including the GBP-1S "Armored" Valkyrie, FAST Pack "Super" Valkyrie and the additional RÖ-X2 heavy cannon pack weapon system for the VF-1S for additional firepower.
The FAST Pack system was designed to enhance the VF-1 Valkyrie variable fighter, and the initial V1.0 came in the form of conformal pallets that could be attached to the fighter’s leg flanks for additional fuel – primarily for Long Range Interdiction tasks in atmospheric environment. Later FAST Packs were designed for space operations.
After the end of Space War I, the VF-1 continued to be manufactured both in the Sol system and throughout the UNG space colonies. Although the VF-1 would be replaced in 2020 as the primary Variable Fighter of the U.N. Spacy by the more capable, but also much bigger, VF-4 Lightning III, a long service record and continued production after the war proved the lasting worth of the design.
The versatile aircraft also underwent constant upgrade programs. For instance, about a third of all VF-1 Valkyries were upgraded with Infrared Search and Track (IRST) systems from 2016 onwards, placed in a streamlined fairing on the upper side of the nose, just in front of the cockpit. This system allowed for long-range search and track modes, freeing the pilot from the need to give away his position with active radar emissions, and it could also be used for target illumination and guiding precision weapons.
Many Valkyries also received improved radar warning systems, with receivers, depending on the systems, mounted on the wingtips, on the fins and/or on the LERXs. Improved ECR measures were also mounted on some machines, typically in conformal fairings on the flanks of the legs/engine pods.
The VF-1 was without doubt the most recognizable variable fighter of Space War I and was seen as a vibrant symbol of the U.N. Spacy even into the first year of the New Era 0001 in 2013. At the end of 2015 the final rollout of the VF-1 was celebrated at a special ceremony, commemorating this most famous of variable fighters. The VF-1 Valkryie was built from 2006 to 2013 with a total production of 5,459 VF-1 variable fighters with several variants (VF-1A = 5,093, VF-1D = 85, VF-1J = 49, VF-1S = 30, VF-1G = 12, VE-1 = 122, VT-1 = 68).
However, the fighter was frequently updated, leading to several “re-built” variants, and remained active in many second line units and continued to show its worthiness years later, e. g. through Milia Jenius who would use her old VF-1 fighter in defense of the colonization fleet - 35 years after the type's service introduction!
This VF-1A was assigned to SVF-51 “Yellow Jackets”, and based onboard the UES Constellation platform in Lower Earth Orbit (LEO). The Constellation was tasked during the First Space War with the close defense of Moon Base Apollo, but also undertook atmospheric missions.
This particular fighter sported the squadron’s typical striped high visibility markings over a standard gloss light gray base on wings and legs, but unlike normal machines of this unit, with deep yellow and black markings, was, together with two sister ships, assigned to the unit’s staff flight. Each of these VF-1’s carried the unit markings and additional flight leader decoration on the noses in non-regular colors: turquoise on “001”, violet on “002” and pink on “003” – giving them one of the most distinctive and attractive paint schemes during the Space War.
General characteristics:
All-environment variable fighter and tactical combat Battroid,
used by U.N. Spacy, U.N. Navy, U.N. Space Air Force
Accommodation:
Pilot only in Marty & Beck Mk-7 zero/zero ejection seat
Dimensions:
Fighter Mode:
Length 14.23 meters
Wingspan 14.78 meters (at 20° minimum sweep)
Height 3.84 meters
Battroid Mode:
Height 12.68 meters
Width 7.3 meters
Length 4.0 meters
Empty weight: 13.25 metric tons;
Standard T-O mass: 18.5 metric tons;
MTOW: 37.0 metric tons
Power Plant:
2x Shinnakasu Heavy Industry/P&W/Roice FF-2001 thermonuclear reaction turbine engines, output 650 MW each, rated at 11,500 kg in standard or in overboost (225.63 kN x 2)
4x Shinnakasu Heavy Industry NBS-1 high-thrust vernier thrusters (1 x counter reverse vernier thruster nozzle mounted on the side of each leg nacelle/air intake, 1 x wing thruster roll control system on each wingtip);
18x P&W LHP04 low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles
Performance:
Battroid Mode: maximum walking speed 160 km/h
Fighter Mode: at 10,000 m Mach 2.71; at 30,000+ m Mach 3.87
g limit: in space +7
Thrust-to-weight ratio: empty 3.47; standard T-O 2.49; maximum T-O 1.24
Design Features:
3-mode variable transformation; variable geometry wing; vertical take-off and landing; control-configurable vehicle; single-axis thrust vectoring; three "magic hand" manipulators for maintenance use; retractable canopy shield for Battroid mode and atmospheric reentry; option of GBP-1S system, atmospheric-escape booster, or FAST Pack system
Transformation:
Standard time from Fighter to Battroid (automated): under 5 sec.
Min. time from Fighter to Battroid (manual): 0.9 sec.
Armament:
1x internal Mauler RÖV-20 anti-aircraft laser cannon, firing 6,000 pulses per minute
1x Howard GU-11 55 mm three-barrel Gatling gun pod with 200 RPG, fired at 1,200 rds/min
4x underwing hard points for a wide variety of ordnance, including
12x AMM-1 hybrid guided multipurpose missiles (3/point), or
12x MK-82 LDGB conventional bombs (3/point), or
6x RMS-1 large anti-spaceship reaction missiles (2/outboard point, 1/inboard point), or
4x UUM-7 micro-missile pods (1/point) each carrying 15 x Bifors HMM-01 micro-missiles, or a combination of above load-outs and other guided and unguided ordnance
The kit and its assembly:
It has been a while that I tackled one of these vintage ARII kits, and this time the build became a relief project from Corona cabin fever and a major conversion project. This garish Valkyrie is fictional but was heavily based on a profile drawing published in the Macross source book “Variable Fighter Master File VF-1 Valkyrie” of SVF-51 (originally with deep yellow accents)
The kit is a VF-1J, but the head unit was replaced with an “A” variant from the spares box. It was basically built OOB, with the landing gear down. The only mods are some standard blade antennae, an IRST fairing under the nose and the fins’ tops were slightly modified, too. The pylons were modified to take the new ordnance – optically guided glide bombs à la AGM-62 “Walleye”, scratched from obscure AAMs from a Kangnam MiG-29 and painted in the style of early USAF GBUs.
The gun pod was also modified to accept a scratched wire display in its tail and holds the Valkyrie in flight. The pilot figure was just a guest for the in-flight photo sessions, later the canopy was glued to a mount in open position.
Painting and markings:
I had wanted to apply this spectacular scheme onto a model for a while, but could not get myself to use yellow, because I already have a similar VF-1 in USN high-viz livery and with yellow and black decorations. I considered other tones, and eventually settled for pink – as an unusual choice, but there are canonical VF-1s with such an exotic tone in their liveries.
The rest was straightforwardly adapted from the profile, even though the creation of the trim lines without masking was a challenge. I used various stripes of generic decal material in black and white to create shapes and demarcation lines, filling up larger areas with paint. The overall basic tone is Humbrol 40 (glossy FS 36440), plus Humbrol 200 (Pink), 22 (Gloss Black) and Revell 301 (Semi-matt White) for the flaps’ upper surfaces and the landing gear. The cockpit became medium grey with a black seat and brown cushions. The ventral gun pod became aluminum.
After basic painting, the model received an overall washing with thinned black ink to emphasize the engraved panel lines. A little post-shading was done, too, for a more graphic look, and then the decals (including most trim lines, e. g. in black on the wings and the nose, in white on the fins) were applied. The following basic markings came from various 1:100 VF-1 sheets, the tail code letters came from an RAF SEAC Spitfire from WWII. The modex codes consist of single digit decals (2mm size, TL Modellbau).
Finally, after some detail painting and highlights with clear paint had been added, the VF-1 was sealed with a semi-gloss acrylic varnish.
A small and quick interim project, realized in just a few days – most time passed while waiting for the gloss Humbrol enamels to cure properly… There are certainly better VF-1 models than the vintage ARII kits, but I just love them because they are small, simple and easy to modify. Staying close to the benchmark profile was quite a challenge but worked out fine, even though I had hoped that the pink would stand out a little more. But the plan to change the unit’s ID color for a staff flight aircraft turned out well, even though some compromises had to be made.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
When Marcel Dassault started work on jet-powered fighters after WWII, the development evolved in gradual steps instead of quantum leaps, leading to a long line of aircraft. The Mystère IV was an evolutionary development of the Mystère II aircraft. Although bearing an external resemblance to the earlier aircraft, the Mystère IV was in fact a new design with aerodynamic improvements for supersonic flight. The prototype first flew on 28 September 1952, and the aircraft entered service in April 1953. The first 50 Mystere IVA production aircraft were powered by British Rolls-Royce Tay turbojets, while the remainder had the French-built Hispano-Suiza Verdon 350 version of that engine.
France was the main operator of the Mystère IV. In April 1953 the United States government and the United States Air Force placed an order for 223 aircraft to be operated by the French, and at the peak usage the Armée de l‘air operated 6 squadrons. Most of the aircraft were purchased under a United States Offshore Procurement contract and many were returned to US custody after they were retired. The Mystère IVs were used in the 1956 Suez Crisis and continued to remain in French service into the 1980s, even though they were quickly relegated into second line duties as more capable types like the Super Mystère SM2B or the Mirage III entered service.
Other international operators included Israel (using about sixty Mystère IVs in large-scale combat during the 1967 Six Day War), India (104 aircraft procured in 1957 and extensively used in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965) and Ecuador.
The Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana (FAE, Ecuadorian Air Force) was officially created on October 27, 1920. However, like in many other countries, military flying activity already started before the formal date of birth of the Air Force. By 1939 the Ecuadorian Air Force was still limited to about 30 aircraft, though, and a staff of about 60, including 10 officers. Military aviation did not start in earnest until the early forties when an Ecuadorian mission to the United States resulted in the delivery of an assortment of aircraft for the Aviation school at Salinas: three Ryan PT-22 Recruits, six Curtiss-Wright CW-22 Falcons, six Fairchild PT-19A Cornells and three North American AT-6A Harvards arrived in March 1942, considerably boosting the capacity of the Escuela de Aviación at Salinas.
The 1950s and 1960s saw a further necessary buildup of the air force, gaining more units and aircraft, while efforts were made in enhancing the facilities at various airbases. In May 1961 the "First Air Zone" with its subordinate unit Ala de Transportes No.11 was founded. The "Second Air Zone" controlled the units in the southern half of Ecuador, Ala de Combate No.21 at Taura, Ala de Rescate No.22 at Guayaquil and Ala de Combate No.23 at Manta as well as the Escuela Superior Militar de Aviación "Cosme Rennella B." (ESMA) at Salinas.
It was at this time that the FAE was looking for a capable (yet affordable) jet fighter that would replace the vintage F-47 “Thunderbolt” piston engine fighters of American origin that had been operated since 1947 as well as the ageing fleet of Gloster Meteor jet fighters. After consulting various options, including the British Hawker Hunter and the American F-86 Sabre, Ecuador settled upon the French Mystère IV. A total of 32 aircraft were ordered in 1958 and delivered until early 1963 in two tranches, subsequently outfitting two combat squadrons.
The Ecuadorian aircraft resembled the early French Mystère IV standard and were powered by the British Rolls-Royce Tay 250. However, they differed in small details and incorporated some updates, leading to the individual designation Mystère IVE (for Ecuador). This included a modified instrumentation and a British Martin Baker ejection seat in the cockpit. On the outside, a fairing for a brake parachute at the fin’s base was the most obvious change, and there were small oval boundary layer fences on the wings’ leading edges that improved the aircraft’s handling. The front landing gear was slightly different, too, now outfitted with a mudguard.
To improve the aircraft’s capabilities in air-to-air combat, an American AN/APG-30 range-finding radar was fitted, mounted to the center of the air intake (under a slightly enlarged radome) and linked with the gyroscopic gunsight in the cockpit. It was effective at a range of up to 2.750 m, but only covered a narrow cone directly in front of the aircraft. Initially the aircraft were operated as pure fighters/interceptors, but soon they also took over ground attack and CAS missions with iron bombs and unguided missiles, even though the Mystère IV’s ordnance capacity was rather limited. But the aircraft had a good handling at low altitude and were a stable weapon platform, so that the pilots operated them with confidence.
In the early Seventies, Ecuador had plans to upgrade its Mystères with Pratt & Whitney J48-P-5 engines, a license-built version of the Rolls-Royce Tay from the USA and outfitted with an afterburner. With reheat the J48 delivered 8,750 lbf (38.9 kN) of thrust, but continuous dry thrust was only 6,350 lbf (28.2 kN), markedly less than the old Tay engine. The high fuel consumption with operating afterburner would have markedly limited the aircraft’s range, and this engine switch would have necessitated major modifications to the aircrafts’ tail section, so that the upgrade eventually did not come to fruition due the lack of funds and the rather limited and only temporary improvement in performance.
Nevertheless, in course of their career in Ecuador, the Mystères’ still underwent some modifications and modernizations. In the early Seventies an MLU program was carried out: the retractable pannier for unguided missiles was deleted in favor of an extra fuel tank and upgraded navigational and weapon avionics. The latter included wirings for IR-guided AIM-9B Sidewinder AAMs on the outer underwing pylons, what greatly improved the aircraft’s air-to-air capabilities. The original DEFA 552 guns were replaced with more modern DEFA 553s, which had a new feed system, a nitro-chrome plated steel barrel (which was longer than the 552’s and now protruded visibly from the openings), a forged drum casing, and improved electrical reliability. During this upgrade phase the machines also lost their original natural metal livery and they received a less conspicuous tactical NATO-style grey/green paint scheme with metallic-grey undersides.
In this form the Ecuadorean Mystère IVEs soldiered on well into the Eighties, with a very good reliability record. During their active career they even saw “hot” action on several occasions, for instance in a continuous border dispute with Peru, the so-called Paquisha War. This brief military clash over the control of three watch posts flared up in January 1981 and the Mystères became involved. The first incident was a dogfight with an A-37B of the Fuerza Aérea del Peru (FAP), launched from Guayaquil to intercept it – with no casualities, though. Several similar interception incidents happened until early February 1981, and the FAE Mystères also flew several CAS missions to repel the Peruvian Jungle Infantry and to support Ecuadorian ground forces. Despite their age, the aircrafts’ ruggedness and simplicity proved them to be reliable, and its high roll rate and good handling at low altitude made it a versatile platform that was still competitive, even though its rather sluggish acceleration turned out to be a serious weak spot, esp. in the country’s typical mountainous terrain. Its relatively low range with internal fuel only was another operational problem.
The Mystère IVEs were finally retired in 1988 and replaced by Mirage F.1C fighters from France and IAI Kfir C.7 fighter bombers from Israel.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 12.89 m (42 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 11.12 m (36 ft 6 in)
Height: 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 32.06 m² (345.1 sq ft)
Empty weight: 5,860 kg (12,919 lb)
Gross weight: 8,510 kg (18,761 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 9,500 kg (20,944 lb)
Powerplant:
1× Rolls-Royce Tay 250 centrifugal-flow turbojet engine with 34.32 kN (7,720 lbf) thrust
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1,110 km/h (690 mph, 600 kn) at sea level
Range: 915 km (569 mi, 494 nmi) with internal fuel only
2,280 km (1,420 mi; 1,230 nmi) with drop tanks
Service ceiling: 15,000 m (49,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 40 m/s (7,900 ft/min)
Armament:
2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 553 cannon with 150 rounds per gun
1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of payload on four underwing hardpoints, incl. bombs, rockets or drop tanks
The kit and its assembly:
A very simple project, and basically just an OOB kit in the colors of a fictional operator. The whole thing was inspired by the question: what could have been a predecessor of the Ecuadorean Mirage F.1s? Not an existential question that might pop up frequently, but I quickly decided that the Mystère IV would have been a good/plausible contender. I found this idea even more attractive when I considered a camouflage paint scheme for it, because you only get either French or Indian machines in a uniform NMF outfit or IDF Mystères in desert camouflage (either in brown/blue or the later sand/earth/green scheme).
The kit is the venerable Matchbox Mystère IVA, even though in its Revell re-boxing. It’s a very simple affair, with partly crude details like the landing gear or the dreaded “trenches” for engraved surface details, esp. on the wings. But it goes together quite well, and with some corrections and additions you get a decent model.
The kit was basically built OOB, I just added underwings pylons with some ordnance for a fighter bomber mission: a pair of drop tanks and two SNEB missile launcher pods (tanks leftover from a Sword F-94, IIRC, and the pods from a Matchbox G.91Y). A complete tub with a floor and with side consoles (origin is uncertain, though – maybe it came from an Xtrakit Supermarin Swift?) was fitted to the cockpit and the primitive OOB ejection seat was replaced with something more convincing, pimped with seatbelts (masking tape) and ejection trigger handles (thin wire).
The flaps were lowered for a more natural look, and I added small oval boundary layer fences from a BAe Hawk as a personal twist. The clumsy front wheel, originally molded onto the strut as a single piece, was replaced with something better. The main landing gear covers were replaced with thinner styrene sheet material (the OOB parts are VERY thick) and pieces from hollow steel needles were implanted into the respective fairings as gun barrels.
A thinner pitot, created from heated sprue material, was used instead of the rather massive OOB part. The ranging radar fairing in the intake was slightly enlarged with the help of white glue. And, finally, a piece of sprue was implanted into the fin’s base as a brake parachute fairing, reminiscent of the Polish Lim-6/7, license-produced MiG-17s.
Painting and markings:
Actually quite conservative, with a typical Seventies paint scheme in dark grey/dark green. I even considered a more exotic three-tone scheme but found that – together with the colorful national markings – this would look too busy. Since there is no reference for a Mystère IV in such a guise, I simply adapted the standard pattern from a Royal Air Force Supermarine Swift. For a different look than the standard RAF colors – after all, the fictional Ecuadorean Mystère IVs were painted with domestic material. I used Humbrol 75 (Bronze Green) and ModelMaster 2057 (FS 36173, USAF Neutral Grey) for a good contrast between the upper tones, with Humbrol 56 (Alu Dope) underneath.
The tail section received a burned metal look, using Revell 91 (Iron) and some graphite. The cockpit interior was painted in a very dark grey (Revell 09, Anthracite) while the landing gear became silver-grey and the wells zinc-chromate primer (Humbrol 81). For some contrast, the drop tanks became shiny aluminum (Revell 99).
The kit received a light black ink washing, primarily for the recessed panel lines, and a subtle panel post-shading – for a less uniform surface than for true weathering, I’d imagine that the aircraft would be looked after well. However, some gun soot stains around the weapon ports were added with graphite, too.
The Ecuadorean roundels and unit markings came from an Xtradecal Strikemaster sheet, the tactical codes from a Croco Decal sheet for various South-American trainers. The flag on the rudder was, due to its sweep, painted, and most stencils were taken from the Mystère’s OOB sheet or procured from an Ecuadorian Mirage V on a Carpena sheet.
Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish, the ordnance was added and the position lights on the wing tips were created with silver and clear paint on top of that.
Well, this was not a spectacular conversion build, rather an OOB travesty with some cosmetic changes. However, the rather classic grey/green camouflage suits the tubby aircraft well and the bright national insignia really stand out on it – a pretty combo. The whole package as fictional Mystère IVE looks surprisingly convincing!
It's Kawasaki's awesome 250 two stroke screamer - a little green meanie.
Like two stroke bikes? I've created a new Flickr set which hopefully has all of my stroker pics in one place:-
www.flickr.com/photos/dave_kepcove/sets/72157628137249280/
As anyone who has spent more than a few minutes in my photostream will know, I just love two stroke bikes. My first four bikes were strokers, I've raced them in the past and the hairs on the back of my neck still stick up when I hear that ring-a ding-ding.
Sadly with emission laws tightening, new two strokes are becoming rare in Europe and I think have been notably absent from the USA's roads for some years.
Hopefully all of my shots are now in one Flickr set, and there is a little bit of history to be seen, especially from the late 70s and 80s (and 90s. Oh and the noughties, too)
There are:-
Road Race Bikes
Production Race Bikes
Motocross Bikes
Street Bikes
Scooters
Mopeds
Supermotos
Singles
Twins
Triples
and
Fours
Suzuki
Kawasaki
BSA
DKW
Dot
Greeves
Bridgestone
Maico
Honda
Aprilia
Vespa
Lambretta
Derbi
and amazingly
Harley-Davidson
and if you look very closely, a video of someone warming up a Spartan three cylinder race bike. All crackles and smoke.
I hope that you like them.
Trent Barton 656 (FN04 HSF) U-turns from Mansfield Road into York Street, Nottingham, on the Rainbow 1 service, to reach and terminate at Victoria bus station.
When Rainbow 3 receives new buses this month and is rebranded to "the threes", the Rainbow 1 will be the only Rainbow route left.
Yes. There are now three. Each is made up of 205 parts, making the M-1s very hefty on parts. The OFSI has modified the design from the original for a more streamlined look. Engines have been re-tuned, so the TB-M-1s are now capable of 230 mph. Now more fearsome than ever, these ground fighters are any militias fear.
OFSI Motors
Well using some parts I got a BBTB I have been able to make multiple M-1s :D. it is so cool having a trio!
Don't expect many uploads until I get Pro or something... Don't want to push out too many images...
Comments welcomed!
In appalling weather conditions British Airtours Lockheed TriStar G-BBAI "The Molly McGredy Rose" overshot the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport collapsing the nose wheel on the soft grass bank. Three days after the incident the plane has been recovered to the apron. It stayed here for many months while a new forward bulkhead and nose wheel were replaced.
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Shorts Tucano T.1s ZF406 and ZF380 of the Central Flying School, RAF, at Fairford on 24th July 1993.
You'll notice that the body is largely recycled from my old version (look through my photostream, it's back there) while the engines and head are new. I love the profile of this ship.