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+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and other conflicts.
The Mustang was conceived, designed and built by North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a specification issued directly to NAA by the British Purchasing Commission. The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed and, with an engine installed, first flew on 26 October.
The Mustang was originally designed to use the Allison V-1710 engine, which had limited high-altitude performance. It was first flown operationally by the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber (Mustang Mk I).
The addition of the Rolls-Royce Merlin to the P-51B/C (Mustang Mk III) model transformed the Mustang's performance at altitudes above 15,000 ft, giving it a much better performance that matched or bettered almost all of the Luftwaffe's fighters at altitude.
The definitive USAF version, which saw use in any late WWII theatre, the P-51D (Mustang Mk IV), was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, a license-built version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin 60 series two-stage two-speed supercharged engine, and armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns.
Anyway, the Mustang’s development was kept up by North American as well as in Great Britain. There, the Mustang was developed into the Mustang V (a lightweight fighter of which only one prototype reached England), the Mustang VI (a high altitude fighter version which was produced in small numbers and kept in RAF service until 1951) and the Mustang VII, a radical modification for the South East Asia Command.
The Mustang VII was intended as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricanes and early Spitfire variants deployed to India and Burma. One of these types’ biggest concerns had been the engine, or, more specifically, its cooling system. The Merlin’s liquid cooled system had been designed for the mild European climate, but, in the hot and humid Asian environment, the aircraft frequently faced engine problems. An air-cooled, radial engine was regarded as the more appropriate means of propulsion, and with the Bristol Centaurus a powerful option was readily available and earmarked for the Hawker Tempest.
Apart from the new engine and cowling, the Mustang VII prototypes were similar to the P-51D. The Centaurus engine was tightly cowled and the exhaust stacks were grouped behind and on either side of the engine. Behind these were air outlets with automatic sliding "gills".
New air intakes on the inner leading edges of both wings fed the carburetor and an oil cooler. The radial engine installation owed much to examinations of a captured Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and was clean and effective. The bigger frontal area was partly compensated by the removal of the Mustang’s characteristic, ventral radiator tunnel.
This modification also kept the overall increment of weight to only ~90 lb (41 kg) – even though the aircraft became remarkably nose-heavy and handled much different from the Merlin-powered versions. Longitudinal stability also deteriorated slightly.
The first Mustang Mk. VIII, PE883, flew on 28 June 1944 powered by a Centaurus I (2,000 hp/1,490 kW) driving a four-blade propeller, followed by the second, PE884. From the start, the Mustang VII was "tropicalized" for service in the South-East Asian theatre.
Orders were placed in September 1944 for 300 Mustang VIIs, and they were directly deployed to India and Burma. There, the Mustang VII replaced the Spitfire II and Vs in the fighter role, relegating the new RAF Thunderbolts in the region to ground attack, a task for which that type was well suited.
Once the Mustang VIIs were cleared for use, they were used against the Japanese in Burma by four RAF squadrons of the South East Asia Command from India. Operations with army support (operating as "cab ranks" to be called in when needed), attacks on enemy airfields and lines of communication, and escort sorties.
They proved devastating in tandem with Thunderbolts during the Japanese breakout attempt at the Sittang Bend in the final months of the war. The Mustangs were armed with two 500 lb (227 kg) bombs or, in some cases, British RP-3 rocket projectiles. The Mustang VIIs also flew escort for RAF Liberators in the bombing of Rangoon.
The type remained in RAF service until October 1946. After that the RAF passed 60 machines to the Indian Air Force in 1947, together with other piston fighters.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 32 ft 8 1/4 in (9.97 m)
Wingspan: 48 ft 9½ in (14.90 m)
Height: 14 ft 6 in (4.39 m)
Wing area: 235 sq ft (21.83 m²)
Airfoil: NAA/NACA 45-100 / NAA/NACA 45-100
Empty weight: 7,725 lb (3,505 kg)
Loaded weight: 9,290 lb (4,220 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 12,200 lb (5,515 kg)
Maximum fuel capacity: 419 US gal (349 imp gal; 1,590 l)
Powerplant:
1× Bristol Centaurus 1 18-cylinder twin-row radial engine, 2,000 hp (1,490 kW) at take-off
Performance:
Maximum speed: 432 mph (695 km/h) at 18,400 ft (5,608 m)
Cruise speed: 362 mph (315 kn, 580 km/h)
Range: 740 mi (1,190 km) on internal fuel
Service ceiling: 36,500 ft (11,125 m)
Rate of climb: 4,700 ft/min (23.9 m/s)
Armament:
4× 0.787 caliber (20mm) Hispano Mk. II cannons with 200 RPG in the outer wings
Underwing hardpoints for up to 2.000 lb (907 kg) of external ordnance,
including drop tanks, a pair of bombs of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber, or six unguided missiles
The kit and its assembly:
This conversion was based on the rather academic question: how could a Mustang with a radial engine look like? A weird idea, if you look at the sleek aircraft. But then there was the rather handsome Fw 190 A/F, the Hawker Tempest carried both liquid-cooled and air-cooled engines, and I saw a model of a Merlin Spitfire mated with a Fw 190 BMW engine some time ago. So, why not re-do the Mustang?
Working things out was complex, though. Initially I wanted to graft an R-2800 onto the Mustang’s nose – I had a spare fuselage from a late Italeri F4U at hand, as well as a Matchbox P-51D... After some measuring I was certain: yes, this transplant could work!
Said and done, the Corsair’s front section including the engine was cut out and tailored to fit over the shortened Mustang nose which lost its Merlin. At first I retained the original belly radiator, since it would be a convenient fairing for the oil coolers. The project made good progress, but… the result did not look good, because the R-2800 is rather wide. The aircraft looked very tadpole-like.
So, while in the middle of body sculpting, I decided to change the project, switching to a British Centaurus - a featureless piece from a PM Model Sea Fury with some more changes.
The Centaurus’ selling point was the more slender cowling, and it goes well onto a F4U’s nose section, proven by several conversions of this kind. In order to keep the aircraft as slender as possible I removed the belly tunnel and re-located the oil coolers and air intakes into the wing roots, closer to the engine and more like the installation on the Tempest or the Sea Fury. These extended wing root fairings were created from sprue pieces and putty.
It is amazing how this further modification changed the Mustang’s look – the thing reminds a lot of a La-9/11 now, even though wings, tail and most of the fuselage, including the canopy, were not modified at all? I am also reminded of the F8F Bearcat?
Furthermore, after the new propeller (cuffed blades from a P-47 Thunderbolt, IIRC, with trimmed tips) with a massive spinner from a Hawker Tempest was mounted on its metal axis, this mutant Mustang looked more and more like a Reno Unlimited Class racer? Weird, but sexy!
Otherwise, only minor things were changed, e. g. the landing gear covers were replaced through 0.5mm styrene sheet, a dashboard was added to the cockpit and the thick canopy cut into two pieces. The six 0.5” machine guns were replaced by four short Hispano cannons made from brass.
Painting and markings:
With the Centaurus implant the background story and the operator idea changed. I used this opportunity to paint the aircraft in a late/post WWII SEAC livery – inspired by P-47s operated in this region.
The bare metal finish with dark blue ID stripes and the SEAC roundels already looked nice, but as a twist I incorporated remnants of a former Dark Green/Dark Earth camouflage, on the fuselage and the wings’ leading edges, as anti-glare panels, while the area in front of the cockpit was painted in opaque dark olive drab – a practice to be found on several RAF aircraft of that time are area.
The interior surface were painted with USAF Cockpit Green (Humbrol 224 and 150) and slightly dry-brushed, then the whole kit received a basic coat of Revell Acrylic Aluminum. Later, some panels were painted with different shades of Aluminum and Steel (including Metallizer and normal metallic paint). Some wet sanding blurred the outlines and enhanced the worn look.
Decals come from various SEAC sheets, including the blue ID stripes on wings and tail. The corresponding blue cowling ring was painted with a mix of Humbrol 15 and 104, and pretty flaky around the engine cowling.
As finishing touches some oil stains were added with Tamiya “Smoke” and some soot stains around the exhausts and the guns were added. Finally, the camouflaged areas were sealed under a matt varnish while the bare metal parts received a semi-gloss acrylic coat.
A weird project – one of the few of my models that somehow changed dramatically along the way, even though still true to the original idea of a radial engine Mustang. However, the result was envisioned differently, but I am still happy with the outcome. Even though there’s visually little Mustang breed left…
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Another #TomPrichardContracting #Scania delivery. A bit wet for driver training but all went ahead and the sweeping begins #KeepWalesTidy #Sweeper #TomPrichard #Llantrisant #Wales #SouthWales #Cymru #CF72
#SuppliedByKeltruck keltruckscania.com/suppliedbykeltruck
MAZZALI Contract: “LA STECCA”, residenza universitaria di Imt Alti Studi Lucca
"La Stecca", l'imponente immobile originariamente parte del complesso del convento di San Francesco, è sede dell’ IMT (Istituzioni, Mercati, Tecnologie) Istituto di Alti Studi , un istituto statale di istruzione universitaria, di ricerca e di alta formazione.
Mazzali ha realizzato:
100 camere residenziali per docenti, ricercatori e studenti.
16 spazi ufficio e multimediali.
MAZZALI Contract : “ LA STECCA ” IMT campus, Lucca.
IMT is an Institute for Advanced Studies that aims to push the frontiers of knowledge and to contribute to the formation of international professional elites for business and institutions.
Mazzali made:
N° 100 short to medium term housing bedrooms for professors, students and visitors;
N° 16 office spaces for faculty and staff
The beautifully and painstakingly restored complex includes the San Francesco Church (to be used for major events), the Guinigi Chapel (for seminars and smaller events), the "Sala delle Colonne" (for seminars and meetings), classrooms, residential facilities for students, short- to medium-term housing for visiting faculty, office spaces for faculty and staff, the canteen, and numerous internal and external areas for study and socialization. PhD students who qualify for a scholarship are offered free housing in the San Francesco complex, while all students and faculty have free access to the canteen.
Kara Livingston looks at the contract she signed with the moving company, Vanlines of America. (KOMU photo/Brandon Twichell)
The CONTRACT of the ARCH……
The ARCH is a word and a structure that features prominently over the millennia……
ARCHES are used in building powerful word constructs and social control structures as well as being used extensively in ARCHitecture and civil engineering.
These power structures are always hierARCHical, often with a single entity at the top known as a monARCH.
The MASONIC control structure has certainly adopted this ARCHitecture and even pretends to be borne out of the stone mason fraternities.
In Gnosticism, ARCHons are the builders of the physical universe. Among the ARCHontics, Ophites, Sethians and in the writings of Nag Hammadi library, the ARCHons are rulers, each related to one of seven planets; they prevent souls from leaving the material realm.
The ARCHers – a long running program through history – not just the BBC….
'SOVEREIGN' - literally means to reign from above.
This is why the MonARCH of a country is referred to as 'Your HIGHNESS'
Then we have
MatriARCHs - a system of society or government ruled by a woman or women
PatriARCHs - a system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is reckoned through the male line.
OligARCHs - government by the few, especially despotic power exercised by a small and privileged group for corrupt or selfish purposes.
In these long-running and ARCHaic societal control structures we also have:
ARCH dukes and ARCH duchesses
ARCH bishops
ARCH deacons
ARCH druids
ARCHangels
ARCHitects
SquireARCHies - landowners collectively, especially when considered as a class having political or social influence
mARCHioness - a noblewoman with the rank of marquess, or the wife of a marquess.
mARCHer lords - A Marcher Lord was a noble appointed by the King of England to guard the border between England and Wales. A Marcher Lord was the English equivalent of a margrave or a marquis before the introduction of the title of "marquess" in Britain
ARCHimandrite - the superior of a large monastery or group of monasteries in the Orthodox Church
ARCHaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. Archaeology is often considered a branch of socio-cultural anthropology, but archaeologists also draw from biological, geological, and environmental systems through their study of the past
TrierARCH - the title of officers who commanded a trireme in the classical Greek world. In Classical Athens, the title was associated with the trierarchy, one of the public offices or liturgies, which were filled by wealthy citizens for a year
HagiARCHy - government by saints, holy men, or men in holy orders
AutARCHic - having and exercising complete political power and control: absolute, absolutistic, arbitrary, autarchical, autocratic, autocratical, despotic, dictatorial, monocratic, totalitarian, tyrannic, tyrannical, tyrannous
HeptARCHy - a collective name applied to the seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England from the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain in the 5th century until the 8th century consolidation into the four kingdoms of Mercia, Northumbria, Wessex and East Anglia.
TetrARCHy - term adopted to describe the system of government of the ancient Roman Empire instituted by Roman Emperor Diocletian in 293, marking the end of the Crisis of the Third Century and the recovery of the Roman Empire
TheARCHy - rule by a god or gods
GynARCHy - rule by women or a woman.
ExARCHate - a Byzantine province governed by an exARCH
AnARCHy - a state of disorder due to lack of social structure
All this history was documented by ARCHivists – with old records being kept on pARCHment
At school we are not taught the true meaning of the ARCHway….
By passing through the ARCHway we may be unaware that we are entering into an agreement or contract where we are to be ruled over.
The ‘CONTRACT of the ARCH’ perhaps……
ARCANUM and ARCANA - mysterious or specialized knowledge, language, or information accessible or possessed only by the initiate.
ARCHES in Modern Culture….
The ARCHERS - a British BBC radio soap opera broadcast since 1951. Having aired over 19,300 episodes, it is the world's longest-running drama.
The ARCHERS is set in the fictional village of AmBRIDGE
ARCHing over us - the first ever flighted birds….
ARCHaeopteryx – a genus of bird-like feathered dinosaurs.
More famous ARCHes…
ARCHimedes (c. 287 – c. 212 BC)
Considered to be the greatest mathematician of ancient history, and one of the greatest of all time.
The Fields Medal for outstanding achievement in mathematics carries a portrait of ARCHimedes, along with a carving illustrating his proof on the sphere and the cylinder.
The inscription around the head of ARCHimedes is a quote attributed to him which reads in Latin: Transire suum pectus mundoque potiri.
'RISE ABOVE ONESELF AND GRASP THE WORLD’.
ARCHimedes, Freemasonry and the Moderns Grand Lodge Constitutions
Frontispiece to the 1723 Edition:
The 1723 edition is well-known for its elaborate frontispiece engraved by John Pine in 1723. It features a classical arcade of John Montagu, the Second Duke of Montagu (Knight of the Garter #532), and the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England (1721-1723), passing the scroll of the "Constitutions" to his 1723 successor, Philip Warton, First Duke of Wharton. Both are attended by their officers. Apollo, god of the sun, charges above in his chariot, symbolizing the meridian height. Behind the gathering is a passageway framed by walls of water - evocative of the parting of the Red Sea.
The 47th proposition of Euclid, the traditional symbol of a past masters of a Masonic lodge, appears in the foreground. Below it, in Greek, is ARCHhimedes' famous exclamation: “Eureka!” (“I have found it!”)
eureka (English) - εύρηκα (Greek)
For more hidden knowledge see
In Abrahamic Religions, NOAH features as the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriARCHs.
The story is all about the signs of the Zodiac - the Royal ARCH or ARK….
‘NOAH’S ARK of the COVENANT’ PDF Document Download Link:
pubastrology.files.wordpress.com/2021/10/noahs-ark-of-the...
_https://pubastrology.files.wordpress.com/2021/10/noahs-ark-of-the-covenant-revision-6.pdf
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New #Scania 80 ton S580 #V8 tag joins the Scania only Tom Prichard Contracting fleet #TomPrichard #TomPrichardContacting #Llantrisant #Wales #SouthWales #Cymru #CF72 #ScaniaV8
Cracking job, Peter Harris!
#SuppliedByKeltruck keltruckscania.com/suppliedbykeltruck
FIND IT @ graphicriver.net/item/modern-proposal-contract-and-invoic...
This is a complete and professional Template of 12 pages for a Business Proposal, Contract and Invoice.
It will definitely help you visualize in a professional way your business and your proposal to clients.
Included are pages for Project Proposal, Project Timeline, Contract, Packages Plan, Invoice...
The files are created in order to be used by everyone, with just a basic knowledge of the softwares.
The preview images are made by using my Brochure Mock-ups Set
InDesign CS3-4-5 (.INDD, .IDML, .INX)
A4 ISO 297×210 mm (11,7x8,26 inches) + bleeds / US Letter (8,5 x 11 inches) + bleeds
12 beautiful pages easy to edit
300 DPI / Print Ready / CYMK
.PDF documentation
ALL made with FREE Fonts
SUPER EASY to CUSTOMIZE, you can decide how many pages, which order, background colors and so on...
FIND IT @ graphicriver.net/item/modern-proposal-contract-and-invoic...
Here's a good way to prevent people from parking, as seen in St. Paul, Minnesota: just put drums full of toxic waste in your spot!
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Tornado ADV had its origins in an RAF Air Staff Requirement 395 (or ASR.395), which called for a long-range interceptor to replace the Lightning F6 and Phantom FGR2. The requirement for a modern interceptor was driven by the threat posed by the large Soviet long-range bomber fleet, in particular the supersonic Tupolev Tu-22M. From the beginning of the Tornado IDS's development in 1968, the possibility of a variant dedicated to air defence had been quietly considered; several American aircraft had been evaluated, but found to be unsuitable. However, the concept proved unattractive to the other European partners on the Tornado project, thus the UK elected to proceed in its development alone. On 4 March 1976, the development of the Tornado ADV was formally approved.
In 1976, British Aerospace was contracted to provide three prototype aircraft. The first prototype was rolled out at Warton on 9 August 1979, before making its maiden flight on 27 October 1979. During the flight testing, the ADV demonstrated noticeably superior supersonic acceleration to the IDS, even while carrying a full weapons loadout.
The Tornado ADV's differences compared to the IDS include a greater sweep angle on the wing gloves, and the deletion of their kruger flaps, deletion of the port cannon, a longer radome for the Foxhunter radar, slightly longer airbrakes and a fuselage stretch of 1.36 m to allow the carriage of four Skyflash semi-active radar homing missiles. The stretch was applied to the Tornado front fuselage being built by the UK, with a plug being added immediately behind the cockpit, which had the unexpected benefit of reducing drag and making space for an additional fuel tank (Tank '0') carrying 200 imperial gallons (909 l; 240 U.S. gal) of fuel. The artificial feel of the flight controls was lighter on the ADV than on the IDS. Various internal avionics, pilot displays, guidance systems and software also differed; including an automatic wing sweep selector not fitted to the strike aircraft.
Production of the Tornado ADV was performed between 1980 and 1993, the last such aircraft being delivered that same year. A total of 165 Tornado ADVs were ordered by Britain, the majority being the Tornado F3. However, the Tornado ADV’s replacement, the aircraft that is known today as the Eurofighter Typhoon, met several delays – primarily of political nature. Even though the first production contract was already signed on 30 January 1998 between Eurofighter GmbH, Eurojet and NETMA for the procurement of a total of 232 for the UK, the development and eventually the delivery of the new aircraft was a protracted affair. It actually took until 9 August 2007, when the UK's Ministry of Defence reported that No. 11 Squadron RAF, which stood up as a Typhoon squadron on 29 March 2007, had received its first two multi-role Typhoons. Until then, the Tornado F.3 had become more and more obsolete, since the type was only suited to a limited kind of missions, and it became obvious that the Tornado ADV would have to be kept in service for several years in order to keep Great Britain’s aerial defence up.
In order to bridge the Typhoon service gap, two update programs had already been launched by the MoD in 2004, which led to the Tornado F.5 and F.6 versions. These were both modified F.3 airframes, catering to different, more specialized roles. The F.5 had a further extended fuselage and modified wings, so that it could operate more effectively in the long range fighter patrol role over the North Sea and the Northern Atlantic. On the other side, the F.6 was tailored to the mainland interceptor role at low and medium altitudes and featured new engines for a better performance in QRA duties. Both fighter variants shared improved avionics and weapons that had already been developed for the Eurofighter Typhoon, or were still under development.
The Tornado F.6’s new engines were a pair of Eurojet EJ200 afterburning turbofans, which offered 30% more dry and 20% more afterburner thrust than the F.3’s original Turbo-Union RB199-34R turbofans. These more modern and fuel-efficient engines allowed prolonged supercruise, and range as well as top speed were improved, too. Furthermore, there was the (theoretical) option to combine the new engine with vectored thrust nozzles, even though this would most probably not take place since the Tornado ADV had never been designed as a true dogfighter, even though it was, for an aircraft of its size, quite an agile aircraft.
However, the integration of the EJ200 into the existing airframe called for major modifications that affected the aircraft’s structure. The tail section had to be modified in order to carry the EJ200’s different afterburner section. Its bigger diameter and longer nozzle precluded the use of the original thrust reverser. This unique feature was retained, though, so that the mechanism had to be modified: the standard deflectors, which used to extend backwards behind the nozzles, now opened inwards into the airflow before the exhaust.
Since the new engines had a considerably higher airflow rate, the air intakes with the respective ducts had to be enlarged and adapted, too. Several layouts were tested, including two dorsal auxiliary air intakes to the original, wedge-shaped orifices, but eventually the whole intake arrangement with horizontal ramps was changed into tall side intakes with vertical splitter plates, reminiscent of the F-4 Phantom. Even though this meant a thorough redesign of the fuselage section under the wing sweep mechanism and a reduction of tank “0”’s volume, the new arrangement improved the aircraft’s aerodynamics further and slightly enlarged the wing area, which resulted in a minor net increase of range.
The F.3’s GEC-Marconi/Ferranti AI.24 Foxhunter radar was retained, but an infrared search and track (IRST) sensor, the Passive Infra-Red Airborne Track Equipment (PIRATE), was mounted in a semispherical housing on the port side of the fuselage in front of the windscreen and linked to the pilot’s helmet-mounted display. By supercooling the sensor, the system was able to detect even small variations in temperature at a long range, and it allowed the detection of both hot exhaust plumes of jet engines and surface heating caused by friction.
PIRATE operated in two IR bands and could be used together with the radar in an air-to-air role, adding visual input to the radar’s readings. Beyond that, PIRATE could also function as an independent infrared search and track system, providing passive target detection and tracking, and the system was also able to provide navigation and landing aid.
In an optional air-to-surface role, PIRATE can also perform target identification and acquisition, up to 200 targets could be simultaneously tracked. Although no definitive ranges had been released, an upper limit of 80 nm has been hinted at; a more typical figure would be 30 to 50 nm.
The Tornado F.3’s Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon was retained and the F.6 was from the start outfitted with the AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile, with the outlook to switch as soon as possible to the new, ram jet-driven Meteor AAM with higher speed and range. Meteor had been under development since 1994 and was to be carried by the Eurofighter Typhoon as its primary mid-range weapon. With a range of 100+ km (63 mi, 60 km no-escape zone) and a top speed of more than Mach 4, Meteor, with its throttleable ducted rocket engine, offered a considerably improvement above AMRAAM. However, it took until 2016 that Meteor became fully operational and was rolled out to operational RAF fighter units.
A total of 36 Tornado F.3 airframes with relatively low flying hours were brought to F.6 standard in the course of 2006-8 and gradually replaced older F.3s in RAF fighter units until 2009. The Tornado F.3 itself was retired in March 2011 when No. 111 Squadron RAF, located at RAF Leuchars, was disbanded. Both the F.5 and F.6 will at least keep on serving until the Eurofighter Typhoon is in full service, probably until 2020.
General characteristics:
Crew: 2
Length: 18.68 m (61 ft 3½ in)
Wingspan: 13.91 m (45 ft 7½ in) at 25° wing position
8.60 m (28 ft 2½ in) at 67° wing position
Height: 5.95 m (19 ft 6½ in)
Wing area: 27.55 m² (295.5 sq ft)
Empty weight: 14,750 kg (32,490 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 28,450 kg (62,655 lb)
Powerplant:
2× Eurojet EJ200 afterburning turbofans with 60 kN (13,500 lbf) dry thrust and
90 kN (20,230 lbf) thrust with afterburner each
Performance:
Maximum speed: Mach 2.3 (2,500 km/h, 1,550 mph) at 9,000 m (30,000 ft)
921 mph (800 knots, 1,482 km/h) indicated airspeed limit near sea level
Combat radius: more than 1,990 km (1.100 nmi, 1,236 mi) subsonic,
more than 556 km (300 nmi, 345 mi) supersonic
Ferry range: 4,265 km (2,300 nmi, 2,650 mi) with four external tanks
Endurance: 2 hr combat air patrol at 560-740 km (300-400 nmi, 345-460 mi) from base
Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft)
Armament:
1× 27 mm (1.063 in) Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon with 180 RPG under starboard fuselage side
A total of 10 hardpoints (4× semi-recessed under-fuselage, 2× under-fuselage, 4× swivelling
under-wing) holding up to 9000 kg (19,800 lb) of payload; the two inner wing pylons have shoulder
launch rails for 2× Short-Range AAM (SRAAM) each (AIM-9 Sidewinder or AIM-132 ASRAAM)
4× MBDO Meteor or AIM-120 AMRAAM, mounted under the fuselage
The kit and its assembly:
The eight entry for the RAF Centenary Group Build at whatifmodelers.com, and after 100 years of RAF what-if models we have now arrived at the present. This modified Tornado ADV was spawned through the discussions surrounding another modeler’s build of a modified F.3 (and examples of other Tornado conversions, e. g. with fixed wings or twin fins), and I spontaneously wondered what a change of the air intakes would do to the aircraft’s overall impression? Most conversions I have seen so far retain this original detail. An idea was born, and a pair of leftover Academy MiG-23 air intakes, complete with splitter plates, were the suitable conversion basis.
The basic kit is the Italeri Tornado ADV, even though in a later Revell re-boxing. It’s IMHO the kit with the best price-performance ration, and it goes together well. The kit was mostly built OOB, with some cosmetic additions. The biggest changes came through the integration of the completely different air intakes. These were finished at first and, using them as templates, openings were cut into the lower fuselage flanks in front of the landing gear well. Since the MiG-23 intakes have a relatively short upper side, styrene sheet fillers had to be added and blended with the rest of the fuselage via PSR. The gap between the wing root gloves and the intakes had to be bridged, too, with 2C putty. Messier affair than it sounds, but it went well.
In order to make the engine change plausible I modified the Tornado exhaust and added a pair of orifices from an F-18 – they look very similar to those on the Eurofighter Typhoon, and their diameter is perfect for this change. This and the different air intakes stretch the Tonka visually, it looks IMHO even more slender than the F.3.
Another issue was the canopy: the 2nd hand kit came without clear parts, but I was lucky to still have a Tornado F.3 canopy in the spares box – but only the windscreen from a Tornado IDS, which does not fit well onto the ADV variant. A 2mm gap at the front end had to be bridged, and the angles on the side as well as the internal space to the HUD does not match too well. But, somehow, I got it into place, even though it looks a bit shaggy.
The IRST in front of the windscreen is a piece of clear styrene sprue (instead of an opaque piece, painted glossy black), placed on a black background. The depth effect is very good!
More changes pertained to the ordnance: the complete weaponry was exchanged. The OOB Sidewinders were replaced with specimen from a Hasegawa F-4 Phantom (these look just better than the AIM-9 that come with the kit), and I originally planned to mount four AIM-120 from the same source under the fuselage – until I found a Revell Eurofighter kit in my stash that came with four Meteor AAMs, a suitable and more modern as well as British alternative!
All in all, just subtle modifications.
Painting and markings:
Well, the RAF was the creative direction, so I stuck to a classic/conservative livery. However, I did not want a 100% copy of the typical “real world” RAF Tornado F.3, so I sought inspiration in earlier low-visibility schemes. Esp. the Phantom and the Lightning carried in their late days a wide variety of grey-in-grey schemes, and one of the most interesting of them (IMHO) was carried by XS 933: like some other Lightnings, the upper surfaces were painted in Dark Sea Grey (instead of the standard Medium Sea Grey), a considerably murkier tone, but XS933 had a mid-height waterline. I found that scheme to be quite plausible for an aircraft that would mostly operate above open water and in heavier weather, so I adapted it to the Tonka. The fact that XS 933 was operated by RAF 5 Squadron, the same unit as my build depicts with its markings, is just a weird coincidence!
An alternative would have been the same colors, but with a low waterline (e.g. like Lightning XR728) – but I rejected this, because the result would have looked IMHO much too similar to the late Tornado GR.4 fighter bombers, or like a Royal Navy aircraft.
Since the upper color would be wrapped around the wings’ leading edges, I used the lower wing leading edge level as reference for the high waterline on the forward fuselage, Behind the wings’ trailing edge I lowered the waterline down to the stabilizers’ level.
All upper surfaces, including the tall fin, were painted with Tamiya XF-54, a relatively light interpretation of RAF Dark Sea Grey (because I did not want a harsh contrast with the lower colors), while the fuselage undersides and flanks were painted in Medium Sea Grey (Humbrol 165). The same tone was also used for the underwing pylons and the “Hindenburger” drop tanks. The undersides of the wings and the stabilizers were painted in Camouflage Grey (formerly known as Barley Grey, Humbrol 167).
Disaster struck when I applied the Tamiya paint, though. I am not certain why (age of the paint, I guess), but the finish developed a kind of “pigment pelt” which turned out to be VERY sensitive to touch. Even the slightest handling would leave dark, shiny spots!
My initial attempt was to hide most of this problem under post-shading (with Humbrol 126, FS 36270), but that turned the Tonka visually into a Tiger Meet participant – the whole thing looked as if it wore low-viz stripes! Aaargh!
In a desperate move (since more and more paint piled up on the upper surfaces, and I did not want to strip the kit off of all paint right now) I applied another thin coat of highly diluted XF-54 on top of the tiger stripe mess, and that toned everything done enough to call it a day. While the finish is not perfect and still quite shaggy (even streaky here and there…), it looks O.K., just like a worn and bleached Dark Sea Grey.
A little more rescue came with the decals. The markings are naturally low-viz variants and the RAF 5 Sq. markings come from an Xtradecal BAC Lightning sheet (so they differ from the markings applied to the real world Tornado F.3s of this unit). The zillion of stencils come from the OOB sheet, but the walking area warnings came from a Model Decal Tornado F.3 sheet (OOB, Revell only provides you a bunch of generic, thin white lines, printed on a single carrier film, and tells you “Good luck”! WTF?). Took a whole afternoon to apply them, but I used as many of them as possible in order to hide the paint finish problems… Some things, like the tactical letter code or the red bar under the fuselage roundel, had to be improvised.
With many troubles involved (the paint job, but furthermore the wing pylons as well as one stabilizer broke off during the building and painting process…), I must say that the modified Tonka turned out better than expected while I was still working on it. In the end, I am happy with it – it’s very subtle, I wonder how many people actually notice the change of air intakes and jet exhausts, and the Meteor AAMs are, while not overtly visible, a nice update, too.
The paint scheme looks basically also good (if you overlook the not-so-good finish due to the problems with the Tamiya paint), and the darker tones suit the Tonka well, as well as the fake RAF 5 Squadron markings.
This well-presented tip truck and trailer combination is operated by Julian Contracting from Cambridge in the district of Waipa.
The Freightliner is seen on a dull wet morning at Porritt's sand quarry as it rums along the exit road.
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This 2010 Gillig BRT for SamTrans/MV Transportation is seen deadheading back to SamTrans territory after running a commute route to the San Francisco Transbay Terminal.
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Operational Contract Support Joint Exercise 2016 participants go through combat medical training lanes March 24, 2016 at Fort Bliss, Texas. This exercise provides training across the spectrum of OCS readiness from requirements and development of warfighter staff integration and synchronization through contract execution supporting the joint force commander. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snyder/Released)
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Winner: Mainroad Mid-Island Contracting LP
Project: Orange Bridge Project
Category: Community Service
The B.C. Transportation Contractor of the Year Awards of Excellence recognizes excellence in the delivery of transportation infrastructure projects. Transportation contractors make seismic upgrades to keep our roads safe, build relationships with local communities to minimize traffic flow disruption during construction, respond to emergency situations and work within short construction windows and sometimes adverse conditions to ensure our roads and bridges are safe and reliable.
The Contractor of the Year Awards recognizes the outstanding achievement and commitment to the development and promotion of a culture of excellence in the road building industry. The awards for 2021 and 2022 will be presented at the Contractor of the Year Awards ceremony in December 2022.