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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:
I.M.A.M. (Industrie Meccaniche e Aeronautiche Meridionali) was an Italian aircraft manufacturer based in Naples. Originally, the company was part of the Officine Ferroviarie Meridionali ("Southern Railway Works"), which began to manufacture aircraft in 1923. From 1925 Fokker aircraft were built under license and I.M.A.M. also manufactured aircraft for Fiat.
The aircrafts’ abbreviation “Ro” before the number means Romeo. This abbreviation had been used by all types since 1925 and was derived from the surname of the company’s owner, Nicola Romeo, who was also the owner of a Milanese automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer (effectively, the designation lived on in the car manufacturer Alfa Romeo).
In 1934, Società Anonima Industrie Aeronautiche Romeo, which was founded for this purpose, took over this part of the now insolvent railway supplier and it immediately started with the construction of own aircraft. In 1936, Breda took over the Romeo works and finally formed the Società Anonima Industry Meccaniche e Aeronautiche Meridionali.
I.M.A.M. aircraft were not particularly successful, though, the few notable constructions were the reconnaissance aircraft Ro.37, the Ro.43 seaplane and the Ro.70 fighter, which were all only produced in limited numbers, though. The Ro.70 was designed in response to a late 1939 tender for a fighter built around the Daimler-Benz DB 601, built in license as the Alfa Romeo RA.1000 R.C.41-I Monsone liquid-cooled V-12 engine, rated at 1,175 PS (864 kW). The all-metal, semi-monocoque fuselage was basically oval in cross-section, changing to a tapered, semi-triangular oval behind the cockpit canopy, with a maximum depth of 1.35 m (4 ft 5 in). Overall, the aircraft's outlines reminded a lot of the german Bf 109E, but the Ro.70 had overall bigger dimensions.
An unusual feature of the Ro.70 was that the engine bearers were constructed as an integral part of the forward fuselage, with the cowling side panels being fixed. For servicing or replacement, only the top and bottom cowling panels could be removed. A tapered, rectangular supercharger air intake was located on the port-side cowling. Behind the engine bulkhead were the ammunition boxes feeding a pair of synchronized 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns which were set in a "staggered" configuration (the port weapon slightly further forward than that to starboard) in a bay just above and behind the engine. The breeches partly projected into the cockpit, above the instrument panel. The ammunition capacity was limited, having only around 250 rounds for each weapon. A single 20mm MG 151/20 cannon of German production was mounted between the cylinder banks, firing though the propeller hub.
A self-sealing fuel tank with a capacity of 165 L (44 US gal) was located behind the pilot's seat. The windshield was armored and there was a 13 mm (.51 in) armor plate behind the pilot. The radiator and oil cooler for the liquid-cooled engine were in a ventral location below the fuselage and wing trailing edge, covered by a rectangular section fairing with a large, adjustable exit flap.
The evenly-tapered wings had an aspect ratio of 7.2 with a gross area of 20 m² (215.28 ft²) and featured three spars; a Warren truss main spar and two auxiliary spars. The rear spar carried the split flaps and long, narrow-chord ailerons, while the front spar incorporated the undercarriage pivot points. The undercarriage track, which retracted inwards, was relatively wide at 4 m (13 ft 1.5 in). Each wing had a partially self-sealing 190 L (50 US gal) fuel tank behind the main spar, just outboard of the fuselage. A single weapon (initially 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns with 500 RPG) was able to be carried in a weapons bay located behind the main spar.
The first prototype first flew in December 1941 at I.M.A.M. factory airfield near Naples. Although test pilots were enthusiastic about its self-sealing fuel tanks, upgraded armament, and good dive performance, the wing loading of 146.3 kg/m² (30 lb/ft²) at an all-up weight of 2,950 kg (6,500 lb) was viewed with skepticism by many of the senior officers and pilots of the Regia Aeronautica, who still believed in the light, highly maneuverable, lightly armed fighter.
Besides, by the time it first flew, one year after the Macchi C.202's first flight and three years after the first Bf 109E, the engine was already underpowered compared to the new 1,120 kW (1,500 hp) inline or 1,491 kW (2,000 hp) radial engines being developed (and already nearing the mass-production stage) to power the next generation of combat aircraft such as the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
But due to the waging war the Ro.70 was put into production using imported DB 601Aa engines, while Alfa Romeo set up license production of the respective powerplant. Due to initial delays in engine production and quality issues, production rates and numbers of effectively operational aircraft were low. Consequently, by late 1942, Macchi Folgores outnumbered the Ro.70 and all other fighter aircraft in the Regia Aeronautica and became the Italian standard fighter.
The Ro.70’s first deployment was during the Battle of Bir Hakeim (26 May 1942 – 11 June 1942), in which a dozen of the new fighters performed successfully against Desert Air Force fighters, using "dive and zoom" tactics, similar to those of the German Luftwaffe, scoring two air victories. At the end of the year, the growing strength of the Allied forces was overwhelming and after the defeat in the skies over Malta as well as El-Alamein the last operational Axis units lost their air superiority in the Mediterranean.
The Ro.70s continued fighting while retreating to Tunisia and then in the defense of Sicily, Sardinia and Italy against an increasingly stronger Allied opponent. Eventually, after roundabout 180 aircraft had been delivered to the Regia Aeronautica, the I.M.A.M. factory was captured by Allied troops in September 1943, with the facilities and many airframes intact. From this stock, a further 30 aircraft in various states of assembly were made airworthy and immediately allocated to the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force (Aeronautica Co-Belligerante, ACI), also known as Air Force of the South (Aeronautica del Sud). 15 more machines were built from spares and surplus parts until February 1944, two of these machines were sent to the United States for flight evaluation.
The ACI's Ro.70s never operated over Italian territory, its objectives being always in the Balkans (Yugoslavia or Albania). This was a general order to avoid any possible encounter between Italian-manned aircraft fighting on opposite sides, since the National Republican Air Force (Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, or ANR) was ostensibly part of the forces of the Benito Mussolini's Fascist state in northern Italy and fighting on the Axis’ side. During the entire history of ACI, though, no encounter, let alone combat, was ever reported between ACI and ANR aircraft.
Clashes with Italian aircraft still occurred, though, e. g. over Croatia in 1944, where about 20–22 C.202s were used by Croatia as interceptors of Allied bombers by the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia (Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske/ZNDH). Ro.70s of the 51° Stormo Caccia, based in Lecce, claimed a total of three victories against the Croatian forces over the Adriatic Sea and near Mostar.
General characteristics:
Crew: One
Length: 8.94 m (29 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 12.00 m (39 ft 4 in)
Height: 3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 20.00 m² (215.28 ft²)
Airfoil: NACA 2R 16 wing root, NACA 24009 tip
Internal fuel capacity: 550 l (121 Imp gal)
Empty weight: 2,630 kg (5,800 lb)
Loaded weight: 3,470 kg (7,650 lb)
Powerplant:
1× Alfa Romeo RA.1000 R.C.41-I Monsone liquid-cooled supercharged inverted V-12 engine,
rated at 1,175 PS (864 kW) at 2,500 rpm for takeoff
Performance:
Maximum speed: 580 km/h (360 mph) at 5,000 m (16,405 ft)
Range: 580 km (360 mi)
Service ceiling: 11,600 m (38,100 ft)
Rate of climb: 15.2 m/s (2,983 ft/min)
Wing loading: 173.5 kg/m² (35.5 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.25 kW/kg (0.15 hp/lb)
Time to altitude: 7.0 min to 5,000 m (16,405 ft)
Armament:
1× 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon, 200 rounds, firing though the propeller hub
2× 12.7 mm (0.50”) Breda-SAFAT machine guns with 250 RPG above the engine
2× 7.7 mm (0.303”) Breda-SAFAT machine guns with 500 RPG in the outer wings*;
*these were later often replaced by another pair of 12.7 mm (0.50”) Breda-SAFAT machine guns
with 300 RPG or two 20mm (0.787”) machine cannon with 150 RPG.
2× underwing hardpoints for 2x 200 l (44 Imp gal) drop tanks or bombs of up to 250 kg (550 lb) caliber
The kit and its assembly:
This Italian whif is both a simple and a complicated affair, because it is a travestied Kawasaki Ki-61 that fits into a small historic slot.
The Hasegawa kit was mostly built OOB, it is simple and easy to build - except for the sprue attachment points which extend on many parts onto the surfaces that are glued together. What did the Hasegawa engineers think, if they thought at all about it? O.K., it's just a matter of cleaning the parts, but that's an avoidable flaw!?
Only three small modifications were made:
- The wing tips were clipped into a square shape
- The stabilizers were replaced in order to match the wings' new outline
- I gave the kit a different spinner (from a Matchbox He 111, plus a central gun port)
The OOB drop tanks were left away, and I lowered the flaps since this was easy to realize. I also added short gun barrels to the wings, and the tail wheel became retractable through a pair of small covers.
Painting and markings:
This was supposed to become one of the machines that were found by Allied forces at the I.M.A.M. plant. Originally, it was built and painted according to German standards, but, as operational war bounty, its former markings were painted over, it received US markings and was quickly handed over to the co-belligerent air force. Hence, inspired by Allied aircraft like former USAAF P-39s that were operated by the ACI, the Italian roundels were simply and quickly painted over the US "Stars and Bars" markings.
Consequently, I gave the Ro.70 a conservative German splinter scheme in RLM 74/75/76 with some RLM 02 mottles added to the flanks and a black propeller spinner with a white spiral.
The cockpit interior was painted in "Verde anticorrosione", which is a unique Italian tone and a relatively bright and intense green, I used Modelmaster's RLM83, which comes IMHO close. The landing gear interior was painted in aluminium (Humbrol 56)
As Allied ID markings for the Mediterranean TO I added yellow bands on the wings and around the fuselage (created with yellow decal sheet, except for the nose ring, which was painted with Humbrol 69). Inspired by Allied aircraft like former USAAF P-39s that were operated by the ACI, the Italian roundels received additional bars. These had the star simple painted over by the Italian roundel, sometimes the bar was overpainted, too, and I adapted this weird detail. The place where a former Regia Aeronautica tactical code or national marking had been placed was overpainted with US olive drab (Neutral Grey under the wings), and the new code letter placed on top of that. Since the aircraft would have been pressed quickly into service, I did not give it any other extra markings beyond the code letter.
Finally, some soot stains around the gun nozzles and the exhausts were created with graphite and the wings' leading edges treated with dry-brushed light grey, before the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).
A relatively simple what-if model, but an exotic an effective one: a Japanese aircraft in a German livery, outfitted with US "Stars & Bars" eventually in Italian hands! The paint finish turned out nicely, as well as the mottled fuselage flanks (always a challenge, esp. w/o an airbrush).
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Vintage Love Backgrounds High Definition
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+++ DISCLAIMER +++Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
On 27th November 1940, Moldova followed closely behind its neighbor and protector, Romania, and joined the Axis Powers. Now eligible for German military equipment, the Royal Moldovan Air Force sought to update its inventory with German types and gain access to German training. In January 1941 an agreement was reached that enabled both; by then, German troops had already entered Moldova to “secure the border [with the Socialist Union] from Red aggression.”
Moldovan air and ground crews were soon sent for training with the Luftwaffe and the first (second-hand) Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3s to enter Moldovan service arrived in May 1941. This first batch of 14 planes was allocated to the 1st Fighter Squadron, where they replaced Romanian-built PZL P.11fs. They were in combat from the first day of Operation Barbarossa, crossing the border into the Transnistrian and Ukrainian republics of the Socialist Union to conduct escort, strafing and fighter sweep missions on 22 June 1941.
Soon thereafter, more and more modern (but still mostly second hand) equipment of German origin was provided. Beyond the Bf 109 E, several Bf 109F and early G fighters were delivered, some Fw 190A and F, a handful of Ju 87 and Hs 123 dive bombers as well as some Ju 52 transporters and Junkers Ju 88 bombers.
Most of these aircraft had formerly taken part in the North Africa campaign or the Mediterranean TO. As a consequence, many Moldovan aircraft were outfitted with special equipment like dust filters, and a high number of machines still carried desert camouflage upon their arrival at the Russian Front. The latter was quickly modified in the field workshops, with whatever alternative paints at hand, but due to the aircrafts’ immediate use in combat, only hasty and minimal adaptations were made.
During its peak in June 1943, the Royal Moldovan Air Force had grown to a total of 150 aircraft. However, its contribution to the Axis forces was not significant, even though some individual Moldovan fighter pilots scored considerable air victory counts.
With the advance of Soviet Forces by late 1944 and the liberation of the Crimean peninsula, most Moldovan aircraft had been severely damaged or destroyed. Through the withdrawal of the Axis forces the Moldovan machines became unserviceable, so that the small air arm effectively ceased to exist. The few remaining, airworthy machines were retired to the west and absorbed in Romanian units. It would take until 1991 that the Moldovan Air Force would be re-formed, after the country’s newly gained independence from the dissolved Soviet Union as Republic of Moldova.
(Background and model inspired by fellow modeler comrade harps at whatifmodelers.com)
General characteristics:
Crew: One
Length: 8.95 m (29 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 9.925 m (32 ft 6 in)
Height: 2.60 m (8 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 16.05 m² (173.3 ft²)
Empty weight: 2,247 kg (5,893 lb)
Loaded weight: 3,148 kg (6,940 lb)
Max. take-off weight: 3,400 kg (7,495 lb)
Powerplant:
1× DB 601 E V12 engine, rated at 1,350 PS (1,332 hp, 993 kW), driving a VDM 9-12010 propeller
Performance:
Maximum speed: 659 km/h (410 mph) at 6,200 m (20,341 ft)
Cruise speed: 590 km/h (365 mph) at 6,000 m (19,680 ft)
Range: 850 km (528 mi) with internal fuel only
Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,370 ft)
Rate of climb: 17.0 m/s (3,345 ft/min)
Wing loading: 196 kg/m² (40 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 344 W/kg (0.21 hp/lb)
Armament:
2× 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17s with 500 RPG in the upper cowling
1× 20 mm Mauser MG 151/20 with 200 RPG, firing through the propeller hub (Motorkanone)
Underfuselage hardpoint for 1× 250 kg (551 lb) bomb, 4× 50 kg (110 lb) bombs
or 1× 300-litre (79 US gal) drop tank
The kit and its assembly:
A simple, quick build, and effectively the use of leftover material for which I had lacked an idea so far. The kit, the Heller Bf 109F, had been resting very low in the pile for ages, since I had bought it years ago with no real plan – it had just been dead cheap…
Well, this build is more or less a tribute to another modeler’s idea, comrade harps from whatifmodelers.com, who came up with a Moldovan Bf 109E and a respective background story. After all, the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) also operated German aircraft like the Bf 109G, so the idea was not as weird as it might seem at first. I liked the idea of an overlooked Moldovan operator very much, and since I had a surplus set of Moldovan Air Force markings, too…
Concerning the kit and the build, I must admit that I got what I paid for. The Bf 109 F is one of the (really) weak Heller kits: It’s basically of simple construction, like many other Heller kits of its era (1972), but there are some crisp offerings that are still impressive today and a pleasant build. The Bf 109 F is not one of these, though, it reminds me a lot of the “soft” Airfix kits of that time. You get lots of raised rivets and a minimal cockpit interior. The landing gear struts are just a pair of bare, L-shaped stilts. Nothing really fits, esp. the wing/fuselage intersection is questionable, and everything appears somewhat rounded-off. Ugh!
Anyway, I wanted a quick build with focus on the livery, so I did not invest too much effort into improvements. But some things were nevertheless changed, for the better, I hope:
· Foamed plastics inside of the air intakes as radiator bath dummies (& sight blockers)
· Flaps were lowered, for a more lively look
· The main landing gear struts and covers and the tail wheel were replaced (Hobby Boss Bf 109)
· The propeller received a metal axis and an adapter tube in the fuselage
In considered a 300l drop tank under the fuselage, too, but the Bf 109 F is so beautiful and clean, I left it away. No distractions in this case.
Painting and markings:
Since the Bf 109 F base remained untouched, livery and exotic markings make this a whif. I added in my complemented background the idea that withdrawn German aircraft from Northern Africa were transferred to the Eastern Front, matching Heller’s kit of a tropicalized Bf 109 F variant. This is not as fantastic as the idea might sound, such transfers frequently happened within the Luftwaffe at that time.
The livery was to “tell” this story, and I wanted to visualize the rushed period of time between the aircraft’s arrival at the Russian Front from Northern Africa and its immediate employment in Moldovan hands.
Consequentially, the livery would be based on standard German desert colors, but with the former operator’s markings painted over, and an additional makeshift camouflage and markings of the new operator and Axis forces tactical markings in the Eastern TO around late 1941 applied on top. Sounds complicated – but it’s the logical translation of the made-up background, and I think that such a concept makes a whif more convincing than just putting some obscure markings on an off-the-rack kit.
The original German scheme consists of a uniform RLM 79 (Sandbraun) on the upper surfaces and RLM 78 (Himmelblau) from below, with a hard, wavy medium height waterline. I just added some RLM 80 (Olivgrün) blotches to the upper surfaces, a typical field modification in Northern Africa. All RLM tones are enamels from Modelmaster’s Authentic line. Wing tips, propeller spinner and a ring on the cowling right behind it became initially white, because these original markings were to be barely visible on the finished kit.
The next step was to paint over the former German and African TO markings. This would probably have been done by German field crews, so I used RLM 76 (newly introduced in late 1941) and classic all-round RLM 02 for this task. With these tones, a virtual/non-existent white fuselage band was painted over, too. As a weird twist, the propeller boss remained white, though, somewhat reflecting the aircraft’s tactical code.
The new yellow ID markings (wing tip and engine undersides (both painted with Revell 310) and fuselage band (decal) were added at this stage, too. This already created a rather shaggy look. The red rudder is not a tactical marking – it is just a replacement part (basically painted with Humbrol 180), another weird color detail.
Finally, the new Moldovan operator’s markings were added. Since the desert camouflage is rather light, a darker makeshift camouflage was retrofitted. Many upper areas, mostly where the underlying RLM 79 was still visible, were crudely painted over with mottles and streaks in a tone I found in literature, called “Romanian Air Force Dark Green”, which is supposed to be close to classic US Olive Drab.
I used highly diluted Humbrol 108, unevenly applied with a short and hard brush, in an attempt to create a finish that looks as if different 1:72 mechanics had hastily overpainted the aircraft by hand, area by area. This final layer was taken down on the flanks into the RLM 78, as well as over the already overpainted former markings and onto the red replacement rudder, too.
In a final step, after the kit had been treated with a light black ink wash in order to emphasize contrast, the surfaces and esp. the leading edges as well as the cockpit area received a wet sanding treatment, lightening up again the final, dark camouflage and revealing the raised surface details of the Heller kit here and there.
Then the Moldovan markings were applied. The distinct roundels come from a Begemot MiG-29 decal set, the tactical code number comes from a Lend Lease P-40 in Soviet service (Trumpeter kit). On the fin, a flash in blue, yellow and red was added at the tip, too – these come from an Italeri HS 129, IIRC. I could not resist them due to the fact that the colors match up so well with the roundels and add another nice detail to the Bf 109! The yellow fuselage band comes from a Matchbox Me 262 kit, and a few stencils (e.g. the typical gasoline warning markings) were added, too, but not many. The decals also received another light sanding treatment for weathering, and, here and there, some very light dry-brushing with light grey (Revell 75) was done in order to simulate dust and more wear.
Finally the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and some gun and exhaust soot stains added with grinded graphite, as well as some traces of flaked paint on the wings’ leading edges and around the cockpit.
What started as a quick build eventually became a complex operation – trying to improve the weak kit was one thing, but the multi-layer livery also took some time and effort. The result cannot be called “pretty”, but I think the extra work paid out. The fictional Moldovan Bf 109 F looks really …different, especially in the BW beauty shots, the aircraft looks pretty convincing.
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I was watering the plants when this grasshopper jumped and landed on our black front door. Perfect background, I thought… that’s the photographer in me… so I rushed to get my camera (using another door). I got a few shots before it jumped away... it pays to have the camera always loaded and ready to go.
Note: For busier backgrounds, you may need to format the placeholders to include fills so that the text can be seen above the background. This makes for an interesting and attractive presentation.
Magical Background graphic available for download at dryicons.com/free-graphics/preview/magical-background/ in EPS (vector) format.
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I just made this shot to show a friend what you can do using a colored gel (CTO in this case) to color a white wall behind your subject.
Oh, btw, didn't use the lens to brag, it was the only item available on my desk that was large enough to hide the flash. I'm just a starving student after all. :)
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Wallpaper / background of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
Wallpaper / Background size:
4K 3840 x 2160 16:9
Vintage Backgrounds Tumblr 4K Wallpaper
Vintage Backgrounds Tumblr 4K Wallpaper, 1440 x 1440, 579.08 KB,
The sky taken lying on a beach on the island of Iona in Scotland.
This is one of my simpler image I've posted for use as a background. I currently use this for my twitter background.
A late Sunday night post. This week will be kind of crazy-lots to do & think about. So many grey areas in life-if only everything could be black & white or crystal clear. I'll try & keep up with my comments as much as possible.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) was formed on 2 March 1951 with RAF officers and other personnel seconded to the RCyAF. Ceylonese were recruited to the new RCyAF and several Ceylonese who had served with the RAF during WWII were absorbed in the force. Initial objective was to train local pilots and ground crew, early administration and training was carried out by exclusively by RAF officers and other personnel on secondment. The first aircraft of the RCyAF were de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunks used as basic trainers to train the first batches of pilots locally while several cadets were sent to Royal Air Force College Cranwell. These were followed by Boulton Paul Balliol T.Mk.2s and Airspeed Oxford Mk.1s for advanced training of pilots and aircrew along with de Havilland Doves and de Havilland Herons for transport use, all provided by the British. By 1955 the RCyAF was operating two flying squadrons based at RAF Negombo. The first helicopter type to be added to the service was the Westland Dragonfly.
Following Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike's negotiated the closure of British air and naval bases in Ceylon in 1956, the RCyAF took over the former RAF stations; Katunayake and China Bay, becoming RCyAF operational stations while ancillary functions were carried out at Diyatalawa and Ekala. The RAF headquarters, Air HQ Ceylon, was disbanded on 1 November 1957. However, RAF officers remained with the RCyAF till 1962.
In 1959 de Havilland Vampire jet aircraft were acquired, five fighter bombers and five trainers. The Vampire was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company and its development as an experimental aircraft began in 1941 during the Second World War, to exploit the revolutionary innovation of jet propulsion. From the company's design studies, it was decided to use a single-engine, twin-boom aircraft, powered by the Halford H.1 turbojet (later produced as the Goblin). Aside from its propulsion system and twin-boom configuration, it was a relatively conventional aircraft. In May 1944 it was decided to produce the aircraft as an interceptor for the Royal Air Force (RAF), but it came too late for operati9onal use in the war. It was eventually the second jet fighter to be operated by the RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and the first to be powered by a single jet engine. In 1946 the Vampire entered operational service with the RAF, only months after the war had ended.
The Vampire quickly proved to be effective and was adopted as a replacement of wartime piston-engined fighter aircraft. During its early service it accomplished several aviation firsts and achieved various records, such as being the first jet aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The Vampire remained in front-line RAF service until 1953 when its transfer began to secondary roles such as ground attack and pilot training, for which specialist variants were produced. Many of these aircraft were sold to foreign air forces. The RAF retired the Vampire in 1966 when its final role of advanced trainer was filled by the Folland Gnat. The Royal Navy had also adapted the type as the Sea Vampire, a navalised variant suitable for operations from aircraft carriers. It was the service's first jet fighter.
The Vampire was exported to many nations and was operated worldwide in numerous theatres and climates. Several countries used the type in combat including the Suez Crisis, the Malayan Emergency and the Rhodesian Bush War. By the end of production, almost 3,300 Vampires had been manufactured, a quarter of these having been manufactured under licence abroad.
The Ceylonese Vampires received the official export designation FB.56, but they were in fact refurbished Fairey-built ex-RAF FB.9 fighter bombers, the last single seater fighter bomber variant to be produced. As such, they were tropicalised Goblin-3 powered F.5 fighter-bombers with air conditioning and retrofitted with ejection seats. They had the ability to carry bombs of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber under each wing, drop tanks or up to eight unguided 3-inch "60 lb" rockets againts ground targets. The trainers were newly-built T.55 export machines with ejection seats.
Following a RCyAF superstition, the machines were allocated tactical codes that the single numerals did not sum up to "13" or a multiple of it, a "tradition" that has been kept up until today. Even more weird: codes that openly sported a "13" were and are used - as long as the whole code number conforms to the cross total rule!
This small fleet formed the 'Jet Squadron' was soon supplemented with five Hunting Jet Provosts obtained from the British, and ten more Vampire FB.56 fighter bombers in 1959. In the 1960s, various other aircraft were procured, most notably American Bell JetRanger helicopters and a Hindustan HUL-26 Pushpak given by India. The force had grown gradually during its early years, reaching a little over 1,000 officers and recruits in the 1960s.
The Vampires' service did not last long, though. The trainers were replaced by the more modern and economic Jet Provosts and mothballed by 1963. In 1968, the Royal Ceylon Air Force started to look out for a more capable multi-role aircraft to replace the Vampire FB.56s and evaluated foreign types like the F-86 Sabre, the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, the Hawker Hunter and AMD's Mystère IV as well as the SMB.2. The decision fell on the supersonic Super Mystère, which was offered as a bargain from French surplus stock since the fighter was at that time in the process of being gradually replaced by the 3rd generation Mirage III. A total of eight revamped SMB.2s were procured, which conformed to the Armée de l’Air’s standard. The machines arrived in early 1971 and were allocated to the newly established No. 3 Squadron, even though it took some months to make them fully operational, and the Vampires (eleven FB.56s were still operational at that time) soldiered on as a stopgap measure, due to innerpolitical tensions.
These got more and more tense and the Ceylonese Vampires were eventually deployed in a hot conflict in 1971. Together with the Jet Provosts, which had been mothballed since 1970 and quickly revamped, they were used in COIN missions during the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) insurrection, since the new SMB.2s were not ready yet and deemed too valuable and unsuited to be deployed in guerilla warfare. The JVP insurrection was the first of two unsuccessful armed revolts conducted by the communist JVP against the socialist United Front Government of Ceylon under Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. The revolt began on 5 April 1971, and lasted until June of that year. The insurgents held towns and rural areas for several weeks, until the regions were recaptured by the armed forces, following strong support from friendly nations that sent men and material. Vampires and Jet Provosts flew from RCyAF Chinabay to RCyAF Katunayake, attacking rebel locations en route, and on the 12 April following a bombing run on a target in Polonnaruwa, one Jet Provost lost power and crashed on its approach to RCyAF Chinabay killing its pilot. Several weeks later, the Jet Provosts were joined by the Bell 47-G2 in ground attacks. After three weeks of fighting, the government regained control of all but a few remote areas. In most cases, the government regained control of townships; insurgent groups melted away into the jungle and continued to operate, with some groups operating into early 1972.
With Ceylon becoming a republic in 1972, the Royal Ceylon Air Force changed its name to the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), along with all insignia, and the last RCyAF Vampire was retired in summer 1972.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 30 ft 9 in (9.37 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft (12 m)
Height: 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
Wing area: 262 sq ft (24.3 m²)
Airfoil: root: EC1240/0640 (14%); tip: EC1240/0640 (9%)
Empty weight: 7,283 lb (3,304 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 12,390 lb (5,620 kg)
Powerplant:
1× de Havilland Goblin 3 centrifugal-flow turbojet engine, 3,350 lbf (14.9 kN) thrust
Performance:
Maximum speed: 548 mph (882 km/h, 476 kn)
Range: 1,220 mi (1,960 km, 1,060 nmi)
Service ceiling: 42,800 ft (13,000 m)
Rate of climb: 4,800 ft/min (24 m/s)
Wing loading: 39.4 lb/sq ft (192 kg/m²)
Armament:
4× 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano Mk.V cannon with 600 rounds total (150 rounds per gun)
8× 3-inch "60 lb" rockets or 2× 1.000 lb (454 kg) bombs or two drop-tanks
The kit and its assembly:
A subtle what-if model, and despite the xotic markings the CeyloneseVampire is closer to reality than one might think. In fact, Ceylon actually received Vampire fighter bombers and trainer from the RAF when the country became independent and the RCyAF was founded, but they were never put into service. So, this whif depicts what might have been, and the type's use until the early Seventies is purely fictional.
The kit is the venerable Heller Vampire FB.5, which has been released under various brand labels (including Airfix and Revell) through the years. While it is a very simple model kit, the level of detail is not bad. You get a decent cockpit with a nice dashboard, separated canopy sections and even the landing gear wells feature details. You can hardly ask for more, even though the fit is rather mediocre - but this might be blamed on the molds' age. PSR was necessary on almost any major seam, and the fit of the tail booms to their adapters on the wings was really poor - the kit's engineers could have copme up with a better and more stable solution for the tail assembly. Another issue is the cockpit: while it's detailed, everything is much too small and tight - it turned out to be impossible to insert a pilot figure for the flight scenes, even just a torso!
Since I wanted to build a standard export Vampire fighter bomber, the kit was built OOB. I just added a gunsight behind the windscreen, replaced the rather massive pitot on the left fin and added some ordnance for the machine's COIN missions using the JVP insurrection. These comsist of a pair of vintage 500 lb iron bombs (from a Monogram F8F Bearcat) on pylons which probably come from an Academy P-47 Thunderbolt, plus four unguided 60 lb rockets and their launch rails from a Pioneer/Airfix Hawker Sea Fury.
Painting and markings:
Conservative. A real RCyAF Vampire would during the late Sixties probably have been painted overall silver, but I found this rather boring and thought that the role as s strike aircraft would justify camouflage. With its origins in the RAF I gave the Vampire consequently the British standard paint scheme in Dark Green/Dark Sea Grey from above, using Humbrol 163 and 156 (Dark Camouflage Grey BS381C/629, the latter on purpose as a lighter alternative to 164, for more contrast). For a slightly odd look I painted the undersides in RAF Azure Blue (Humbrol 157), what also makes a good contrast to the colorful RCyAF roundels.
The cockpit interior was painted in very dark grey (Anthracite, Revell 09) while the landing gear and the respective wells were painted in Humbrol 56 (Aluminum Dope), a metallic grey.
The kit received a lioght black ink washing and some panel shading, especuially from above to simulate sun-bleached paint - after all, the model depicts an aircraft that would soon be retired.
The roundels come from an Xtradecal aftermarket sheet for Jet Provosts, the fictional serial number was created with 3 and 10mm letters in black from TL Modellbau. A personal addition are the RAF-style white individual aircraft code letters on the fin and the front wheel cover. Due to their size, the fuselage roundels had to be placed under the cockpit, but that does not look bad or out of place at all - early Swedish Vampires used a similar solution. Unfortunately, the kit came without decal sheet, so that other details had to be procured elsewhere - but the decal heap provided ample material. The few stencils and the "No step" warnings were taken from a Model decal Vampire sheet; the ejection seat markings came from an Xtradecal Vampire trainer sheet.
After some light traces with dry-brushed silver on the wings' leading edges the model was eventually sealed with matt acrylic varnish.
Simple but exotic, and like the whiffy Sri Lankan SM2.B I built some time ago a very plausible result. I really like the fact that the model is, despite the camouflage and the subdued colors, quite colorful. outcome a lot. The paint scheme already looks unusual, even though it has been patterned after a real world benchmark. But together with the colorful SLAF markings and some serious weathering, the whole package looks pretty weird but also believable. A classic what-if model! 😉