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+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on authentic facts. BEWARE!
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.
The following FAST Pack 2.0 system featured two 120.000 kg class P&W+EF-2001 booster thrusters (mounted on the dorsal section of the VF-1) and two CTB-04 conformal propellant/coolant tanks (mounted on the leg/engines), since the VF-1's internal tanks could not carry enough propellant to achieve a stable orbit from Earth bases and needed the help of a booster pack to reach Low Earth Orbit. Anyway, the FAST Pack 2.0 wasn't adapted for atmospheric use, due to its impact on a Valkyrie's aerodynamics and its weight; as such, it needed to be discarded before atmospheric entry.
Included in the FAST Pack boosters and conformal tanks were six high-maneuverability vernier thrusters and two low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles in two dorsal-mounted NP-BP-01, as well as ten more high-maneuverability vernier thrusters and two low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles in the two leg/engine-mounted NP-FB-01 systems.
Granting the VF-1 a significantly increased weapons payload as well as greater fuel and thrust, Shinnakasu Heavy Industry's FAST Pack system 2.0 was in every way a major success in space combat. The first VF-1 equipped with FAST Packs was deployed in January 2010 for an interception mission.
Following first operational deployment and its effectiveness, the FAST Pack system was embraced enthusiastically by the U.N. Spacy and found wide use. By February 2010, there were already over 300+ so-called "Super Valkyries" stationed onboard the SDF-1 Macross alone.
The FAST Pack went through constant further development, including upgraded versions for late production and updated VF-1s (V3.0 and V4.0). Another addition to the early V2.0 variant of 2010 was the so-called “S-FAST Pack”. The S-FAST pack was originally developed at the Apollo lunar base, for the locally based VF-1 interceptor squadrons that were tasked with the defense of this important production and habitat site on the Moon, but it also found its way to other orbital stations and carriers.
Officially designated FAST Pack V2.1, the S-FAST Pack consisted of the standard pair of dorsal rocket boosters plus the pallets with additional maneuvering jets, sensors and weapons. The S-FAST pack added another pair of P&W+EF-2001 boosters under the inner wings, having the duty to give to fighter the power necessary to exit easily from the gravity of moons or little planets without atmosphere, and improve acceleration during combat situations. Range was also further extended, together with additional life support systems for prolonged deep space operations, or the case of emergency.
In order to accept the S-FAST pack and exploit its potential, the VF-1’s wings and inner wing attachment points had to be strengthened due to the additional load and propulsion. The use of the S-FAST pack also precluded the fighter from transforming into Battroid or Gerwalk mode – the underwing packs had to be jettisoned beforehand. The other standard FAST Pack 2.0 elements could still be carried, though.
The modfied Valkyries capable of accepting the S-FAST Pack received an additional “S” to their type designation – more than 100 VF-1s were converted or built in this deep space configuration until late 2011. Initial deployment of the S-FAST Pack was conducted through SVF-24 “Moon Shadows” in early 2010, a unit that was quickly disbanded, though, but re-formed as SVF-124 “Moon Shooters”, tasked with the defense of the lunar Apollo Base and several special missions.
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 eventually be replaced as the primary Variable Fighter of the U.N. Spacy by the more capable, but also much bigger, VF-4 Lightning III in 2020, a long service record and continued production after the war proved the lasting worth of the design.
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 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!
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)
4 x 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);
18 x P&W LHP04 low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles
The S-FAST Pack added 4x P&W+EF-2001 booster thrusters with 120.000 kg each, plus a total of 28x P&W LHP04 low-thrust vernier thrusters
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:
2x 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-ship 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
The optional Shinnakasu Heavy Industry S-FAST Pack 2.1 augmentative space weapon system added:
6x micro-missiles in two NP-AR-01 micro-missile launcher pods (mounted rear-ward under center ventral section in Fighter mode or on lower arm sections in GERWALK/Battroid mode)
4x12 micro missiles in four HMMP-02 micro-missile launchers, one inside each booster pod
The kit and its assembly:
This VF-1 is another contribution to the “Old Kit” Group Build at whatifmodelers.com, running in late 2016. I am not certain about the moulds’ inception date, but since it is an ARII incarnation of this type of kit and even moulded in the early pastel green styrene, I’d think that it was produced in 1982 or 83.
Anyway, I love the Macross VF-1, IMHO a design masterpiece created by Shoji Kawamori and one of my favorite mecha designs ever, because it was created as a late 70ies style jet fighter that could transform into a robot in a secondary role. As a simple, purposeful military vehicle. And not like a flashy robot toy.
Effectively, this Super Valkyrie is a highly modified OOB kit with many donation parts, and this kit is a bit special, for several reasons. There are several 1:100 OOB kits with FAST Packs from ARII/Bandai available (and still around today), but these are normally only Battroids or Gerwalks with additional parts for the FAST kit conversion. The kit I used here is different: it is, after maybe 25 years of searching and building these kits, the #70 from the original production run. It is (so far!) the only Fighter mode kit with the additional FAST Pack parts! Must be rare, and I have never seen it in catalogues?
Until today, I converted my Super or Strike Valkyries from Gerwalk kits, a task that needs some improvisation esp. around the folded arms between the legs, and there’s no OOB option for an extended landing gear. The latter made this Fighter mode kit very attractive, even though the actual kit is pretty disappointing, and AFAIK this kit variant is only available as a VF-1S.
With the Super Valkyrie fighter kit you receive basically a Gerwalk with a standard fighter cockpit (which includes a front wheel well and an extended front wheel leg), plus extra parts. The leg/engine-mounted NP-FB-01 systems are less bulbous than the parts on the Gerwalk or Battroid kit, and the OOB dorsally mounted NP-BP-01 boosters are TINY, maybe 1:120 or even 1:144! WTF?
Further confusion: the kit includes a set of lower arm parts with integrated rocket launchers, but these are not necessary at all for the Fighter build?! As a kind of compensation there’s a new and exclusive element that simulates the folded arms under the ‘fuselage’ and which, as an added value, properly holds the hand gun under the fuselage. As a quirky flaw, though, the hand gun itself comes in the extended form for the Battroid/Gerwalk mode. For the fighter in flight mode, it has to be modified, but that’s easily done.
Anyway, with the potential option to build a Super Valkyrie with an extended landing gear, this was my route to go with this vintage kit. The Super Valkyrie already looks bulky with the FAST Pack added, but then I recently found the S-FAST Pack option with two more boosters under the wings – total overkill, but unique. And I had a spare pair of booster bulks in the stash (w/o their nozzles, though), as well as a complete pair of additional bigger standard FAST boosters that could replace the ridiculous OOB parts…
Building such a Super/Strike Valkyrie means building separate components, with a marriage of parts as one of the final steps. Consequently, cockpit, central fuselage with the wings and the air intakes, the folded stabilizer pack, the folded arms element with the handgun, the two legs and the four boosters plus other ordnance had to be built and painted separately.
Here and there, details were changed or added, e. g. a different head (a ‘J’ head for the flight leader’s aircraft with two instead of the rare, OOB ‘S’ variant with four laser cannon), covers for the main landing gear (the latter does not come with wells at all, but I did not scratch them since they are hardly recognizable when the kit is sitting on the ground), the typical blade aerials under the cockpit and the feet had to be modified internally to become truly ‘open’ jet exhausts.
The wing-mounted boosters received new nozzles and their front end was re-sculpted with 2C putty into a square shape, according to reference sketches. Not 100% exact, but the rest of the VF-1 isn’t either.
This VF-1 was also supposed to carry external ordnance and my first choice were four wing-mounted RMS-1 Anti-Ship Reaction Warheads, scratched from four 1.000 lb NATO bombs. But, once finished, I was not happy with them. So I looked for another option, and in a source book I found several laser-guided bombs and missiles, also for orbital use, and from this inspiration comes the final ordnance: four rocket-propelled kinetic impact projectiles. These are actually 1:72 JASDF LGB’s from a Hasegawa weapon set, sans aerodynamic steering surfaces and with rocket boosters added to the tail. Also not perfect, but their white color and sleek shape is a good counterpart to the FAST elements.
Experience from many former builds of this mecha kit family helped a lot, since the #70 kit is very basic and nothing really fits well. Even though there are not many major seams or large elements, PSR work was considerable. This is not a pleasant build, rather a fight with a lot of compromises and semi-accuracies.
Seriously, if you want a decent 1:100 VF-1, I’d rather recommend the much more modern WAVE kits (including more realistic proportions).
Painting and markings:
The paint scheme for this Super Valkyrie was settled upon before I considered the S-FAST Pack addition: U.N. Spacy’s SVF-124 is authentic, as well as its unique camouflage paint scheme.
The latter is a special scheme for the lunar environment where the unit was originally formed and based, with all-black undersides, a high, wavy waterline and a light grey upper surface, plus some medium grey trim and a few colorful US Navy style markings and codes.
My core reference is a ‘naked’ bread-and-butter VF-1A of SVF-124 in Fighter mode, depicted as a profile in a VF-1 source book from SoftBank Publishing. The colors for the FAST Pack elements are guesstimates and personal interpretations, though, since I could not find any reference for their look in this unit.
As a side note, another, later SVF-124 aircraft in a similar design is included as an option in a limited edition 1:72 VF-22S kit from Hasegawa, which is backed by CG pics in a VF-22 source book from Softbank, too.
Furthermore, SVF-124 finds mention in a Japanese modeler magazine, where the aforementioned VF-22S kit was presented in 2008. So there must be something behind the ‘Moon Shooters’ squadron.
According to the Hasegawa VF-22S’s painting instructions, the underside becomes black and the upper surfaces are to be painted with FS36270 (with some darker fields on the VF-22, though, similar to the USAF F-15 counter-shaded air superiority scheme, just a tad darker).
Due to the 1:100 scale tininess of my VF-1, I alternatively went for Revell 75 (RAL 7039), which is lighter and also has a brownish hue, so that the resulting aircraft would not look too cold and murky, and not resemble an USAF aircraft.
All FAST Pack elements were painted in a uniform dark grey (Humbrol 32), while some subtle decorative trim on the upper surfaces, e.g. the canopy frame, an anti-glare panel and a stripe behind the cockpit and decoration trim on the wings’ upper surfaces, was added with Revell 77 (RAL 7012). Overall, colors are rather dull, but IMHO very effective in the “landscape” this machine is supposed to operate, and the few colorful markings stand out even more!
The cockpit interior was painted in a bluish grey, with reddish brown seat cushions (late 70ies style!), and the landing gear became all white. For some added detail I painted the wings’ leading edges in a mustard tone (Humbrol 225, Mid Stone).
The kit received some weathering (black ink wash, drybrushing on panels) and extra treatment of the panel lines – even though the FAST Pack elements hide a lot of surface or obscure view.
More color and individuality came with the markings. The standard decals like stencils or the U.N. Spacy insignia come from the kit’s and some other VF-1s’ OOB sheets.
Based on the SVF-124 VF-1 profile and taking the basic design a bit further, I used dull red USAF 45° digits for the 2nd flight leader’s “200” modex and the Apollo Base’s code “MA” on the dorsal boosters. Some discreet red trim was also applied to the FAST Packs – but only a little.
Since all of SVF-124’s aircraft are rumored to carry personal markings, including nose art and similar decorations, I tried to give this VF-1JS a personal note: the pin-up badges on the dorsal boosters come from a Peddinghouse decal sheet for Allied WWII tanks, placed on a silver roundel base. Unfortunately (and not visible before I applied them) the pin-up decal was not printed on a white basis, so that the contrast on the silver is not very strong, but I left it that way. Additionally, the tagline “You’re a$$ next, Jerry” (which IS printed in opaque white…?) was added next to the artwork – but it’s so tiny that you have to get really close to decipher it at all…
Finally, after some soot stains around the exhausts and some vernier nozzels with graphite, the kit received a coat of matt acrylic varnish.
Building this vintage VF-1 kit took a while and a lot of effort, but I like the result: with the S-FAST Pack, the elegant VF-1 turned into a massive space fighter hulk! The normal Super Valkyries already look very compact and purposeful, but this here is truly menacing. Especially when standing on its own feet/landing gear, with its nose-down stance and the small, original wheels, this thing reminds of a Space Shuttle that had just landed.
Good that I recently built a simple VF-1 fighter as a warm-up session. ARII’s kit #70 is not a pleasant build, rather a fight with the elements and coupled with a lot of compromises – if you want a Super Valkyrie Fighter in 1:100, the much more modern WAVE kit is IMHO the better option (and actually not much more pricey than this vintage collector’s item). But for the vintage feeling, this exotic model kit was just the right ticket, and it turned, despite many weaknesses and rather corny details, into an impressive fighter. Esp. the lunar camouflage scheme looks odd, but very unique and purposeful.
Anyway, with so many inherent flaws of the ARII kit, my former method of converting a pure (and much more common) Gerwalk kit into a space-capable VF-1 fighter is not less challenging and complicated than trying to fix this OOB option into a decent model. :-/
Expecting and nursing mothers require social protection but workers in the informal economy are often not covered. Maternity protection has been a primary concern of the ILO since its creation in 1919. Workplace support for mothers who are breastfeeding has been a basic provision of maternity protection. The Philippines expanded maternity leave benefits in 2019 to align with international labour standards. The ILO also promoted exclusive breastfeeding in the workplace to advance women’s rights to maternity protection and to improve nutrition security for Filipino children.
Photo : E. Tuyay / ILO
Date : 2011/11
Country : Philippines
Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico. Stick a table in your front doorway, add popcorn, corn chips, salsa and hot sauce and you are in business.
BASE AÉREA DE MORÓN (PROVINCIA DE SEVILLA)
100th ARW's KC-135R's 23540
USAFE Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker "Holy Terror"
Expecting and nursing mothers require social protection but workers in the informal economy are often not covered. Maternity protection has been a primary concern of the ILO since its creation in 1919. Workplace support for mothers who are breastfeeding has been a basic provision of maternity protection. The Philippines expanded maternity leave benefits in 2019 to align with international labour standards. The ILO also promoted exclusive breastfeeding in the workplace to advance women’s rights to maternity protection and to improve nutrition security for Filipino children.
Photo : E. Tuyay / ILO
Date : 2011/11
Country : Philippines
Q-Base festival, edition 2010, with the harder styles in dance music.
Airport Weeze, Germany.
Client: Q-Dance
© 2010 Fotograferen net
+++ 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 Moroccan air force was formed on 14 May 1956 as the Sherifian Royal Aviation (Aviation Royale Chérifienne). Its modern installations and bases were inherited from France (Meknes, Rabat in tandem with the United States, Marrakech, Kenitra, Ben Guerir, Boulhault, Nouasseur, and Sidi Slimane), and later Spain (Laayoune). In the 1950s and 1960s, American aircraft were deployed in several of these bases, including nuclear bombers from the Strategic Air Command.
The first aircraft of this newly formed air force were 16 Morane-Saulnier Alcyons, five Max Holste MH.1521 Broussard transport aircraft, one Aérospatiale Alouette II, and one Bell H-13 Sioux. However, desperate for foreign support, Morocco was also open for offers from the Soviet Union and in 1961 it obtained 12 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 fighters, two Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI trainers and either two or four Ilyushin Il-28 bombers from the Soviet Union. Eight Fouga Magister training aircraft were also received from France, and 15 Harvard Mk 4s were also delivered in 1962. Around 1962, 10 Douglas C-47 Skytrain and six Fairchild C-119G transport aircraft were acquired. At that time, the helicopter fleet was composed of six Aerospatiale Alouette IIs and four Bell 47s. 12 North American T-6 Texans were used for pilot training; no less than eight T-6Gs and 56 SNJ-4s had been delivered by France, but most of them were in a very poor condition and written off soon after their delivery.
The RMAF soon went to war and participated in the Moroccan-Algerian border conflict in 1963 known as “Sand War”. It resulted largely from the Moroccan government's claim to portions of Algeria's Tindouf and Béchar provinces, and the Sand War led to heightened tensions between the two countries for several decades. It was also notable for a short-lived Cuban and Egyptian military intervention on behalf of Algeria, and for ushering in the first multinational peacekeeping mission carried out by the Organisation of African Unity.
Moroccan Fairchild C-119s and Douglas C-47s were used to resupply troops, North American T-6s for reconnaissance, and Morane-Saulnier Alcyons for ground attack. MiG-17s were only used sporadically, mostly due to their short range. To make matters worse, the Soviet Union sided in the conflict with Algeria so that spares, supplies and maintenance of these jets quickly ceased. The Frescos were quickly grounded and already retired by 1966.
After the Sand War’s end, on 1 February 1964, the Sherifian Royal Aviation changed its name to Royal Air Force (Force Aérienne Royale). The political rift with the Soviet Union pushed Morocco to seek a new ally in the United States, and an order for Northrop F-5 combat aircraft to modernize the air force was placed. As a stopgap solution to fill the operational gap in the RMAF’s line-up after the MiG-17’s quick demise, the USAF also delivered twenty North American F-86 fighters in late 1964, together with the first six brand new F-5s (4 single-seat F-5A and 2 two-seat F-5B).
The Sabres for the RMAF were F-86F-40s, actually revamped and upgraded former USAF overstock F-86Es that had originally been earmarked for transfer to Air National Guard units. They received uprated engines and larger "6–3" wings with a higher wingspan and improved leading-edge wing slats. These wings resulted in a slight decrease in top speed but offered much better agility at both high and low speeds and a reduced landing speed of 124 mph (200 km/h).
The refurbished machines arrived via ship in dismantled state and were re-built in Morocco with the help of American engineers, who also trained the Morocccan service staff on the new aircraft. The RMAF Sabres arrived already painted in the USAF’s ‘Minor Asia’ camouflage and were allocated to the “Boraq” fighter squadron, the RMAF’s only operational unit at that time, based at Meknès-Bassatine between Rabat and Fès in Northern Morocco. While they were classic dogfighters, armed with six 0.5” machine guns as primary weapons, the Sabres were frequently equipped with iron bombs and unguided 5” HVARs as attack aircraft. An upgrade with additional inboard pylons for a pair of AIM-9B Sidewinders was not carried out, since these weapons were reserved for the supersonic F-5s, which were to become the RMAF’s prime interceptors. Due to the gradual deliveries of the F-5s, however, the F-86s remained the RMAF’s backbone until 1971, when a full operational F-5 squadron was finally established.
Only 3 years later, from 1974 on, the RMAF Sabres became involved in the Western Sahara War, an armed struggle between the Sahrawi indigenous Polisario Front and Morocco. This conflict would linger for years (from 1975 to 1991 and with neighboring Mauritania from 1975 to 1979), being the most significant phase of the Western Sahara conflict. The conflict erupted after the withdrawal of Spain from the Spanish Sahara in accordance with the Madrid Accords, by which it transferred administrative control of the territory to Morocco and Mauritania, but not sovereignty.
In late 1975, the Moroccan government organized the so-called Green March of some 350,000 Moroccan citizens, escorted by around 20,000 troops, who entered Western Sahara, trying to establish a Moroccan presence. While at first met with just minor resistance by the Polisario Front, Morocco later engaged a long period of guerrilla warfare with the Sahrawi nationalists. During the late 1970s, the Polisario Front, desiring to establish an independent state in the territory, attempted to fight both Mauritania and Morocco.
In 1979, Mauritania withdrew from the conflict after signing a peace treaty with the Polisario Front. In the meantime, more F-5s had been acquired from the USA, and Iran had also supported Morocco with money and F-5s from its own stocks. It was around this period that the RMAF retired the F-86s. The war continued in low intensity throughout the 1980s, though Morocco made several attempts to take the upper hand in 1989–1991. A cease-fire agreement was finally reached between the Polisario Front and Morocco in September 1991. Some sources put the final death toll between 10,000 and 20,000 people.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 37 ft 1 in (11.30 m)
Wingspan: 39 ft 1 in (11.91 m)
Height: 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m)
Wing area: 313.4 sq ft (29.12 m²)
Airfoil: root: NACA 0009-64 mod.; tip: NACA 0008.1-64 mod.
Empty weight: 11,125 lb (5,046 kg)
Gross weight: 15,198 lb (6,894 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 18,152 lb (8,234 kg)
Fuel capacity: 437 US gallons (364 imp gal; 1,650 L) internals
+ 2x 200 US gallons (170 imp gal; 760 L) drop tanks
Powerplant:
1× General Electric J47-GE-27 turbojet engine with 5,910 lbf (26.3 kN) thrust
Performance:
Maximum speed: 687 mph (1,106 km/h, 597 kn) at sea level at 14,212 lb (6,446 kg) combat weight
599 mph (521 kn; 964 km/h) at 35,000 ft (10,668 m) at 15,352 lb (6,964 kg)
597 mph (519 kn; 961 km/h) at 21,148 ft (6,446 m)
599 mph (521 kn; 964 km/h) at 22,835 ft (6,960 m)
Stall speed: 124 mph (200 km/h, 108 kn)
Range: 1,525 mi (2,454 km, 1,325 nmi)
Combat range: 414 mi (666 km, 360 nmi) with two 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs
and 2x 200 US gallons (170 imp gal; 760 L) drop tanks
Service ceiling: 49,600 ft (15,100 m) at combat weight
Rate of climb: 9,000 ft/min (46 m/s) at sea level
Time to altitude: 30,000 ft (9,144 m) in 5 minutes 12 seconds
Lift-to-drag: 15
Thrust/weight: 0.42
Armament:
6× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M3 Browning machine guns with 300 rpg
4× underwing hardpoints for a total ordnance of 5,300 lb (2,400 kg), including
two 200 US gallons (760 L) drop tanks on the inner pylons, bombs of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg)
caliber and unguided missiles (racks with up to sixteen 5” HVARs or Matra pods with eighteen
SNEB 68 mm rockets each)
The kit and its assembly:
Another relatively simple what-if project, inspired by leftover RMAF decals on several aftermarket sheets for various aircraft types. Wondering about an aircraft type which could carry such markings and a nice desert camouflage I stumbled upon a Hobby Boss F-86F-40 in The Stash™ without a plan yet, and the type would make perfect sense as a quick material support from the USA after the relations with the USSR had cooled off with the Algeria-Moroccan conflict.
As such the Sabre was built straight OOB – and the F-86 is one of the better Hobby Boss kits, because it comes with decent landing gear interior, a cockpit with a usable seat and side consoles and even a duct for the air intake. Fit is very good, too. Some modifications were made, though. I added a pair of pylons under the outer wings and a pair of Matra rocket pods (leftover from an Italeri Tornado, IIRC) as ground attack ordnance. The drop tanks were taken “as is”. The canopy was cut into two pieces for optional open display, and for this stunt I also had to reduce the thickness of the side walls around the cockpit opening and trim the cockpit opening with PSR.
As a general warning: Lots of weight was necessary to keep the model on its three legs! The massive overall material strength makes the model literally “solid” and quite tail-heavy, and the space in the front end is very limited due to the intake duct and the cockpit tub. Lead beads were stuffed under the cockpit floor, but this was not enough, so that I also had to partly fill the intake, too!
Painting and markings:
A real-world RMAF F-86 would certainly have been delivered in NMF – an attractive option, but I wanted a camouflaged aircraft for a more exotic look. Initially I favored a simple two-tone scheme in sand and earth brown like the contemporary RMAF F-16s but found this a bit dull and too modern. Searching for alternatives I came across Spanish F-5s which carried the so-called “Minor Asia” scheme and remembered that the Iran had also operated F-86s in this camouflage. Since it would also work well over North Africa, I simply adapted the standardized IIAF livery for the RMAF model, just with different markings.
the paint scheme consists of three tones from above: FS 30400, “Special Tan” (I’d rather call it “Custard”!)a yellowish, pale sand tone, FS 30140, “Earth”, a reddish brown, and 24079, classic USAF “Forest Green”. The undersides were FS 36622 (USAF Camouflage Grey).
FS 30400 had to be mixed, and I used Humbrol 7 and 103 in a 1:1 ratio – Special Tan has a really yellow hue! For FS 30140 I simply used Humbrol 29 (RAF Dark Earth), even though the real tone might be a tad lighter (Humbrol 142 would be the correct paint but it’s OOP), and Humbrol 163 as a slightly less rich alternative for the otherwise authentic 116. The undersides were painted with Humbrol 40 (Gloss Light Gull Grey) – darker than Camouflage Grey, but a better basis for later post-panel shading with a lighter grey.
The cockpit interior and the landing gear wells became Humbrol 80 (as zinc chromate primer), while the interior of the covers, the landing gear struts, and the inside of the air intake duct became aluminum. For some contrast, the drop tanks were painted with aluminum (Revell 99).
As usual, the kit received a light black ink washing to emphasize the fine panel lines, and some panel post-shading was done, rather for a dramatic effect than for true weathering.
The decals came from various sources; the roundels belong to a RMAF MiG-17, the fin flashes came from an F-5. The serial number on the fin was lent from an A-37, while the tactical codes on wings and fuselage were created with single “45°” digits. Most stencils came from the Hobby Boss OOB sheet, just the warning triangles for the ejection seat had to be procured from the scrap box (from an Italeri Tornado sheet).
Everything was then sealed with matt acrylic varnish and some soot stains added around the gun ports and on the bare metal tailpipe section.
Another relatively simple project, a model built almost OOB just with fictional markings. The “Minor Asia” scheme suits the Sabre well, though, and the Moroccan national markings blend well into the overall desert look – a credible whif that fits well into its intended timeframe. And the Hobby Boss F-86 is really not a bad model at all, it’s just a very simple and robust kit. But it goes together well and quickly, and the result is a quite good representation of the Sabre.
25/05/2025, Fodico Marine base, Gladstone, Queensland, Australia.
Left to right:
1) Shackleton - Built in 2012, Multicat.
2) Pacific Tiger - Built in 1990, tug/utility vessel.
3) Cape Gloucester - Built in 2022, landing craft.
Data:
Shackelton:
A twin-screw multicat designed for anchor handling, pusher tug, and marine construction duties.
LOA: 15m, Beam: 6m, Operating Draft: 1.5m, Clear Working Deck: 50 sqm.
Main Engines: 2x 405hp Yanmar.
Aux Engines: 1x 40kva Yanmar.
Deck Equipment: 15ton winch 2x3to coupling winch, 8mt HS marine crane.
Pacific Tiger, IMO 9040209:
Built by Southern Ocean Shipyard, Singapore (180).
158 g.t. & 119 dwt.
LOA: 23.5m, Beam: 7.8m, Operating Draft: 2.4m, Clear Working Deck: 48sqm.
Main Engines: 2x 600hp Yanmar.
Aux Engines: 2x 50kva Cummins.
Bow Thruster: nil.
Deck Equipment: 2x 8ton, 1x 5ton deck winches, 1x PK 14000 crane. 1x 28ton fixed davit.
Cape Gloucester - IMO 9816385:
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I should have downloaded a map before going to the park. Based on the location and the shape of the knots on the bottom of this tree, I think this might be Father of the Forest, but I had no idea at the time. If so, it's about 2000 years old.
Some pre-fire photos:
www.flickr.com/photos/147574896@N06/43682308732/
www.flickr.com/photos/whsieh78/14635842213/
www.flickr.com/photos/jerryneutron/29039442834/
And a post-fire photo from one of the volunteers helping with repairs to the park:
www.flickr.com/photos/btwashburn/51949259715/in/photostream/
Expecting and nursing mothers require social protection but workers in the informal economy are often not covered. Maternity protection has been a primary concern of the ILO since its creation in 1919. Workplace support for mothers who are breastfeeding has been a basic provision of maternity protection. The Philippines expanded maternity leave benefits in 2019 to align with international labour standards. The ILO also promoted exclusive breastfeeding in the workplace to advance women’s rights to maternity protection and to improve nutrition security for Filipino children.
Photo : E. Tuyay / ILO
Date : 2011/11
Country : Philippines
Locally based Ikarus C42 FB80 G-PAPI is one of the busiest aircraft at Solent Airport. Today, it required some attention to a wheel which it received on taxiway F before returning to its hangar minus one spat.
5300_DSC_3768CE
The colonization of the Moon is the proposed establishment of permanent human communities on the Moon. Advocates of space exploration have seen settlement of the Moon as a logical step in the expansion of humanity beyond the Earth. Recent indication that water might be present in noteworthy quantities at the Lunar poles has increased interest in the Moon. Polar colonies could also avoid the problem of long Lunar nights (about 354 hours, a little more than two weeks) and take advantage of the sun continuously.
Permanent human habitation on a planetary body other than the Earth is one of science fiction's most prevalent themes. As technology has advanced, and concerns about the future of humanity on Earth have increased, the argument that space colonization is an achievable and worthwhile goal has gained momentum. Because of its proximity to Earth, the Moon has been seen as a prime candidate for the location of humanity's first permanently occupied extraterrestrial base.
The 09.20 Weymouth to London Waterloo is seen at Old Basing on 5 April 2018. The unit is Siemens Desiro UK 444044, built in Vienna, Austria in the early 2000s. South Western Railway had not yet started to amend the South West Trains livery, 8 months after taking over the franchise.
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (Aug. 15, 2018) - U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirits, deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, land at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. B-2s regularly rotate through the Indo-Pacific to conduct routine air operations, which integrate capabilities with key regional partners and demonstrate U.S. commitment to peace and stability in the region. These operations are in support of the U.S. Strategic Command’s Bomber Task Force deployment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Danielle Quilla) 180815-F-OL040-1004
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Loosely based off of Siefried from Soul Calibur ^_^
I think I prefer the blonde wig and color although I am looking for a new wig and eyes for him.
Some friends and I were camping this weekend, and and again the Aurora Borealis showed herself over the sky!
+++ 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 Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries during and after the Second World War. The Spitfire was built in many variants, using several wing configurations, and was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft.
The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works (which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928). In accordance with its role as an interceptor, Mitchell designed the Spitfire's distinctive elliptical wing to have the thinnest possible cross-section; this thin wing enabled the Spitfire to have a higher top speed than several contemporary fighters, including the Hawker Hurricane.
It was the only British fighter to be in continuous production throughout World War II, and remained in service with several air forces around the world for several years. One of its post-war operators was the Lebanese Air Force, or Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Lubnaniyya (لقوات الجوية اللبنانية).
The Lebanese Air Force was established in 1949 under the command of then-Lieutenant Colonel Emile Boustany who later became commander of the army. Soon after its establishment, a number of planes were donated by the British, French, and Italian governments, with additional planes donated by Britain and Italy later that same year.
Britain donated 4 Percival Prentices, 2 World War II-era Percival Proctors and seven trpocailized Supermarine Spitfires (six Mk. XVIe and one TR.8 two-seater), while Italy donated 4 Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers which were mainly used for transportation.
The Mk XVI Spitfire was a WWII design, and the last variant powered by a Merlin engine and based on the original, sleek fuselage. It was basically the same as the Mk IX, except for the engine, a Merlin 266. The Merlin 266 was the Merlin 66 and was built under licence in the USA by the Packard Motor Company. The "2" was added as a prefix in order to avoid confusion with the engines, as they required different tooling.
All Mk XVI aircraft produced (a total of 1,054 Mk XVIs left Castle Bromwich) were of the Low-Altitude Fighter (LF) variety. This was not determined by the length of the wings (clipped wings were fitted to most LF Spitfires), but by the engine, which had been optimised for low-altitude operation. All production Mk XVIs had clipped wings for low altitude work and were fitted with the rear fuselage fuel tanks with a combined capacity of 75 gal. Many XVIs featured cut-down rear fuselages with bubble canopies. On these aircraft the rear fuselage tank capacity was limited to 66 gal.
Because of a slightly taller intercooler and rearranged accessories on the Packard Merlins a new, bulged upper cowling was introduced, a detail that also appeared on late production IXs. For the service in the Middel East region the Lebanese machines received dust filters which considerably changed the aircraft's silhouette.
Armament consisted of two 20 mm Hispano II cannons - each with 120 rpg - and two 0.50 calibre Browning machine guns - each with 250 rpg. 1 × 500 lb (227 kg) bomb could be carried underneath the centre rack, and 1 × 250 lb (114 kg) bomb could be slung under each wing. As a special feature, the wing hardpoints of the Lebanese Spitfires were "wet" so that slipper tanks with 24 gal. each could be carried, compensating for the reduces rear fuselage tank due to the bubble canopy's lowered dorsal spine.
The Lebanese Spitfires only saw a short service, since in 1953, jet fighters were introduced when 16 de Havilland Vampire jets were received, and the first Hawker Hunters arrived in 1959, which replaced the obsolete Spitfires. This initial Hunter batch was followed by more Hunters through 1977.
In 1968, 12 Mirage IIIELs were delivered from France but were grounded in the late 1970s due to lack of funds. In 2000, the grounded Mirages were sold to Pakistan, and four Hunters were even revived in 2008 and served until 2014.
General characteristics:
Crew: one pilot
Length: 29 ft 11 in (9.12 m)
Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
Height: 11 ft 5 in (3.86 m)
Wing area: 242.1 ft2 (22.48 m2)
Airfoil: NACA 2209.4(tip)
Empty weight: 5,065 lb (2,297 kg)
Loaded weight: 6,622 lb (3,000 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 6,700 lb (3,039 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Rolls-Royce Merlin 60 supercharged V12 engine,
rated at 1.470 hp (1.096 kW) at 9.250 ft (2.820 m)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 370 mph, (322 kn, 595 km/h)
Combat radius: 410 nmi (470 mi, 760 km)
Ferry range: 991 nmi (1,135 mi, 1,827 km)
Service ceiling: 36,500 ft (11,125 m)
Rate of climb: 2,600 ft/min (13.2 m/s)
Wing loading: 27.35 lb/ft2 (133.5 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.22 hp/lb (0.36 kW/kg)
Armament:
2x 20mm Hispano Mk II cannon (120 RPG)
2x .5 in Browning machine guns (250 RPG)
Three hardpoints (1 ventral, 1 under each outer wing) for up to 1.000 lb (454 kg).
The kit and its assembly:
This whif is based on a simple idea: how did Lebanon's Air Force start? Small countries make a good whif playground, and I guess that nobody has the Lebanon on his/her list...?
Another factor was that I had some Austrian roundels left in store that could, with a green dot, easily be turned into Lebanese markings. So the theme was quickly settled, but the details take some preparation time, so the idea lingered for some time.
After some legwork I deemed a simple Spitfire with a dust filter worthy as an initial aircraft, and the respective Hobby Boss kit of a Spitfire Mk. VB in the stash came handy.
But somehow this was a bit dull, and at the inception of the Lebanon Air Force there were better option available than an early Mk. V. I still wanted a sleek, Merlin-powered Spitfire variant, though, and eventually settled for the Mk. XVI - with its clipped wings and the bubble canopy it has a very distinctive look.
When a "1 Week group Build" at whatifmodelers.com in the Easter Week 2015 was announced, I took this occassion to build the Lebanese Spitfire.
By that time I already had a basis kit at hand (Heller's Spitfire XVI) as well as some donation parts and decals.
Work was strightforward, the Heller kit was built almost OOB. It's a rather old model kit, with raised panel lines, but good detail. The material is thin, so the built item lacks some structural stability! On the other side, this makes some minor mods really easy: I lowered the flaps and moved the tail rudders slightly off of neutral position. I also opened the cockpit "door" on the left side for later static display, even though the cockpit itself was left OOB. It's a bit "flat", but for the kit's age it's pretty good, and the injected canopy is crystal clear and fits perfectly.
I had some major woes concerning the fit for the forward fuselage, and even more when I tried to mate wings and fuselage: there was a 1mm gap(!) on both sides that had to be bridged with putty, and the thin and flexible material did help much...
Other mods concern the propeller (added a styrene tube and a metal axis for free spin), the radiators (these are molded into the lower wings - sounds horrible, but is made very well and thin, I just added some foamed styrene inside as protective mesh because OOB there's just a blank "box" inside) and the kit received a dust filter - a resin piece taken from a Pavla conversion set for Hawker Hurricanes.
Painting and markings:
While a donated RAF Spitfire would certainly have carried a desert paint scheme in Dark Earth/Mid Stone/Azure Blue or a late WWII Dark Green/Ocean Grey/Light Sea Grey livery I settled for something more individual and effective for the rugged Levantine terrain.
In this case I went for the rarely used RAF 'Tropical Scheme' in Mid Stone/Dark Green from above and with Mediterrenean Blue undersides.
The pattern itself is standard RAF, the upper cammo taken down onto the dust filter's flanks was taken over from RAAF Spitfires during WWII (RAF aircraft would carry a higher waterline, with the filter painted completely in the lower surface's tone). Basic paints are RAF Dark Green from Modelmaster and Humbrol 84 (RAF Mid Stone) - rather authentic. But I used Humbrol 87 (Steel Grey) for the undersides - it's rather intense and has a greenish hue, and by far not as dark as the typical RAF Azure Blue or PRU Blue.
Interior surfaces were painted in RAF Cockpit Green (Modelmaster Authentic), while the landing gear and its wells were kept in Aluminum Dope (Humbrol 56).
Decals/markings were puzzled together and improvised. The Lebanese roundels are actually Austrian national markings into which a dark green dot has ben added manually... the fin flash and the roman/arabic codes come from an Xtradecal aftermarket sheet.
Beyond these basic markings I did not add anything flashy - in 1951 things were rather simple,
The kit received a light shading and some dry painting with light grey, plus a light black ink wash. Soot/exhaust stains were created with grinded graphite and around the engine some leaked oil was added with Tamiya's "Smoke", and everything was sealed under a coat of matt acrylic varnish.
I'll admit it's not a spectacular whif, and overall rather simple concerning build and painting. But a proud addition to whatifmodelers.com's "! Week Group Build", even though this was already finished in just three days from sprues to beauty pics...
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (May 4, 2022) - An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 36th Fighter Squadron, takes to the air in participation of RED FLAG-Alaska 22-1 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, May 3, 2022. RF-A 22-1 is a Pacific Air Forces-directed field training exercise for U.S. and international forces flown under simulated air combat conditions primarily out of Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (U.S. Air Force photo Senior Airman Megan Estrada) 220504-F-WE075-1008
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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 on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
AGO was founded in 1911 in Munich as Flugmaschinenwerke Gustav Otto by Gustav Otto and a Dr Herbert Alberti. Gustav, the son of Nicolaus Otto – inventor of the four-stroke engine, was a pioneer aviator (pilot's license No. 34) and engine-builder. As was usual in those days, a flying school was attached to the business – one of its later students was Ernst Udet. The initials AGO had a variety of meanings (such as Aktiengesellschaft Otto) during the company's lifetime, but in its final version stood for Apparatebau GmbH Oschersleben. At its peak, the company employed around 4,500 people.
After the outbreak of World War I, AGO built a series of military reconnaissance aircraft, beginning with the AGO C.I – a pusher-powered biplane designed by August Haefeli. The most successful of AGO's wartime aircraft was the C.IV of 1916, of which 70 examples were built. After the Armistice, Otto tried automobile manufacturing, but in 1919 had to dismiss the employees of the Berlin company and divest himself of the Oschersleben factory. He himself withdrew to Lake Starnberg where he died in 1926. The company continued, and in the same year developed 20 new hectares of factory space near the Sudenburger Maschinenfabrik und Eisengießerei AG plant at Magdeburg. By 1928 this enterprise was also forced to close. On 30 July 1930, AGO's remaining assets were sold at auction by order of the court.
In 1933 the government resurrected AGO by refurbishing the Oschersleben plant for aircraft production once more. The first order was for 36 Arado Ar 65 fighters, 197 Arado Ar 66 trainers, and 71 Heinkel He 51 fighters. The first of these to fly was an Ar 65s, on 1 May 1935. This was followed by an order for 140 Henschel Hs 123 dive-bombers delivered at the end of 1937, AGO's introduction to all-metal construction. Next came orders for 241 Gotha Go 145 trainers and 187 Arado Ar 96, and then 150 Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance aircraft. This latter order was increased to 390 units in Summer 1938. Between March 1937 and March 1938, AGO built 121 Focke-Wulf Fw 44. In 1938, production of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 began, and from 1941 onwards, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 became the mainstay of AGO's production.
AGO only designed a few aircraft on their own and produced them during WWII. The first new AGO aircraft becoming the AGO Ao 192 Kurier of 1937. The last type that went into production was the Ao 175, a reconnaissance and liaison aircraft. A design for a heavy fighter project, the Ao 225 did not progress past the wind-tunnel stage and even the 8−225 RLM airframe designator for the type was withdrawn by the RLM and reassigned to Focke-Achgelis.
The Ao 175 was conceived when the Henschel Hs 126, a pre-war twin-seat design from 1936 with a parasol wing reconnaissance and observation short range aircraft, entered service. While fulfilling its duties it lacked overall performance, the type showed little development potential, so that the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) issued a specification for an advanced short-range reconnaissance aircraft to succeed the type in the tactical support role provided by the Luftwaffe to the Wehrmacht. While Arado Flugzeugwerke (Arado) had responded with the Arado Ar 198, Focke-Wulf's design team produced the Fw 189, a twin-boom aircraft with a central crew gondola with a glazed stepless cockpit. AGO proposed the Ao 175, which was, using the Hs 126 as benchmark, the most conventional design, and it was adopted together with the bigger Fw 189.
The Ao 175 was a conservative design and followed the Hs 126’s parasol layout with a fixed landing gear but differed in some details and offered a better overall performance. The aircraft’s overall dimensions were like the Hs 126, but the all-metal fuselage was sleeker, with a fully closed and generously glazed cockpit for pilot and observer who sat in tandem. The cabin offered space for an additional folding seat for a passenger or a third crewman, e.g. an observer or a camera operator.
For reconnaissance duties the Ao 175 featured three camera compartments behind the cabin: a vertical rack, an oblique forward rack, and a compartment for a horizontal camera with a window in the port side flank. Rb 20/30 and Rb 50/30 cameras could be mounted in each, the oblique rack could even hold a longer Rb 75/30 camera.
The Ao 175’s high wing was mounted above the cockpit and braced against the fuselage, but with less struts and drag than on the Hs 126. A fixed slat ran along the entire length of the wing's leading edge while a hinged and slotted set of control surfaces ran along the entire length of trailing edge. This arrangement was allegedly inspired by an earlier Junkers wing design concept, referred to as a “Doppelflügel” or "double-wing" aircraft wing control surface. On the Ao 175, this setup along each wing panel's trailing edge was split nearly 50/50 between the inboard-located flaps and outboard-located ailerons, which, in turn, included trim tab devices over half of each aileron's trailing edge length. This combination of flaps and slats created an impressive STOL and slow airspeed performance – in fact, the design was so effective that the Ao 175 could land almost vertically when flying against the wind and also required less than 100 m of runway for taking off.
The Ao 175’s powerplant was a liquid-cooled Jumo 211A with 1.000 hp – an unusual choice for a reconnaissance aircraft that operates at low altitudes, but the engine was chosen because it was available and proven, and it offered a relatively low cowling that resulted in a very good field of view for the pilot ahead and downwards. Thanks to the relatively powerful engine and good aerodynamics the Ao 175 achieved a top speed of more than 400 km/h, considerably more than any other German reconnaissance type of the early and mid-war period.
The Ao 175’s armament was still relatively light. It consisted of a synchronized single 13 mm MG 131 in the cowling in front of the cockpit which fired through the propeller disc, and for defense a 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun in a dorsal flexible mount position fired to rear – even though several other, heavier weapons like the twin-barrel MG 81Z or another MG 131 were frequently mounted by the crews.
A ventral hardpoint could carry a single 250 kg (550 lb) bomb or similar loads (e .g. a rack with 2x2 50 kg bombs), but in practice this was hardly ever used. Instead, a 300 l drop tank was frequently carried to extend range and loiter time, or a cargo container of similar shape when the aircraft was used for liaison missions.
During early 1940, Luftwaffe pilots commenced training on the new type. While operational trials of the type were quite successful, Luftwaffe officials concluded that there was little advantage to withdrawing the existing Hs 126s in favor of Ao 175s. Instead, the service decided to introduce the type relatively slowly, thus the Ao 175, just like the Fw 189, was not operational at any meaningful quantity until the summer of 1942. This delay did allow for some refinements to the aircraft, though, particularly its airframe, to be performed during 1941. Modifications around this time included desert survival gear and floats, because most of the first Ao 175 A-1 production models were sent into the MTO and operated in North Africa, Italy, and the Balkans.
By September 1942, 172 Ao 175s were reportedly operational at the Southern front, making up the majority of short-range reconnaissance aircraft present. After that, more aircraft of the improved B variant were delivered, primarily to the Eastern front. Thanks to its relatively high speed and maneuverability Soviet fighters had difficulties targeting the Ao 175, and the Flamingo was often able to out-turn attacking fighters by flying in a tight circle into which enemy fighters could not follow or use the aircraft’s excellent climbing ability at low altitude to move out of fighters’ way. Ao 175 also saw service on other fronts, including West in France and Belgium and even the Middle East.
Production ended in 1944 after roughly 750 aircraft, exact production numbers remain uncertain because production was, beyond ARO’s Oschersleben factory, also carried out in France and Czechoslovakia.
General characteristics:
Crew: 2 (plus 1 optional passenger)
Length: 11.5 m (37 ft 8.75 in)
Wingspan: 13.86 m (45 ft 4.75 in)
Height: 4,18 m (13 ft 8 in)
Wing area: 30.0 m² (322 ft²)
Empty weight: 2,030 kg (4,480 lb)
Loaded weight: 2,493 kg (6,483 lb)
Powerplant:
1× liquid-cooled Jumo 211A with 1.000 hp (736 kW) at 2.200 rpm,
driving a three-blade Junkers constant speed propeller
Performance:
Maximum speed: 395 km/h (245 mph, 215 kn) at 2,500 m (8,200 ft)
Cruise speed: 317 km/h (197 mph, 171 kn)
Landing speed: 65 km/h (40 mph; 35 kn)
Stall speed: 55 km/h (34 mph; 30 kn)
Take-off distance to 50 ft (15 m): 150 m (491 ft)
Range: 1,500 km (620 mi, 540 nmi)
Service ceiling: 7,000 m (23,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 550 m/min (1,800 ft/min)
Time to altitude: 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in eight minutes and 18 seconds
Wing loading: 166 kg/m² (34 lb/ft²)
Armament:
1x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun in the nose, synchronized to fire through the propeller
1x 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun in a flexible dorsal mount
(often replaced with a 7.92 mm MG 81Z or a 13 mm MG 131).
1x ventral hardpoint for a 250 kg (550 lb) bomb or a 300 l (66 imp. gal/80 US gal) drop tank
The kit and its assembly:
This build is the result of a long gestation and the use of several kitbashing remains from former projects – incidentally all German donors. At the core was a leftover but complete MPM Ju 87 A fuselage, a typical early short-run kit with thick sprues and massive attachment points of the parts, lack of locator pins on the parts, dubious fit, and a very thin and wobbly vacu canopy. Nothing you really want to work with…
I also had wings and landing gear from an Italeri Hs 126, and recently it struck me to combine these with the Ju 87 fuselage into a mid-war recce/spotter aircraft.
However, as simple as this sounds, closer inspection of the hardware revealed several flaws in my plan, and overcoming these required more planning. This led eventually to more/extra donor parts in the form of Fi 156 wings (Academy kit) to bring the concept to fruition, because the deep Hs 126 wings and their elliptical shape would not match well with the rest of the Ju 87, and especially not with its cockpit position and glazing. As a bonus, though, the Fi 156 wings also had the benefit of a square shape which would match well with the Ju 87 stabilizers, and they also had a kinked root for a direct attachment to the fuselage instead of the Hs 126’s indirect struts arrangement. The Hs 126’s spatted landing gear was to be retained, though, because it would fit very well under a Ju 87.
Work started with the chunky fuselage, and I kept it mostly OOB. The only major change is the addition of an adapter for the propeller mounted on an axis (OOB there is NOTHING – you are supposed to glue the spinner to the hull, and that’s it!), and I added some struts inside of the cockpit (inspired by the Westland Lysander’s construction) because the wings would require some support in real life. Major PSR and body work was required to make the Ju 87 wing roots disappear on the fuselage, a ventral display holder adapter was added, as well as camera fairings behind the cockpit. On the original Ju 87 stabilizers simpler support struts were used (actually from the Ju 87 A’s landing gear), and the Hs 126 landing gear and its spats were glued to the lower hull behind the engine.
The biggest challenge became the attachment of the wings, though, because they had to be mounted somehow to the glazing. This would already be tricky with a styrene canopy, but the Ju 87’s thin vacu canopy – due to its instability and the material as such – called for a scratched solution/construction! I initially tried to use the clear parts from the Fi 156 kit, but they would not fit. My solution eventually was again inspired by the Westland Lysander, or better the Matchbox kit’s construction: I cut two slits into the vacu canopy and placed a horizontal styrene bar through them, so that the Fi 156 wings could be mounted on their original attachment points. However, they ended up quite ahead, but at least I had them in a plausible position, even though the whole thing was not stable.
The next problem arose through the canopy itself: mounting a thin and rather flexible vacu piece on the OOB Ju 87 would already have been a stunt, but now it also carried very fragile and instable wings! With much patience and after several failed attempts I was able to fix the vacu canopy in place (with super glue and white glue), and once it was in position I added the wings support struts from the Hs 126 to stabilize the whole parasol construction and somewhat relieve the canopy from the wings’ weight. Never again…!
Painting and markings:
Putting the Ao 175 into the MTO was a good excuse to apply a German North Africa paint scheme, brought to Northern Italy with withdrawing units. The plan was to create an aircraft with field camouflage over a standard paint scheme, and to this end the painting process became a bit more complex than usual.
The core scheme is a simple, uniform RLM 78/79 (Himmelblau and Sandgelb) livery with a low and straight waterline, plus white MTO markings on fuselage and wing tips. For the Sandgelb I used Modelmaster 4789, which is a nice brownish tone that is not too bright and yellow-ish, and Tamiya XF-23 for Himmelblau, which is a tad darker and more greyish than RLM65. At this stage the white wingtip undersides were painted, too.
For the post-camouflage look the markings were added now – puzzled together from various sources. The tactical code is a mix of the Academy Storch’s individual “BA” code, which is a staff code with an unusual green letter, with a smaller unit code. The underwing “Bs” came from the Storch, as well as the fuselage Iron Crosses. The national markings above and under the wing came from a TL Modellbau aftermarket sheet, the Iron Crosses on the upper side lack black edges, so that there is no stark contrast with the Sandgelb around them. The unit badge under the windscreen is fictional, IIRC from a late German Bf 109, though. A light black ink washing was used to emphasize some seams, esp. for the flaps, and a light post-shading was done to add surface structure.
After that the tedious process of adding a meander pattern with RLM 80 (Olivgrün) over the Sandgelb base, around all markings. For the sake of easy application, I used acrylic Revell 65 (Bronzegrün, RAL 6031). Everything was done with a relatively small brush and took some time and several turns to cover area by area with the green wiggles. Some wet sanding was later used to simulate some wear and tear around the leading edges.
The propeller spinner became green with a white spiral, repeating the staff marking from the individual code letter. The propeller blades were painted with a very dark mix of green-grey and black.
As finishing steps some soot stains were created with graphite behind the exhausts, the position lights were made with clear paint on a silver base, the camera lenses (black decal material) received a glossy finish with ClearFix, and the wire antennae from the wingtips to the fin were created with heated black sprue material.
The finished aircraft looks disturbingly plausible – either like a sinewy and streamlined Henschel Hs 126, or a Fi 156 on steroids! The Fieseler Storch’s square wings are a great supplement to the equally shaped Ju 87 stabilizers, and the fixed landing gear with spats does not look out of place, either. Biggest stunt was the fitting of the high wings into/with the wobbly vacu canopy, though, and while this was a really complicated affair I am very happy how it turned out, and it’s even quite stable/rigid, thanks to the Hs 126 support struts. And the complex paint scheme effectively hides some flaws…
Guitarist at the bash during the 2023 National Scout Jamboree at The Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, West Virginia. (BSA Photo by Leo He)
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20230721-20-09-03--LH date - 7/21/23 time - 20:09:03