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Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and senior Wisconsin National Guard leaders joined families and friends at an Oct. 4 sendoff ceremony at Volk Field, Wis., for the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team headquarters, which is deploying in support of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine. There, the approximately 165 Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers will serve as the headquarters element overseeing a group of multinational Partner and Advise Training Teams — or PATTs — based at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center in western Ukraine. Wisconsin National Guard photo by Sgt. Alex Baum
Finally got around to ordering a few modern weapons, and a couple Modern Combat Helmets, and they go along quite well with the Sluban vests I have.
I may end up making a film with these guys, but it's still not for sure...
Tell me what you think!
Superstar Wrestling - Lodelinsart 2018 - Alex Legrand & Darkmondo Vs Mot van Kunder & Bas van Kunder
Alex Legrand & Darkmondo def. (Pin) Mot van Kunder & Bas van Kunder
Info on the match : Match de qualification pour le nouveau titre par equipe de la Superstar Wrestling
( La Superstar Wrestling revient a Lodelinsart!!!!
Apres les deux 'sold out' precedent, la Superstar Wrestling sera de retour a la salle du 'Kesten panse' 1 place du gros Fayt.
5 combats annonces! )
Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II
09-5709 / FT (cn 382-5709)
79th Rescue Squadron (79 RQS), 563d Rescue Group
Davis–Monthan AFB (DMA / KDMA)
Nope, I have the photo rotation just right folks. Enjoy!
I have a F-22 at Seafair Sunday photo gallery too and am posting to an organized Flickr collection my developed Seafair photos from Seafair Friday, Seafair Saturday and Seafair Sunday as I make time to develop them.
PHOTO CREDIT: Joe A. Kunzler Photo, AvgeekJoe Productions, growlernoise-AT-gmail-DOT-com
Tech. Sgt. Ted Hofknecht watches for insurgent activity from the side door of a helicopter in eastern Afghanistan. Hofknecht was honored at the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs awards dinner Nov. 7, 2011, in Washington, D.C., receiving the JINSA Grateful Nation Award. Hofknecht, from Crossville, Tenn., was attached to an elite Army Green Beret unit supporting NATO International Security Assistance Force objectives in Afghanistan from September 2010 to February 2011. Hofknecht is assigned to the 321st Special Tactics Squadron.
RAF MILDENHALL, England - "First There," a motto combat controllers bellow during their two-year training pipeline, and later affirm in blood, sweat and sacrifice on the most forward-deployed and dangerous battlefields as they pave the way for other forces to follow.
As a member of the most highly trained special operations force in the U.S. military, Tech. Sgt. Ted Hofknecht, 321st Special Tactics Squadron, upheld the meaning of that motto in three notable combat engagements in remote areas of Afghanistan, and was honored at the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs awards dinner in Washington, D.C., Nov. 7.
Hofknecht and five other service members were selected by the top uniformed officers in the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and U.S. Special Operations Command to represent their respective service at the dinner, and earned the JINSA Grateful Nation Award.
The JINSA Grateful Nation Award was established in 2003 and only six service members are recognized with that award annually for superior conduct in the War on Terrorism.
Hofknecht was attached to an elite Army Green Beret unit tasked with providing foreign internal defense to NATO International Security Assistance Force Service members operating in Afghanistan, and distinguished himself as a joint terminal attack controller from September 2010 through February 2011.
"Our main mission was to mentor traditional coalition soldiers, who in turn advised the Afghan National Security Forces and local police," said Hofknecht, a 28-year-old combat controller, or CCT, from Crossville, Tenn.
In the mountainous terrain of eastern Afghanistan, Hofknecht utilized airpower and soldiering skills in two notable troops-in-contact situations, where his efforts were vital in neutralizing insurgent attacks.
On numerous occasions, the controller repelled point-blank enemy attacks with his M4 rifle, controlled close-air support, directed medical evacuations and personally saved the lives of four coalition soldiers.
For his actions during the six-month deployment, Hofknecht was awarded a bronze star medal. He also earned a bronze star with valor for heroism during a major battle Dec. 7, 2010.
A tale of heroism:
Starting like most other days, Hofknecht awoke to snow falling upon the makeshift buildings at his combat outpost, high in the mountains above the Tagab Valley in Kapisa province, Afghanistan.
It was an utterly serene December morning, he said. But, that was all about to change.
Hofknecht and a combined team of coalition and ANSF soldiers geared up for a patrol toward an insurgent-infested village, where they hoped to establish new observation posts at a location key to disrupt regional Taliban activity and impede their gateway to Kabul.
The CCT's job was to control air assets and provide CAS for coalition efforts.
"The village our team headed toward was at the foot of a steep mountain that joined two valleys," said Hofknecht, a 10-year Air Force veteran. "To establish an OP on that mountain would give the coalition overwatch of the entire area. The Taliban knew how important that mountain was and were prepared to do whatever it took to maintain control over it."
As the combined force approached their target area, they split into separate teams. Their team leaders, consisting of three ISAF officers and an Afghan leader took one team toward a flank on the mountain. Meanwhile, one assault team sought to secure the village and the other prepared for a frontal assault of the mountain.
Hofknecht was on the team securing the village and his squad quickly came under contact as insurgents assaulted the coalition forces with small-arms and machine gun fire.
As Hofknecht's team returned fire on the insurgents near them, the officers' team struck an improvised explosive device on the ridge of the mountain. An outnumbering insurgent force then ambushed them.
"The enemy was about 150 meters away and we were in heavy vegetation, which took away some of our tactical advantage when using CAS," said Hofknecht, who was engaged in a fierce firefight while directing CAS to his comrades' location, who were suffering a brutal assault after already suffering casualties in the IED blast.
The situation began to look a bit brighter as two U.S. Army helicopters acknowledged they were in route.
However, that brightness soon faded.
"We ended up getting a pair of Kiowa helicopters, but one had a broken gun switch and couldn't expend any ordnance," said Hofknecht.
Knowing the team that hit the IED was in bad shape and had casualties needing aeromedical evacuation, Hofknecht and his team hastily maneuvered through an ongoing brutal enemy ambush to assist the casualties.
"The broken Kiowa expended its rockets and then had to return to a nearby [forward operating base] and attempted to fix their weapon systems," said Hofknecht. "We kept fighting with what weapons we had."
When Hofknecht arrived on the mountain ridge, he found one ISAF captain dead, the Afghan leader and other members of the element wounded. Reacting quickly, Hofknecht and a fellow Green Beret carried the Afghan leader about a kilometer and began to load him and other casualties into one remaining operational vehicle, and prepared to get them to an aeromedical evacuation site.
The primary landing zone (LZ) was under intense fire so the casualties had to be moved to an alternate LZ, which was a short drive away.
Splitting into two teams, Hofknecht sped off toward the LZ while the remaining forces fought on to secure the mountain.
As the small convoy pushed toward the LZ, a team of Taliban set up a trap.
"We left with only my Green Beret buddy, myself, the wounded and dead, and had no working crew-serve weapon on board, so pretty much had two M4s to defend ourselves with," said Hofknecht. "At first we had a small Afghan security detail but they soon had to return to the fight which left just the two of us to get our casualties to that LZ."
All of a sudden, a hail of rounds began hitting the truck. When Hofknecht looked back, he found a coordinated ambush about 25 meters from his position.
The broken Kiowa flew overhead to provide air support for the casualties, saw the ambush happening from above and responded.
"I looked up and saw the Kiowa above us, and the co-pilot was hanging out of the side of the helicopter engaging the enemy with his M4," said Hofknecht. "It was a sight I'll never forget."
As his team crested a ridge top, Hofknecht said he could see sparkles from across the entire valley where hundreds of insurgents were firing at the circling Kiowa.
"It was intense. They would intermittently fire at our CAS, then shift fire to us, then back to the helicopter," said Hofknecht. "It went back and forth like that for a long time, but our CAS never budged. They kept taking a brunt of the incoming fire and helping suppress our ambush."
The five-hour battle ended with coalition and insurgent casualties, but the Taliban suffered far more losses than the combined coalition and ANSF team, said Hofknecht.
"It was all sketchy at that time, but we fought our best with what we had," said Hofknecht. "We put pressure on the Taliban and got our jobs done."
Hofknecht was involved in two more significant TICs during his deployment and, at one point, was attacked at point-blank range in an alley with no cover.
"I was pretty much forced to move forward and try to close on the shooter while returning fire with no cover," said Hofknecht. "My training is the only thing that kept me alive at that point, because my mind had already checked out, it seemed."
For Hofknecht, losing some of his close friends during different firefights elsewhere in Afghanistan stays with him daily and has forever changed his life.
Before joining the ranks of the elite CCT, Hofknecht spent the first six years of his Air Force career as a mechanic, which was challenging but didn't afford him the opportunity to deploy to the front lines, he said. With an unrelenting yearning to be "first there," the controller can't wait for his next combat tour.
"Being a CCT and the mixed missions we embark on really intrigues me," said Hofknecht. "I'm honored by the JINSA Award and bronze stars, but I don't do what I do for medals or awards. My fellow controllers are my family, my brothers. I wouldn't choose any other way to live."
Jason Muszala piloting the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum 1943 Mitsubishi A6M3 Reisen (Zero) C/N 3852 N3852 at Paine Field Airport KPAE
More of my Creative Common images are available on my Picasa page.
If you find this image useful, please link it to my blog at: www.azrainman.com
This trailer has started appearing at the lakes near Needham Market.
More to be found here - www.combat2coffee.co.uk/
Today I looked it up on the Internet and found the following .. a fascinating insight into what they do and how they help war veterans. Here's more power to their arms, I say!
What a brilliant idea eh?
For more info -- www.combat2coffee.co.uk/ and www.combatstress.org.uk/about-us/news/combat2coffee-and-c...
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This F-22A Raptor from the 27th Fighter Squadron "Fighting Eagles" located at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, fires an AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and an AIM-9M sidewinder heat-seeking air-to-air missile at an BQM-34P "Fire-bee" subscale aerial target drone over the Gulf of Mexico during a Combat Archer mission. The unit was deployed to Tyndall AFB, Florida to support the Air-to-Air Weapons System Evaluation Program hosted by the 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron also located at Tyndall.
An old pair of combat boots. I wore these in Iraq in 2004-2006. This is not a statement about the war in Iraq, but about boots, folks.
Lance Cpl. Matt Cookson, an ammunition technician with Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, fireman-carries Lance Cpl. Reginald Foster, a rifleman with Company I, BLT 3/8, 26th MEU, during the Marine Corps Combat Fitness Test aboard Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa, Nov. 6, 2010. Elements of 26th MEU conducted sustainment training for their current deployment at Camp Lemonnier and surrounding areas.
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit Public Affairs
Photo by Lance Cpl. Tammy Hineline
Location:CAMP LEMONNIER, DJ
Date Taken:11.05.2010
Related Photos: dvidshub.net/r/z95kyj
size 11- pretty good shape besides the soles, there is a tiny hole in the right shoe but is shoo goo'd and there is a little soft spot on the left. these are for sale, or trade for the right offer.
Combat with Pollaxe; Fiore Furlan dei Liberi da Premariacco (Italian, about 1340/1350 - before 1450); Venice, Italy; about 1410; Tempera colors, gold leaf, silver leaf, and ink on parchment; Leaf: 27.9 x 20.6 cm (11 x 8 1/8 in.); Ms. Ludwig XV 13, fol. 37
The Light Assault Craft Mark 1 , designated "Whitehawk" due to its pearl white hue and bird-like appearance, is a versatile starfighter dually capable in space and atmospheric combat. The Whitehawk is designed primarily for light assault of stationary and mobile targets, but can hold its own against purpose-built dogfight/superiority starfighters.
Armament:
3 Heavy Rapid-Fire Pulse Cannons (wings & nose)
2x4 Plasma Concussion Rocket Pods
Propulsion:
3 Compact Fusion Refraction Engines (wings & rear fuselage)
2 Macro Fusion Refraction Engines (under wings, facing downward for additional lift and maneuverability)
Our special forces operatives here at FS requested a new combat rifle, previously they had been using G36's, scar h's and ACR's so we decided to make a combined version of the 3, we also heard that they wanted a short silenced barrel so we put in a modified MP5 5.7" internally silenced barrel
This ballet is "Combat". Choreography by Willim Dollar, music by Raffaello de Banfield, performed by Nora Esteves and Aldo Lotufo at Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro. The picture shows the moment that the warrior kills a enemy soldier that is her great love. Original pic in B&W film.
Panjwa'i District, Afghanistan 22 September 2010
Combat engineers scan the grounds for improvised explosive device
Combat engineers attached to Oscar Company, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, scan the grounds near a Canadian Forces leaguer in the Panjwa’i district for improvised explosive devices. Working under extreme heat and pressure, engineers work around the clock to clear dangerous routes and mitigate the dangers of improvised explosive devices.
In close cooperation with Afghan National Security Force, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group provides security by conducting counter-insurgency operations throughout Panjwa’i district located south-west of Kandahar City. The Battle Group conducts partnered operations with the 2nd Kandak of the 1st Brigade, 205 Corps of the Afghan National army, Afghan National Police and the Panjwa’i district Governor in order to advance governance, reconstruction and security in the area.
Operation ATHENA is Canada’s participation in the International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan. Focused on Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan since the fall of 2005, Op ATHENA has one over-arching objective: to leave Afghanistan to Afghans, in a country that is better governed, more peaceful and more secure.
Canadian Forces Image Number IS2010-3020-1
By Corporal Shilo Adamson with Canadian Forces Combat Camera
_____________________________Traduction
District de Panjwayi, Afghanistan 22 septembre 2010
Des membres du génie de combat affectés à la Compagnie Oscar du groupement tactique du 1er Bataillon, The Royal Canadian Regiment, examinent le sol à la recherche de dispositifs explosifs de circonstance près d’un laager des Forces canadiennes dans le district de Panjwayi. Les membres du génie de combat travaillent jour et nuit sous pression et dans des températures extrêmement chaudes afin de dégager des routes dangereuses et de réduire les dangers des dispositifs explosifs de circonstance.
En étroite collaboration avec les Forces de sécurité nationale afghanes, le groupement tactique du 1er Bataillon, The Royal Canadian Regiment, assure la sécurité en menant des opérations de contre-insurrection un peu partout dans le district de Panjwayi, au sud-ouest de la ville de Kandahar. Le groupement tactique mène des opérations en partenariat avec le 2e Kandak de la 1re Brigade, le 205e Corps de l’Armée nationale afghane, la Police nationale afghane et le gouverneur du district de Panjwayi afin d’améliorer la gouvernance, la reconstruction et la sécurité dans le secteur.
L’opération Athena constitue la participation du Canada à la Force internationale d’assistance à la sécurité (FIAS) en Afghanistan. Concentrée dans la province de Kandahar, dans le sud de l’Afghanistan, l’opération Athena poursuit un objectif essentiel : laisser l’Afghanistan aux Afghans et en faire un pays mieux gouverné, plus paisible et plus sûr.
Image des Forces canadiennes numéro IS2010-3020-1
Par le Caporal Shilo Adamson avec Caméra de combat des Forces canadiennes
· LEOPARD BATTLE ·
I’m so glad I bought these leopard combat-stye boots. At first, I had trouble styling them, but now they are favorites. And they are comfortable, too!
Admittedly, this skirt is a little short for work. My take is that tights and heavy boots make the look a bit more covered.
Blazer, Forever 21 (thrifted). Tank, Bebe. Skirt, Miami. Boots Seychelles. Bag, A+ by Aldo (with an Amazon strap).
+++ 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 Lavochkin La-11 was an early post-World War II Soviet long-range piston-engine fighter aircraft. One of the recommendations from the government testing of the Lavochkin La-130 (the Lavochkin La-9 prototype) was to further develop the all-metal design into a long-range escort fighter. The resultant La-134 prototype (also sometimes referred to as La-9M) featured increased fuel and oil capacity, and armament was reduced from four to three 23 mm cannons to save weight and improve performance.
The first prototype flew in May 1947, the second prototype, called La-134D, had its fuel capacity increased even further by an additional 275 l (73 US gal) with wing and external fuel tanks. The aircraft was fitted with larger tires to accommodate the increased weight and amenities for long flights such as increased padding in the seat, armrests, and a urinal – missions of seven hours and more were realistic. In addition, a full radio navigation suite was installed.
Not surprisingly, combat performance with a full fuel load suffered. But as the fuel load approached that of the original La-9 during flight, so did the performance. Nevertheless, the aircraft was found to be poorly suited for combat above 7,000 m (23,000 ft). Despite these flaws the new fighter, officially designated La-11 (OKB designation La-140), entered production in 1947, and by the end of production in 1951, a total of 1,182 aircraft were built.
The first documented combat use of a La-11 took place on April 8, 1950, when four Soviet pilots shot down a United States Navy Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer over the Baltic Sea. From February 1950, Soviet La-11 moved to Shanghai (carrying PLAAF markings) to defend the city against bombing by the ROCAF during the Korea War, and the type was frequently used in escort missions. On April 2, 1950, two P-51s were claimed by (probably Soviet) La-11 pilots over Shanghai. After that, brand new MiG-15 jet fighters took over the air defense role, the ROCAF stopped bombing Shanghai that June and the Soviet units left in October 1950. Many La-11s were then handed over to Chinese troops.
By July 1950, Chinese La-11s were flying combat air patrol missions over North Korea, with frequent clashes with jet fighters. The main target of La-11 pilots during the Korean War, however, was the Douglas A-26 Invader night bomber, although numerous skirmishes with P-51s also took place. Attempts to intercept Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers proved fruitless, because the La-11 required 26 minutes to reach the B-29's cruising altitude, and, once there, had a marginal speed advantage of only 20 km/h (12 mph).
During 1954–55, after the Korean War, La-11 fighters of the PLAAF took part in the Battle of Yijiangshan Islands escorting the ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy and Tu-2 bombers. However, at that time the La-11 had become obsolete as an interceptor, even though its good range and handling at medium altitude still made it a viable escort fighter. During this period and with more and more jet fighters available, the PLAAF passed some of its surplus aircraft on to other countries, including Indonesia, Mongolia and North Vietnam.
The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) had been founded after WWII, but further development of its capabilities only began in 1956, when a number of trainees were sent to the USSR and China for pilot training. The first unit of the VPAF was the No. 919 Transport Regiment (Trung đoàn Không quân Vận tải 919), organized on 1 May 1959, with An-2, Li-2, Il-14 aircraft, followed by the No. 910 Training Regiment (Trung đoàn Không quân 910) with Yak-18 trainers.
The first North Vietnamese combat plane was a T-28 Trojan trainer, whose pilot defected from the Royal Lao Air Force. Serialled '963' in memory of the month and the year in which it was 'delivered', it was refurbished and actively utilized from early 1964 by the Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) as a night fighter and became the first North Vietnamese aircraft to shoot down a US aircraft, a C-123, on 15 February 1964.
To boost the VPAF’s rather poor offensive capabilities, ex PLAAF La-11s were delivered in late 1963 to the VPAF, followed by the first jet fighter aircraft, the MiG-17, even though the latter were initially stationed at air bases on Mainland China, while their pilots were being trained. Exact numbers are uncertain, but around sixty La-11 fighters were transferred and put into service until late 1964.
The aircraft arrived in Vietnam in standard PLAAF liveries, either carrying all-over light grey, greyish-green/blue or medium grey/blue camouflage. These were rather unsuited for the jungle environment of the Indochina peninsula, and to make the aircraft more difficult to spot both in the air and on the ground, almost all machines were subsequently sprayed in individual dark green camouflage, over which brown, grey or dark olive drab paint was liberally applied to break up the outlines. La-11s from early deliveries carried the VPAF’s original emblem, a simple yellow star edged in red on wings and fin. In 1965, however, this simple national marking was modified with a red bar, but this was soon replaced with the definite red and yellow “stars and bars” emblem on fuselage and wings that offered better contrast and difference from USAF markings to avoid confusion. Many VPAF La-11s received these markings in the course of 1965, too.
On 3 February 1964, the VPAF’s first fighter regiment No. 921 (Trung đoàn Không quân Tiêm kích 921), a.k.a. "Sao Do (Red Star) Squadron", was formed and initially equipped with La-11s. On 6 August the first MiG-17s arrived with their pilots from China in North Vietnam, and gradually replaced the La-11s. Furthermore, a small number of Chinese J-2s (Soviet-built MiG-15bis in PLAAF service) were delivered to the VPAF, too. With more and more jets operational, the La-11s were primarily used as conversion trainers and liaison aircraft, but, thanks to their high endurance, they also conducted flying combat air patrol missions along the borders, occasionally engaging slow transport and reconnaissance aircraft or helicopters.
On 7 September, a second unit, the No. 923 fighter regiment, a.k.a. "Yen The Squadron" was formed as a pure jet fighter unit. In May 1965, No. 16 bomber company (Đại đội Không quân Ném bom 16) was formed with Il-28 twin engine bombers. Only one Il-28 sortie was ever flown in 1972 against Royal Laotian forces, which was escorted by La-11s, and this probably marked the end of La-11 operations by the VPAF. The aircraft had reached the end of their service life and had become totally outdated.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 8.62 m (28 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 9.8 m (32 ft 2 in)
Height: 3.47 m (11 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 17.6 m² (189 sq ft)
Airfoil: TsAGI Laminar Airfoil
Empty weight: 2,770 kg (6,107 lb)
Gross weight: 3,730 kg (8,223 lb)
Max, take-off weight: 3,996 kg (8,810 lb)
Powerplant:
1× Shvetsov ASh-82FN 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine
with 2-stage supercharger and fuel injection, 1,380 kW (1,850 hp),
driving a 3-bladed constant-speed propeller
Performance:
Maximum speed: 674 km/h (419 mph, 364 kn) at altitude
Range: 2,235 km (1,389 mi, 1,207 nmi)
Service ceiling: 10,250 m (33,630 ft)
Rate of climb: 12.63 m/s (2,486 ft/min)
Wing loading: 212 kg/m² (43 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.37 kW/kg (0.23 hp/lb)
Armament:
3× 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon with 75 rpg
The kit and its assembly
I have been wanting to build (and whif) a late Lavochkin piston-engine fighter for a while, and a first approach to this subject was a pimped La-7 with new laminar flow wings (from a P-51) in Korean markings a few years ago. The idea did not leave the back of my mind, though, even more so when I found a set of early VPAF markings (the simple yellow stars) on a MiG-17 decal sheet. From this the idea of a VPAF La-11 was born.
The problem: there are not many La-11 IP kits in 1:72 out there. Gran, Siga and Interavia do suitable kits with relatively new molds, but I have never seen any of them in real life or in a review. However, I was lucky to hunt down an affordable MPM La-9/11 model from 1989 (still marked with “Made in Czechoslovakia” and sold in an anonymous white box with just a paper sticker on the lid that identifies the content!) some time ago, a simple but very nice affair. But it took some more years until I got into the right mood to eventually build the model.
The MPM kit was basically built OOB. Even though it looks a bit chunky on its sprue (it’s just a single one, plus two vacu sheets for canopy and landing light), it features very fine recessed panel lines. Surprisingly, the wings, which were designed as two complete halves sitting on each other, have pretty thin trailing edges, and details are good. However, fitting the wings to the fuselage took some tailoring at the wing roots, there are no locator pins, the kit calls for some PSR all around and the chocolate brown styrene was a bit brittle (might be blamed on age, though), so I’d recommend it only for an experienced builder. Despite these challenges, the resulting model looks better than expected, though.
The propeller received a metal axis with a respective adapter behind the cowling, and I replaced the OOB spinner - the only true poor part of the kit - with an alternative leftover from an Italeri He 111, which fits well in size and shape and onto the OOB propeller. I furthermore slightly modified the wheels with extra hub fairings, and because they both broke when I tried to remove them from the massive sprue, the oleo struts had to be replaced with scratched material. Masking tape seatbelts were added to the comfy pilot seat. The vacu canopy was cut into three pieces, so that the cockpit could be displayed open. A HF wave loop antenna was scratched from wire and added behind the pilot seat
Painting and markings:
The paint scheme for the fictional VPAF La-11 was inspired by the North Vietnamese MiG-17 “3020 red”, which carried a rather shaggy two-tone camouflage consisting of a yellowish green base tone with bluish green mottles chaotically applied over it, plus probably NMF underwing surfaces.
I wanted to adapt this livery to an overpainted former grey PLAAF aircraft, so that the model received an initial primer coat of medium grey (Revell 47) and aluminum (Revell 99) on the leading edges and areas like the cowling and the cockpit.
Once dry, a more or less opaque layer with thinned Humbrol 150 (Forest Green) was added, so that some of the grey and the metal would shine through, supported by a hard flat brush drenched with thinner. After another drying period the decals were applied: the pre-1965 VPAF yellow stars came from an Cutting Edge Productions limited edition MiG-15 sheet (CED72019) which primarily focusses on North Korean aircraft, the tactical code was created from single digits from a HAD Models Mi-24 sheet, from a Hungarian Hind.
Then the dark green mottles were added around the markings, with thinned Humbrol 195 (Chromium Oxide Green, RAL 6020). The undersides were painted in blue-grey, and for a good contrast with the yellow stars I used Tamiya XF-23. The kit received a light black ink washing and some post-shading, even though not much on the upper surfaces, due to the disruptive paint scheme.
All interior surfaces were painted in medium grey (again Revell 47), with a dark grey middle section of the dashboard. The louvres in front of the engine became a darker grey (Humbrol 27). As a visual contrast I painted the wheel hubs in bright green (Humbrol 101), and the spinner was painted in red (a mix of Humbrol 19 and 60). After consulting pictures of museum PLAAF La-11s and old pictures in trustworthy literature, the propeller blades became simply painted black with yellow tips.
Finally, the kit was sealed with matt actrylic varnish, and as a final step the position lights were added and he wire antennae were created with heated black sprue material. And instead of the clear vacu bits for the landing light and the star navigation system window beind the cockpit I rather used Clearfix.
Well, a simple build, realized in just two days (plus painting, though) - but not without challenges on the hardware and livery side. However, for a short-run IP kit with almost 35 years on the clock the result looks better than expected, and the exotic pre-1965 VPAF markings add a confusing touch to this what-f model. Together with the bright green jungle camouflage this La-11 even looks quite pretty, despite its worn appearance?