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This set of images shows post-conversion work performed to take my 2005, Texas-based Pontiac GTO back to its Aussie Holden roots. Looks much better. A few small details here and there also go a long way sometimes.
Holden Monaro front conversion kit acquired from JHP Vehicle Enhancements in Melbourne, Australia.
Holden Monaro front conversion kit painted and installed along with rear badged by Colour House of Texas, Bertram, Texas.
Additional mods found here and there and added by yours truly.
New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) R188 no. 7320 (Kawasaki, 2010-2016) is the lead motor on a Queens-bound 7 train seen stopped at 34th St-Hudson Yards Station on the Flushing Line. This car was converted from an R142A, adding equipment compatible with the communications-based train control (CBTC) and automatic train operation (ATO) systems installed on the Flushing Line.
+++ 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 Grumman F8F Bearcat is an American single-engine carrier-based fighter aircraft introduced in late World War II and it was Grumman Aircraft's last piston-engine fighter aircraft.
The Bearcat concept began during a meeting between Battle of Midway veteran F4F Wildcat pilots and Grumman Vice President Jake Swirbul at Pearl Harbor on 23 June 1942. At the meeting, Lieutenant Commander Jimmie Thach emphasized one of the most important requirements in a good fighter plane was "climb rate". Climb performance is strongly related to the power-to-weight ratio and is maximized by wrapping the smallest and lightest possible airframe around the most powerful available engine. Another goal was that the G-58 (Grumman's design designation for the aircraft) should be able to operate from escort carriers, which were then limited to the obsolescent F4F Wildcat as the Grumman F6F Hellcat was too large and heavy. A small, lightweight aircraft would make this possible. After intensively analyzing carrier warfare in the Pacific Theater of Operations for a year and a half, Grumman began development of the G-58 Bearcat in late 1943.
In 1943, Grumman was in the process of introducing the F6F Hellcat, powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine which provided 2,000 horsepower (1,500 kW). The R-2800 was the most powerful American engine available at that time, so it would be retained for the G-58. This meant that improved performance would have to come from a lighter airframe. To meet this goal, the Bearcat's fuselage was about 5 feet (1.5 m) shorter than the Hellcat and was cut down vertically behind the cockpit area. This allowed the use of a bubble canopy, the first to be fitted to a US Navy fighter. The vertical stabilizer was the same height as the Hellcat's, but increased aspect ratio, giving it a thinner look. The wingspan was 7 feet (2.1 m) less than the Hellcat's. Structurally the fuselage used flush riveting as well as spot welding, with a heavy gauge 302W aluminum alloy skin suitable for carrier landings. Armor protection was provided for the pilot, engine and oil cooler.
The Hellcat used a 13 ft 1 in (3.99 m) three-bladed Hamilton Standard propeller. A slight reduction in size was made by moving to a 12 ft 7 in (3.84 m) Aeroproducts four-bladed propeller. Keeping the prop clear of the deck required a long landing gear, though, which, combined with the shortened fuselage, gave the Bearcat a significant "nose-up" profile on the ground. The hydraulically operated undercarriage used an articulated trunnion which extended the length of the oleo legs when lowered; as the undercarriage retracted the legs were shortened, enabling them to fit into a wheel well which was entirely in the wing. An additional benefit of the inward retracting units was a wide track, which helped counter propeller torque on takeoff and gave the F8F good ground and carrier deck handling.
The design team had set the goal that the G-58 should weigh 8,750 pounds (3,970 kg) fully loaded. As development continued it became clear this was impossible to achieve as the structure of the new fighter had to be made strong enough for aircraft carrier landings. Ultimately much of the weight-saving measures included restricting the internal fuel capacity to 160 US gallons (610 l) (later 183 US gallons [690 l]) and limiting the fixed armament to just four .50 cal Browning M2/AN machine guns, two in each wing. The limited range due to the reduced fuel load would mean it would be useful in the interception role but meant that the Hellcat would still be needed for longer range patrols. A later role was defending the fleet against airborne kamikaze attacks. Compared to the Hellcat, the Bearcat was 20% lighter, had a 30% better rate of climb and was 50 mph (80 km/h) faster.
Another weight-saving concept the designers came up with was detachable wingtips. The wings were designed to fold at a point about 2⁄3 out along the span, reducing the space taken up on the carrier. Normally, the hinge system would have to be built very strong to transmit loads from the outer portions of the wing to the main spar in the inner section, which adds considerable weight. Instead of building the entire wing to be able to withstand high-g loads, only the inner portion of the wing was able to do this. The outer portions were more lightly constructed, and designed to snap off at the hinge line if the g-force exceeded 7.5 g. In this case the aircraft would still be flyable and could be repaired after returning to the carrier. This saved 230 pounds (100 kg) of weight.
The F8F prototypes were ordered in November 1943 and first flew on 21 August 1944, a mere nine months later. The first production aircraft was delivered in February 1945 and the first squadron, Fighter Squadron 19 (VF-19), was operational by 21 May 1945, but World War II was over before the aircraft saw combat service.
Postwar, the F8F became a major U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps fighter, equipping 24 fighter squadrons in the Navy and a smaller number in the Marines. Often mentioned as one of the best-handling piston engine fighters ever built, its performance was sufficient to outperform many early jets. However, in United States service the F9F Panther and McDonnell F2H Banshee soon replaced the Bearcat as their performance and other advantages eclipsed piston-engine fighters. Therefore, many Bearcats with low flying hours were put in storage and/or sold to other nations.
One of these post-war operators became Uruguay, even though only with few aircraft. In 1942, Uruguay had received Grumman J4F Widgeon, Vought OS2U Kingfisher and Fairchild PT-23A trainers from the US under Lend-Lease, and after the war these were returned. A fundamental modernization of the Uruguayan Navy’s aviation branch started directly after WWII, though. During the years 1949 to 1957, a large supply of American aircraft was delivered. Among these were North American SNJ-4, Grumman Avenger, Martin Mariner and a mixed bunch of 12 old Grumman F6F Hellcats (-3, -5, -5N), delivered in 1952, even though not without trouble: to avoid the appearance of the United States supporting a small South American country, the planes were indirectly sold by a private company, Cobell Industries, and this meant that the planes came without armament to make the deal legal. However, after arriving in Uruguay, the planes were retrofitted with armament and other military hardware, while the pilots received training in the United States.
Attrition among the Hellcats was high and several F6Fs were soon lost in accidents. To fill these operational gaps, Uruguay closed a similar private deal, but this time for ten F8F Bearcat airframes, once more without armament and other military equipment. These arrived disassembled in crates in 1959 by ship. Upon re-assembly the former, all-blue USN aircraft were re-armed with 20 mm cannon instead of the original 0.5” (12.7 mm) machine guns, and they received new radio and navigational equipment. An additional oil cooler was mounted, too, visibly protruding from the cowling in front of the windscreen. When the Bearcats became operational in 1960, only six F6F had survived so far, and the Hellcats were soon withdrawn from service and fully replaced by the Bearcats.
During the mid-1960s, most of the ANU’s WWII-era planes reached the end of their operational lives and were written off. The Bearcats remained the only dedicated fighter aircraft of the Uruguayan Naval Aviation, and to expand the ANU’s ranks and build a stock of spare airframes to cannibalize, four more F8Us were ordered in late 1960. During this period, more aircraft from U.S. stock arrived and Beechcraft T-34 A, Beechcraft C-45, Grumman S-2A Tracker, Bell TH-13 and Sikorsky CH-34J were incorporated. Some more T-34A/B Mentors were exchanged from the Uruguayan Air Force for SNJ spare parts. During this phase, the Uruguayan Navy aircraft adopted a new high-visibility livery that had been introduced by the U.S. Navy in 1955, consisting of light gull grey over white. It replaced the former common overall dark sea blue paint scheme (sometimes with light grey undersides, as on the F6Fs).
The former tactical codes and large national insignia in four positions on the wings were initially retained, but this later changed into smaller wing roundels and “Armada” lettering replaced the large tactical codes on the fuselage – these were replaced with smaller markings on cowling and fin, now without the typical “A-“ (for Armada = Navy) prefix. The codes superficially resembled USN modex style codes now, but they were still just consecutive numbers as before. Another detail all ANU aircraft retained after their general livery update was the Uruguayan flag on the fin instead of a stylized banner version of the roundels, which were carried by the air force.
Towards the late Sixties, Uruguay was caught by political turmoil. In the late 1950s, partly because of a worldwide decrease in demand for Uruguayan agricultural products, Uruguayans suffered from a steep drop in their standard of living, which led to student militancy and labor unrest. An armed group, known as the Tupamaros, emerged in the 1960s, engaging in activities such as bank robbery, kidnapping and assassination, in addition to attempting an overthrow of the government.
President Jorge Pacheco declared a state of emergency in 1968, followed by a further suspension of civil liberties in 1972. In 1973, amid increasing economic and political turmoil, the armed forces, asked by the President Juan María Bordaberry, disbanded Parliament and established a civilian-military regime. The CIA-backed campaign of political repression and state terror involving intelligence operations and assassination of opponents was called Operation Condor. The Uruguayan Naval Aviation did not get directly involved in the inner tensions and the F8Fs saw only sporadic use during this phase, primarily in “show of force” appearances. They did not fire in anger, though, and served on well into the Seventies, even though maintenance became more and more complicated and expensive. In consequence, more and more machines had to be grounded or even fully retired and cannibalized to keep the small fleet flightworthy.
In 1979 nine North American T-28D Fennec and three C-45 were donated by the Argentinian Navy, and in 1980 the ANU’s F8Fs, which were now primarily used as attack aircraft, were retired, after only five of the original fourteen aircraft had been left operational. The Fennecs were used as a light attack platform until 2000.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 28 ft 3 in (8.61 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 10 in (10.92 m)
Height: 13 ft 10 in (4.22 m)
Wing area: 244 sq ft (22.7 m²)
Aspect ratio: 5.02
Airfoil: root: NACA 23018; tip: NACA 23009
Empty weight: 7,650 lb (3,470 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 13,460 lb (6,105 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-30W Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine,
with 2,250 hp (1,680 kW), driving an Aeroproducts 4-bladed constant-speed propeller
Performance:
Maximum speed: 455 mph (732 km/h, 395 kn)
Range: 1,105 mi (1,778 km, 960 nmi)
Service ceiling: 40,800 ft (12,400 m)
Rate of climb: 4,465 ft/min (22.68 m/s)
Wing loading: 42 lb/sq ft (210 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.22 hp/lb (0.36 kW/kg)
Armament:
4× 20 mm (.79 in) AN/M3 cannon with a total of 820 rounds
1× ventral (1.600 lb /725 kg) plus 2× underwing hardpoints (1.000 lb /454 kg each)
for a total ordnance of 3.600 lb (1.600 kg), including 150 and 200 gal. drop tanks,
4× 5” (127 mm) and/or bombs of up to 1,000 lb (454 kg) caliber
The kit and its assembly:
This rather simple what-if project is #2 in my current “Uruguayan What-if Series”. I had a surplus FROG 1:72 F8F in the Stash™ that I had bought in a cheap lot a while ago, but never had – beyond tentatively switching the engine to a Centaurus and painting it in Royal Navy colors – a good plan for it. This changed when I came across the Mistercraft F6F-5, a re-boxed Heller kit that comes with a vast decal set for no less than eight aircraft that also includes the exotic Uruguayan Navy markings from the Fifties. The idea: couldn’t the nimble F8F be a good complement or even a replacement for the ill-fated Uruguayan Hellcats?
Therefore, this became a simple “re-badging” of an unmodified Bearcat, just with some minor cosmetic twists. These included cockpit implants like a tub with side consoles (IIRC from a Heller Me 262) and a dashboard (of uncertain origin), some additional antennae (including a scratched IDF loop antenna fairing) on the back as well as a small pitot under the left wing. As a pure fighter I outfitted the Bearcat just with its OOB ventral drop tank (the bombs and HVARs that come with the kit look rather fishy). The propeller was replaced, too, with a (much) better alternative left over from an ArtModel F8F-2, the (by far) best kit of the Bearcat I have come across yet. It was mounted on a plastic rod which perfectly matched the opening/channel in the engine block, spinning free.
The FROG F8F is a simple, if not primitive and crude, affair, and fit is only mediocre – especially the wing/fuselage intersection did not fit at all. There are huge trenches around the flaps on the lower wing surfaces, and the landing gear is rather massive – just like anything else about the model. You get raised panel lines, but they are rather fine and there are not too many of them.
After having built the FROG kit I think it’s (even) weaker than the vintage Monogram kit, which is riddled with rivets and panel lines, but leaves overall a better impression. Gotta try the relatively new Hobby Boss 1:72 F8F someday, too – it looks like a compromise between all other kits.
Painting and markings:
A secondary factor behind this build was the plan to paint an F8F in the later USN grey-over-white high-viz livery, which some very late USMC AUs carried in real life. Since many aircraft of the Uruguayan Navy adopted this livery style in the late Sixties, too (e. g. the S-2 Trackers), it would look very natural on an ANU Bearcat.
The model was molded in dark-blue plastic and applying white was quite challenging. I relied upon a special, highly opaque white acrylic paint (rattle can) as a primer, Light Gull Grey (FS 36440, Humbrol 40) was added with a brush later. A dirty black (Revell 06) anti-glare panel was added in front of the windscreen. As an individual detail the propeller boss was painted red – inspired by a USN F8F I saw in literature with such a marking, and the real ANU Hellcats had their propeller bosses painted red, too.
The cockpit interior as well as the inside of the cowling were painted in chromate green (I used Humbrol 150), while the landing gear and its respective wells became, after long consideration, white. Being former USN aircraft, the F8Fs would certainly have had green bays with dark blue landing gear struts and wheel discs upon delivery – but I referred to pictures from the real ANU F6Fs as benchmark, and these had apparently all-white landing gear surfaces, matching their undersides, so I adopted this style for the Bearcat, too.
The kit received a light overall washing with black ink and some post-panel shading. As mentioned above, the decals came from a Mistercraft F6F (roundels and fin flash), while an Croco Models aftermarket sheet with decals for south American T-34s provided the basis for the tactical codes. The unit emblems on the cowling were taken from the same sheet, even though the actually belong to a Uruguayan Air Force T-34.
After some detail painting (exhaust stubs, oil cooler, position lights) and weathering (exhaust and gun soot with graphite) the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish. Because the Bearcat would have been rather freshly painted, I omitted oil stains around the engine and the oil cooler.
Not a complex project, and the FROG Bearcat was a bit of a disappointment – but what could I expect from a mold dating back to 1975? Well, it found a good use – and in the Sixties’ USN high-viz livery the compact F8F looks a bit like a juvenile Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider?
From a my flat photo taken in Chengyang, Guangxi, China
CROSSVIEW
To view 3D pics cross your eyes focusing between at the pictures until both images overlap one another in the middle.
Per vedere le foto in 3D incrociare (strabuzzare) gli occhi fino a che le due immagini si sovrappongono formandone una sola centrale.
RAW Conversion using Capture One. Photoshop has not been used in these images.
Copyright © 2009 Jacqueline Stewart Brown. All rights reserved. Photos may not be reproduced without the permission of Jacqueline Stewart Brown.
091018JSB1497
+++ 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 Helwan Aircraft HA-410 (Arabic: حلوان ٤٠٠) was an indigenous supersonic jet fighter aircraft developed in Egypt during the late 1960s. Its design took place in the wake of the less successful lightweight HA-300 interceptor, designed by famous German aircraft engineer Willy Messerschmitt. Like its smaller stable mate, the HA-410 was an ambitious project for Egypt, at the time seeking to expand both its aerial civilian and defence industry.
Compared to the HA-300, the HA-400, how the project was initially called, was a much bigger aircraft, comparable to the North American F-100 ‘Super Sabre’ and similar in operational and political respects to the Indian Hindustan Industries ‘Marut’ fighter. The aircraft was planned as a home-grown alternative to the Soviet Su-7 fighter bomber, which had been acquired by the Egyptian Air Force (EAF; Arabic: القوات الجوية المصرية, Al-Qūwāt al-Gawwīyä al-Miṣrīyä) and employed in the Six Day War in 1967. This event uncovered certain deficiencies of the type, like the Su-7’s relatively poor ordnance load and range, as well as its high landing speed.
Under the influence of the ensuing War of Attrition with Israel, the HA-400 prototype was designed around the same Lyulka AL-7 turbojet engine as the Su-7, inheriting its power but also the poor reliability – even though the engine’s high resilience against FOD, sand and dust was a vital aspect for the EAF.
The HA-400’s design was conventional, with a barrel-shaped (non-area-ruled) fuselage, reminiscent of the US-American North American F-100 Super Sabre or the French Dassault Super Mystère B2. But the HA-400 incorporated different features like a translating centerbody, a movable cone in the air intake for managing airflow to the engine at supersonic speeds. It also featured clipped delta mid-wings with a 60° sweep, not unlike those of the MiG-21 and a one-piece, all-moving tailplane.
The main landing gear retracted inwards, partly into the lower fuselage, the twin-wheeled front landing gear retracted forward. The landing gear was rigid and suitable for operations on semi-prepared airfields. The pilot sat in a pressurized cockpit, offering better for- and downward vision than the Su-7.
The Armament comprised two 30mm cannons in the lower forward fuselage, plus sevem ordnance hardpoints for a total external weapon load of about 3 tons.
The first prototype flew on August 6th 1968, two additional airframes followed. The EAF’s operational evaluation from November 1968 to December 1996 found the new fighter to have superior performance but declared it not ready for wide-scale deployment due to various deficiencies. These findings were subsequently confirmed during operational suitability tests. Particularly troubling was the poor directional instability in certain regimes of flight. The aircraft could develop a sudden yaw and roll which would happen too fast for the pilot to correct and would eventually overstress the aircraft structure to disintegration. As a remedy, the fin was enlarged and a ventral fin for better longitudinal stability added. Another critical point was field performance: the initially pure delta-winged HA-400 showed poor take-off and landing characteristics, offering almost no improvement in comparison with the Su-7.
Helwan Aircraft investigated a new wing design with extended wingtips for an increased wing area and boundary layer control. The result was a new "cranked" wing, with wingtips at a shallower sweep of only 45° just outboard of the wing fence. The new wing also featured a boundary-layer control (BLC, "blown flaps") system, with engine air bleed blown over the flaps to keep them effective at lower speeds. These improvements made takeoffs and landings less ‘hot’ and intimidating. Unfortunately, the Lyulka AL-7F-1 didn't provide enough bleed air to make the BLC system very effective, but the new wing alone improved slow speed flying characteristics enough to justify its use. An additional brake parachute, housed in a fairing at the fin’s base, reduced landing distance even further.
Under the lingering tense atmosphere with Israel, serial production of the modified aircraft, which had been re-designated HA-410 by November 1969, started in early 1970. Soon the new aircraft saw their baptism in fire in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War. Success was limited, though, due to teething troubles with the hydraulic and BLC system, general engine unreliability and the lack of a powerful radar which would allow true all-weather/night attack capability - the HA-410 only featured a RP-21 ‘Sapfir’ radar system, the same as used in export versions of the MiG-21. Consequently, the HA-410 was almost exclusively used in the daylight ground attack role, even though some machines were, equipped with up to four IR-guided K-13 AAMs, used for point defence around air bases. EAF HA-410 were later also actively deployed in the Egyptian-Libyan War, a border skirmish in July 1977.
A total of 75 aircraft were built, including 13 two-seated trainers, equipping three EAF squadrons, made exclusively up from this type. The EAF was the only user of the HA-410. Yugoslavia showed interest in the type in the late 70ies, as well as India, but no plane was ever exported. The HA-410, as an aircraft, proved to be tough and capable, despite its reliability shortcomings and stability problems which called for an alert pilot. No aircraft were ever lost in air-to-air combat. However, twelve were lost due to accidents and technical failures, six were lost to ground fire and three were lost due to friendly AA fire, since the HA-410’s silhouette was easily mistaken for an Israeli Super Mystère B2.
The last examples were withdrawn from service in 1988 and consequently scrapped, being replaced by Su-20/22 and F-16.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length (fuselage only): 50 ft. 8 in (15.48m),
Length incl. pitot: 57 ft 8½ in (17.57 m)
Wingspan: 28 ft 7¼ in (8.71 m)
Wing area: 394 ft² (36.6 m²)
Wing loading: 77.4 lb/ft² (379 kg/m²)
Height: 16 ft 9 in (5.11 m)
Empty weight: 21,000 lb (9,500 kg)
Loaded weight: 28,847 lb (13,085 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Lyulka AL-7F-1 turbojet with 66.6 kN (14,980 lbs) of dry thrust of and 94.1 kN (22,150 lbs) with afterburner
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1.025 mph (895 knots/1.650 km/h/Mach 1.52) at 36,000 ft (11,000 m)
Cruise speed: 570 mph (495 knots/915 km/h)
Service ceiling: 59.000 ft (18.000 m)
Range: 1.580 km (981 miles)
Ferry range: 3.200 km (2.000 mi) with drop tanks
Rate of climb: 31,950 ft/min (162.3 m/s)
Armament:
2× 30 mm Nudelmann-Richter NR-30 cannons (120 rounds per gun) in the lower front fuselage.
Seven hardpoints (3× under-fuselage, 4× under-wing, outer pair “wet” for drop tanks) for a total of 7,040 lbs (3,190 kg) of ordnance, including drop tanks, unguided missiles, iron bombs, napalm tanks and K-13 AAMs.
The kit and its assembly
If you recognize what’s behind the fictional HA-410, you are well-informed about aircraft history indeed! Believe it or not, this model was derived from a real-life, Cold War era cruise missile! Sick idea? Maybe, but a nice challenge!
The HA-410 is actually a Raduga/OKB MiG Kh-20M (AS-3 “Kangaroo”) nuclear warhead missile, which had been developed from the unsuccessful MiG I-7 jet fighter from the late 50ies. The mighty Kh-20 had exclusively been carried by Tu-95K (“Bear B”) bombers until the late 70ies. The basis for this model is A Model’s 1:72 scale Kh-20M kit, which includes the massive ground handling trolley for this huge weapon - the kit is about 21cm long!
I had hoped that just changing the vertical fin would be enough, but all wing areas are much too small for a plane that actually takes off of the ground by its own power. At first I considered wings from an A-7 and the tail fin of an F-16, but when I recently was given a Su-15 from PM Models from a friend – a rather crude and basic kit – I just found what I needed to create a complete aircraft.
Bashing both kits was an efficient solution, since the Su-15 not only provided wings and stabilizer parts, but also a complete landing gear with wells, as well as a clear canopy that would fit well onto the bare Kh-20M. As a side note, I decided to attribute this plane to Helwan Aircraft as a kind of tribute - calling it a MiG or Suchoj design would have been too obvious, and using Egypt as part of the whif game made the contsruction of the background easier.
But back to the subject: Biggest challenge was to outfit the bulgy missile with anything an operational, manned aircraft would need: a cockpit plus canopy, a complete landing gear including their respective wells, and accessories like weapon hardpoints.
Any such “extras” were collected from the scrap box:
● All tail areas come from the PM Model Su-15
● Wings and lower fuselage also come from the Su-15, but had to be modified (see below)
● Main landing gear struts and wheels were taken 100% from the PM Su-15, too
● The double front wheel was also taken from the Su-15, the well is from an Italeri IAI Kfir
● Cockpit canopy comes from the Su-15
● Cockpit tub is also a part of an Italeri Kfir, with some extensions
● The dashboard comes from a Heller Alpha Jet
● Not certain where the seat comes from, the pilot figure is from a vintage Matchbox kit
● All weapon hardpoints come from the scrap box
● Ordnance is a collection of spare parts:
- Drop tanks come from a KP Su-25 kit
- Bombs are modified Matchbox 1.000 lbs bombs, with clipped fins and an added balistic rings
Lots of work, despite the plane’s rather simple look. Especially the integration of the lower fuselage was a tough job, since it is one piece with the wings. Not only the part's width had to be trimmed, stability also had to be guaranteed, and fitting this part with a square diameter into the circular Kh-20M's body was not a simple task! had to fit a basically square part into the round Kh-20 fuselage… But the result looks IMHO good.
Many surface details like air scoops, antennae, the two guns and weapon stations were added, and the Su-15 canopy needed a matching fairing on the Kh-20's hull, which was built with polystyrene strips.
Painting
I settled for an indigenous Egyptian camouflage paint scheme for the HA-410, which is called "Nile" or “Nile Valley”. This scheme has been used by the EAF on various planes like MiG-17 and -21, as well as Su-7, -17/20 and even Tu-16 bombers. With its wavy lines and strong color contrast, "nile Valley" is very unique and attractive, IMHO, and even authentic for the model’s era. There seems to be no defined pattern or even color paradigm, just that sand is involved, a dark contrast color which ranges from dark brown to drak grey, and a demarkation line between these colors which ranges from light green through slate grey to blue-grey. AFAIK, any available paint was used in Egypt, even car paint, so choice of color is a true 'free for all'.
The basic colours I chose are Humbrol 74 (Linen), 78 (Cockpit Green) and 98 (Chocolate), but that was only the beginning. Some layers of dry painting with lighter shades like Humbrol 103 (Cream), 121 (Light Sand) and 71 (Beige), RLM 02 on the green areas and a mix of 98 and 64 as well as pure 168 (Hemp) on the brown areas, lightened everything up. Lower sides were painted in Humbrol 65, a light blue with a greenish hue, and treated with FS 36320. Overall, the kit received a light black ink wash and a weathering touch with dry-brushed light grey (Humbrol 64) and Hemp (Humbrol 168).
EAF markings come from a vintage Matchbox MiG-21MF (PK-41). The arabic number comes from a Su-24 aftermarket decal sheets. Stencils and warning signs come from the vast OOB decal sheet for the Kh-20M.
Overall, the fictious HA-410 looks either like a fat MiG-21 or a short Su-7, but features details uncommon to both! Very Soviet, but unlike anything that rolled off of Cold War fabrication lines. Really subtle... o.-
The ZIL-157 is a general purpose 2 1⁄2-ton 6x6 truck, produced in post-World War II Soviet Union ZiL. It was the standard Soviet truck.
Der ZIL-157 (russisch ЗИЛ-157), gelegentlich auch als SIL-157 transkribiert, ist ein dreiachsiger mittelschwerer Lastkraftwagen, der 1958 bis 1994 in der Sowjetunion beziehungsweise Russland zuerst vom Sawod imeni Lichatschowa gebaut wurde.
I spent a lot of time doing this conversion just because I didn't know quite what needed to go where. I'm in the middle of the first roll right now, and things are going smoothly so far.
The camera takes 6cm x 10.5cm negatives, so I get 6 per roll right now. I may make a mask later so I can get that to a more manageable 6x9 format if I don't like the results.
Notice all the felt. I removed quite a few components and I'm worried it's gonna leak light like crazy. hopefully I've sealed it up.
The Renault Master was a popular van used for minibus conversions with the front wheel drive giving a low floor and plenty of headroom for passengers.
One such vehicle was F751 EHE, a T35D model with 15-seat Coachcraft conversion to psv standards and operated in The Kings Ferry fleet of P.S. O'Neil, Gillingham as fleet no. 1.5.
It is seen at the British Coach Rally in Southampton 29.4.90.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
I.M.A.M. (Industrie Meccaniche e Aeronautiche Meridionali) was an Italian aircraft manufacturer based in Naples. Originally, the company was part of the Officine Ferroviarie Meridionali ("Southern Railway Works"), which began to manufacture aircraft in 1923. From 1925 Fokker aircraft were built under license and I.M.A.M. also manufactured aircraft for Fiat.
The aircrafts’ abbreviation “Ro” before the number means Romeo. This abbreviation had been used by all types since 1925 and was derived from the surname of the company’s owner, Nicola Romeo, who was also the owner of a Milanese automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer (effectively, the designation lived on in the car manufacturer Alfa Romeo).
In 1934, Società Anonima Industrie Aeronautiche Romeo, which was founded for this purpose, took over this part of the now insolvent railway supplier and it immediately started with the construction of own aircraft. In 1936, Breda took over the Romeo works and finally formed the Società Anonima Industry Meccaniche e Aeronautiche Meridionali.
I.M.A.M. aircraft were not particularly successful, though, the few notable constructions were the reconnaissance aircraft Ro.37, the Ro.43 seaplane and the Ro.70 fighter, which were all only produced in limited numbers, though. The Ro.70 was designed in response to a late 1939 tender for a fighter built around the Daimler-Benz DB 601, built in license as the Alfa Romeo RA.1000 R.C.41-I Monsone liquid-cooled V-12 engine, rated at 1,175 PS (864 kW). The all-metal, semi-monocoque fuselage was basically oval in cross-section, changing to a tapered, semi-triangular oval behind the cockpit canopy, with a maximum depth of 1.35 m (4 ft 5 in). Overall, the aircraft's outlines reminded a lot of the german Bf 109E, but the Ro.70 had overall bigger dimensions.
An unusual feature of the Ro.70 was that the engine bearers were constructed as an integral part of the forward fuselage, with the cowling side panels being fixed. For servicing or replacement, only the top and bottom cowling panels could be removed. A tapered, rectangular supercharger air intake was located on the port-side cowling. Behind the engine bulkhead were the ammunition boxes feeding a pair of synchronized 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns which were set in a "staggered" configuration (the port weapon slightly further forward than that to starboard) in a bay just above and behind the engine. The breeches partly projected into the cockpit, above the instrument panel. The ammunition capacity was limited, having only around 250 rounds for each weapon. A single 20mm MG 151/20 cannon of German production was mounted between the cylinder banks, firing though the propeller hub.
A self-sealing fuel tank with a capacity of 165 L (44 US gal) was located behind the pilot's seat. The windshield was armored and there was a 13 mm (.51 in) armor plate behind the pilot. The radiator and oil cooler for the liquid-cooled engine were in a ventral location below the fuselage and wing trailing edge, covered by a rectangular section fairing with a large, adjustable exit flap.
The evenly-tapered wings had an aspect ratio of 7.2 with a gross area of 20 m² (215.28 ft²) and featured three spars; a Warren truss main spar and two auxiliary spars. The rear spar carried the split flaps and long, narrow-chord ailerons, while the front spar incorporated the undercarriage pivot points. The undercarriage track, which retracted inwards, was relatively wide at 4 m (13 ft 1.5 in). Each wing had a partially self-sealing 190 L (50 US gal) fuel tank behind the main spar, just outboard of the fuselage. A single weapon (initially 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns with 500 RPG) was able to be carried in a weapons bay located behind the main spar.
The first prototype first flew in December 1941 at I.M.A.M. factory airfield near Naples. Although test pilots were enthusiastic about its self-sealing fuel tanks, upgraded armament, and good dive performance, the wing loading of 146.3 kg/m² (30 lb/ft²) at an all-up weight of 2,950 kg (6,500 lb) was viewed with skepticism by many of the senior officers and pilots of the Regia Aeronautica, who still believed in the light, highly maneuverable, lightly armed fighter.
Besides, by the time it first flew, one year after the Macchi C.202's first flight and three years after the first Bf 109E, the engine was already underpowered compared to the new 1,120 kW (1,500 hp) inline or 1,491 kW (2,000 hp) radial engines being developed (and already nearing the mass-production stage) to power the next generation of combat aircraft such as the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
But due to the waging war the Ro.70 was put into production using imported DB 601Aa engines, while Alfa Romeo set up license production of the respective powerplant. Due to initial delays in engine production and quality issues, production rates and numbers of effectively operational aircraft were low. Consequently, by late 1942, Macchi Folgores outnumbered the Ro.70 and all other fighter aircraft in the Regia Aeronautica and became the Italian standard fighter.
The Ro.70’s first deployment was during the Battle of Bir Hakeim (26 May 1942 – 11 June 1942), in which a dozen of the new fighters performed successfully against Desert Air Force fighters, using "dive and zoom" tactics, similar to those of the German Luftwaffe, scoring two air victories. At the end of the year, the growing strength of the Allied forces was overwhelming and after the defeat in the skies over Malta as well as El-Alamein the last operational Axis units lost their air superiority in the Mediterranean.
The Ro.70s continued fighting while retreating to Tunisia and then in the defense of Sicily, Sardinia and Italy against an increasingly stronger Allied opponent. Eventually, after roundabout 180 aircraft had been delivered to the Regia Aeronautica, the I.M.A.M. factory was captured by Allied troops in September 1943, with the facilities and many airframes intact. From this stock, a further 30 aircraft in various states of assembly were made airworthy and immediately allocated to the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force (Aeronautica Co-Belligerante, ACI), also known as Air Force of the South (Aeronautica del Sud). 15 more machines were built from spares and surplus parts until February 1944, two of these machines were sent to the United States for flight evaluation.
The ACI's Ro.70s never operated over Italian territory, its objectives being always in the Balkans (Yugoslavia or Albania). This was a general order to avoid any possible encounter between Italian-manned aircraft fighting on opposite sides, since the National Republican Air Force (Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, or ANR) was ostensibly part of the forces of the Benito Mussolini's Fascist state in northern Italy and fighting on the Axis’ side. During the entire history of ACI, though, no encounter, let alone combat, was ever reported between ACI and ANR aircraft.
Clashes with Italian aircraft still occurred, though, e. g. over Croatia in 1944, where about 20–22 C.202s were used by Croatia as interceptors of Allied bombers by the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia (Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske/ZNDH). Ro.70s of the 51° Stormo Caccia, based in Lecce, claimed a total of three victories against the Croatian forces over the Adriatic Sea and near Mostar.
General characteristics:
Crew: One
Length: 8.94 m (29 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 12.00 m (39 ft 4 in)
Height: 3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 20.00 m² (215.28 ft²)
Airfoil: NACA 2R 16 wing root, NACA 24009 tip
Internal fuel capacity: 550 l (121 Imp gal)
Empty weight: 2,630 kg (5,800 lb)
Loaded weight: 3,470 kg (7,650 lb)
Powerplant:
1× Alfa Romeo RA.1000 R.C.41-I Monsone liquid-cooled supercharged inverted V-12 engine,
rated at 1,175 PS (864 kW) at 2,500 rpm for takeoff
Performance:
Maximum speed: 580 km/h (360 mph) at 5,000 m (16,405 ft)
Range: 580 km (360 mi)
Service ceiling: 11,600 m (38,100 ft)
Rate of climb: 15.2 m/s (2,983 ft/min)
Wing loading: 173.5 kg/m² (35.5 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.25 kW/kg (0.15 hp/lb)
Time to altitude: 7.0 min to 5,000 m (16,405 ft)
Armament:
1× 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon, 200 rounds, firing though the propeller hub
2× 12.7 mm (0.50”) Breda-SAFAT machine guns with 250 RPG above the engine
2× 7.7 mm (0.303”) Breda-SAFAT machine guns with 500 RPG in the outer wings*;
*these were later often replaced by another pair of 12.7 mm (0.50”) Breda-SAFAT machine guns
with 300 RPG or two 20mm (0.787”) machine cannon with 150 RPG.
2× underwing hardpoints for 2x 200 l (44 Imp gal) drop tanks or bombs of up to 250 kg (550 lb) caliber
The kit and its assembly:
This Italian whif is both a simple and a complicated affair, because it is a travestied Kawasaki Ki-61 that fits into a small historic slot.
The Hasegawa kit was mostly built OOB, it is simple and easy to build - except for the sprue attachment points which extend on many parts onto the surfaces that are glued together. What did the Hasegawa engineers think, if they thought at all about it? O.K., it's just a matter of cleaning the parts, but that's an avoidable flaw!?
Only three small modifications were made:
- The wing tips were clipped into a square shape
- The stabilizers were replaced in order to match the wings' new outline
- I gave the kit a different spinner (from a Matchbox He 111, plus a central gun port)
The OOB drop tanks were left away, and I lowered the flaps since this was easy to realize. I also added short gun barrels to the wings, and the tail wheel became retractable through a pair of small covers.
Painting and markings:
This was supposed to become one of the machines that were found by Allied forces at the I.M.A.M. plant. Originally, it was built and painted according to German standards, but, as operational war bounty, its former markings were painted over, it received US markings and was quickly handed over to the co-belligerent air force. Hence, inspired by Allied aircraft like former USAAF P-39s that were operated by the ACI, the Italian roundels were simply and quickly painted over the US "Stars and Bars" markings.
Consequently, I gave the Ro.70 a conservative German splinter scheme in RLM 74/75/76 with some RLM 02 mottles added to the flanks and a black propeller spinner with a white spiral.
The cockpit interior was painted in "Verde anticorrosione", which is a unique Italian tone and a relatively bright and intense green, I used Modelmaster's RLM83, which comes IMHO close. The landing gear interior was painted in aluminium (Humbrol 56)
As Allied ID markings for the Mediterranean TO I added yellow bands on the wings and around the fuselage (created with yellow decal sheet, except for the nose ring, which was painted with Humbrol 69). Inspired by Allied aircraft like former USAAF P-39s that were operated by the ACI, the Italian roundels received additional bars. These had the star simple painted over by the Italian roundel, sometimes the bar was overpainted, too, and I adapted this weird detail. The place where a former Regia Aeronautica tactical code or national marking had been placed was overpainted with US olive drab (Neutral Grey under the wings), and the new code letter placed on top of that. Since the aircraft would have been pressed quickly into service, I did not give it any other extra markings beyond the code letter.
Finally, some soot stains around the gun nozzles and the exhausts were created with graphite and the wings' leading edges treated with dry-brushed light grey, before the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).
A relatively simple what-if model, but an exotic an effective one: a Japanese aircraft in a German livery, outfitted with US "Stars & Bars" eventually in Italian hands! The paint finish turned out nicely, as well as the mottled fuselage flanks (always a challenge, esp. w/o an airbrush).
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
Following good performance from the pioneering diesel-hydraulic locomotive the DB Class V 80, the Deutsche Bundesbahn planned in 1953 to build several types of new diesel locomotive, primarily to replace steam powered locomotives.These were: V 60, and V 65, both shunters, the V 65.2, also for shunting as well as light freight trains, the heavy DB Class V 200, for express passenger trains, and the universal V 160 for both freight and passenger work on the main network.
The new V 160 class was a central piece in this line-up, because it would replace important steam-powered engines such as the BR 03, BR 23, BR 38.10 (former Prussian P 8 class), BR 39 (ex P 10), BR 50, BR 57 (ex G 10) and BR 78 (ex T 18). Steam heating for passenger coaches was necessary, and a top speed of 120 km/h was specified. Initially, a 1,600 hp powerplant, consisting of two engines of the same type as in the light V 80 was planned, the first newly developed diesel locomotive built for main line service by the Deutsche Bundesbahn (but only built in 10 examples). This dual engine arrangement had already been successfully introduced in the heavy V 200, which was initially powered by two 1,000 hp diesel engines. However, it was soon realized, that, if a single, high-powered engine could be used, weight, complexity and therefore maintenance and other costs would be considerably reduced. The V 160’s design was modified accordingly and a single MTU V16 four-stroke diesel engine was chosen. Both two-axle bogies were powered via drive shafts from a two speed hydraulic drive from Voith, which offered a compromise between the requested high speed for light passenger trains and the alternative reduced second gear with lower top speed, but much higher torque, for freight train service. Gears could only be switched when the locomotive was standing still, though.
In the spring of 1956, V 160 development began at Krupp. Welded steel components along with other lightweight materials were used to keep the axle load well below 20t, so that the V 160 could be safely operated on secondary lines. However, in the main production series of locomotives, some of the lighter weight welded construction was abandoned in favor of less expensively produced components - leading to an increase in axle weight from ~18.5 to ~20t, which was still acceptable but lowered overall production costs. This was furthermore not regarded as a major problem since the DB perspectively started to abandon branch lines, switching to more economical diesel multiple units or giving them up altogether towards the Seventies.
The first V 160 unit was delivered on 6 August 1960, with eight more following by 1962 from both Krupp and Henschel. These prototype units, due to their rounded, “busty” front end, were later to become unusual amongst the entire V 160 family and earned them the nickname “Lollo” (in allusion to Gina Lollobrigida). A final prototype V 160 010, the tenth, was manufactured by Henschel in 1963 and the first to feature the serial locomotives’ angled front end, which was inspired by the design of the super-heavy V 320 Henschel prototype.
Despite the single main engine, the V 160 was still a complex locomotive. In addition to the main engine, the V 160 featured a small, independent auxiliary diesel engine, driving a generator providing the 110 V electrical supply for lighting as well as driving an electric air compressor for the brakes. The steam heating apparatus, sourced from Hagenuk and powered by fuel oil, took up one end of the locomotive, between the engine and drivers cabin. It had the capacity to satisfactorily heat 10 coaches when the outside temperature was -10°C. For passenger train service, most V 160 locomotives were also equipped for push-pull operation, as well as for multiple working, controlled via a 36 pin control cable and respective sockets on the locomotives front ends.
The prototypes performed well, and volume production began, numbers V 160 011 to V 160 224 being built between 1964 and 1968 by Krupp, Henschel, KHD, Krauss-Maffei and MaK. The first V 160/216 locomotives entered service on the Hamburg to Lübeck line, working push-pull double decked passenger trains, replacing the BR 38.10 and BR 78 steam engines. The engines were also used on freight workings as well. On push-pull passenger working, the locomotives were sometimes found in the middle of the train - which facilitated easier separation of carriages en route.
By the time the 156th example was under completion, the Deutsche Bundesbahn changed its numbering system. From then on, the V 160 class were re-designated as Class (Baureihe = BR) 216, with the individual unit numbering continuing as before. Over the next decade, because of changing requirements – mostly in terms of increased power, speed as well as the requirement for electrical passenger heating – a number of related classes sprang up, the BR 210, 215, 217, 218 and 219. Although some were a little longer and carried additional components (e.g. an auxiliary jet engine), all of them were essentially based on the original V 160 and more than 800 machines of all types were eventually built.
Since the 1990s, the Bundesbahn’s BR 216 locomotives scope of work started to shift more on freight than on passenger trains because of the lack of steam-heated passenger stock. From 2000 onwards, the Deutsche Bahn AG’s BR 216 fleet was phased out, with the last locomotive being decommissioned in 2004.
Several locomotives were sold to private operators like rail construction companies and remained in frequent use, and some retired BR 216s were re-built and offered for sale, too. The first in the series of rebuilt Class 216s was called type “DH 1504” and created in 1998 by the firm 'On Rail'. Despite only little external changes, the result was an almost completely new locomotive, only the transmission, bogies and frame were saved from the original locomotive. The original V16 diesel engine with 1,370 kW (1.900 hp), was replaced with a lighter but more powerful 1500 kW (2,085 hp) V12 four-stroke diesel engine, also from MTU. On customer demand, a new electric Webasto heating system could be installed instead of the original steam heating system, making the DH 1504 capable of operating modern passenger trains, and for this purpose the units were also fitted for multiple working as well as for remote control operation (e.g. for shunting). Another option was additional ballast, so that the axle load could be kept at 20 tons for better traction. Otherwise, 18 t axle load was standard for the revamped DH 1504.
Since 1998, 6 of these locomotives were re-built for private operators in Germany. By late 2019, three DH 1504 locomotives were in the use of the Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen (OHE), two work for the Niederrheinische Verkehrsbetriebe (NIAG) and one for the Mindener Kreisbahnen (MKB). However, the biggest sales success for OnRail’s modernized BR 216 was the export to Poland, where the PKP (Polskie Koleje Państwowe, Polish State Railways). After its privatization in 2001, the PKP was looking for a low-cost replacement for its last ST-43 Class diesel electric freight locomotives of Romanian origin, which dated back to the 1960ies. Twenty DH 1504 locomotives for mixed duties were built by OnRail between 2001 and 2005 and entered PKP service as Class SU-29 (spalinowa uniwersalna = mixed-traffic diesel locomotive with hydraulic transmission and multiple-unit control). Their initial primary field of duty was the cross-border freight traffic on the east-west relation on the PKP “Polskie line Kolejowe”, the so-called “Niederschlesische Gütermagistrale”. Since 2005, this route had been expanded, electrified and became double-railed, so that the SU-29s gradually took over more and more passenger train duties on non-electrified major lines. The SU-29 machines are expected to remain in PKP service beyond 2030.
General characteristics:
Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) standard gauge
UIC axle arrangement: B´B´
Overall length: 16,800 mm (52 ft 57⁄8 in)
Pivot distance: 8,600 mm
Bogie distance: 2,800 mm
Wheel diameter (when new): 1000 mm
Fuel supply: 3,800 l
Service weight: 80 t
Engine:
MTU 4000R20 V12diesel engine with 1500 kW (2,085 hp) at 1,800 RPM
Gearbox:
Voith L821rs 2-speed gearbox
Performance:
Maximum speed: 120 km/h (75 mph) or 80 km/h (50 mph)
Torque: 235,2 kN
The kit and its assembly:
Well, this is a rather unusual what-if “build”, since this not a model kit as such but rather the conversion of a readymade H0 gauge model railway locomotive for the “Back into service” group build at whatifmodelers.com in late 2019.
The inspiration was not original, though: some time ago I stumbled across a gift set from the former East-German manufacturer Piko, apparently for the Polish market. It contained a set of double deck passenger wagons, and a (highly simplified, toy-like) German BR 216 in PKP markings. It was called SU-29 and carried a very crude and garish green livery with yellow front ends – inspired by real world PKP diesel locomotives, but… wrong. I found this so bizarre that it stuck in my mind. When I dug a little further, my surprise even grew when I found out that there were other national adaptations of this simple Piko BR 216 (e .g. for Denmark) and that Piko’s competitor Roco offered a similar BR 215 in PKP colors, too! This time, the fictional locomotive was designated SU-47 (which cannot be since this would indicate a locomotive with electric power transmission – poor job!), and it also wore a bright green livery with yellow front markings. Bizarre… And the PKP does NOT operate any BR 216 at all?!
However, with the GB topic in mind, I decided to create my own interpretation of this interesting topic – apparently, there’s a market for whiffy model locomotives? The basis became a 2nd hand Märklin 3075 (a BR 216 in the original red DB livery), not a big investment since this is a very common item.
In order to easy painting, the locomotive was disassembled into its major sections and the body stripped of any paint in a one-week bath in oven cleaner foam, a very mild and effective method.
The heavy metal chassis was not modified, it just received a visual update (see below).
The upper body underwent some cosmetic surgery, though, but nothing dramatic or structural, since the DH 1504 described above only differs in minor external details from the original BR 216. I decided to modify the front ends, especially the lights: Locomotives in PKP service tend to have VERY large lamps, and I tried to incorporate this characteristic feature through masks that were added over the original light conductors, scratched from styrene tube material.
In the course of this facial surgery, the molded handles at the lower front corners were lost. They were later replaced with three-dimensional silver wire, mounted into small holes that were drilled into the hull at the appropriate positions. Fiddly stuff, but I think the effort was worth it.
The original vent grills between the lower lamps were sanded away and covers for the multiple working cable adapters on the front ends added – scratched with small styrene profile bits.
For a cleaner, modern look, I removed the original decorative aluminum profile frame around the upper row of cooling louvers. The roof was modified, too: beyond the bigger headlight fairing, the exhaust for the auxiliary diesel engine was removed, as well as the chimney for the old steam heating system. The diesel engine’s exhaust pipes were lengthened (inspired by similar devices carried by DB BR 218), so that the fumes would be deviated away from the locomotive’s hull and the following wagons. Horns and a blade antenna for each driver’s cabin were added, too.
Painting and markings:
Both Piko and Roco V 160s in PKP markings look garish – righteously, though, since PKP locomotives used to carry for many years very striking colors, primarily a dark green body with a light green/teal contrast area on the flanks and yellow quick recognition front markings. However, I did not find any of the two model designs convincing, since they rather looked like a simple toy (Piko) or just wrong (Roco, with a surreal grass green contrast tone instead of the pale teal).
I rather went for something inspired by real world locomotives, like the PKP’s SU- and SP-45s. The basic design is an upper body with a dark green base (Humbrol 76, Uniform Green) and a pale green-grey area around the upper row of louvres (an individual mix of Humbrol 96 and 78). The kink under the front windows was used for waterline reference, the front section under the windows (in the dark green base) was painted in bright yellow (Humbrol 69) as a high-viz contrast, a typical feature of PKP locomotives. The chassis received a grey-green frame (somewhat visually stretching the locomotive) with bright red (Humbrol 19) headstocks, a nice color contrast to the green body and the yellow bib.
Silver 1.5mm decal stripes (TL Modellbau) were used to create a thin cheatline along and around the whole lower section. At some time I considered another cheatline between the light and dark green, but eventually ignored this idea because it would have looked too retro. The locomotive’s roof became medium grey (Revell 47).
The running gear and the tanks between the bogies were painted in very dark grey (Humbrol 67, similar to the original DB livery in RAL 7021) and weathered with a light black ink wash, some thinned Burnt Umbra (simulating dust and rust) plus some light dry-brushing with dark grey that emphasized the surface details. This used look was also taken to the upper body of the locomotive with watercolours (Grey, Black and some Sienna and Burnt Umbra) for a more natural look of daily service – rather subtle, and I emphasized the louvres, esp. on the light background, where they tended to disappear.
Individual markings consist of single decal letters in silver and white in various sizes (also TL Modellbau) for the locomotive’s registration code as well as of H0 scale catenary warnings from Nothaft Hobbybedarf, plus some generic stencils from various model decal sheets (incl. Cyrillic stencils from an 1:72 MiG-21 decal sheet…).
For a uniform finish I gave the locomotive an overall coat of matt acrylic varnish from the rattle can – it still has a slightly sheen finish and matches well the look of Märklin’s standard rolling stock.
A different kind of what-if project, but this has not been my first H0 scale locomotive conversion. The fictional PKP SU-29 looks a bit weird, with the garish paint scheme and the oversized headlights, but this strangeness makes this model IMHO quite convincing. The model is fully functional, even the light works well in the enlarged headlight fairings. Maybe I’ll sell it, since I do not have the appropriate model railway set at hand to effectively use it (which is also the reason for the rather limited scope of pictures of the finished item). And I am curious what people might be willing to pay for such a unique, fictional item?
Behind the Peonies, the bright sunshine makes the petals and leaves glow. The last flowers of Autumn face the sun, engines of energy conversion and delights for the eye.
Found this photo on the web and converted it from 2D to 3D with StereoPhoto Maker. Red/Cyan glasses required for viewing.
Binoculars are taken from the tau hammerhead kit, the converted carbine is a pulse rifle with a shortened barrel (part of the cut out barrel forms the magazine) and an upside down pulse grenade launcher for a sight.
On popular demand... more pics of the conversion/doujinshi kit. ^^
This Rei Ayanami model was inspired by an illustration I found here on FlickR, posted by Awee_19 - for reference, check the posted picture below (since I cannot add it here).
I am not sure what this illustration actually is? Just a semi-official sketch or design version by Ikuto Yamashita, a cover of a fan magzine or a dojinshi? If anyone knows, please let me know!
Anyway, the illustration left a deep impression and I found this alternative Rei design very interesting: the deep blue, asymmetric plugsuit, the red contrasts (reminds me a bit of a Bubblegum Crisis' Priss in her Hardsuit?), the ice blue hair...
Very cool and different, but still "on character" and a unique contrast to the classic white TV series version. Right from the start I knew I would build this character.
First obstacle was to find and actually hunt down an approriate 1:6 scale resin kit for this project. Finally, I got my hands on a cheap recast kit. The kit itself is very good: it offers alternative arm and head pieces for different plugsuit versions, ranging from a "clean" look (which became the basis here) to a bandaged arm in various poses to an alternative, bandaged head. The kit is very nicely detailed, e. g. it features a seperate satchel piece for the back with openings, so that the spine protector (looks like a row of scales) on the figure's back can actually be seen.
So far, so good, but... using a recast kit means that you have to pay a different price than just raw money. The kit came complete, but its casting quality was rather so so. Fit of the bigger parts was good, but upon closer inspection I found a lot of casting flaws. Small, but they summed up, including bubbles at ridges, a hole/depression in one leg where resin was simply missing, poor surfaces with waves and ripples, and bent thin parts (e. g. the seperate rims under the figure's breasts). As a consequence: lots of putty work became necessary - in multiple stages! Ugh...
Building the kit:
For the kit's conversion according to the illustration, two major areas of work had to be dealt with:
First and most obvious detail was the left leg, which is - judging the illustration - a "boot", separated from the rest of the suit and only connected through a tube with somewhere on the back of the figure.
The tube adapter on the left upper leg was built from scratch and putty. Since it is a bulging part and the kit's "natural" left arm position would block sight onto the piece, I moved the left elbow into a different angle - easy task, since the kit's arm consists of two separate parts.
Since no back side view of the figure was available, I assumed that the tube from the hip ends at the satchel unit on the figure's back. Matching connectors and details were added there, too, from Plastruct and Vollmer profile material, putty and bits from the scrapbox.
The second big design challenge was to find good material for the characteristic tubes, which I wanted to include in the figure. I assume that these are pressure tubes which enhance the plug suit's vacuum function, for its tight fit? Not sure, but they look cool...
What made the task quite tricky was the fact that these tubes appear to be (at least in some parts) transparent on the illustration? Through sheer luck I found a neat solution among picture frame equipment: round 3mm diameter cables made from a transparent plastic material - probably polycarbonate. The material is stiff and strong, hard to cut, but can be formed and bent through heat (and patience). I used boiling water and a simple hair dryer for this task, and it turned out that this material was just excellent for shaping the various cables that run along the figure.
Plugs and other stuff along the clear tubes were again made from Plastruct profiles, thread, duct tape and more pieces from the junk box.
Painting and finishing the kit:
For painting, I completely went for the brush. The illustration looks simple, but upon closer inspection I found lots of different shades of blue and violet.
After fillering and priming (a tedious task - the recast surface was more uneven than expected, and with each primer turn more flaws became visible...), I laid out the red contrasts first with Humbrol 153 (Insignia Red; FS 31136) and 174 (Signal Red), and some detail areas like the soft knee guards in flat black (Humbrol 33) with dry brushing in Oxford Blue (Humbrol 104).
Next, the suit received a base color of RAL 5010 "Lufthansa Blue". I used 350 from Revell - I had preferred Humbrol's 198, since I hate Revell colors for their pasty consistency, but this tone is out of production... Finding a good, "pure" blue tone that would match the illustration was pretty tough, because many stock tones just are too grey or have a greenish hue.
Violet contrast areas, e.g. the "belt" under the breasts and the areas in the armpits and on the lower arms, received a basic coat of a mix of an obscure bluish purple from Humbrol's antique Authentic Color line (NO idea what name or number it is) and the basic RAL 5010. The result was a greyish purple/violet, that still matches up with the basic Lufthansa blue.
From there, the suit received a second coat of paint to simulate light effects - this time applied in a wet-in-wet technique, because dry brushing would make the surface look too "dirty". RAL 5010 was used again, but mixed with Revell 51 (RAL 5002, "Ultramarine Blue"). Up to 100% of the latter tone was finally used for highlighted areas like the shoe tips, breasts or folds. The effect is very subtle, but with kit's size and the later semi-matte varnish coat this was enough.
The violet contrast areas also received a treatment with lighter shades of the original color mix, plus some final dry brushing with Testors 2013 ("Napoleonic Violet" from the Figure Series).
Other areas of the suit like the knees or the shoulder protectors received a darker base color, a mix of RAL 5010 plus black (Humbrol 33) and some purple (Humbrol 68). This would not have been necessary, but it made the figure look more interesting and not just plain blue.
The tubes were to remain clear, the added sectors and rims were painted in light grey and purple. Some parts of the tubes (e. g. at the shoulder connectors) received a semi-translucent coat of a mix of matte varnish and Humbrol's 122 (IAF light blue).
After the basic works were done, a thin black ink wash was applied to the suit to enhance contrasts and make the blue highlights stand out a bit more (e. g. at the fingers and around details).
On the head, the almost white hair was also painted with mixed colors: the basic tone is a mix of flat white (Humbrol's 34) and Revell's 350, in order to keep the tone in line with the plugsuit. The pleasant result is a very cold and clean blue.
Dry painting with lighter shades of this mix, even with some pure flat white and a mix of white and purple as well as some darker streaks with Humbrol 128 (Compass Grey, FS 36320) completed the hairdo.
Skin is, as on almost any of my character figures, Testor's 2001 ("Skin Tone, Light"), even though some areas had to be lightened up with some added white to the basic tone because the hair is so light. The original, already pale tone, looked as if this Rei just had come right out of a solarium...!
For the eyes I tried to incorporate as much bright and clear red as possible, plus big reflex points (which almost cancel the red...). Through the light hair and the dark plugsuit this contrast looks very interesting and compelling.
Finally, a clear semi-matte coat on the suit for more light reflexes and matte varnish on the bare skin parts and the hair finished the kit.
The base is a standard design of mine - a 10x10cm piece of wood from the DIY market, with a laminated black wood structure urface. The sides of the base were covered with matching black cladding, and it finally received a coat of semi-matte varnish. A soft iron wire from below holds the figure in place.
Infrared Landscape shot with Canon EOS 7D using a 590 nm converted infrared lens with Conversion by LifePixel
"You have heart, Murray."
"Hey, Loki? Why are you talking to my shoes when I'm behind you, and why are you hanging outside the bath while I was having a shower?"
2D-3D conversion to Anaglyph. Red/Cyan filtered 3D glasses required to view. Image from a wallpaper site on the web. The artist name is Ciruelo Cabral. Signed as "Ciruelo".
+++ 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 Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet is a light attack jet and advanced trainer aircraft co-manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France and Dornier Flugzeugwerke of Germany. It was developed specifically to perform the trainer and light attack missions, as well as to perform these duties more ideally than the first generation of jet trainers that preceded it.
Following a competition, a design submitted by a team comprising Breguet Aviation, Dassault Aviation, and Dornier Flugzeugwerke, initially designated as the TA501, was selected and subsequently produced as the Alpha Jet.
Both the French Air Force and German Air Force procured the Alpha Jet in large numbers, the former principally as a trainer aircraft and the latter choosing to use it as a light attack platform. In July 1978, Dassault signed an agreement with American aircraft manufacture Lockheed to market the Alpha Jet in the US market, the arrangement included provisions for Lockheed to manufacture the Alpha Jet under license. The Alpha Jet was considered as a candidate for the US Navy's VTXTS advanced trainer program, which was eventually won by the McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk, a modified version of the Hawker Siddeley Hawk. Proposed modifications included undercarriage changes for nose-tow catapults and a stronger arrestor hook, as well as various US-sourced avionics and other equipment.
The Alpha Jet program remained prolific, though. During the early 1990s, the French Air Force investigated the “Alpha Jet 3” program, which involved installing a fully digital cockpit, a modernized communications suite, and a full navigation/attack and sensor training system.
Another development line was the Alpha Jet Lancier (Lancer), which would enable the trainer to act as a light, all-weather multi-purpose attack aircraft. The most obvious modification was the addition of an Anemone radar in an extended nose section with a radome, similar and shape and size of the Super Étendard’s nose section. The Anemone radar was an improved and very compact derivative of the Super Étendard’s Agave radar, weighing only a mere 60kg.
The Anemone would provide the weapon system (based on the developments for the Alpha Jet 3) with all the data required for firing air-to-sea AM39 missiles, and the data needed for air-to-ground fire control. It could also be used for aircraft self-protection, as it could also handle the fire control of air-to-air weapons.
Dassault had high hopes in export sales for the Alpha Jet Lancier (e. g. to Egypt, Qatar and Nigeria), but interest was lukewarm since the Alpha Jet was a design that had been superseded by more modern constructions, and its operation costs were relatively high.
However, in 1991, when the Alpha Jet Lancier was still on the drawing board, the French Aéronavale was looking for an advanced trainer that could also be used for carrier start and landing training – basically as a replacement for the outdated Fouga CM.175 Zéphyr. The Alpha Jet offered several benefits, including its two engines for improved operational security and the fact that the type had already been in use with the French Air Force, so that the maintenance infrastructure and experienced mechanics were readily available. Even the demand for a maritime variant could be quickly realized – thanks to the VTXTS engagement in the late Seventies.
The result was the so-called “Alpha Jet Lancier M”, which incorporated all the aforementioned elements. An order for 31 aircraft (one prototype plus 30 serial aircraft) was placed in early 1992. The prototype was ready in May 1993 and incorporated further changes like uprated engines (delivering 10% more thrust than the former Larzac turbofans used on the land-based variants) or foldable outer wing sections, a reinforced arrester hook and a fixed (but detachable refueling probe).
The landing gear was also modified for carrier operations, with a bigger spring deflection and a more rigid, twin-front wheel that also featured a launch hook.
The Anemone multi-mode radar was augmented by a lightweight Ferranti Type 105 laser rangefinder, mounted in a fairing under the port side cockpit flank, leaving space for an optional gun pod that could be carried under the fuselage. A Doppler radar for navigation purposes was added in a shallow fairing under the cockpit, too. Mission avionics were further enhanced by a helmet-mounted sight, improved cockpit displays, a datalink, and improved night vision goggles compatibility.
The Alpha Jet Lancier M’s most powerful weapon was the AS.39 Exocet missile. Two of these weapons (weighing 670 kg each) could be carried on the inner pylons, even typically only a single one was carried with a drop tank as counterbalance and range compensation on the opposite pylon.
The relatively compact missile is designed for attacking small- to medium-size warships (e. g. frigates, corvettes and destroyers), although multiple hits are effective against larger vessels, such as aircraft carriers. Its rocket motor, which is fueled by solid propellant, gives the Exocet a maximum range of 70 km (43 mi; 38 nmi). It is guided inertially in mid-flight and turns on active radar late in its flight to find and hit its target. As a countermeasure against air defense around the target, it maintains a very low altitude during ingress, staying one–two m above the sea surface. Due to the effect of the radar horizon, this means that the target may not detect an incoming attack until the missile is only 6,000 m from impact. This leaves little time for reaction and stimulated the design of close-in weapon systems (CIWS).
Trials of the Alpha Jet Lancier M prototype lasted until 1994, when serial production eventually started – just in time for the Zéphyr replacement, the trainer had been in service since 1960. The first machines arrived at the operational units in early 1995, though. Dassault still had high export hopes, but despite having an official operator now no further orders were coming forth – the Alpha Jet Lancier was simply too expensive. Plans for upgrading the land-based Alpha Jet fleet were also ultimately abandoned as being too expensive. In 1998, France's defense ministry examined prospective upgrades focused on the Alpha Jet's cockpit, such as the installation of a new Head-Up Display (HUD) and multifunction displays, though.
In June 2003, Dassault revealed its plans for an Alpha Jet upgrade to potentially meet the French Air Force's long term training requirements. This upgrade was similar to that which was performed for the Belgian Air Force's Alpha Jet fleet, involving the installation of a glass cockpit, increasing cockpit compatibility with frontline aircraft such as the Dassault Rafale and Dassault Mirage 2000, as well as a structural overhaul.
As a result of post-Cold War military cutbacks, Germany already elected to retire its own fleet of Alpha Jets in the 1990s and has re-sold many of these aircraft to both military and civilian operators. The Alpha Jet has been adopted by a number of air forces across the world and has also seen active combat use by some of these operators.
General characteristics:
Crew: two
Length: 13.23 m (43 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 9.11 m (29 ft 10¾ in), folded:
Height: 4.19 m (13 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 17.50 m² (188.4 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,515 kg (7,750 lb)
Loaded weight: 5,000 kg (11,000 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 7,500 kg (16,535 lb)
Powerplant:
2× SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac 04-H-20 non-afterburning turbofans,
delivering 4.12 kN of thrust (3,173 lbf) each
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1,000 km/h (540 kn, 621 mph) at sea level
Stall speed: 167 km/h (90 knots, 104 mph) (flaps and undercarriage down)
Combat radius: 610 km (329 nmi, 379 mi) lo-lo-lo profile with full ordnance
Ferry range: 2,940 km (1,586 nmi, 1,827 mi)
Service ceiling: 14,630 m (48,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 57 m/s (11,220 ft/min)
Armament:
1× optional 30 mm (1.18 in) GIAT 30/M791 autocannon with 125 rounds in a centerline pod
Four underwing hardpoints for a total load of 2,500 kg (5,506 lb), including up to six Matra rocket pods
with eighteen SNEB 68 mm rockets each or six CRV7 rocket pods with nineteen 70 mm rockets each;
Two AIM-9 Sidewinders or two Matra Magic IIs air-to-air missiles
Up to two AM.39 Exocet anti-ship missiles, or four AGM-65 Mavericks
or other TV-, laser or IR-guided Smart Weapons
The kit and its assembly:.
Another entry for the “Old Kit Group Build” at whatifmodelers.com, #4 to be precise. The basis for this conversion is the venerable Heller Alpha Jet in 1:72 scale from 1979, even though in a much more recent Revell re-boxing as a Belgian aircraft with a black/yellow/silver anniversary paint scheme.
Anyway, the moulds must have suffered a lot in the meantime, because the Revell offering comes with lots of flash, ugly ejector pin markings and even some sinkholes. I have built an old, original Heller kit a while ago, and this was much more crisp and defined!
However, the conversion of the kit was only cosmetic, including:
• A new, longer and more massive nose– actually the front end of a Tornado drop tank
• A completely new twin front wheel, including the well in the nose section
• Modified main landing gear with new wheels and a higher stance
• Engraved seams for the wings’ folding mechanism
• Appropriate ordnance, including…
- an Exocet missile (Academy Super Étendard)
- a drop tank (Academy OV-10 Bronco)
- a Barracuda 2 ECM pod and a Matra Phimat flare dispenser (Heller SEPECAT Jaguar)
• Some new antennae and pitots, and a more massive arrestor hook
• The laser rangefinder in its unusual (but correct!) fairing
• Some chaff/flare dispensers at the tail
Building the fuselage was no fun – nothing would fit, and the kit’s construction is really complicated. O.K., the Alpha Jet’s shape with its engine nacelles and the curved belly is complex, but the kit’s solution is far from perfect.
Another true weak point are the air intakes: they end after 3-4mm in a staggered, vertical wall. Really ugly, so I drilled the intakes open and moved the still necessary view blocker (black foamed styrene) a bit further back.
Painting and markings:
IMHO, the only potential operator for this fictional yet rather complex and expensive Alpha Jet variant would be France, and so the Lancier M ended up in the hands of the Aéronavale.
Consequently, I gave the aircraft a Nineties paint scheme inspired by the two-tone grey livery of the late Super Ètendard – also a bit of an unusual, yet familiar, touch. The basic colors I used are Humbrol 164 (Dark Sea Grey) and 165 (Medium Sea Grey), because I wanted to prevent a US look – and the frequently recommended tones of FS36118 and FS35237 are IMHO just wrong, Gunship Grey being too dark, and the grey blue being …simply much too bluish. The British tones work quite well, though, even though I still wonder about the “true” colors of this paint scheme?
The cockpit interior was painted in very dark grey (Humbrol 67) for some contrast to the outside, the landing gear wells and the struts became Aluminum (Humbrol 56), as well as the air intakes. The interior of the landing gear covers was painted in chrome yellow primer (Humbrol 81), for some more color contrast.
The Barracuda 2 pod was painted in dark green, while the chaff dispenser became dark grey – as a small color contrast to the grey aircraft. The Exocet missile became white with a light grey radome, according to the real thing, but as another disruption the single drop tank received the old Aéronavale scheme in dark bluish grey and white, together with a red tip (marking the flight the aircraft belongs to).
The decals come mostly from a Berna Decals aftermarket sheet for French Bréguet Alizés. The sheet features, among others, a late, dark grey aircraft, and this option provided the small roundels and the grey codes. Escadrille 59S was chosen, since it was available in the sheet (with the squadron’s emblem) and originally a unit for night/all-weather training, disbanded in early 1997.
A simple conversion, yet very thorough and surprisingly convincing. The Lancier’s longer and more massive nose changes the character of the sleek Alpha Jet a lot, and the grey-on-grey paint scheme with the toned-down markings adds a unusual touch to the normally much more colorful aircraft. The scheme looks very natural on the Alpha Jet, too.
1955–1957 Chevrolet 3100 / Task Force series pickup (likely a mid‑1950s Chevy 3100 tow truck conversion). Key IDs: the 1955–1959 “Task Force” front end—wraparound windshield, hood emblem, and the distinctive grille/bumper shape—matches Chevrolet pickups from that period; the rounded fenders and badging indicate the earlier Task Force years (mid‑1950s).
Again this squad member is differently posed, advancing rather than firing and further decoration to the base. I think you can see the right shoulder armour on this one that helps to merge the cadian and catachan parts
Polarizing Filter + ND 0.6.
Conversion done with DXO optics pro: Kodak Tmax 100 + Redfilter.
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Copyright © 2012 All rights reserved
This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer: J. Schlenker
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Supermarine Jetfire was a stopgap solution in order to introduce a jet-powered interceptor agains German V-1 missiles that threatened the London region from June 1944 on. At that time, the only aircraft with the low-altitude speed to be effective against it was the Hawker Tempest, but fewer than 30 Tempests were available. They were assigned to No. 150 Wing RAF, and early attempts to intercept and destroy V-1s often failed.
One alternative was the jet-powered Gloster Meteor, which still was development - and in order to get the new engine into service (also as a response to Gloster's engagement for E.1/44 with the single-engine "Ace" fighter) Supermarine responded with the idea to replace the nose-mounted piston engine with a single Whittle W.2 engine: The "Jetfire" was born.
The conversion was rather simple: the Jetfire was actually a Griffon-powered Spitfire XIV with as few changes to the original airframe in order to accept the W.2. The aircraft's forward fuselage was widened to accommodate the bulbous engine with a simple nose intake. The deeper forward part of the fuselage with its round diameter gave the aircraft a pronounced "pod-and-boom" configuration.
Internally, the front wing spar had to be bent into an inverted U-shape to clear the engine and its jet pipe.
The W.2 was mounted slightly angled downwards, and the jet pipe was bifurcated so that it ran along the fuselage flanks above the wings, with an exhaust just behind the wings’ trailing edges. To protect the fuselage, steel heatshield were added to the flanks. Furthermore, the former radiator fairings for the Griffon and the respective plumbing were removed and faired over, saving weight and internal space – and weight was reduced as much as possible to achieve a decent performance with the rather experimental centrifugal jet engine. The conventional Spitfire tailsitter landing gear remained unmodified, just additional covers for the main wheels were added for improved aerodynamics at high speed.
The first prototype was already finished in October 1944, and taxiing trials started immediately. The heatshields proved to be too short and the heat from the engine exhaust melted the duralumin skin of the rear fuselage. Additionally, the tailwheel received a longer strut for a cleaner airflow under the stabilizer on the ground – the original, shorter strut created an air cushion under the stabilizer that lifted the whole tail upwards when the throttle was opened, resulting in poor handling at low taxiing speeds.
Modifications to rectify the problems took until late December, and by this time a second prototype had been completed. After a few taxiing tests, it was transferred to the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) for full-scale wind tunnel testing that lasted until February 1945.
On the 26th of that month, the RAF issued requirements that the aircraft should have a maximum speed of 770 km/h (480 mph) at sea level and a speed of 850 km/h (530 mph) at an altitude of 5,000 meters (16,400 ft). It should be able to climb to that altitude in 4 1/2 minutes or less and it should have a range of 500 kilometers (310 mi) at 90% of maximum speed.
The Jetfire failed to meet these targets, but it was still fast enough to intercept the V-1 and was quickly available. The average speed of V-1s was 550 km/h (340 mph) and their average altitude was 1,000 m (3,300 ft) to 1,200 m (3,900 ft). Fighter aircraft required excellent low altitude performance to intercept them and enough firepower to ensure that they were destroyed in the air rather than crashing to earth and detonating. Most aircraft were too slow to catch a V-1 unless they had a height advantage, allowing them to gain speed by diving on their target.
Originally a total of 200 Jetfire Mk.Is were ordered, and on the drawing board an improved variant with a bubble canopy, a slightly larger tail fin, stabilizers with a 10° dihedral in order to get them better out of the jet efflux’s path and an armament of four 20 mm cannon (the Mk.II) was already taking shape. But this initial and any follow-on orders were quickly cancelled or changed to the more advanced and promising twin-engined Gloster Meteor that finally became operational.
Consequently, the total production run of the Jetfire Mk.I just reached 26 aircraft: 18 were delivered to RAF 616 Squadron, the rest were used by the Tactical Flight at Farnborough that had been established in 1944 in order to prepare active squadrons for the radically new jet fighters. In late March 1945, the Jetfires became operational, upon which both tactical applications and limitations were extensively explored.
Despite many shortcomings (sluggish acceleration, poor climb and agility except for a very good roll rate), the still rather experimental and primitive Jetfire was able to fulfill its intended V-1 interception role, and two V-1 interceptions were achieved during the following weeks. In the front line units they were quickly replaced by more effective types like the Gloster Meteor, the Hawker Tempest or the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Anyway, the Jetfire was still helpful to path the RAF’s way for operational jet fighters and helped discover new high speed problems, including compressibility buffeting at higher speeds, causing increased drag, and it showed clearly the limits of traditional fighter aircraft designs.
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 31 ft 8 in (9.66 m)
Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
Height: 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
Wing area: 242.1 sq ft (22.49 m2)
Airfoil: NACA 2213 (root), NACA 2209.4 (tip)
Empty weight: 8,434 lb (3,826 kg)
Gross weight: 12,211 lb (5,539 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Rolls-Royce B.37 Derwent turbojet, 2,000 lbf (8.9 kN) static thrust
Performance:
Maximum speed: 748 km/h (468 mph)
Range: 395 km (247 miles) with internal fuel only
Service ceiling: 12,750 m (41,820 ft)
Rate of climb: 12 m/s (2362 ft/min)
Thrust/weight: 0.45
Time to altitude: 5.0 min to 30,000 ft (9,145 m)
Armament:
2× 20 mm British Hispano MkV cannons (120 RPG) and
2× 12,7 mm (0.5") machine guns (250 RPG) in the outer wings
Provision for up to six "60lb" 3" rockets under the outer wings,
or two 500 lb (227 kg) bombs, or a pair of drop tanks
The kit and its assembly:
The first entry for the "Old Kit" group build at whatifmodelers.com in late 2016 - anything goes, the kit's mould just has to date back to 1985 and further. For this one I settled on the FROG Spitfire Mk. XIV, which, AFAIK, dates back to 1969, and an engine donor from a KP Yak-23, which is supposed to have hit the markets behind the Iron Curtain in 1981.
Originally, the background story pretty much sums up the idea behind this kitbash: How could the - already fast - Spitfire be further augmented with one of the new jet engines around 1944, when V1 attacks started against the British main land and the Meteor was still in development? A simple engine swap with as much airframe of the piston-engine ancestor would be the answer. Similar ideas had been undertaken in Germany, with re-engined versions of the Bf 109 and the Fw 190, and after WWII, when German jet technology had become available to the Soviet Union, the Yak-15/17/23 family followed a similar pattern.
The Yak-23 came as a natural donation aircraft for the Derwent nose. After careful measures and strategic cuts the Spitfire lost its Griffon engine (already earmarked for another kitbash...) and the Yak-23 its nose and exhaust pipe: the original plan had been to use a central, ventral exhaust pipe under the cockpit, even though this would create issues with the tail wheel (just as on the Yak-15 - it received in service an all-metal tail wheel! Imagine the sparks on the runway...).
Anyway, while dry-fitting the parts it turned out that pretty little of the Yak-23 exhaust section could be mounted with clean lines: I'd either have had to create a semi-recessed exhaust with lots of body work (and pretty implausible), or switch to a totally different solution.
That came with a bifurcated exhaust pipe, running along the wing roots and ending at the wings' trailing edge. While this sounds weird, too, the Hawker SeaHawk actually had such an arrangement - on a service aircraft!
As a side effect, the fairings for the jet pipes now offered a good basis for the necessary intersection between the round and bulky Derwent nose fairing and the narrow, oval Spitfire fuselage.
The new jet pipes were created with styrene tubes and lots of putty, and the result does not look bad at all. Actually, with the deleted radiators and the Griffon carburetor intake gone, the aircraft has a very sleek profile, even though the top view reveals the innate "pod and boom" layout of the nose-mounted centrifugal jet engine.
The latter received a new intake interior with some fine mesh and a central bullet fairing (the Yak-23's vertical splitter would not make any sense, since there'd be no nose wheel anymore). The landing gear was taken more or less OOB, I just added some struts and extra wheel covers. The tail wheel comes from an Airfix Hawker Hurricane and changed into a fully retractable arrangement. The cockpit was taken OOB, too, just a tank dummy was added behind the pilot's seat and the canopy sliced into three pieces for an optional open display.
The "E wing" armament was taken over from the Spitfire Mk. XIV, I just added the elegant drop/slipper tanks from the Yak-23 kit. This breaks up the clean lines of the "Jetfire", but I think that the thirsty Derwent might have needed some extra fuel for a decent approach range and some loiter time while intercepting incoming V-1s?
The V-1 from the FROG kit was built for the flight scenes, too. It’s a very simple model consisting only of four parts with rather mediocre fir, esp. the pulse engine halves, but a fairly good representation. Maybe the propeller for the fuse timer is missing, but that can be scratched easily.
Only personal additions are a grate in the air intake, and a hidden adapter for a display, for the pics. Maybe this flying bomb ends up later as ordnance under a German bomber build?
Painting and markings:
Very conservative, late war RAF Dark Green/Ocean Grey/Medium Sea Grey with typical ID markings and codes. 616 Squadron was chosen because it was one of the units that introduced the Meteor for V-1 interception.
Paints are basically enamels from the ModelMaster Authentic range. The Sky fuselage band was improvised with a decal from a vintage Matchbox Brewster Buffalo (matching the the Sky code letters from Xtradecal pretty well), while the codes and serial numbers themselves were created from single letter digits (the "/G" addition to the serial number signaled that the aircraft was to be guarded at any time while on the ground).
The cockpit interior was painted in very dark grey while the landing gear became aluminum. As a highlight, the air intake edge was painted with silver, more for a dramatic effect than for realism.
The yellow wing leading edge markings were created with generic decal sheet material. The only special markings on the aircraft are the white stripes on tail and wings, which I also used to underlay the serial code.
Only little panel-shading and weathering was done, some panel lines were manually created with a fine pencil since a lot of surface details on the fuselage were lost during the extensive PSR process around the wing/jet pipes area.
Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.
The V-1 has painted with no special paradigm in mind, with RLM81 upper surfaces and RLM 76 undersides, with a very wavy waterline and some grey patches on the wings. The engine was painted with aluminum first and then a thin coat of red primer added.
The resulting aircraft of this kitbash looks better than expected, even though the change of the exhaust arrangement came unexpected – even though I think the Jetfire became more appealing through the side pipes, despite the overall tadpole proportions.
As a side note, the story is not over yet, because there’s an engine-less Yak-23 left over, and I wonder what it might look like with a piston engine grafted to the empty nose?