Semana Santa Zaragoza 2014

Real, Muy Ilustre y Antiquísima Cofradía de la Esclavitud de Jesús Nazareno y Conversión de Santa María Magdalena

La R. M. I. y A. Cofradía de Jesús Nazareno y Conversión de Santa María Magdalena es una de las cofradías penitenciales más antiguas de Zaragoza, se fundó el 25 de Marzo de 1759 después de una Junta celebrada en el convento que los PP. Trinitarios Descalzos tenían en el actual Paseo de María Agustín. Se profesa la fe cristiana y se rinde culto a Jesús Nazareno y Santa María Magdalena en diferentes actos y ámbitos

Paso de la Conversión

Se compone de dos imágenes que fueron encargadas en 1989 y realizaron su primera salida en 1991. Fueron obra del escultor murciano Francisco Liza Alarcon, que siguió los modelos del genial Salzillo y llevo a cabo una gran labor de dorado y policromado en las vestiduras.

El paso representa el dialogo entre Jesús y María Magdalena en Betania, cuanto es unge los pies del Señor con perfume puro (Mt 26, 6-13; Mc 14,3-9; Jn 12, 1-8). Es una prefiguración de la muerte de Cristo y del posterior embalsamiento de su cuerpo con perfume. También muestra el momento en que María Magdalena se convierte y se arrepiente de su vida anterior.

Al igual que al paso de Jesús Nazareno, lleva unos faldones en la parte inferior de la carroza y cuatro faroles en los extremo que iluminan a las imagines.

Las carrozas fueron talladas por el artesano alcorisano José Felez Bernad en 1991. Posteriormente fue restaurada la imagen del Nazareno a manos de María Galan Marín en el año 2003.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The North American FJ-4 Fury was a swept-wing carrier-capable fighter-bomber, originally developed for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. It was the final development in a lineage that included the Air Force's F-86 Sabre. The FJ-4 shared its general layout and engine with the earlier FJ-3, but featured an entirely new wing design. And it was, as a kind of final embodiment with the FJ-4B, a very different aircraft from the F-86 .

The first FJ-4 flew on 28 October 1954 and delivery began in February 1955. Of the original order for 221 FJ-4 fighters, the last 71 were modified into the FJ-4B fighter-bomber version, of which the Netherlands received 16 aircraft under the designation FJ-4B from the USA in the course of NATO support. Even though the main roles of the MLD were maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue, the FJ-4B was a dedicated fighter-bomber, and these aircraft were to be used with the Dutch Navy’s Colossus-Class carrier HNLMS Karel Doorman (R81).

Compared to the lighter FJ-4 interceptor, the FJ-4B had a stronger wing with six instead of four underwing stations, a stronger landing gear and additional aerodynamic brakes under the aft fuselage. The latter made landing safer by allowing pilots to use higher thrust settings, and were also useful for dive attacks. Compared to the FJ-4, external load was doubled, and the US FJ-4Bs were capable of carrying a nuclear weapon on the inboard port station, a feature the MLD Furies lacked. The MLD aircraft were still equipped with the corresponding LABS or Low-Altitude Bombing System for accurate delivery of ordnance.

The Dutch Furies were primarily intended for anti-ship missions (toting up to five of the newly developed ASM-N-7 missiles - renamed in AGM-12B Bullpup after 1962 - plus a guidance pod) and CAS duties against coastal targets, as well as for precision strikes. In a secondary role, the FJ-4B could carry Sidewinder AAMs for interception purposes.

The MLD's FJ-4B became operational in 1956, just in time to enhance the firepower of the Karel Doorman, which just had its 24 WW-II era propeller driven Fairey Firefly strike fighters and Hawker Sea Fury fighter/anti-ship aircraft backed up with 14 TBF Avenger ASW/torpedo bombers and 10 Hawker Sea Hawk fighters (the MLD owned 22 of these) for an ASW/Strike profile. The Furies joined the carrier in late 1957 and replaced the piston-engined attack aircraft.

In 1960, during the Dutch decolonization and planned independence of Western New Guinea, a territory which was also claimed by Indonesia, the Karel Doorman set sail along with two destroyers and a modified oil tanker to 'show the flag'. In order to avoid possible problems with Indonesia's ally Egypt at the Suez Canal, the carrier instead sailed around the horn of Africa. She arrived in Fremantle, Australia, where the local seamen's union struck in sympathy with Indonesia; the crew used the propeller thrust of aircraft chained down on deck to nudge the carrier into dock without tugs! In addition to her air wing, she was ferrying twelve Hawker Hunter fighters to bolster the local Dutch defense forces, which the Karel Doorman delivered when she arrived at Hollandia, New Guinea.

During the 1960 crisis, Indonesia prepared for a military action named Operation Trikora (in the Indonesian language, "Tri Komando Rakyat" means "The Three Commands of the People"). In addition to planning for an invasion, the TNI-AU (Indonesian Air Forces) hoped to sink the Karel Doorman with Soviet-supplied Tupolev Tu-16KS-1 Badger naval bombers using AS-1 Kennel/KS-1 Kometa anti-ship missiles. This bomber-launched missile strike mission was cancelled on short notice, though, because of the implementation of the cease-fire between Indonesia and the Netherlands. This led to a Dutch withdrawal and temporary UN peacekeeping administration, followed by occupation and annexation through Indonesia. While the Dutch aircraft served actively during this conflict, flying patrols and demonstrating presence, visibly armed and in alert condition, no 'hot' sortie or casualty occured, even though one aircraft, 10-18, was lost in a start accident. The pilot ejected safely.

The MLD FJ-4Bs only served on the carrier until its overhaul in 1964, after which the carrier-borne attack role was eliminated and all aircraft were transferred to land bases (Valkenburg) or in reserve storage. The Seahawks were retired from service by the end of the 1960s after the sale of the Karel Doorman to Argentina, and the FJ-4Bs were returned to the United States, where they were re-integrated into the USMC until the end of the 1960ies, when all FJ-4 aircraft were phased out.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 36 ft 4 in (11.1 m)

Wingspan: 39 ft 1 in (11.9 m)

Height: 13 ft 11 in (4.2 m)

Wing area: 338.66 ft² (31.46 m²)

Empty weight: 13,210 lb (6,000 kg)

Loaded weight: 20,130 lb (9,200 kg)

Max. take-off weight: 23,700 lb (10,750 kg)

Powerplant: 1 × Wright J65-W-16A turbojet, 7,700 lbf (34 kN)

Performance:

Maximum speed: 680 mph (1,090 km/h) at 35,000 ft (10,670 m)

Range: 2,020 mi (3,250 km) with 2× 200 gal (760 l) drop tanks and 2× AIM-9 missiles

Service ceiling: 46,800 ft (14,300 m)

Rate of climb: 7,660 ft/min (38.9 m/s)

Wing loading: 69.9 lb/ft² (341.7 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: .325

Armament:

4× 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon

6× pylons under the wings for 3,000 lb (1,400 kg) external ordnance, including up to 6× AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs, bombs and guided/unguided ASM, e .g. ASM-N-7 (AGM-12B Bullpup) missiles.

The kit and its assembly

Originally, this model project was inspired by a (whiffy) Dutch F3H Demon profile, designed by fellow user Darth Panda at whatifmodelers.com. I found the idea of a foreign/NATO user of one of these early carrier-borne jet fighters very inspiring – not only because of the strange design of many of these aircraft, but also since the USN and USMC had been the only real world users of many of these types.

Initially, I planned to convert a F3H accordingly. But with limited storage/display space at home I decided to apply the MLD idea to another smaller, but maybe even more exotic, type: the North American FJ-4B Fury, which was in 1962 recoded into AF-1E.

I like the beefy Sabre cousin very much. It’s one of those aircraft that received little attention, even from model kit manufacturers. In fact, in 1:72 scale there are only vintage vacu kits or the very basic Emhar kit available. Th Emhar kit, which I used here and which is a kind donation of a fellow modeler (Thanks a lot, André!), a rather rough thing with raised panel lines and much room for improvements. As a side note, there's also a FJ-4B from Revell, but it's just a 1996 re-issue with no improvements, whatsoever.

Another facet of the model: When I did legwork concerning a possible background story, I was surprised to find out that the Netherlands actually operated aircraft carriers in the 1950s, including carrier-borne, fixed-wing aircraft, even jets in the form of Hawker Sea Hawks. The real life FJ-4Bs service introduction, the naissance of NATO and the Indonesian conflict as well as the corresponding intervention of the Karel Doorman carrier all fell into a very plausible time frame – and so there’s a very good and plausible story why the MLD could actually have used the Fury fighter bomber!

The Emhar kit was not modified structurally, but saw some changes in detail. These include a scratch-built cockpit with side walls, side consoles and a new ejection seat, plus a Matchbox pilot figure, a new front wheel (from a Kangnam Yak-38, I believe), plus a lot of added blade aerials and a finer pitot.

The flaps were lowered, for a more lively look- Another new feature is the opened air intake, which features a central splitter - in fact a vertically placed piece of a Vicker Wellesley bomb container from Matchbox. At the rear end, the exhaust pipe was opened and lengthened internally.

The six weapon hardpoints were taken from the original kit, but I did not use the four Sidewinder AAMs and the rather bulky drop tanks. So, all ordnance is new: the Bullpups come from the Hasegawa air-to-ground missile set, the drop tanks are leftover pieces from a Hobby Boss F-86. They are much more 'delicate', and make the Fury look less stout and cumbersome. The guidance pod for the Bullpups (a typical FJ-4B feature with these weapons) is a WWII drop tank, shaped with the help of benchmark pictures. Certainly not perfect, but, hey - it's just a MODEL!

Painting and markings

I used mid-1950ies MLD Sea Furys and Sea Hawks as a design benchmark, but this Fury is placed just into the time frame around 1960 when the MLD introduced a new 3-digit code system. Before that, a code "6-XX" with the XX somewhere in the 70 region would have been appropriate, and I actually painted the fuselage sides a bit darker so as if the old code had recently been painted over.

Dutch MLD aircraft tended to keep their former users’ liveries, but in the FJ-4B’s case I thought that a light grey and white aircraft (USN style) with Dutch roundels would look a bit odd. So I settled for early NATO style with Extra Dark Sea Grey upper sides (Humbrol 123) and Sky from below (Testors 2049 from their Authentic Line).

I also went for an early design style with a low waterline - early Hawker Sea Furies were painted this way, and a high waterline would probably be more typical. But in the face of potential seriosu action, who knows...? Things tend to be toned down quickly, just remember the RN Harriers during the Falkland conflict. I'll admit that the aircraft looks a bit simple and dull now, but this IMHO just adds to the plausible look of this whif. I prefer such subtleties to garish designs.

The surfaces were weathered with dry-brushed lighter shades of the basic tones (mostly Humbrol 79, but also some 140 and 67, and Humbrol 90 and 166 below), including overpainted old codes in a slightly darker tone of EDSG, done with Revell 77. A light wash with black ink emphasizes edges and some details - the machine was not to look worn.

The interior was painted in medium grey (Humbrol 140), the landing gear is white (Humbrol 130), and some details like the air intake rim, the edges of the landing gear covers, the flaps or the tips of the wing fences were painted in bright red (Humbrol 174), for some contrast to the overall grey upper sides.

The MLD markings were puzzled together. The roundels come from an Xtradecal sheet for various Hawker Sea Furies, the '202' code comes, among others, from a Grumman Bearcat aftermarket sheet. The 'KON. MARINE' line is hand-made, letter by letter, from a TL Modellbau aftremarket sheet.

Most stencils and warning sign decals come from the original decal sheet, as well as from a FJ-4 Xtradecal aftermarket sheet, from F-86 kits and the scrap box. I wanted these details to provide the color to the aircraft, so that it would not look too uniform, but still without flashy decorations and like a rather utilarian military item.

finally, the model received a coat of semi-matt varnish (Tamiya Acryllic), since MLD aircraft had a pretty glossy finish. No dirt or soot stains were added - the Dutch kept their (few) shipborne aircraft very clean and tidy!

So, all in all, a simple looking aircraft, but this Dutch Fury has IMHO a certain, subtle charm - probably also because it is a rather rare and unpopular aircraft, which in itself has a certain whiffy aura.

1UZ-FE V8 conversion of JZA80 Toyota Supra

1UZ-FE V8 conversion of JZA80 Toyota Supra

Leiden.....Achmea.

zilverbat.'s photos on Flickriver

Jet image found on the web and converted from 2D to 3D using StereoPhoto Maker. Red/Cyan glasses required for viewing.

20220731 20220731_114112 hafan

Yet another conversion of an image by Anton Semenov.

Saw this Bus with a top half of a Van welded which I thought was quite a unique and creative way to make a motorhome. This is taken at Santa Barbara, CA.

If the V-J Day (the kiss) is in 3D

a 2D-to-3D conversion image (med-res)

the (2D) coloured image from:

pl.pinterest.com/pin/36380709459390588/

www.buzzfeed.com/mrbabyman/times-square-kiss-in-color-b7t

futher info about 'the kiss'

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-J_Day_in_Times_Square

+++ 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 McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic jet fighter which primarily served the United States Air Force (USAF). Initially designed by McDonnell Aircraft as a long-range bomber escort (known as a penetration fighter) for the Strategic Air Command (SAC), the Voodoo was instead developed as a nuclear-armed fighter-bomber for the Tactical Air Command (TAC) and later evolved into an all-weather interceptor as well as into a reconnaissance platform.

USAF F-101B interceptors were, as more modern and effective interceptors became available (esp. the F-4 Phantom II), handed off to the Air National Guard, where they served in the fighter role until 1982. Canadian CF-101B interceptors remained in service until 1984 and were replaced by the CF-18 Hornet. The last operational Canadian Voodoo, a single EF-101B (nicknamed the “Electric Voodoo”, a CF-101B outfitted with the jamming system of the EB-57E Canberra and painted all-black) was returned to the United States on 7 April 1987. However, the RF-101Js served with the Texas ANG until 1988, effectively being the last operational Voodoos in the world. They were replaced with RF-4Cs.

General characteristics:

Crew: Two

Length: 67 ft 5 in (20.55 m)

Wingspan: 39 ft 8 in (12.09 m)

Height: 18 ft 0 in (5.49 m)

Wing area: 368 ft² (34.20 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 65A007 mod root, 65A006 mod tip

Empty weight: 28,495 lb (12,925 kg)

Loaded weight: 45,665 lb (20,715 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 52,400 lb (23,770 kg)

Powerplant:

2× Pratt & Whitney J57-P-55 afterburning turbojets

with 11,990 lbf (53.3 kN) dry thrust and 16,900 lbf (75.2 kN) thrust with afterburner each

Performance:

Maximum speed: Mach 1.72, 1,134 mph (1,825 km/h) at 35,000 ft (10,500 m)

Range: 1,520 mi (2,450 km)

Service ceiling: 54,800 ft (17,800 m)

Rate of climb: 36,500 ft/min (185 m/s)

Wing loading: 124 lb/ft² (607 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 0.74

Armament:

None, but two 450 US gal (370 imp gal; 1,700 l) drop-tanks were frequently carried on ventral

hardpoints; alternatively, a central hardpoint could take single, large loads like the HIAC-1 LOROP

camera pod.

A pair of retrofitted underwing hardpoints could carry light loads like ECM jammer pods,

flare/chaff dispensers or photoflash ejectors

The kit and its assembly:

This is another project that I had on my agenda for a long while. It originally started with pictures of an RF-101H gate guard in Louisville at Standiford Field International from around 1987-1991:

imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/6/2/9/1351926.jpg?...

www.aerialvisuals.ca/Airframe/Gallery/0/41/0000041339.jpg

This preserved machine wore a rather unusual (for a Voodoo) ‘Hill’ low-viz scheme with toned-down markings, quite similar to the late USAF F-4 Phantom IIs of the early Eighties. The big aircraft looked quite good in this simple livery, and I kept the idea of a Hill scheme Voodoo in the back of my mind for some years until I recently had the opportunity to buy a cheap Matchbox Voodoo w/o box and decals. With its optional (and unique) RF-101B parts I decided to take the Hill Voodoo idea to the hardware stage and create another submission to the “Reconnaissance and Surveillance” group build at whatifmodellers.com around July 2021: an ANG recce conversion of a former two-seat interceptor, using the RF-101B as benchmark but with a different suite of sensors.

However, the Matchbox Voodoo kit is rather mediocre, and in a rather ambitious mood I decided to “upgrade” the project with a Revell F-101B as the model’s basis. This kit is from 1991 and a MUCH better and finely detailed model than the rather simple Matchbox kit from the early Eighties. In fact, the Revell F-101B is actually a scaled-down version of Monogram’s 1:48 F-101B model kit from 1985, with many delicate details. But while this downscaling practice has produced some very nice 1:72 models like the F-105D or the F-4D, the scaling effect caused IMHO in this case a couple of problems. Revell's assembly instructions for the 1:72 kit are not good, either. While the step-by-step documentation is basically good, some sketches are so cluttered that you cannot tell where parts in the cockpit or on the landing gear are actually intended to be placed and how. This is made worse by the fact that there are no suitable markings on the parts – you are left to guessing.

Worse, there is a massive construction error: the way the wings section is to be assembled and mounted to the hull is impossible! The upper wing halves have locator pins for the fuselage, but they are supposed to be glued to the lower wing half (which also encompasses the aircraft's belly) and the mounted to the hull. The locator pins make this impossible, unless you bend the lower wing section to a point where it might warp or break, or you just cut the pins off - and live with some instability. Technically the upper wing halves have to be mounted to the fuselage before you glue the lower wing section to them, but I am not certain if this would work well because you also have to assemble the air intakes at the same time “from behind”, which is only feasible when the wings have already been completed but still left away from the fuselage. It’s a nonsense construction! I cannot remember when I came across a kit the last time with such an inherent design flaw?

Except for the transplanted RF-101B nose section, which did not fit well because the Matchbox Voodoo apparently has a more slender nose, the Revell kit was built mostly OOB. However, this is already a challenge in itself because of the kit’s inherent flaws (see above), its complex construction and an unorthodox assembly sequence, due to many separate internal modules including the cockpit tub, a separate (fully detailed) front landing gear well, a rotating weapon bay, air intakes with complete ducts, and the wing section. A fiddly affair.

Only a few further changes beyond the characteristic camera fairing under the radome were made. The rotating weapon bay was faired-over with the original weapon pallet, just fixing it into place and using putty to blend it into the belly. The small underwing pylons (an upgrade that actually happened to some late Voodoos) were taken from a vintage Revell F-16. The SLAR antenna fairings along the cockpit flanks were created with 0.5mm styrene sheet and some PSR. They are a little too obvious/protruding, but for a retrofitted solution I find the result acceptable. The drop tanks came from the Revell kit, the underwing ordnance consists of an ALQ-119 ECM pod from a Hasegawa aftermarket set and a SUU-42 dispenser, scratched from a Starfighter ventral drop tank, bomb fins and the back of a Soviet unguided missile launcher.

Painting and markings:

Very simple and basic. While I originally wanted to adopt the simple two-tone ‘Hill’ scheme from the gate guard for my fictional Voodoo, I eventually settled for the very similar but slightly more sophisticated ‘Egypt One’ scheme that was introduced with the first F-16s – it just works better on the F-101’s surfaces. This scheme uses three grey tones: FS 36118 (Gunship Gray, ModelMaster 1723) for the upper wing surfaces, the “saddle” on the fuselage and the canopy area with an anti-glare panel, FS 36270 (Medium Grey, Humbrol 126) on the fin and the fuselage area in front of the wing roots, and FS 36375 (Light Ghost Grey, Humbrol 127) for all lower surfaces, all blended into each other with straight but slightly blurred edges (created with a soft, flat brush). The radome and the conformal antennae on the flanks became Revell 47 for a consistent grey-in-grey look, but with a slightly different shade. The model received an overall black ink washing and some post panel shading, so that the large grey areas would not look too uniform.

As an updated USAF aircraft I changed the color of the landing gear wells’ interior from green zinc chromate primer to more modern, uniform white, even though the red inside of the covers was retained. The interior of the flaps (a nice OOB option of Revell’s kit) and the air brakes became bright red, too.

The cockpit retained its standard medium grey (Humbrol 140, Dark Gull Grey) interior and I used the instrument decals from the kit – even though these did not fit well onto the 3D dashboards and side consoles. WTF? Decal softener came to the rescue. The exhaust area was painted with Revell 91 (Iron) and Humbrol’s Steel Metallizer (27003), later treated with graphite for a dirty, metallic shine.

Markings/decals primarily come from a 1:72 Hi-Decal F-4D sheet that contains (among others) several Texas ANG Phantoms from the mid-Eighties. Some stencils were taken over from the original Voodoo sheet, the yellow formation lights had to be procured from a Hasegawa F-4E/J sheet (the Matchbox sheet was lost and the Revell sheet lacks them completely!). The characteristic deep yellow canopy sealant stripes came from a CF-101 sheet from Winter Valley Decals (today part of Canuck Models as CAD 72008). I was lucky to have them left over from another what-if build MANY moons ago, my fictional CF-151 kitbashing.

Everything went on smoothly, but the walkway markings above the air intakes became a problem. I initially used those from the Revell sheet, which are only the outlines so that the camouflage would still be visible. But the decal film, which is an open square, turned out to be so thin that it wrinkled on the curved surface whatever I tried, and what looked like a crisp black outline on the white decal paper turned out to be a translucent dark blue with blurry edges on the kit. I scrapped them while still wet… Enter plan B: Next came the walkway markings from the aforementioned Winter Valley sheet, which were MUCH better, sharper and opaque, but they included the grey walking areas. While the tone looked O.K. on the sheet it turned out to be much too light for the all-grey Voodoo, standing out and totally ruining the low-viz look. With a bleeding heart I eventually ripped them off of the model with the help of adhesive tape, what left light grey residues. Instead of messing even more with the model I finally decided to embrace this accident and manually added a new black frame to the walkway areas with generic 2mm decal stripe material from TL Modellbau The area now looks rather worn, as if the camouflage had peeled off and light grey primer shows through. An unintentional result, but it looks quite “natural”.

The “Rhino Express” nose art was created with Corel Draw and produced with a simple inkjet printer on clear decal sheet. It was inspired by the “toenail” decoration on the main landing gear covers, a subtle detail I saw IIRC on a late CF-101B and painted onto the model by hand. With its all-grey livery, the rhino theme appeared so appropriate, and the tag on the nose appeared like a natural addition. It’s all not obvious but adds a personal touch to the aircraft.

Finally, after some more exhaust stains had been added to various air outlets around the hull, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish, position lights were added with clear paint and the camera windows, which had been created with black decal material, received glossy covers. The IRST sensor was painted with translucent black over a gold base.

Well, while the all-grey USAF livery in itself is quite dull and boring, but I must say that it suits the huge and slender Voodoo well. It emphasizes the aircraft's sleek lines and the Texas ANG fin flash as a colorful counterpoint, as well as the many red interior sections that only show from certain angles, nicely break the adapted low-viz Egypt One livery up. The whole thing looks surprisingly convincing, and the subtle rhino markings add a certain tongue-in-cheek touch.

Conversion to 3D from Architectural ABC by Antonio Basoli (1774-1848)

The kit:

Another vintage kit I built in my late youth in the late Eighties/earkly Nineties, but in this case it was not a restauration job but rather true working progress after a long break and completion of an idea I had in the late 90ies – the original build had never been finished!

This model is an original Takara Crabgunner kit, not one of the Revell re-releases as „Dromedin“. I am not cetrtain where I got it from - I suppose I found this kit at a comic shop or model kit fair. Anyway, a color illustration in Takara's assembly and painting guide showed a modified Crabgunner with extra rocket launchers on mounts located at the mid section's sides, and other changed details like a larger commander cupola, a different gun and differences on the hull. This inspired me to modify the kit into something similar - but half way down the construction path I did not finish it and it went to the basement...

Many moons later I just took up the project where it had entered the hiatus, and decided to move ahead with the grittier look of what I know today is a F44C, according to a Dougram source book called "Fang of the Sun Dougram - The Comprehensive" I had obtained during the years that had passede. From there, I also tried to translate its name's kanji, which should be "Fu-A-I-Ya-Gu-N-Na", so I supposed that this rather obscure Dougram mecha is officially called "Firegunner"?

Some details like extra weapon stations and armor reinforcement had already been added years ago, but I mostly changed and improved them. Anyway, despite these modifications to the F44A model as basis I found that something was missing, a personal twist... Snooping through the internet for ideas, I came across a 1:72 kit (from AER of Moldova, a manufacturer specialized in obscure Russian military vehicles) of the Egyptian self-propelled gun carrier SAU-122, which is actually a modified T-34/85 from the 80ies with a new huge, box-shaped turret, carrying a massive howitzer.

This turret and gun not only looked intimidating on the tank, it would also blend well into the F44's retro look and add some more teeth to justify its name! It would, by the way, also be a nice replacement for the relatively small original turret and its flimsy main gun - even though a "stock" F44C seems to retain it. But, heck, field modifications are common even in the Dougram world, so this personal assault version would not be totally off topic. And the turret just looeds cool...

I was lucky to get my hands onto the SAU-122 kit, which is, by the way, of very good quality; its turret parts were made from resin and very crisp. Implanting the new pieces was no problem, and even though the result IS bulky, I like the new look: heavy metal! The whole thing looks much beefier now.

Other kit modifications include the side weapon stations, which had to be built anew - I used spare parts from a 1:144 scale Gundam kit ("Serpent Custom", from Endless Waltz) and wheel parts from a 1:35 scale M4 Sherman. The resulting arrangement is not an exact replication of the original F44C's weapon carriers, but the overall impression is IMHO fine, since the turret is not original, either. Other details like the improvised reinforcements and storage boxes came from the scrap box, some ladders and steps on the hull were made from thin brass wire.

For painting I wanted to stay true to the anime-esque Dougram look: a single color finish, and then emphasize the lines and details through dry painting and weathering. I did not want another mecha from the F44 family in a sand or brown tone, though, but still an "ugly", murky tone. After long search and pondering I finally settled on RAL 7002 "Olivgrau" (Olive Grey) as main color. For shading and light effects I settled upon RAL 7006 "Beigegrau" (Beige Grey) for undersides/shaded areas, and RAL 6013 "Schilfgrün" (Reed Green) as highlight tone for upper surfaces - a lichen green which looks pretty much like sun-bleached olive drab.

Basic painting was done straightforward with rattle cans, including the shading. Then, a black ink wash was applied, and another thin washing with a mix of acryllic paint in black and raw umber, simulating dirt and dust. After drying and rubbing with a cotton towel to free surfaces from paint residue, decals from the original sheet were applied.

Hull details and wear were emphasized through dry painting with mixed Humbrol colors, 83 (Ochre) and 151 (Interior Green) respectively, plus a little 64 (Light Grey) at edges and corners. Finally, a matte varnish coat sealed everything in place.

For final touches, some dirt/mud was added to the kit's feet, with a mix of fine sand, white glue and acryllic paint, and light dry painting with silder was done on some edges, letting metal shimmer through. Rust and oil were painted with a fine brush, with acryllic paint in Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber. Some more dust was simulated with grinded artist chalks in some areas, but only sparesely. The figure finally comes from the original kit.

Compared with the former Dougram combat walkers, this F44C conversion is quite impressive and looks really mean - as far as I know, there is no official 1:72 kit of this F44 derivative (even though an 1:48 Takara kit seems to have been produced in the Eighties)? I am happy with the result!

Conversion of Anton Semenov's work.

www.artonfix.com/digital-art/nightmarish-world-anton-semenov

Tried to get rid of the moon's ghosting. I'm still trying to sort it out. Plus window violation going on.

+++ 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 Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet aircraft of the United States Air Force. It was developed from the twin-seat Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star in the late 1940s as an all-weather, day/night interceptor, replacing the propeller-driven North American F-82 Twin Mustang in this role. The system was designed to overtake the F-80 in terms of performance, but more so to intercept the new high-level Soviet bombers capable of nuclear attacks on America and her Allies - in particular, the new Tupelov Tu-4. The F-94 was furthermore the first operational USAF fighter equipped with an afterburner and was the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean War in January 1953.

For better handling and less drag esp. at low altitude, the F-94B’s large Fletcher type wingtip tanks were frequently replaced with smaller ones with about half capacity. It also became common practice to operate the RF-94Bs with only a crew of one, and from 1960 on the RF-94B was, thanks to its second seat, more and more used as a trainer before pilots mounted more potent reconnaissance aircraft like the RF-101 Voodoo, which eventually replaced the RF-94B in ANG service. The last RF-94B was phased out in 1968, and, unlike the RF-84F, it was not operated by any foreign air force.

General characteristics:

Crew: 2 (but frequently operated by a single pilot)

Length: 43 ft 4 3/4 in (13.25 m)

Wingspan (with tip tanks): 40 ft 9 1/2 in (12.45 m)

Height: 12 ft. 2 (3.73 m)

Wing area: 234' 8" sq ft (29.11 m²)

Empty weight: 10,064 lb (4,570 kg)

Loaded weight: 15,330 lb (6,960 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 24,184 lb (10,970 kg)

Powerplant:

1× Allison J33-A-33 turbojet, rated at 4,600 lbf (20.4 kN) continuous thrust,

5,400 lbf (24 kN) with water injection and 6,000 lbf (26.6 kN) thrust with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: 630 mph (1,014 km/h) at height and in level flight

Range: 930 mi (813 nmi, 1,500 km) in combat configuration with two drop tanks

Ferry range: 1,457 mi (1,275 nmi, 2,345 km)

Service ceiling: 42,750 ft (14,000 m)

Rate of climb: 6,858 ft/min (34.9 m/s)

Wing loading: 57.4 lb/ft² (384 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 0.48

Armament:

No internal guns; 2x 165 US Gallon (1,204 liter) drop tanks on the wing tips and…

2x underwing hardpoints for two additional 165 US Gallon (1,204 liter) ferry tanks

or bombs of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber each, plus…

2x optional (rarely fitted) pods on the wings’ leading edges with either a pair of 0.5" (12.7 mm)

machine guns or twelve 2.75” (70 mm) Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets each

The kit and its assembly:

This project was originally earmarked as a submission for the 2021 “Reconnaissance & Surveillance” group build at whatifmodellers.com, in the form of a Heller F-94B with a new nose section. The inspiration behind this build was the real-world EF-94C (s/n 50-963): a solitary conversion with a bulbous camera nose. However, the EF-94C was not a reconnaissance aircraft but rather a chase plane/camera ship for the Air Research and Development Command, hence its unusual designation with the suffix “E”, standing for “Exempt” instead of the more appropriate “R” for a dedicated recce aircraft. There also was another EF-94C, but this was a totally different kind of aircraft: an ejection seat testbed.

I had a surplus Heller F-94B kit in The Stash™ and it was built almost completely OOB and did – except for some sinkholes and standard PSR work – not pose any problem. In fact, the old Heller Starfire model is IMHO a pretty good representation of the aircraft. O.K., its age might show, but almost anything you could ask for at 1:72 scale is there, including a decent, detailed cockpit.

The biggest change was the new camera nose, and it was scratched from an unlikely donor part: it consists of a Matchbox B-17G tail gunner station, slimmed down by the gunner station glazing's width at the seam in the middle, and this "sandwich" was furthermore turned upside down. Getting the transitional sections right took lots of PSR, though, and I added some styrene profiles to integrate the new nose into the rest of the hull. It was unintentional, but the new nose profile reminds a lot of a RF-101 recce Voodoo, and there's, with the straight wings, a very F-89ish look to the aircraft now? There's also something F2H-2ish about the outlines?

The large original wing tip tanks were cut off and replaced with smaller alternatives from a Hasegawa A-37. Because it was easy to realize on this kit I lowered the flaps, together with open ventral air brakes. The cockpit was taken OOB, I just modified the work station on the rear seat and replaced the rubber sight protector for the WSO with two screens for a camera operator. Finally, the one-piece cockpit glazing was cut into two parts to present the model with an open canopy.

Painting and markings:

This was a tough decision: either an NMF finish (the natural first choice), an overall light grey anti-corrosive coat of paint, both with relatively colorful unit markings, or camouflage. The USAF’s earlier RF-80As carried a unique scheme in olive drab/neutral grey with a medium waterline, but that would look rather vintage on the F-94. I decided that some tactical camouflage would make most sense on this kind of aircraft and eventually settled for the USAF’s SEA scheme with reduced tactical markings, which – after some field tests and improvisations in Vietnam – became standardized and was officially introduced to USAF aircraft around 1965 as well as to ANG units.

Even though I had already built a camouflaged F-94 some time ago (a Hellenic aircraft in worn SEA colors), I settled for this route. The basic colors (FS 30219, 34227, 34279 and 36622) all came from Humbrol (118, 117, 116 and 28, respectively), and for the pattern I adapted the paint scheme of the USAF’s probably only T-33 in SEA colors: a trainer based on Iceland during the Seventies and available as a markings option in one of the Special Hobby 1:32 T-33 kits. The low waterline received a wavy shape, inspired by an early ANG RF-101 in SEA camouflage I came across in a book. The new SEA scheme was apparently applied with a lot of enthusiasm and properness when it was brand new, but this quickly vaned. As an extra, the wing tip tanks received black anti-glare sections on their inner faces and a black anti-glare panel was added in front of the windscreen - a decal from a T-33 aftermarket sheet. Beyond a black ink wash the model received some subtle panel post-shading, but rather to emphasize surface details than for serious weathering.

The cockpit became very dark grey (Revell 06) while the landing gear wells were kept in zinc chromate green primer (Humbrol 80, Grass Green), with bright red (Humbrol 60, Matt Red) cover interiors and struts and wheels in aluminum (Humbrol 56). The interior of the flaps and the ventral air brakes became red, too.

The decals/markings came from a Special Hobby 1:72 F-86H; there’s a dedicated ANG boxing of the kit that comes with an optional camouflaged aircraft of the NY ANG, the least unit to operate the “Sabre Hog” during the Seventies. Since this 138th TFS formerly operated the F-94A/B, it was a perfect option for the RF-94B! I just used a different Bu. No. code on the fin, taken from a PrintScale A/T-37 set, and most stencils were perocured from the scrap box.

After a final light treatment with graphite around the afterburner for a more metallic shine of the iron metallic (Revell 97) underneath, the kit was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).

A camouflaged F-94 is an unusual sight, but it works very well. The new/longer nose considerably changes the aircraft's profile, and even though the change is massive, the "Crocodile" looks surprisingly plausible, if not believable! And, despite the long nose, the aircraft looks pretty sleek, especially in the air.

So I got a server from work that I was going to convert into a terminal server. The problem was that it was a 1U system. The reason that's a problem is that a 1U system has small fans, and the smaller the fan, the bigger the noise. Bigger fans can rotate at slower speeds. When I turned on the 1U server, I could hear it from two floors away. I was going to have to convert this into a tower system and use bigger fans.

I was able to cut some material out of this case to house the motherboard, but this motherboard required A LOT of fans to be running in order to power on. I just didn't have that many large fans. I also had to use mount the 1U power supply into the case because it's 25PIN +8 and I didn't have any of those. Because I was restricted to this power supply, I didn't have power for the SATA drive (because of the back plane board for the drives). My only option for the drive was to lay the back plane on top and mount the drives. Then because the distance was so far from the controller, I could only mount two drives instead of four.

Anyway, unless I was willing to put some money into this, the conversion is a failure. I'm going to just suck it up and see if I can add parts of this server into my workstation that I'm using as a server anyway. Just combine the two int one really mean terminal server. I don't think I'm going to get as much RAM out of it as I would like though.

easy to disassemble and cement metal plate pinhole in place. shutter fixed to bulb, reassembled, played nicely and happy with the results.see "pinhole" on my stream.

Back view with 4x5 frame. I just need to work out how to attach darkslides and 6x12 roll film back. I know how I can do it but trying to work out a good way.

50149 was given a C Exam, and converted back to a Main Line loco in Feb / March 1989. In this picture you can see 50149 inside Laira shed during the conversion in March 1989.

+++ 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 origins of the Saab 19 date back before the onset of WWII. At that time, the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) was equipped with largely obsolete Gloster Gladiator (J 8) biplane fighters. To augment this, Sweden ordered 120 Seversky P-35 (J 9) and 144 P-66 Vanguard (J 10) aircraft from the United States.

However, on 18 June 1940, United States declared an embargo against exporting weapons to any nation other than Great Britain. As the result, the Flygvapnet suddenly faced a shortage of modern fighters.

Just in time, Saab had presented to the Ministry on Sep 4th 1939 a fighter that had been meant to replace the obsolete Gloster Gladiators. The aircraft carried the internal development code ‘L-12’ and had been designed in collaboration with US engineers in Sweden, who were to aid with license production of Northrop 8-A 1s and NA-16-4 Ms.

After WWII, the J 19B survivors were kept in service and soldiered on until 1948, when all remaining aircraft were scrapped. Wright was also paid the overdue license fees for the originally unlicensed engines. The J 19D served together with the J 22 and J 26 fighters until 1950, when all of these piston engine fighters were gradually replaced by de Havilland Vampires (J 28) and the indigenous J 29 Tunnan, which rapidly brought the Swedish Air Force into the jet age. The last four J 19Ds, used as liaison aircraft at F 8 at Barkarby, were retired in 1954.

Saab J 19A General characteristics

Crew: One

Length: 9.68 m (31 ft 8 1/2 in)

Wingspan: 12.0 m (39 ft 4 in)

Height: 3.05 m (10 ft 0 in)

Wing area: 22.44 m² (241.5 ft²)

Empty weight: 1,630 kg (3,590 lb)

Loaded weight: 2,390 kg (5,264 lb)

Aspect ratio: 6.4

Powerplant:

1× Packard V-1650-7 liquid-cooled V-12, with a 2 stage intercooled supercharger,

rated at 1,490 hp (1,111 kW) at 3,000 rpm

Performance

Maximum speed: 640 km/h (397 mph) at 4.550 m (14.930 ft)

Cruise speed: 380 km/h (236 mph)

Landing speed: 140 km/h (90 mph)

Range: 1.500 km (930 mi; 810 nmi)

Service ceiling: 11.800 m (38.650 ft)

Rate of climb: 15.9 m/s (3,125 ft/min)

Armament:

2× 20 mm Bofors (Hispano-Suiza HS.404) cannons with 120 RPG

2× 13.2 mm (0.53 in) M/39A (Browning M2) machine guns with 500 RPG

Underwing hardpoints for an ordnance of 500 kg (1.100 lb), including a pair of 300 l drop tanks,

two 250 kg (550 lb) bombs, eight 50 kg (110 lb) bombs or eight unguided missiles.

The kit and its assembly

This is actually the second J 19 I have converted from a Hobby Boss A6M – and this build addresses two questions that probably nobody ever asked:

● What would a Mitsubishi Zero with an inline engine look like?

● Could the fictional Swedish aircraft have survived WWII, and in which form?

The Saab J 19 never saw the hardware stage, but it was a real life project that was eventually killed through the outbreak of WWII and the lack of engines mentioned in the background above. Anyway, it was/is called the “Swedish Zero” because it resembled the Japanese fighter VERY much – wing shape, fuselage, tail section, even the cockpit glazing!

This build/conversion was very similar to my first one, which ended up as a J 19B with an R-2600 engine from a Matchbox B-25 Mitchell bomber. However, due to the later time frame and different donor parts at hand things took a different route – this time, the key idea was the modernization/update of a rather outdated airframe, and the old J 19B model was the benchmark.

Again, much of the literally massive(!) Hobby Boss Zero was taken OOB, but changes this time included:

● The nose/cowling from a Matchbox P-51D

● A modified ventral radiator bath from a HUMA Me 309

● New horizontal stabilizers from a Griffon Spitfire

● A new propeller (Pavla resin parts for a post WWII P-51D/K with uncuffed blades)

● OOB main landing gear was inverted, so that the wheel discs face inwards

● New main wheels from an AZ Models Spitfire, IIRC

● New retractable tail wheel, from a Bf 109 G; the arrestor hook opening was closed

● A vacu canopy for a late mark Hawker Typhoon, plus some interior details behind the seat

In order to adapt the Mustang’s nose to the slender and circular A6M fuselage, a wedge plug was inserted between the fuselage halves from the Matchbox kit and a styrene tube added inside as a propeller mount. The latter, a resin piece, received a long metal axis and can spin freely.

For the new bubble canopy the cockpit opening and the basic interior was retained, but the dorsal section around the cockpit re-sculpted with putty. Took some time, but worked well and everything blends surprisingly well into each other – even though the aircraft, with its new engine, somehow reminds me of a Hawker Hurricane now? From certain angles the whole thing also has a P-39 touch? Weird!

Painting and markings

Again the dire question: how to paint this one? Once more I did not want to use a typical olive green/light blue Swedish livery, even though it would have been the most plausible option. I eventually settled for a pure natural metal finish, inspired by the post-WWII J 26/Mustangs in Swedish service, which furthermore carried only minimal tactical markings: roundels in six positions, the Flygflottilj number on the fuselage and a colored letter code on the tail, plus a spinner in the same color. Very simple and plain, but with more and more Swedish whiffs piling up, I am looking for as much camouflage/livery diversity as possible, and an NMF machine was still missing. :D

All interior surfaces were painted in RLM 02, and for the NMF I used my personal “recipe” with a basis of Revell 99 (Aluminum, acrylics) plus a black ink wash, followed by panel post-shading with Humbrol “Polished Aluminum” Metallizer (27002), rubbing/polishing with a soft cotton cloth and finally and a light rubbing treatment with grinded graphite for weathering effects and a worn, metallic shine of the surfaces.

Around the exhaust stubs, slightly darker panels were painted with Revell Acyrlics 91 (Iron) and ModelMaster Magnesium Metallizer. A black anti glare panel was added in front of the cockpit (P-51 style). The green propeller boss was painted with a mix of Humbrol 3 and 131 – emulating the color of the green code letter on the fin as good as possible.

The decals were puzzled together; the bright roundels belong to a Swedish Fiat CR.42, from a Sky Models sheet. The “8” on the fuselage comes from an early WWII Swedish Gloster Gladiator code (SBS Models), while the green “E” is an RAF code letter from a Heller Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XVI – actually a total print color disaster, since this deep green is supposed to be Sky!? For better contrast on the Aluminum the letter was placed on a white background, created from single decal strips (generic material from TL Modellbau).

After some soot stains around the exhaust stubs and the fuselage flanks with more graphite, as well as around the gun muzzles, the kit was sealed with a 4:1 mix of gloss and matt acrylic varnish, only the anti glare panel and the propeller blades became 100% matt. Some more matt varnish was also dabbed over the soot stains.

So, another J 19, and the “Zero with an inline engine” looks pretty strange – not as streamlined as other late WWII designs like the P-51 or Griffon-powered Spitfires, yet with a modern touch. The NMF livery looks a bit boring, but the unusual green code (used by liason J 26s from F 8 and some rare 4th or 5th divisions) is a nice contrast to the bright and large Swedish roundels, underlining the pretty elegant lines of the converted Zero!

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some Background:

On 23 January 1992, the Lithuanian Minister of Defense signed an order establishing the staff for the Aviation Base of the Aviation Service. But an actual base in the Šiauliai airport territory (Barysiai airfield) was not established until March, when according to the ordinance of the Government of Lithuanian Republic, all the infrastructure, buildings, territory and 24 An-2 aircraft were passed from ”Lithuanian Airlines" to the Aviation Service of the Ministry of Defense in January 1992.

Anyway, the Globėjas' airframes sooner or later reached their flying hour limits, and will be phased out towards 2020. As a replacement Lithuania will begin taking delivery of its first batch of ex-Portuguese F-16s in 2016, while the Baltic States are considering in the near future to protect their airspace on their own.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 14.5 [126] m (47 ft 7 in)

Wingspan: 7.154 m (23 ft 6 in)

Height: 4 m (13 ft 6 in)

Wing area: 23.0 m² (247.3 ft²)

Empty weight: 5,846 kg (12,880 lb)

Gross weight: 8,825 kg (19,425 lb)

Powerplant:

1× Tumansky R25-300, rated at 40.21 kN (9,040 lbf) thrust dry

and 69.62 kN (15,650 lbf) with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: 2,175 km/h (1,351.48 mph)

Maximum speed: Mach 2.0

Landing speed: 350 km/h (190 kts)

Range: (internal fuel) 1,210 km (751 miles)

Service ceiling: 17,800 m (58,400 ft)

Rate of climb: 225 m/s (44,280 ft/min)

Armament:

1x internal 23 mm GSh-23 cannon

5x hardpoints for a wide range of guided and unguided ordnance of up to 3.310 lb (1.500 kg).

In QRA configuration the Lithuanian MiG-21 typically carry two or four Rafal Python III short

range air-to-air missiles and an 800l drop tank on the centerline pylon.

Against ground targets, unguided bombs of up to 1.100 lb (500kg) caliber or unguided rockets

can be carried; alternatively, a Rafael LITENING laser designation pod and three

Griffin Mk. 82 LGBs or a single Mk. 84 LGB can be carried, or optically guided weapons like up

to four AGM-65 Maverick or a single GBU-8.

The kit and its assembly:

This kit is the entry for the 2016 "One Week Group Build" at whatifmodelers.com, which ran from 29th of April until 8th May (so, actually nine days...). I had this project earmarked for the recent "Cold War" GB, but it fell outside of the build's time horizon. But despite the dubious kit as basis, I tackled the build since I had anything else already at hand.

The basis is the MiG-21-93 demonstrator kit from Ukrainian manufacturer Condor, one of the many reincarnations of the venerable KP MiG-21bis, but with some updates. You get, for instance, engraved, very fine panel lines, some typical details were added like the wraparound windscreen (wrong shape, though) and the radar warning fairing on the fin as well as an extra sprue with modern Russian ordnance – apparently from some other kit!

On the downside, there's overall mediocre fit due to the molds' age, some dubious details (anything appears softened or blurred…) or the simple lack thereof (e. g. there’s no ventral gun fairing at all). But there’s nothing that could not be mended, and after all this is just a whiffy version.

Since there was only one week time to build the thing and make beauty pics, the whole project remained close to OOB status, even though a lot of detail changes or additions were made in order to convert the Russian MiG-21-93 into an earlier but similar Israeli MiG-21 2000 derivative.

These mods include:

- A Martin Baker ejection seat, with wire trigger handles

- HUD made from clear styrene

- Lowered flaps

- An added jet pipe/interior for the otherwise bleak exhaust (parts from a Kangnam Yak-38)

- Hydraulic pipes on the landing gear, made from very thin wire

- Some more/different blade antennae

- Measuring vanes on the pitot boom

- Different GSh-23 gun fairing, from an Academy MiG-23

- Thinner blast deflector plates under the anti-surge doors

- A pair of Python III AAMs, plus respective launch rails

- Different centerline drop tank, from an F-5E

- Scratched chaff/flare dispensers under the rear fuselage (as carried by the MiG-21 2000 demonstrator)

Building the model went straightforward, but it took some putty work to fill some seams, dents and holes all around the kit. Biggest issue was a hole in front of the cockpit screen, where simply not enough styrene had been injected into the mould!

Painting and markings:

The Lithuanian Air Force as operator for this build was chosen because it would not only fit into the real world timeline (even though I doubt that there would have been any budget for this aircraft at that time, even if MiG-21s had not been upgraded at all...) and because the potential livery would be very simple: contemporary L-39 trainers, C-27L Spartan as well as some L-410 and Mi-8 transporters carry a uniform, dull grey livery. Why not apply it on an air superiority fighter, too?

Finding an appropriate tone was not easy, though. Some sources claim the grey tone to be FS 36306, others refer to FS 36270 or "close to Blue/Grey FS35237", but IMHO none of the cited Federal Standard tones works well. Real world Lithuanian aircraft appear pretty dark and dull, and the color also features a greenish, slate grey hue - it's a unique color indeed.

After some trials (and also wishing to avoid mixing) I settled for Humbrol 111 (German Field Grey, a.k.a. Uniform Grey) as basic tone. It's a rather dark choice, but I wanted some good contrast to the national markings. A full wraparound livery appeared a little too dark and boring, so I added light blue wing undersurfaces (Humbrol 115). The kit received a light black in wash and some panel shading, primarily in order to add some life to the otherwise uniform surface.

Details were painted according to real world MiG-21 pics: the cockpit became classic teal with light grey instrument panels, plus OOB decals for the dashboard and side consoles. The landing gear struts were painted in a light, metallic grey (Humbrol 127 + 56) while the wells were painted in an odd primer color, a mix of Aluminum, Sand and Olive Drab. Parts of the covers were painted with Humbrol 144 (Blue Grey), seen on a modernized real world MiG-21. The wheel discs became bright green.

IAI's MiG-21 2000 demonstrator from 1993 had a black radome (as well as later Romanian LanceR Cs), so I adapted this detail for my build. Other typical di-electric fairings on a MiG-21's hull were painted in slightly darker camouflage colors, while the fin's leading edge became dark grey.

The blast deflector plates received yellow and black warning stripes, and some potentially dangerous parts for the ground crews like the pointed anti-flutter booms were painted red. The Python IIIs were simply painted all-white, mounted on grey launch rails - a harsh contrast to the dull rest of the aircraft.

Main markings come from a Blue Rider Publishing aftermarket sheet for modern Lithuanian aircraft. This set also includes the small Air Force crests, which I put on the nose, as well as the typical, blue tactical codes.

The stencils come from the scrap box, the small Lithuanian flag stripes on the tail rudder were created from single decal stripes, a personal addition inspired by Lithuanian C-27J transporters. They add some more color to the otherwise murky Baltic MiG fighter.

The silver ring around the air intake as well as the stripes at the flaps and the rudder were created with simple decal stripes instead of paint.

Finally, after I added some graphite soot around the jet exhaust and some panle lines with a pencil (e .g. the blow-in doors and airbrake outlines), the kit was sealed with hardly thinned Revell matt acrylic varnish, trying to create a really dull finish.

A tough build, despite being mostly OOB, but the details took their toll. This Baltic MiG does not look flashy, but, with IAI's real world MiG-21 2000 as well as the LanceR conversion for Romania in the Nineties, this one is pretty plausible. And with the simple paint scheme, the MiG-21 looks even pretty chic!

HDR conversion of a 2005 oldie but goody from my first ever digital camera - a point and shoot of 5 megapixels.

+++ 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 origins of the Saab 19 date back before the onset of WWII. At that time, the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) was equipped with largely obsolete Gloster Gladiator (J 8) biplane fighters. To augment this, Sweden ordered 120 Seversky P-35 (J 9) and 144 P-66 Vanguard (J 10) aircraft from the United States.

However, on 18 June 1940, United States declared an embargo against exporting weapons to any nation other than Great Britain. As the result, the Flygvapnet suddenly faced a shortage of modern fighters.

Just in time, Saab had presented to the Ministry on Sep 4th 1939 a fighter that had been meant to replace the obsolete Gloster Gladiators. The aircraft carried the internal development code ‘L-12’ and had been designed in collaboration with US engineers in Sweden, who were to aid with license production of Northrop 8-A 1s and NA-16-4 Ms.

After WWII, the J 19B survivors were kept in service and soldiered on until 1948, when all remaining aircraft were scrapped. Wright was also paid the overdue license fees for the originally unlicensed engines. The J 19D served together with the J 22 and J 26 fighters until 1950, when all of these piston engine fighters were gradually replaced by de Havilland Vampires (J 28) and the indigenous J 29 Tunnan, which rapidly brought the Swedish Air Force into the jet age. The last four J 19Ds, used as liaison aircraft at F 8 at Barkarby, were retired in 1954.

Saab J 19A General characteristics

Crew: One

Length: 9.68 m (31 ft 8 1/2 in)

Wingspan: 12.0 m (39 ft 4 in)

Height: 3.05 m (10 ft 0 in)

Wing area: 22.44 m² (241.5 ft²)

Empty weight: 1,630 kg (3,590 lb)

Loaded weight: 2,390 kg (5,264 lb)

Aspect ratio: 6.4

Powerplant:

1× Packard V-1650-7 liquid-cooled V-12, with a 2 stage intercooled supercharger,

rated at 1,490 hp (1,111 kW) at 3,000 rpm

Performance

Maximum speed: 640 km/h (397 mph) at 4.550 m (14.930 ft)

Cruise speed: 380 km/h (236 mph)

Landing speed: 140 km/h (90 mph)

Range: 1.500 km (930 mi; 810 nmi)

Service ceiling: 11.800 m (38.650 ft)

Rate of climb: 15.9 m/s (3,125 ft/min)

Armament:

2× 20 mm Bofors (Hispano-Suiza HS.404) cannons with 120 RPG

2× 13.2 mm (0.53 in) M/39A (Browning M2) machine guns with 500 RPG

Underwing hardpoints for an ordnance of 500 kg (1.100 lb), including a pair of 300 l drop tanks,

two 250 kg (550 lb) bombs, eight 50 kg (110 lb) bombs or eight unguided missiles.

The kit and its assembly

This is actually the second J 19 I have converted from a Hobby Boss A6M – and this build addresses two questions that probably nobody ever asked:

● What would a Mitsubishi Zero with an inline engine look like?

● Could the fictional Swedish aircraft have survived WWII, and in which form?

The Saab J 19 never saw the hardware stage, but it was a real life project that was eventually killed through the outbreak of WWII and the lack of engines mentioned in the background above. Anyway, it was/is called the “Swedish Zero” because it resembled the Japanese fighter VERY much – wing shape, fuselage, tail section, even the cockpit glazing!

This build/conversion was very similar to my first one, which ended up as a J 19B with an R-2600 engine from a Matchbox B-25 Mitchell bomber. However, due to the later time frame and different donor parts at hand things took a different route – this time, the key idea was the modernization/update of a rather outdated airframe, and the old J 19B model was the benchmark.

Again, much of the literally massive(!) Hobby Boss Zero was taken OOB, but changes this time included:

● The nose/cowling from a Matchbox P-51D

● A modified ventral radiator bath from a HUMA Me 309

● New horizontal stabilizers from a Griffon Spitfire

● A new propeller (Pavla resin parts for a post WWII P-51D/K with uncuffed blades)

● OOB main landing gear was inverted, so that the wheel discs face inwards

● New main wheels from an AZ Models Spitfire, IIRC

● New retractable tail wheel, from a Bf 109 G; the arrestor hook opening was closed

● A vacu canopy for a late mark Hawker Typhoon, plus some interior details behind the seat

In order to adapt the Mustang’s nose to the slender and circular A6M fuselage, a wedge plug was inserted between the fuselage halves from the Matchbox kit and a styrene tube added inside as a propeller mount. The latter, a resin piece, received a long metal axis and can spin freely.

For the new bubble canopy the cockpit opening and the basic interior was retained, but the dorsal section around the cockpit re-sculpted with putty. Took some time, but worked well and everything blends surprisingly well into each other – even though the aircraft, with its new engine, somehow reminds me of a Hawker Hurricane now? From certain angles the whole thing also has a P-39 touch? Weird!

Painting and markings

Again the dire question: how to paint this one? Once more I did not want to use a typical olive green/light blue Swedish livery, even though it would have been the most plausible option. I eventually settled for a pure natural metal finish, inspired by the post-WWII J 26/Mustangs in Swedish service, which furthermore carried only minimal tactical markings: roundels in six positions, the Flygflottilj number on the fuselage and a colored letter code on the tail, plus a spinner in the same color. Very simple and plain, but with more and more Swedish whiffs piling up, I am looking for as much camouflage/livery diversity as possible, and an NMF machine was still missing. :D

All interior surfaces were painted in RLM 02, and for the NMF I used my personal “recipe” with a basis of Revell 99 (Aluminum, acrylics) plus a black ink wash, followed by panel post-shading with Humbrol “Polished Aluminum” Metallizer (27002), rubbing/polishing with a soft cotton cloth and finally and a light rubbing treatment with grinded graphite for weathering effects and a worn, metallic shine of the surfaces.

Around the exhaust stubs, slightly darker panels were painted with Revell Acyrlics 91 (Iron) and ModelMaster Magnesium Metallizer. A black anti glare panel was added in front of the cockpit (P-51 style). The green propeller boss was painted with a mix of Humbrol 3 and 131 – emulating the color of the green code letter on the fin as good as possible.

The decals were puzzled together; the bright roundels belong to a Swedish Fiat CR.42, from a Sky Models sheet. The “8” on the fuselage comes from an early WWII Swedish Gloster Gladiator code (SBS Models), while the green “E” is an RAF code letter from a Heller Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XVI – actually a total print color disaster, since this deep green is supposed to be Sky!? For better contrast on the Aluminum the letter was placed on a white background, created from single decal strips (generic material from TL Modellbau).

After some soot stains around the exhaust stubs and the fuselage flanks with more graphite, as well as around the gun muzzles, the kit was sealed with a 4:1 mix of gloss and matt acrylic varnish, only the anti glare panel and the propeller blades became 100% matt. Some more matt varnish was also dabbed over the soot stains.

So, another J 19, and the “Zero with an inline engine” looks pretty strange – not as streamlined as other late WWII designs like the P-51 or Griffon-powered Spitfires, yet with a modern touch. The NMF livery looks a bit boring, but the unusual green code (used by liason J 26s from F 8 and some rare 4th or 5th divisions) is a nice contrast to the bright and large Swedish roundels, underlining the pretty elegant lines of the converted Zero!

I took the closet doors off and turned it into a guitar space. My guitar is mounted on the wall to the left of the amp. The three panels are also Owens Corning 703 and I used them to create modular acoustic isolation spaces. I have mounts on the ceiling where I can hang them and create a small booth for recording vocals, or set them in front of the amp to eliminate the acoustic reflections when close mic'ing my amp. Behind the amp is a board that I covered with some studio foam pieces that provides more control over the acoustic reflections in the room. All in all, this is a highly functional space that can transform to meet a variety of needs!

+++ 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 Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force began as the "Korean Aviation Society" in 1945. It was organized along the lines of flying clubs in the Soviet Union. In 1946, the society became a military organization and became an aviation division of the Korean People's Army (KPA). It became a branch of the army in its own right in November 1948. The KPAF incorporated much of the original Soviet air tactics, as well as North Korean experience from the UN bombings during the Korean War.

The rugged aircraft was not retired, though, and found use as ground attack aircraft (despite its limited payload of around 2 tons) and as an advanced fighter trainer. Total production numbers are uncertain, but less than 100 W-1s were produced until 1969, with no further variants becoming known. In 1990, probably forty were still operational, and even after 2000 some KPAAF W-1s were still flying.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 10.73 m (35 ft 2 in)

Wingspan: 12.16 m (39 ft 10½ in)

Height: 4.46 m (14 ft 7½ in)

Wing area: 23.8 m² (256 sq ft)

Aspect ratio: 7.3

Empty weight: 4,142 kg (9,132 lb)

Gross weight: 7,404 kg (16,323 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 7,900 kg (17,417 lb)

Powerplant:

1× Wopen WP-5 (Rolls-Royce Nene Mk.104B) centrifugal-flow turbojet

with 26.5 kN (5,950 lbf) thrust

Performance:

Maximum speed: 940 km/h (580 mph, 510 kn) at sea level

Maximum speed: Mach 0.76

Cruise speed: 750 km/h (470 mph, 400 kn)

Maximum Mach number: M0.83

Combat range: 450 km (280 mi, 240 nmi)

Ferry range: 920 km (570 mi, 500 nmi)

Service ceiling: 13,000 m (43,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 38 m/s (7,500 ft/min)

Take-off run: 783 m (2,569 ft)

Landing run: 910 m (2,986 ft)

Armament:

4× 23 mm (0.906 in) Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 autocannon with 100 rounds per gun

2× underwing hardpoints for 2.000 kg of payload, including a variety of unguided iron bombs such

as 2× 250 kg (500 lb) bombs, napalm tanks, pods with unguided missiles, or 2× 350 l (92 US

gal; 77 imp gal) drop tanks for extended range.

The kit and its assembly:

I always thought that the tubby Dassault Ouragan had something “Soviet-ish” about it, looking much like one of the obscure early Yakowlew jet fighter prototypes (e .g. the straight-wing Yak-25 [first use of this designation in 1947] or the swept-wing Yak-30) around 1950. With this idea I had stashed away a Heller Ouragan for a while, and recently wondered about an indigenous North-Korean aircraft that could have emerged after the Korean War? The Ouragan looked like a good basis, and so this project started as a simple conversion of the Heller kit.

While most of the airframe was retained, I made some cosmetic changes to change the aircraft’s looks and add a Warsaw Pact flavor. The characteristic wing tip tanks disappeared, and the wings’ ends were rounded off. The fin tip was extended with a piece of 1.5 mm styrene sheet and a different fin shape was sculpted from it. The original stabilizers were replaced with what I think are stabilizers from a VEB Plasticart 1:100 An-24 – they better match the wing shape than the OOB parts!

The cockpit was taken OOB, I just replaced the ejection seat with a different piece from a KP 1:72 MiG-19. The air intake was modified with the opening from a Heller 1:72 F-84G, extending and narrowing it slightly, even though the internal splitter plate (which also bears the front wheel well) was retained. The landing gear was also basically taken OOB, but the main wheels were now mounted on the outside position (with an adaptation of the covers), and the front wheel was moved 3 mm further forward, to compensate for the slightly longer nose section, and its cover was modified accordingly. The flaps were lowered, primarily because this modification is easy to realize on this kit and it makes the simple aircraft look “livelier”, and the canopy was cut into three parts for open display.

Pylons were added under the wings, together with drop tanks from a Hobby Boss 1:72 MiG-15. The same source provided the swept antenna mast behind the cockpit and the small but characteristic altimeter sensors under the wings. As a final twist of “Sovietization” I added small fences to the wings, made from styrene profiles – they would not be necessary on the aircraft’s straight wings, but they help change the model’s overall look. 😉

Building the Heller Ouragan was a straightforward affair, even though the plastic of the recent re-boxing I used was pretty soft and took long to cure after gluing parts together. A real problem occurred when I tried to close the fuselage halves, though, because the parts did not align well behind the cockpit, as if they were warped? The walls were rather thin, too, and as a result a lot of PSR went into the spine and the ventral area behind the wings, which mismatched badly. The rather thin material in these areas did not help much, either. I have built the Ouragan before, and I do not remember these massive troubles?!

Painting and markings:

I initially considered a North-Korean night fighter camouflage from the Korea War, but since the aircraft would have been introduced into service after the open hostilities, I rather settled for a very dry NMF finish with minimal markings. Therefore, the model received an overall coat with “White Aluminum” from the rattle can and a light overall rubbing treatment with graphite to emphasize the raised panel lines and add a slightly irregular metallic shine to the paint. Since they had disappeared through PSR, I also added/recreated some panel lines with a soft pencil.

The cockpit interior was painted in medium grey and Soviet cockpit turquoise, the landing gear and its wells became metallic-grey (Humbrol 56). The areas around the exhaust and the guns were painted with Revell 91 (Iron), the only color contrasts are red trim tabs.

The large KPAAF roundels with a white background came from a Cutting Edge MiG-15 sheet, the large red tactical code was left over from an unidentifiable “Eastern Bloc” model’s decal sheet. After some more graphite treatment around the guns and the tail section the model was sealed with a coat of semi-gloss acrylic varnish (Italeri), resulting in a nice metallic shine that looks better than expected on this uniform aircraft.

Well, this converted Ouragan looks pretty dull at first sight, due to its simple livery. But this makes it pretty plausible, and the small cosmetic changes add a serious Soviet-esque touch to the aircraft.

2D-3D Conversion using SPM. The web image was found at Fantasy Wallpapers. I can't make out the artist signature. Red/Cyan 3D glasses required for viewing.

c/n CV-209.

Built late 1940 in Canada by Canadian-Vickers.

Flew operationally with the RCAF until April 1944. Sold in May 1944 as the first Stranraer civil conversion and registered as ‘CF-BXO’. Continued civil operations until August 1966 and then stored. During its years in civil use, several minor non-standard modifications had been carried out.

Purchased by the RAF Museum in 1970, it was dismantled and brought to the UK in two RAF Short Belfasts. It was then restored and repainted at Henlow and in 1972 it went on permanent display in the main historic hangars at Hendon, where it remains today as the only complete survivor of the type.

RAF Museum, Hendon, London, UK.

22-3-2015

Cyberleader: Begin the upgrade process immediately.

Almost Done! We were told that Friday would be the finish date, then it morphed to Saturday, now it is Monday. AURG! Well you will see from this photograph that it LOOKS finished and it is ALMOST finished. Seeing the two Kodak advertising lamps, one real stained glass and one resin, makes it seem real to me.

Tomorrow the workmen will be back to deal with the three remaining problems. First is the air conditioner/heater because the power outlet that was installed is the wrong voltage. Second is the sink since the connections are still wrong and it leaks. Third is a problem we only discovered after the paint dried and we tried to close the left most door to the closet. It does not close!

By the end of the day tomorrow all these problems should be solved and we can start to move in furniture and supplies. I will be back with pictures of the Grand Opening!

+++ 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 Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet aircraft of the United States Air Force. It was developed from the twin-seat Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star in the late 1940s as an all-weather, day/night interceptor.

The aircraft reached operational service in May 1950 with Air Defense Command, replacing the propeller-driven North American F-82 Twin Mustang in the all-weather interceptor role. The F-94 was the first operational USAF fighter equipped with an afterburner and was the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean War in January 1953.

The F-94's career didn't last long, though, the aircraft soon became outdated. The last F-94E was already retired from USAF front-line service in November 1962, only three years after the last F-94C Starfires were phased out of ANG service. Eventually, the fighters were replaced by the F-101, F-102 and the F-106.

General characteristics:

Crew: 2

Length: 44 ft 11 in (13.71 m)

Wingspan: 39 ft 10 in (12.16 m)

Height: 14 ft 6 in (4.43 m)

Wing area: 313.4 sq ft (29.11 m²)

Empty weight: 12,708 lb (5,764 kg)

Loaded weight: 18,300 lb (8,300 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 24,184 lb (10,970 kg)

Powerplant:

1× Pratt & Whitney J48-P-9 turbojet, rated at 6,650 lbf (29.5 kN) dry thrust

and 10,640 lbf (47.3 kN) at full afterburner.

Performance:

Maximum speed: 693 mph (1,115 km/h) at height and in level flight

Range: 805 mi (700 nmi, 1,300 km) in combat configuration with four AAMs and two drop tanks

Ferry range: 1,275 mi (1,100 nmi, 2,050 km)

Service ceiling: 51,400 ft (15,670 m)

Rate of climb: 12,150 ft/min (61.7 m/s)

Wing loading: 78.6 lb/ft² (384 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 0.48

Armament:

Six underwing pylons for a mix of AIM-4 Falcon AAMs (IR- and SARH-guided),

pods with unguided 19× 2.75” (70 mm) Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets,

a pair of 165 gal. drop tanks or a pair of unguided nuclear MB-1 Genie air-to-air missiles

The kit and its assembly:

Another entry for the Cold War GB at whatifmodelers.com. This build was originally inspired by profiles of a P-80/F-86 hybrid, and respective kitbashings from other modelers. An elegant, though fictional, aircraft! Nevertheless, I wanted to build one, too, and take the original idea a step further. So I chose the F-94 as an ingredient for the kit mix – a rather overlooked aircraft, and getting hands on a donation kit took some time, since there are not many options.

I wanted to use the F-94C as starting point, which is already considerably different from the F-80/T-33. Adding swept wings (from a Hobby Boss F-86F, with larger “6-3” wings) changed this look even more. So much that I decided to modify the fin, which did not look appropriate anymore.

The fin and the spine’s rear end was replaced with the fin of a Kangnam/Revell Yak-38. In order to unify shapes and make the donation less obvious, the Yak-38 fin’s characteristic, pointed tip was clipped and replaced by a more conventional design, scratched from a piece of 1.5mm styrene sheet. In the wake of this modification, the round elevator tips were clipped, too.

Using the F-94’s landing gear wells as benchmarks, the F-86 wings (which had to be cut off of the Hobby Boss kit’s integral, lower fuselage part) were sanded into shape and simply glued into a proper position.

This worked so well that a completely new and plausible main landing gear installation was created. As a consequence, I used the F-86’s landing gear struts - they are much better detailed than the Emhar F-94C’s parts. The front wheel strut (it’s a single piece) was transplanted too, even though the suspension was switched 180°.

The Emhar F-94C’s cockpit is pretty good (esp. the seats) and were taken OOB. I just covered some gaps in the cockpit walls and under the windscreen with paper tissue, soaked with white glue.

The nose was replaced by a bigger radome, taken from an Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.14 (Matchbox kit). Its diameter and shape fit almost perfectly onto the F-94C’s front end, and the result reminds a lot of the EF-94C photo reconnaissance test aircraft! Under the nose, a shallow fairing for the IR sensor was added, and all four air brakes were mounted in open position.

The underwing pylons come from the scrap box (one pair from an Airfix A-1 Skyraider, another from an ESCI Kamow Ka-34 ‘Hokum’ which also provide the launch rails for the ordnance). The drop tanks come probably from an Italeri F-16 (not certain) while the four AIM-4s come from a Hasegawa USAF air-to-air weapons set.

Painting and markings:

This was supposed to become a classic USAF aircraft of the late Fifties, since the F-94 had never been exported. I was actually tempted to add Red Stars, though, because the overall shape has a certain Soviet look to it - esp. the nose, which reminds a lot of the contemporary Yak-25 interceptor?

But the original USAF idea won, with an all-metal finish. In order to brighten things up I chose a squadron that served with the Northeast or Alaskan Air Command, which added orange-red high-viz markings to wings and fuselage.

The NMF sections were primed with a base coat of Revell’s acrylic Aluminum. On top of that, single panels and details were painted with Alu Plate and Steel Metallizer from Modelmaster.

The International Orange markings were created with Humbrol 132, slightly shaded with orange (Humbrol 18).

Part of the nose section and the spine were painted in ADC Grey (FS 16473, Modelmaster), just for some diversity. Cockpit interior and landing gear wells received a coat of US Cockpit Green (Humbrol 226), while the interior of the air brakes was painted in Zinc Primer (Humbrol 81), according to pictures of operational F-94s.

The landing gear struts and the inside of their covers became Aluminum (Humbrol 56). The anti glare panel in front of the cockpit was done with dark olive drab (Humbrol 66), the radome flat black and weathered with wet-in-wet streaks of sand brown.

Operational F-94s show serious weathering on their di-electric noses, so this detail was taken over to the kit. Other weathering with paint, beyond a basic black ink wash and some shading on the orange areas, was not done.

The drop tanks were painted with Steel Metallizer, for a different metallic shade from the fuselage, and the AIM-4’s received a typical outfit in white and bright red with different seeker heads.

Primary decals come from a Heller F-94B kit, which have the benefit of a silver background – even though this does not match 100% with the paint. Squadron markings come from an Xtradecal F-102 sheet, tailored to the kit. Most stencils come from the Emhar OOB sheet, plus some more from the aforementioned F-102 sheet.

After some soot stains around the exhaust were added with graphite, the kit was sealed under a coat of semi-glossy acrylic varnish. The anti glare panel and the radome were kept matt, though.

A pretty result. Mixing parts from a Shooting Star and a Sabre (a Shooting Sabre, perhaps?) results in a very elegant aircraft. And while the F-94 lost much of its original, elegant appeal, the combo still works with this later interceptor variant of the F-80. Very plausible, IMHO.

2D-3D conversion using SPM. Red/Cyan 3D glasses required for viewing.

+++ 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 "Entwicklung" tank series (= "development"), more commonly known as the E-Series, was a late-World War II attempt by Germany to produce a standardized series of tank designs. There were to be six standard designs in different weight classes, from which several specialized variants were to be developed. This intended to reverse the trend of extremely complex tank designs that had resulted in poor production rates and mechanical unreliability.

In service the vehicle was, due to its crouched silhouette, unofficially called "Dachs" (Badger), a name that was quickly adopted in official circles, too. The first vehicles reached Western front line units along the Rhine in March 1945. They proved to be very successful and popular with its crews, because the tank was agile, easy to handle and less cramped than most of its predecessors. Total production reached 250 vehicles until the end of hostilities, and many of the E-25/88s design features were later incorporated into the post WWII “Jagdpanzer Kanone” for the German Bundeswehr.

Specifications:

Crew: Five (commander, gunner, loader, radio operator, driver)

Weight: 31 tonnes (34.5 short tons)

Length: 6.98 metres (22 ft 10 in) (hull only)

9.93 metres (32 ft 6 1/2 in) incl. gun

Width: 3.20 metres (10 ft 6 in)

Height 2.48 metres (8 ft 1 1/2 in)

Ground clearance: 495 to 510 mm (1 ft 7.5 in to 1 ft 8.1 in)

Suspension: Torsion bar

Fuel capacity: 450 litres (120 US gal)

Armor:

10–80 mm (0.4 – 3.15 in)

Performance:

Speed

- Maximum, road: 52 km/h (32 mph)

- Sustained, road: 42 km/h (26 mph)

- Cross country: 16 to 25 km/h (9.5 to 15.5 mph)

Operational range: 210 km (130 mi)

Power/weight: 17,74 PS/tonne (16 hp/ton)

Engine:

V-12 Maybach Maybach HL 101 gasoline engine with 550 PS (539 hp, 341 kW)

Transmission:

ZF AK 7-200 with 7 forward 1 reverse gears

Armament:

1× 8.8 cm KwK 43/4 L/71 with 50 rounds

2× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns with a total of 5.200 rounds

(one in the casemate front and a remote-controlled gun on the commander's cupola)

The kit and its assembly:

It does not look spectacular, but this compact tank hunter is a major kitbashing, inspired by - but not necessarily an exact model of - the real but unrealized German E-25 Jagdpanzer project.

Things started with a leftover chassis from a Trumpeter "Sturer Emil" SPG with an early interleaf suspension design and a relatively long hull. I wanted to save it and incorporate it into a Heer '46 design, and soon the idea of a Jagdpanzer IV successor was born. Selling it as an E-25 design and incorporating a bigger gun was a logical step.

The build was very pragmatic. The lower hull with the wheel attachments was taken OOB, but it was shortened by 5mm. This was achieved by simply taking away a plug behind the last road wheel and in front of the sprocket wheel, which was moved from the front to the rear end.

While this sounds simple, the attachment points’ different diameters and the need for a sturdy construction (due to the kit’s vinyl tracks) posed quite a challenge. In the wake of this modification, the track’s support wheels were deleted, too, for the E-25’s simplified “slack track” layout. The tracks were shortened accordingly, and mounted/fixed with super glue (as one of the final steps after painting).

The upper hull comes basically from an Armorfast Jagdpanther, after several trials with a Jagdpanzer IV, a Brummbär and even a potentially scratched casemate. The Jagdpanther hull was reduced in height, though, and also slightly shortened, so that the new tank would be more compact than a Jagdpanther and also differ in the silhouette.

In order to change the look even more, the “Saukopf” gun mantlet from a Jagdpanzer IV/70 was implanted (even though with an 8,8cm barrel), as well as the vehicle’s protective shields for the motor deck. Overall hull width was adapted to the Sturer Emil tracks through mudguards.

The machine gun turret was scratched, and some other details changed or added, including some periscopes, a Panzer IV commander cupola and some equipment pieces on the mudguards.

Painting and markings:

This time, I wanted a disruptive scheme for this tank hunter, and adopted a rather simple livery for the E-25/88: a uniform RAL 6003 Olivgrün for the upper hull (appied with a rattle can, plus a hush with RAL 6011 on the upper surfaces), with a dense, irregular pattern of sand/yellow blotches - lighter than the authentic RAL 7028 Dunkelgelb, though (I have used Humbrol 103, Cream).

Wheels and the lower hull flanks (behind the running gear) were painted in RAL 7028 Dunkelgelb (RAL 8000, which comes pretty close, IMHO).

Similar schemes were, for instance, applied to some Ferdinand tank Hunters, operated in Italy and the Eastern Front, but also on Jagdpanthers at the Western front (e. g. in Belgium). The result reminds a bit of a Giraffe, or of the unique British "net" scheme applied to tanks on Malta.

On top of the basic paintwork, a dark brown washing was added and the edges further emphasized through dry-brushing with light grey and pale sand tones, plus some acrylic silver.

Once the wheels and tracks were fitted into place and the few decals applied, a coat of matt acrylic varnish was added. Finally, dust and dry mud were simulated with mixed pigments, applied with a soft brush onto wet stains of varnish.

This E-25 tank hunter model looks pretty conclusive, and at first glance it looks very German, because it incorporates many typical design features. But the more you look the more “unique” it looks, e. g. through the low Schachtellaufwerk, the lowered Jagdpanther upper hull and its combination with the Saukopf gun mantlet from the Jagdpanzer IV. It looks very purposeful, and the paint scheme appears to be very effective, too, blurring the outlines and details well.

Original drawing done in the late 60's...Conversion to 3D done with SPM 013009. Red/Cyan 3D glasses required for viewing.

Downtown Louisville, KY. 2014.

An assignment when I was in High School. We selected the style of art to research and then we had to try and do some original art in that tecnique - Just recently converted to 3D using the clone tool in StereoPhoto Maker. Red/Cyan glasses required for viewing.

Wartime Fordson Standard N with Perkins P6 diesel engine conversion.

Henley Ploughing Match 2014.

2D-3D conversion using SPM.

Found the web image at www.wallpaperjunkie.com

Red/Cyan 3D glasses required for viewing.

Taken at the FMCA Rally in Gillette, Wyoming. Beautiful lines on these old bus conversions.

Image processed with GIMP.

+++ 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 Flakpanzer Coelian comprised a family of self-propelled anti-aircraft gun tanks, designed by Rheinmetall during World War II for the German armed forces. In the first years of the war, the Wehrmacht had only little interest in developing self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, but as the Allies developed air superiority, the need for more mobile and better-armed self-propelled anti-aircraft guns increased.

Roundabout 300 Coelian tanks reached frontline units, two third of them were factory-built, and in the course of early 1945 the Coelian family had gradually replaced most of the outdated Panzer IV AA variants and SPAAGs with open turrets. The Coelian tanks were soon joined by the newly produced, dedicated Flakpanzer variants of the Einheitspanzer family, including a twin 55 mm gun on the E-50 chassis and also a monstrous 140 ton anti-aircraft variant of the heavy E-100 chassis, equipped with an automatic twin 8.8cm Flak in a fully enclosed and heavily armored turret.

Specifications:

Crew: Five (commander, gunner, loader/2nd gunner, driver, radio-operator/hull machine gunner)

Weight: 44.8 tonnes (44.1 long tons; 49.4 short tons)

Length: 6.87 m (22 ft 6 in)

Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in) with side skirts

Height: 3.13 m (10 ft 3 in)

Suspension: Double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels

Fuel capacity: 720 litres (160 imp gal; 190 US gal)

Armor:

15–80 mm (0.6 – 3.15 in)

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 46 km/h (29 mph)

Operational range: 250 km (160 mi)

Power/weight: 15.39 PS (11.5 kW)/tonne (13.77 hp/ton)

Engine:

Maybach HL230 P30 V-12 petrol engine with 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)

ZF AK 7-200 gear; 7 forward 1 reverse

Armament:

4× 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 103 machine cannon with 3.600 rounds

1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun in the front glacis plate with 2.500 rounds

The kit and its assembly:

This was a spontaneous build, in the wake of other recent whif tanks and using some leftover parts from the kit pile(s). Things started with a KORA 1:72 resin conversion kit with a 2x 37mm FlaK Coelian turret for a Panther chassis – but with broken and bent gun barrels. I had actually stashed the parts away for a potential mecha build/conversion, long ago, but while doing legwork for late German WWII tanks I recently came again across the various anti-aircraft tank designs. And I wondered if mounting the Coelian turret on a Panzer IV chassis would be possible and lead to a compact (and whiffy) new vehicle?

Well, it would not work, because the Coelian turret needs a considerably bigger turret bearing diameter than anything the Panzer IV hull could realistically handle (even the Panther’s Schmalturm is actually a little too wide…), and so I folded the idea up again and put it onto the “vague ideas” pile.

…until I stumbled upon the leftover hull from a Hasegawa Panther Ausf. F in the donor kits pile, which had originally given both of its OOB turrets (a Schmalturm and a standard model) to other conversions. While mating the Coelian turret with its originally intended hull was not a sexy project, I eventually did so, because I could effectively use two leftovers for something sound and well-balanced.

Concerning the assembly phase, there’s not much to tell about the Hasegawa Panther Ausf. F. Fit is good, a simple kit, and it comes, as a benefit, with optional all-steel wheels which I used for my conversion, changing the overall look to a true late war model. Only the opening for the turret had to be widened in order to accept the new resin turret.

The latter only consists of two parts: the massive core section and a separate weapon mount. The latter was in so far modified that I added a simple metal peg which can be switched between two holes in the turret hull, for two gun positions.

Since the original gun barrels had to be replaced, anyway, I did a thorough (and fictional) modification: I used four 1:48 20 mm brass barrels for a Flak 38 Flakvierling (from RB Models) and mounted them in two staggered pairs onto the original cannon fairing. The resulting gun array looks impressive and even realistic, and, thanks to the scale-o-rama effect, the 1:48 parts have the perfect size for 30 mm cannon barrels in 1:72!

Painting and markings:

Something “German”, but nothing spectacular, so I ended up with another variant of the Hinterhalt scheme, found on a Jagdpanther from the Ardennenoffensive period. In this case, the prominent colors are Dunkelgelb and Olivgrün in broad stripes, separated by blurred, thin lines made of Rotbraun.

As a little twist I wanted to modify the scheme in so far that this vehicle was to show its conversion heritage in a workshop, so hull and turret received different basic tones as an initial step.

The hull and all wheels were painted with matt RAL 7028 (a modern equivalent to the WWII Dunkelgelb), while the turret received a red primer coat with Oxidrot (RAL 3009). On top of these, wide green bands (RAL 6003 from Modelmaster) and separating russet (Humbrol 113) stripes were painted with brushes. In order to brighten up the relatively dark turret, some yellow mottles were added on the Oxidrot areas (using Revell 16).

Once dry, the whole surface received a sand paper treatment, so that the RAL 7028 would shine through here and there, as if worn out. After a dark brown wash, details were emphasized with dry-brushing in light grey and beige. Decals were puzzled together from various German tank sheets, and the kit finally sealed with matt acrylic varnish.

The black vinyl tracks were also painted/weathered, with a wet-in-wet mix of black, iron and red brown (all acrylics). Once they were mounted into place, mud and dust around the running gear and the lower hull was simulated with a greyish-brown mix of artist mineral pigments.

A bit of recycling and less exotic than originally hoped for – but it’s still a whiffy tank model, and its proximity to the real but unrealized Coelian project makes this one even more subtle. Pile reduction, one by one…

2D-3D conversion usng SPM. I found this image on the web. Red/Cyan 3D glasses required for viewing.

+++ 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:

When, towards late 1945, the Einheits-Chassis for the German combat tanks (the "E" series of medium and heavy tanks) reached the front lines, several heavily armed anti-aircraft turrets had been developed, including the 30mm Kugelblitz, based on the outdated Panzer IV, the "Coelian" turret with various armament options for the Panzer V Panther hull, and there were twin 55 mm as well as single and even 88mm cannon systems for the new E-50, E-75 and E-100 chassis'.

Until the end of hostilities, probably thirty Sd.Kfz. 282/1s were completed from newly built (Ausf. F, recognizable through the simpler all-metal wheels) or from refurbished earlier Panzer V chassis of various types before production switched in early 1946 to the E-50 chassis which had eventually become available in sufficient numbers.

Specifications:

Crew: Five (commander, radar operator, observer, driver, radio-operator/hull machine gunner)

Weight: 41.2 tonnes (40.4 long tons; 45.3 short tons)

Length (hull only): 6.87 m (22 ft 6 in)

Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in) hull only

4,60 m (15 ft 1 in) overall

Height: 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)

Suspension: Double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels

Fuel capacity: 720 litres (160 imp gal; 190 US gal)

Armor:

15–80 mm (0.6 – 3.15 in)

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 48 km/h (30 mph)

Operational range: 250 km (160 mi)

Power/weight: 15.39 PS (11.5 kW)/tonne (13.77 hp/ton)

Engine:

Maybach HL230 P30 V-12 petrol engine with 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)

ZF AK 7-200 gear; 7 forward 1 reverse

Armament:

1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun in the front glacis plate with 2.500 rounds

Optional MG 34 or 42 machine gun with 1.500 rounds on the turret

The kit and its assembly:

Another submission to the “Recce & Surveillance” group build at whatifmodellers.com in July 2021, and actually a good occasion to tackle a project that I had on my list for some years. A long while ago I bought a resin conversion set with a (purely fictional) Heer ‘46 anti-aircraft surveillance radar system, based on an E-50 chassis. Unfortunately, I cannot identify the manufacturer, but this 1:72 conversion set was/is nicely molded, with delicate details, no bubbles or flash and it even came with a commander figure for an optional open hatch on top as well as a pair of delicate brass antennae.

Even though I could have mounted this replacement turret onto a Trumpeter or Modelcollect E-50/75 chassis, I rather decided to create an earlier (1945 time frame) interim vehicle on a late Panzer V ‘Panther’ basis, mostly because it would be more compact and I doubt that brand new E-50/75s would have been “wasted” on second line/support vehicles like this mobile surveillance/commando post for anti-aircraft units?

The Panther chassis is the old Hasegawa kit for an Ausf. G tank from 1973, chosen because of its good fit, simplicity and the vinyl tracks, which I prefer. However, the kit clearly shows its age and some weak/soft details (e. g. the gratings on the engine deck), but it was enough for my plans and easy to handle.

Both turret and hull were built separately and basically OOB, combined with an adjusted turret ring. The Kdo 40’s “antlers” are to be glued directly to the turret’s flanks, but I reinforced the connections with wire. I also replaced the set’s brass antennae with heated sprue material and used a surplus PE detail set from a Modelcollect E-50/75 to hide the crude engine openings and change the overall look of the Panther a little. Some storage boxes as well as spare track links were added to the flanks, stuff collected from the scrap box.

To emphasize the refurbished character of the vehicle I left away the Panther’s side skirts – these were easily lost in battle, anyway, and probably have rather been allocated to battle tanks than to 2nd line support vehicles, despite leaving the Panther’s lower hull under the mudguards vulnerable.

Painting and markings:

Even though the paint scheme on this model is based on German standard colors, it is a little special. Late in real-world WWII some Panzer Vs received a unique, uniform RAL 6003 (Olivgrün) factory finish instead of the usual all-over RAL 7028 (Dunkelgelb) or the bare oxide red primer finish, onto which the frontline units would add individual camouflage, depending on the theatre of operations and whatever paint or application tool was at hand. This special green livery was adopted for the model, including the new turret. The individual camouflage consists of diagonal stripes in Dunkelgelb and Rotbraun (RAL 8017), added on top of the green basis with rather sharp and straight edges and only to the vertical surfaces. The practice to leave out the horizontal surfaces was called “Sparanstrich” (literally “economy paintwork”), an attempt to save the more and more scarce paint.

This rather odd style was actually applied to several late war Panther tanks – even though I am personally not certain about this pattern’s effectiveness? Maybe a kind of dazzle effect was sought for?

The basic green became a modern-day RAL 6003 from the rattle can (which is very close to FS 34102, just a tad lighter), applied in a rather cloudy fashion on top of an initial coat of Oxide Red primer (RAL 3009) overall, also from the rattle can. On top of that the stripes were painted with a brush, partly masked but mostly free-handedly. For some variation I used this time Tamiya XF-60 (a rather pale interpretation of Dunkelgelb which IMHO lacks a greenish hue and rather looks like a desert sand tone) and XF-64 (a rich whole milk chocolate tone) to create the additional camouflage, not fully opaque so that the impression of thinly/hastily applied paint was reinforced.

Once dry, the whole surface received a very dark brown washing with thinned acrylic paint and surface details were emphasized through dry-brushing with earth brown and beige.

For a different look (and to break up the tank’s bulky outlines) I applied camouflage nets to the model, realized with gauze bandages drenched in Tamyia XF-62 (Olive Drab) and mounted into place around the turret and at the front of the hull while still slightly wet.

Decals were puzzled together from various German tank sheets. The kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish, what also fixed the cammo nets in place. The originally shiny black vinyl tracks were also painted/weathered, with a wet-in-wet mix of grey, iron, black and red brown (all acrylics). Once mounted into place, mud and dust were simulated around the running gear and the lower hull with a greyish-brown mix of artist mineral pigments.

Not a spectacular build, but I am happy that I eventually had the opportunity and motivation to tackle this project that had been lingering for years in the The Stash™. The result looks really good – the anonymous resin set is/was excellent, and combined with the Panther hull, the whole thing looks very credible. I am only a bit sad that the odd, almost artistic camouflage got a little lost under the cammo nets and the equipment on the hull, and the dust/dirt on the lower areas blurs the three basic colors even more. Well, you cannot have everything at once, and I might re-use this scheme on a “cleaner” future build.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and other conflicts.

The Mustang was conceived, designed and built by North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a specification issued directly to NAA by the British Purchasing Commission. The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed and, with an engine installed, first flew on 26 October.

The type remained in RAF service until October 1946. After that the RAF passed 60 machines to the Indian Air Force in 1947, together with other piston fighters.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 32 ft 8 1/4 in (9.97 m)

Wingspan: 48 ft 9½ in (14.90 m)

Height: 14 ft 6 in (4.39 m)

Wing area: 235 sq ft (21.83 m²)

Airfoil: NAA/NACA 45-100 / NAA/NACA 45-100

Empty weight: 7,725 lb (3,505 kg)

Loaded weight: 9,290 lb (4,220 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 12,200 lb (5,515 kg)

Maximum fuel capacity: 419 US gal (349 imp gal; 1,590 l)

Powerplant:

1× Bristol Centaurus 1 18-cylinder twin-row radial engine, 2,000 hp (1,490 kW) at take-off

Performance:

Maximum speed: 432 mph (695 km/h) at 18,400 ft (5,608 m)

Cruise speed: 362 mph (315 kn, 580 km/h)

Range: 740 mi (1,190 km) on internal fuel

Service ceiling: 36,500 ft (11,125 m)

Rate of climb: 4,700 ft/min (23.9 m/s)

Armament:

4× 0.787 caliber (20mm) Hispano Mk. II cannons with 200 RPG in the outer wings

Underwing hardpoints for up to 2.000 lb (907 kg) of external ordnance,

including drop tanks, a pair of bombs of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber, or six unguided missiles

The kit and its assembly:

This conversion was based on the rather academic question: how could a Mustang with a radial engine look like? A weird idea, if you look at the sleek aircraft. But then there was the rather handsome Fw 190 A/F, the Hawker Tempest carried both liquid-cooled and air-cooled engines, and I saw a model of a Merlin Spitfire mated with a Fw 190 BMW engine some time ago. So, why not re-do the Mustang?

Working things out was complex, though. Initially I wanted to graft an R-2800 onto the Mustang’s nose – I had a spare fuselage from a late Italeri F4U at hand, as well as a Matchbox P-51D... After some measuring I was certain: yes, this transplant could work!

Said and done, the Corsair’s front section including the engine was cut out and tailored to fit over the shortened Mustang nose which lost its Merlin. At first I retained the original belly radiator, since it would be a convenient fairing for the oil coolers. The project made good progress, but… the result did not look good, because the R-2800 is rather wide. The aircraft looked very tadpole-like.

So, while in the middle of body sculpting, I decided to change the project, switching to a British Centaurus - a featureless piece from a PM Model Sea Fury with some more changes.

The Centaurus’ selling point was the more slender cowling, and it goes well onto a F4U’s nose section, proven by several conversions of this kind. In order to keep the aircraft as slender as possible I removed the belly tunnel and re-located the oil coolers and air intakes into the wing roots, closer to the engine and more like the installation on the Tempest or the Sea Fury. These extended wing root fairings were created from sprue pieces and putty.

It is amazing how this further modification changed the Mustang’s look – the thing reminds a lot of a La-9/11 now, even though wings, tail and most of the fuselage, including the canopy, were not modified at all? I am also reminded of the F8F Bearcat?

Furthermore, after the new propeller (cuffed blades from a P-47 Thunderbolt, IIRC, with trimmed tips) with a massive spinner from a Hawker Tempest was mounted on its metal axis, this mutant Mustang looked more and more like a Reno Unlimited Class racer? Weird, but sexy!

Otherwise, only minor things were changed, e. g. the landing gear covers were replaced through 0.5mm styrene sheet, a dashboard was added to the cockpit and the thick canopy cut into two pieces. The six 0.5” machine guns were replaced by four short Hispano cannons made from brass.

Painting and markings:

With the Centaurus implant the background story and the operator idea changed. I used this opportunity to paint the aircraft in a late/post WWII SEAC livery – inspired by P-47s operated in this region.

The bare metal finish with dark blue ID stripes and the SEAC roundels already looked nice, but as a twist I incorporated remnants of a former Dark Green/Dark Earth camouflage, on the fuselage and the wings’ leading edges, as anti-glare panels, while the area in front of the cockpit was painted in opaque dark olive drab – a practice to be found on several RAF aircraft of that time are area.

The interior surface were painted with USAF Cockpit Green (Humbrol 224 and 150) and slightly dry-brushed, then the whole kit received a basic coat of Revell Acrylic Aluminum. Later, some panels were painted with different shades of Aluminum and Steel (including Metallizer and normal metallic paint). Some wet sanding blurred the outlines and enhanced the worn look.

Decals come from various SEAC sheets, including the blue ID stripes on wings and tail. The corresponding blue cowling ring was painted with a mix of Humbrol 15 and 104, and pretty flaky around the engine cowling.

As finishing touches some oil stains were added with Tamiya “Smoke” and some soot stains around the exhausts and the guns were added. Finally, the camouflaged areas were sealed under a matt varnish while the bare metal parts received a semi-gloss acrylic coat.

A weird project – one of the few of my models that somehow changed dramatically along the way, even though still true to the original idea of a radial engine Mustang. However, the result was envisioned differently, but I am still happy with the outcome. Even though there’s visually little Mustang breed left…

Deb created this wardrobe out of an old air force footlocker that came from the (now defunct) Saint Marie Montana air force base.

When she started, it was wood colored. First she painted it black (you can see it after the first coat of paint on the left, there, along with some hints of the wood color still peeping through), then added some hardware for the handles found on EBay, then made the padded sections, routed the trim and painted it gold.

The final result is on the right. This thing is six feet tall and holds lots of my clothes on hangers. It is very useful to me, as the building we're turning into a home was essentially a box with literally zero closet space.

The whole project probably cost less than $50. One more step in creating a home that doesn't cost an arm and a leg... but feels like it did, at least to us.

+++ 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 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (NATO reporting name: Fagot) was one of the first successful jet fighters to incorporate swept wings to achieve high transonic speeds. In aerial combat during the Korean War, it outclassed straight-winged jet day fighters, which were largely relegated to ground-attack roles. In response to the MiG-15’s appearance and in order to counter it, the United States Air Force rushed the North American F-86 Sabre to Korea. The MiG-15 is believed to have been one of the most produced jet aircraft evr, with more than 13,000 manufactured.

SBLim-1A aircraft were withdrawn from service by 1975. The SBLim-2A were retired in the early 1990s, but this was not the end of their career. Some were, however, after the 7th Special Aviation Regiment had been termintaed, converted back to training versions during overhauls and re-designated as SBLim-2M. The last examples of the SBLim-2M were withdrawn from service in the early 1990s.

General characteristics:

Crew: 2

Length: 10.04 m (32 ft 10½ in) overall

8,02 m (26 ft 3¼ in) hull only

Wingspan: 10.08 m (33 ft 1 in)

Height: 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in)

Wing area: 20.6 m² (222 sq ft)

Airfoil: root: TsAGI S-10; tip: TsAGI SR-3

Empty weight: 3.916 kg (8,625 lb)

Gross weight: 5,044 kg (11,995 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 5.446 kg (15,585 lb)

Fuel capacity: 1,420 L (380 US gal; 310 imp gal) internal

Powerplant:

1× WSK Lis-2 (license-built Klimov VK-1A) centrifugal-flow turbojet,

with 26.5 kN (5,955 lbf) maximum thrust

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,050 km/h (669 mph, 581 kn) / Mach 0.87 at sea level

1,031 km/h (640 mph; 560 kn) / Mach 0.9 at 5,000 m (16,377 ft)

Cruise speed: 850 km/h (530 mph, 460 kn) / Mach 0.69

Ferry range: 2,520 km (1,570 mi, 1,360 nmi) at 12,000 m (39,370 ft)

with 2x600 L (160 US gal; 130 imp gal) drop-tanks

Service ceiling: 15,200 m (49,800 ft)

Rate of climb: 42 m/s (8,255 ft/min)

Wing loading: 255 kg/m² (60.7 lb/sq ft) at MTOW

Thrust/weight: 0.54

Armament:

1 or 2× 23 mm Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 autocannon in the lower left fuselage (80 RPG each)

2× underwing hardpoints for 100 kg (220 lb) bombs, drop tanks, or unguided rockets

The kit and its assembly:

This is another Hobby Boss MiG-15, but this time the two-seat trainer kit. While it effectively a what-if model, this project is very close to reality – in fact it’s only the paint scheme (even though this was inspired by a real Polish Navy SBLim-2A, see below) and tactical code that are fictional, or rather a personal interpretation or real-world things.

The Midget was built OOB, and external difference to an earlier baseline MiG-15 (e. g. shape and position of the airbrakes) will only be obvious to expert eyes. The Mig_15 kit is one of the more complex Hobby Boss kits (read: more than just a fuselage plus wings and some bits to stick onto this base) like the company’s F9F or Hawker Seahawk and IMHO pretty good and crisp. It’s still quite simple, but it features many small detail parts to be added to the airframe that yield a convincing model, including a surprisingly well detailed cockpit tub, a nice landing gear and two different pairs of underwing tanks (slipper and drop-shaped tanks with fins).

While it goes together well there are some watchouts:

- Locator pins inside the air intake should be sanded away, they are visible from certain angles

- The canopy’s locator pins should be removed, too, and I split the part for open cockpit display

- Do not forget to add nose weight, even though there is little internal space for it

Painting and markings:

While it looks as if it had been painted in a fever dream this Midget is very close to reality! The Polish Navy SBLim-2As all carried individual camouflage paint schemes, with three and sometimes even fopur different colors, and wide and wild color choices! For my build I adapted the scheme of a real aircraft coded “2004 Red”, of which I only had a starboard profile drawing, though. So, the colors and the pattern from the left and above had to be guessed, and I gave it a fictional new tactical code. To make things look even more spectacular I adopted a painting detail from another SBLim-2A (“6010 Red”): it had, probably during overhaul, been re-touched with fresh bluish dark green paint (a tone NOT part of its original camouflage in dark green, erath brown, a bluish grey and rather yellowish sand or ochre tone) in many places, e. g. on leading edges, around the cockpit and over some inspection flaps. A wild and shaggy look, even though I am certain that the aircraft were in a very good shape.

Finding appropriate tones for everything took a while, and I settled for bright Humbrol 89 (mid Blue) underneath and Model Master 2031 (Blue FS 35109), Humbrol 149 (Dark Green, FS 34092), Revell 43 (USAF Neutral Grey, FS 36270) and Model Master 2134 (Fulcrum Gray Green). The touch-ups werre done with thinned Humbrol 3 (Brunswick green). The drop tanks (in this case I used the standard pylon-mounted variant) were painted with aluminum metallizer.

The cockpit tub was painted in the dreaded Soviet anti-fatigue teal, with a black dashboard and dark grey seats. The landing gear and the respective wells were painted in a grey tone (Revell 43), with bright green wheel discs as contrast, using good benchmark pics from literature (e. g. the exhaustive “Mikoyan MiG-15” by Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov).

The markings mostly came from a Gran MiG-15UTI kit that I had procured for this project because of its decals sheet – it includes markings for a 7th Special Naval Aviation Regiment SBLim-2A, specifically the unit’s badge consisting of an owl perched on top of an anchor. The same sheet provided the national markings as well as the many blue stencils, which add a modern touch to the vintage Midget. The tactical code was puzzled together from single red digits, from a PLAAF aircraft (Trumpeter).

Some panel shading was done as well as dry-brushing with light grey to add a used look, and finally the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and the wire antenna, made from heated black sprue material, was mounted between cockpit and fin.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

N.V. Koolhoven was an aircraft manufacturer based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. From its conception in 1926 to its destruction in the Blitzkrieg in May 1940, the company remained the Dutch second major aircraft manufacturer after Fokker.

Although many of its aircraft were as unsuccessful economically as they were brilliant from a design standpoint, the company managed to score several 'hits', amongst them the FK-58 single-seat monoplane fighter, the FK-50 twin-engine passenger transport and the FK-41.

Anyway, England-based production of the FK-60 already ceased in late 1943 after only about 60 aircraft had been built - the British resources were needed elsewhere, so that the FK-60 became the ultimate Koolhoven aircraft to be produced in significant numbers.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 24 ft 7 3/4 in (7,54 m)

Wingspan: 33 ft 4½ in (10.19 m)

Height: 11 ft 5½ in (3.50 m)

Wing area: 187.1 ft² (17.44 m²)

Empty weight: 5,518 lb (2,505 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 7,378 lb (3,350 kg)

Performance

Maximum speed: 343 mph (555 km/h)

Range: 692 mi (1.117 km)

Service ceiling: 35,363 ft (10,800 m)

Rate of climb: 2,303 ft/min (11.7 m/s)

Wing loading: 29.5 lb/ft² (192 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.26 kW/kg)

Engine:

1× Wright Cyclone R-1820-60 9 cylinder radial engine with 1.200 hp (882 kW)

Armament:

3× 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine guns with 250 RPG in the forward fuselage, synchronized to fire through the propeller disk

Provisions for 4× 7.62 (0.303 in) machine guns in the wings, outside of the landing gear; often replaced in the field by 2× 20mm (0.787 in) Hispano or CAC cannons with 60 RPG.

Hardpoint under the fuselage for a 500 lb (227 kg) bomb or a drop tank

The kit and its assembly

This aircraft is completely fictional, and the result of a spontaneous purchase: it's Art Model's kit of the I-210 prototype, also known as MiG-3 Ash-82 or MiG-9 (first use of designation) - a rather disappointing attempt to mate the MiG-3 with a radial engine.

Art Model is AFAIK a relatively new Russian manufacturer, and I already built their Grumman Bearcat. This one confirms the good initial impression, and actually the I-210 kit is a good one. It appears a bit simple, as the wings are just one massive piece. But all parts fit very well - except for the fuselage halves, which need massive shaping and sanding effort. But, on the positive side, there are nice interior details in the cockpit and the landing gear wells, and there's a fine resin engine (which I did not use, though).

It took a while to find a whiffy use for the kit, and finally settled on the idea to make another contribution to this year's Group Build at whatifmodelers.com under the theme "Asiarama". From there, and the wish to build a whif aircraft in a Dutch East Indies livery. But I had to de-sovietize this MiG somehow...

The kit was taken more or less OOB, but its engine and the nose were modified. The cowling was shortened, making place for a fan-less single radial engine from the scrap box (I suspect that it comes from a Matchbox Gladiator, the first one I built maybe 30 years ago!). A new cowling ring, also from a Matchbox Gloster Gladiator, was implanted. The original propeller received a smaller spinner from a Matchbox Fw 190, and that already changed the overall look of the aircraft considerable, even though it appears now like a Polikarpov I-16 on steroids?

I adapted the I-210's weapon installations with three MGs around the engine. Odd, but why not? The wing armament is a personal addition, the 20mm cannons were built from scratch.

Some bulges for the weapons and a pilot were added to the basic kit, that was all.

Painting and markings:

At first glance, the paint scheme looks familiar, like the typical RAF Dark Earth/Dark Green from above. But upon closer inspection, the ML-KNIL's typical scheme actually consists of two green tones, with silver undersides. This scheme was frequently used on many other ML-KNIL planes, e. g. the P-36/Hawk 75 or, Curtiss-Wright CW-21, and also on some RAAF Spitfires in that region.

For the lighter 'Oudeblad' ("old leaves") tone I used Olive Drab from Humbrol (155), which is rather brown-ish. 155 seems to be a perfect choice, and it was shaded with FS 34087 from Model Masters and Humbrol 26 (Khaki Drab).

For the darker Jongblad ("young leaves") tone I used Humbrol 195 as basic tone. FS 34092 is often recommended (as well as for RAAF "Foliage Green"), but I found this modern FS tone to be much too bluish and light. It just does not look right. After consulting pictures of a ML-KNIL Buffalo replica at airliners.net, I settled for the darker Chromeoxyde Green, setting some shades with Marine Green (Humbrol 105) and Army Green (Humbrol 102)

Taking Hawk 75 in ML-KNIL use as a benchmark I wrapped the paint scheme around the leading edges and the rear fuselage, so that only the lower wing surfaces and the engine cowling received a coat with Revell's acyrlic Aluminum. The fabric-covered rudders were painted with the darker, more gray-ish Humbrol 56. Model MAster Aluminum was used for some light shading.

A nice, colorful detail is the typical collector ring at the engine front - painted with a mix of Copper and Titanium Metallizer - it really turns the MiG into something different.

The interior surfaces became Cockpit Green (Humbrol 78), I deemed it an appropriate tone as the aircraft was assembled in the UK.

Finally, the kit was considerably weathered through a black ink wash, dry brushing on all surfaces with lighter/bleached tones of the camouflage colours, some emphasized panel lines, plus some soot stains around the guns and the exhaust - the humid conditions would certainly take their toll on the aircraft.

Markings were puzzled together. The triangles come from two Matchbox Buffal kits - the marking on the upper wings are not authentic, but I wanted to add them as these insignia are so exotic and stand out so well from the all-green background. The white fuselage stripe is another detail taken from ML-KNIL Buffalos, improvised with white decal strpis from a TL Modellbau sheet. The tactical code "K-164/D" is totally fictional and also created thorugh single digits from TL decal sheets.

In the end, a small project from the long idea list, done in just two days as nothing much was changed and I had all ingredients at hand.