Quote from: Dizzyfugu on February 14, 2024, 02:17:26 AMPretty! 

It is indeed 

That looks very good, and i also like the weapons load.  

That Crusader looks so good. It would have been a great investment for Japan.

McDonnell Douglas F-4M Phantom - 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, United States Air Force Europe, 1975

During late 1966, with the USA getting more and more embroiled in the Vietnam war, it was decided to re-equip several USAFE units with the British licence-built F-4M so as to release older tactical aircraft such as the F-100D and F-105D for service in Vietnam where attrition was now a very serious issue.

McDonnell Douglas had already brought together a substantial UK sub-contracting team consisting of BAC, Hawker Siddeley, Rolls-Royce (for the Spey turbofan engines) and Shorts with final assembly and flight testing being carried out at St. Louis but, with one eye on the European market, McDonnell Douglas moved final assembly to Brough (North Humberside) with flight testing at Holme on Spalding Moor. This decision came a bit too late for the Royal Navy whose F-4K aircraft continued to be assembled and flight tested in the USA but all F-4M's were produced in the UK with all odd production numbers being allocated to the RAF and all even numbers to the USAFE with Lakenheath and Bitburg becoming the first USAFE wings to re-equip with the type.

Entering service with the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in England in 1970 the F-4M's received a modest upgrade during 1973-1974 to emerge with the Marconi ARI18228 RWR mounted on the fintip and also gained 'slimer' formation-keeping strip lights. The USAF F-4M's had a relatively long career with USAFE and were eventually replaced by F-15E's during 1990 and just missed out on participation in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.






Another one from 2010 and this is just the standard USAF camo for the F-4D applied to the F-4M 3D model with a bit of jiggery pokery to show Spey nozzles and I made a mini template to show the individual squadron colours of Blue, Yellow and Red on the fintop RWR.

An interesting twist on the RW. 

And one would make a great Whiffed model as well. 

McDonnell Douglas F-4L Phantom - VMFA-333, United States Marine Corps, 1975

With all the considerable design effort being put into the marriage of the Phantom airframe and the Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engine McDonnell Douglas thought it might be a good idea to propose a version to the US Navy to allow the Phantom to operate from the smaller carriers that were limited to F-8E Crusaders. In June 1966 the designation F-4L was given to the proposed Spey-powered Phantom and in October 1966 an initial order for 130 F-4L's (USN/USMC) was made, followed by an unexpected export order of 30 F-4L's for the Royal Australian Navy.

Deliveries to the US Navy commenced in February 1969 with VF-24 becoming the first operational squadron followed by VMFA-333. By this time the wisdom of operating such a relatively large aircraft on the older, smaller carriers was being questioned and most F-4L's served aboard the larger carriers or with land-based units.

When the decision was made not to re-equip the USMC 'fighter-attack' Phantom squadrons with the hugely expensive Grumman F-14A Tomcat, McDonnell Douglas pushed hard for low-rate production of the F-4L to continue specifically for USMC use and they were eventually successful meaning that production continued until 1976 with an eventual  total of 306 F-4L's being built. Apart from Australia, F-4L's also served with the Royal Air Force where 15 ex-USN F-4L's were sold to the UK Government to allow the formation of an additional home-based Phantom squadron to release a squadron for the defence of the Falkand Isles.






New screenshots but a hoary old backstory from 2010!

McDonnell Douglas F-4M 'Kārearea' - No.2 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force, 1992

During the build up to Operation Corporate (the UK's military operation to retake the Falkland Islands) the UK Government were overwhelmed at the support given by the countries of the Commonwealth and, in particular, the response of the Australian and New Zealand Governments who provided ships to maintain the UK's NATO commitments and thus allow the Royal Navy to maximise the number of ships it could send to the South Atlantic.

In the following years there were many reciprocal deals made and favours given to the Commonwealth nations (and even Chile!) and one such 'favour' was the transfer of 18 ex-RAF Phantom FGR.2's in 1988. The 18 FGR.2's, only recently withdrawn from RAF service, were ferried out to New Zealand (most still in their dirty grey camo scheme) during Operation Saddleback before arriving at Ohakea for refurbishment by a joint McDonnell Douglas/RNZAF team that saw the aircraft eventually emerge in a new 'Forest' style camo scheme and with digital INAS, upgraded RWR and new outer wing panels. Entering service with No.2 squadron in early 1989 (supposedly as the Karearea but they were always simply called Phantoms) the aircraft gave good service to the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the 1990's until finally being retired in December 2001 when, indeed, all 'Air Combat Force' aircraft were sadly withdrawn from service.







It only seems like yesterday that I first did this Kiwi Phantom but it was actually 14 years ago... and just like 14 years ago I've forgotten to edit out the boom receptacle on the Rhino's spine! For this revision, I had to knock up some green coloured tanks and also made a new green skin for the SUU-23 gun pod. Final Phantom for now but I will come back to do some RAF Phantoms in a few weeks or so.

Nice to see one in Kiwi plumage, thanks! 

Quote from: Rick Lowe on February 18, 2024, 08:21:29 PMNice to see one in Kiwi plumage, thanks! 

Thank you. I forgot to add my little backstory (that was also originally from 2010) so I've added it.

There's an obvious Kiwi Phantom backstory where they took over the lease of the Aussie's F-4E's after the F-111C's were finally accepted. Or simply had a good deal off the US as fellow members of SEATO (btw I had no idea SEATO was disbanded in 1977).

Bristol F2B 'Brisfit' - Everytown Air Force, 1970

From the Wikipedia page for the 1936 film 'Things to Come'.

In 1940, businessman John Cabal, living in the city of Everytown in southern England, cannot enjoy Christmas Day as the news speaks of possible war. His guest, Harding, shares his worries, while another friend, the over-optimistic Pippa Passworthy, believes that it will not come to pass, and if it does, it will accelerate technological progress. An aerial bombing raid on the city that night results in general mobilisation and then global war with the unnamed enemy. Cabal becomes a Royal Air Force pilot and serves bravely, even attempting to rescue an enemy pilot he has shot down.

The war continues into the 1960s, long enough for the people of the world to have forgotten why they are fighting. Humanity enters a new dark age. Every city in the world is in ruins, the economy has been devastated by hyperinflation, and there is little technology left other than greatly depleted air forces. A pestilence known as "wandering sickness" is inflicted by aerial bombing and causes its victims to walk around aimlessly in a zombie-like state before dying. The plague kills half of humanity and extinguishes the last vestiges of government.

By 1970, the warlord Rudolf, known as the "Boss", has become the chieftain of what is left of Everytown and eradicated the pestilence by shooting the infected. He has started yet another war, this time against the "hill people" of the Floss Valley to obtain coal and shale to render into oil for his ragtag collection of prewar biplanes...








A nice change of pace! I watched 'Things to Come' this morning (it was on Talking Pictures last week but it's also on YouTube) and I glimpsed the odd-looking fictional emblem of the Everytown Avro 504 so I thought I'd do something similar but I've had to use the 'Brisfit' as there is not an Avro 504 available. I did nothing to the skin except overpaint the RAF three-colour rudder and added slightly distressed roundels (which are way too neat compared to the hand-painted roundels shown in the film) and a made up serial number. Some of the fictional aircraft in the film are pretty amazing and, for 1936, the special effects are really good.

 

I watched it, or recorded  it, on Talking Pictures last week 

Lockheed Starfighter F.2 - No.56 Squadron, RAF Fighter Command, 1966








I've been revamping the RAF Starfighters I did many years ago (2009 and 2010) and spent a bit of time doing this 'Firebirds' Starfighter where the difficulty was the fact that the fin and rudder were on seperate parts of the skin 'map' but a bit of trial and error got the checkers lined up. However, I don't like the partial red squares on the leading edge of the fin and it just shows how neat the No.56 Squadron chaps did with the checker tails on their Lightning F.3's although it helps to have a constant 45-degree angle on the leading edge. The arrow in front of the roundel is based on that seen on the No.56 Squadron Lightning but without being an exact copy.

Pretty! 

Lockheed Starfighter F.2 - No.111 Squadron, RAF Fighter Command, 1968







The 'Treble One' Lightnings had lovely black and yellow tails on both the witches' hat F.1A and square top F.3 and this scheme is a nod in the direction of the latter but as the Starfighter fin is broader I've swapped things around and made a yellow bordered finflash decal that aligns with the trailing edge. I quite like this!

Beautiful Starfighter creations