Great photo, now you know you have to build THAT aircraft    Someone's bound to come out with a transfer sheet for it.

Quote from: DogfighterZen on August 31, 2024, 01:01:44 AMMaybe another piston engine fighter... one of the lesser known beasts... quite a few to choose from like the Blackburn Firebrand, XP-40Q, XP-47H, XF8B and more...

Certainly some interesting types there. The XP-40Q is an elegant looking aeroplane, I built the Pegasus (I think it was anyway) kit a few years ago now. As for thr XP-47H I was only thinking about doing an operational version a week or so ago. I was going to (I may still do it) take the front end of the MPM kit and marry that to a Revell late war P-47D or M. Always liked the Firebrand and the XF8B is an interesting machine.

You may have gathered I have a soft spot for these late War piston engine developments that were never given a chance because of the advent of the jet engine 

Quote from: DogfighterZen on August 31, 2024, 05:05:18 AM...and struck a dumb pose...D

You cannot view this attachment.

I think it's universal.  I did it in the rear seat of the F-4 cockpit trainer they had at NMUSAF

I think the thumbs up is actually an international requirement. Great day!

I SHOULD have done it sitting in the cockpit of XH131.

But I'd been there a couple of times before. many years before too.

Quote from: Old Wombat on August 31, 2024, 05:28:21 AMGlad you got to meet your Dream Plane in person, Rui!

Quote from: NARSES2 on August 31, 2024, 05:28:58 AMGreat photo, now you know you have to build THAT aircraft    Someone's bound to come out with a transfer sheet for it.

Quote from: DogfighterZen on August 31, 2024, 01:01:44 AMMaybe another piston engine fighter... one of the lesser known beasts... quite a few to choose from like the Blackburn Firebrand, XP-40Q, XP-47H, XF8B and more...

Certainly some interesting types there. The XP-40Q is an elegant looking aeroplane, I built the Pegasus (I think it was anyway) kit a few years ago now. As for thr XP-47H I was only thinking about doing an operational version a weeek or so ago. I was going to (I may still do it) take the front end of the MPM kit and marry that to a Revell late war P-47D or M. Always liked the Firebrand and the XF8B is an interesting machine.

You may have gathered I have a soft spot for these late War piston engine developments that were never given a chance because of the advent of the jet engine 

I've the new tool Kinetic 1/48 F-16AM kit and when i bought it was thinking of using the 20 years 201st "Falcões" tail art decal sheet on it but since this was "The One!", yes, i've been waiting for any decal brand to make them.

The "super props" are a fascinating bunch and i too have a soft spot for these types. 
The Revell Jug is a nice kit for that but i'm gonna do that same conversion with the MPM and Italeri P-47N kits.

Quote from: scooter on August 31, 2024, 06:12:31 AMI think it's universal.  I did it in the rear seat of the F-4 cockpit trainer they had at NMUSAF

Quote from: kerick on August 31, 2024, 06:21:37 AMI think the thumbs up is actually an international requirement. Great day!

    

Quote from: PR19_Kit on August 31, 2024, 07:53:31 AMI SHOULD have done it sitting in the cockpit of XH131.

The smiles on those pics speak for themselves...  

Quote from: DogfighterZen on August 31, 2024, 11:38:05 AMThe "super props" are a fascinating bunch and i too have a soft spot for these types. 

"Super props" ? I may well borrow that terminology    ; Very descriptive, sums that generation up perfectly 

Quote from: NARSES2 on September 01, 2024, 01:02:53 AM

Quote from: DogfighterZen on August 31, 2024, 11:38:05 AMThe "super props" are a fascinating bunch and i too have a soft spot for these types. 

"Super props" ? I may well borrow that terminology    ; Very descriptive, sums that generation up perfectly 

Not my idea, i got it from the youtube channel Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles. Greg has been doing a very good series on the prop planes that had so much potential but never got the chance to prove themselves in real combat and he calls them super props. I also think the name suits them perfectly.
Below is the link to the "Super prop" video playlist with the 8 he's done so far.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD2EcpzcvT-tslH2RENpaGt6mO3okHwD5&si=4x0iZX8gwC__RDdO

Thanks mate   

Quote from: NARSES2 on September 01, 2024, 01:34:24 AMThanks mate   

  

Right, guess i'll call this entry the bi-monthly update...
Not a lot of whiffing lately but stuff has been happening... or not...
Missed this year's ModelCult, "my" modelling club's yearly event and the closest to me, simply because i wasn't very happy with all the attitudes i was observing in the club's messenger chat during the weeks prior to the show so, i stayed home and worked on my models instead.

Besides the Cobra, i got back to work the real world PoAF F-16 15106 with the 2011 Tigermeet tail art... i'd love to do the one i sat in just a few months ago but there are no decals for that and i can't find usable digital images of the design anywhere on the web so no chance of printing at home.
I'm hoping Model Maker from Poland will get access to the images and print them as they've done with the other designs.
There are a few more PoAF tail art designs i'd love to have decals of but i guess there's not much interest from the modelling community in such a small Air Force as the PoAF and i understand that companies will make stuff to profit and not to cater for our every wish...
The model itself is almost ready for paint but i still have to get all the landing gear parts ready and mask the clear bits.

Besides that, i've also started another real world build, and to contrast with the Cobra, i'm building the closest thing to a gunship used by the PoAF in the African colonial wars, the SA-316B Alouette III.
Used to escort the troop carriers into the combat LZs, going in first to clear the area of enemy troops and provide air cover while the carriers dropped or picked up and also, act as escort for CSAR missions.
Several weapon types and configurations were tested but the 20mm cannon was preferred so for the conversion, it was modified to have just the pilot and the gunner seats, got a Matra rotary gun mount and a 20mm MG 151 cannon installed in the rear of the cabin.

You cannot view this attachment.

I'm using the Heller 1/72 kit so, it's an oldie but still the only kit i could get of this helo. This means i've been having fun scratching stuff up to make this gunship and give it a bit more detail in the process.
Still in the early stages, i've been building the MG 151 after i've used a bit of steel mesh to make a railing that keeps stuff from going into the pilot's area and interfere with the flight controls, and some thin styrene sheet scraps to make the IP's anti-glare cover or whatever it's called...
I'm also in the process of modifying another couple of standing pilot figures to seated pilot and gunner.

Guess i can say i'm on a real world PoAF "vibe" at the moment but i really wanna get these out of the way. I'm Portuguese and although i mostly build what-ifs, i've been forgetting the fact that i also want to build my favorites of the machines flown by my country's air force like any other aircraft scale modeller.
Still, the whiffs will not be forgotten, the PoAF's AH-1G will be going into the paint shop later today...

Future projects in mind include the real world PoAF A-7P in 1/72 with a commemorative scheme included in the Hobbyboss kit decals. I don't have 1/48 decals for that scheme so, easy choice there.
Whif projects include a PoAF 1/72 Bell OH-58A with the Italeri kit and something i've had in mind for a while now, the Hasegawa 1/72 ASF-X Shinden II.
Although i do like the original forward-swept wing design and i'm going to build it OOB one day but first, i've bought a second kit for the decals and with a conversion in mind...

 

Thought you guys might be interested in some of the progress of the Heller Alouette...
Although it's a real world build, i've only seen one or two models of the "Heli-canhão" and those were of South African birds, not the Portuguese so at least, it's a rare one...
The major problem for me was figuring out if i really had to spend money on aftermarket bits to make the conversion but the hardest part would still have to be scratchbuilt so, i decided to do all of it.
After i got the first bits of the cockpit done, i got started on the pilot and while the sprue goo cures, i started doing the measurements and building the MG 151...

You cannot view this attachment.
You cannot view this attachment.
You cannot view this attachment.
You cannot view this attachment.
You cannot view this attachment.

As can be seen, still lots to go but i'm rather chuffed at how the MG 151 is coming along and i think it'll be worth it in the end.

BTW, today i also sprayed the AH-1 with "anti-radiation green" used on PoAF birds during the war years and some time after the war until almost everything PoAF was painted in SEA camo.

 

Quote from: NARSES2 on August 31, 2024, 05:28:58 AMGreat photo, now you know you have to build THAT aircraft    Someone's bound to come out with a transfer sheet for it.

Quote from: DogfighterZen on August 31, 2024, 01:01:44 AMMaybe another piston engine fighter... one of the lesser known beasts... quite a few to choose from like the Blackburn Firebrand, XP-40Q, XP-47H, XF8B and more...

Certainly some interesting types there. The XP-40Q is an elegant looking aeroplane, I built the Pegasus (I think it was anyway) kit a few years ago now. As for thr XP-47H I was only thinking about doing an operational version a week or so ago. I was going to (I may still do it) take the front end of the MPM kit and marry that to a Revell late war P-47D or M. Always liked the Firebrand and the XF8B is an interesting machine.

You may have gathered I have a soft spot for these late War piston engine developments that were never given a chance because of the advent of the jet engine 

The MPM XP47H will take a new wing with ease, I did it some years back but it's yet to see primer let alone paint.

It's a nice enough kit as it is.  Alliance reboxed the CMK later XP72.  Another nice kit.

Nice start, mate!


Mind you, I can never see that helicopter or read/hear its name without a certain French song invading my headspace;


Your fault, you can suffer too!

Quote from: Old Wombat on November 01, 2024, 02:52:28 AMNice start, mate!

Indeed 

Quote from: Old Wombat on November 01, 2024, 02:52:28 AMNice start, mate!


Mind you, I can never see that helicopter or read/hear its name without a certain French song invading my headspace;

Your fault, you can suffer too!

Not sure if i should be thanking you for that... but now i know your pain... but don't worry, from this day forth, i shall refer to it as tadpole... 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc5QARfhkO4

Quote from: NARSES2 on November 01, 2024, 06:42:19 AM

Quote from: Old Wombat on November 01, 2024, 02:52:28 AMNice start, mate!

Indeed 

Thank you, gents! I've just sat at the bench to spray a gloss coat on the cobra in a few minutes and, hoping that it dries up quickly, i'll be applying markings later on..