1:48 RF-20E - Been around so long it needs re-naming !

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Didn't do the decalling yesterday - it was so warm here I took advantage and matted down my 'real world' P-40 (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?s=9555061f7d50d3eb87520dc21a816f2d&showtopic=1588, Got around to throwing some decals at it today. Here's how it looks now.







Ian

[Hawkeye]

At one point and time I believe I had a resin conversion to make an RF-5. It had the necessary pods and photo-recce nose. I think I might have traded that off in a barter deal long ago, but now I might have to sift through my stash to see if in fact I did. I've built that kit, in fact I have another one waiting in the stash which I am probably going to do as the one that crashed at Suwon AB ROK while I was there. I had the unfortunate task of packing up its remains to be shipped back to the states. It was a very impressive aircraft which two performed for two days before the accident as part of a sales pitch to the South Korean government and ROKAF.

Yours is looking spectacular!

[nev]

Like you say Ian, the colours are a little off - but it still looks fabulous!

Knowing you, this is the Monogram 1/48 jobbie?  If it was 1/72 would have made a nice pair with my Hasegawa Luftwaffe one.

*sigh* such a shame this bird never got into service

Hawkeye - if you want to know how the F-20K would have looked, check out my build here

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,5201.0.html

[Hawkeye]

You know, no one would have probably ever seen the ROKAF F-20...When I was stationed at Suwon AB, there were F-5s on the ramp. The premier jet of their force then was F-4E which were hidden in bunkers inside of a hill. They would land and disappear, and no one would acknowledged their existence. So my guess is that they would do the same for the F-20s. Later they got F-15s.

Suwon was the ROKAFs basic training base, as well as their largest fighter base. Around the base on the hillsides there were signs that said "Send Us Your Migs." or something to that order. In fact just prior to my arrival a disorientated Mig pilot landed there after his patrol over the Yellow Sea. His confusion was ccompounded because the ROKAF had Mig 21 mockups scattered around the airfield and no one made a close up intercept. Once he landed, it was too late...he was out of fuel and surrounded by very excited South Korean Army and Air Force personnel. Oops!

The F-20 was one spectacular performer...with or without weapons load. I'm glad I got to see both configurations perform.