1/72 CAF CF-5C "Frozen" Freedom Fighter

[The Big Gimper]

It is no secret that I have been pining for quite some time the return of FS16515 Voodoo Grey. Well with a big thank you the Fairy Paint Person I have some in hand.

And it is no-longer Voodoo Grey but rather Air Command Grey. With paint and Lightning Bolts in hand, here is my first build with these two items.

But first why the CF-5C?


Most non-Canadian folks may not know this but Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg, Manitoba held the contracts for DLIR (depot level inspection and repair) for both the CF-5 and CF-101. This is a complete tear down and rebuild of an air frame. And apply upgrades as required.

In early 1981, the CAF learned the CF-18s were not going to be delivered as per the original schedule. There were some serious technical issues with the meeting the CAF's CRAPP requirement when the CF-18s were to be deployed at our NORAD Forward Operating Locations (FOL) thereby delaying the deliveries and eventual operational readiness. Time was of the essence as the VVS Bears were getting very aggressive in their behavior. 

Our farthest north FOL is in Inuvik which is located at 68.30740°N and 133.47022°W.


Map-Inuvik by Big Gimper, on Flickr


Yes, it can get a** freezing cold up there. Therefore CRAPP is a mandatory CAF aircraft requirement to ensure the pilots can always pucker up in a high G environment.

And what is CRAPP you might ask?  Cold weatheR Anal Pucker Protection

Remember kiddies, fighter pilots need to pucker up when pulling high G's so if you cannot pucker, you cannot take the G's. You will probably black out and most likely die. 

Signs similar to this are found in almost all pilot ready rooms:

• A pucker-a-day lets fight lets you fight another day!
• A good pucker means you can kill that sucker!
• If you cannot pucker, then work as a trucker!
• Have you done your daily pucker exercise? 3 repetitions of 10 puckers. Rest for 5 minutes. Repeat.

The CF-5A was already CRAPP compliant but it did not have adequate air-to-air capabilities. The Bristol folks learned of the CF-18 delay and the possible F-20 cancellation so they did the math: F-18+F-20=F-5.

They looked at the potential of using the F-20 wings, radar and other upgraded components to build a better CF-5 without having to build a new airframe. They did some serious engineering studies fueled by poutine and pizza and built a prototype in 6 months. It worked great like many other Canadian winter inventions like the Zamboni, Skidoo, Snow Blower, Hawaiian Pizza etc.

It past all the CRAPP testing so Bristol got a contract to modify 15 airframes and the CF-5C was born. C represents Cold. Upgraded aircraft aerial numbers were changed from 1167xx to 1169xx.

The program was called: CANOE. Canadian Arctic and Northern Operations Enhancements

Pilots were known as PADLERS: Pilots Arctic Defending Lemmings, Ermines, Reindeer and Seals

The other major upgrade included the engines:

• Original: J85-CAN-15 Orenda manufactured J85-GE-15 for the Canadair CF-116.   2,925 lbf (13.0 kN) military thrust; 4,300 lbf (19 kN) afterburning thrust.
• Upgraded: J85-GE-21 – 3,500 lbf (16 kN) military thrust; 5,000 lbf (22 kN) afterburning thrust.

A part of 419 SQN "Moose" was assigned to operate the CF-5C.

So pucker up boys and girls! The Moosemen are going out to chase some Bears!





Bill of Materials:

The base kit is the wonderful 1/72 ESCI CF-5A married with leftover Hasegawa F-20 wings, drop tanks and nose.

Paint is Voodoo Grey FS16515. Thanks again to the Fairy Paint Person. To quote the Fairy Paint Person: "Voodoo Grey is sort of like Air Defense Grey's hotter sister."   

Decals are from Leading Edge CF-101B and CF-5D sheets.

Painted with a hairy stick.


And how good was the F-20 wing?

The wing profile remained the same as the F-5E, but had modified leading edge extensions (LEX), which improved the maximum lift coefficient of the wing by about 12% with an increase in wing area of only 1.6%.

The original aircraft was fairly sluggish in pitch, so the horizontal stabilizer was increased in size by 30% and a new dual-channel fly-by-wire control system was added. Destabilizing the aircraft in pitch and modifying the LEX improved the instantaneous turn rate by 7% to 20°/sec.

Sustained turn rate at Mach 0.8 and 15,000 ft (4,572 m) rose to 11.5°/sec, which compared well with the F-16's 12.8°/sec. Supersonic turn rates were 47% higher than those of the F-5E

And now on to the beauty shots.


CAF-CF-5C-01 by Big Gimper, on Flickr


CAF-CF-5C-05 by Big Gimper, on Flickr


CAF-CF-5C-03 by Big Gimper, on Flickr


CAF-CF-5C-04 by Big Gimper, on Flickr


CAF-CF-5C-06 by Big Gimper, on Flickr

[NARSES2]

 

Very neat sir 

[Dizzyfugu]

That's pretty!

IIRC the F-20's enlarged LERXs were also retrofitted to some F-5E/Fs, so the idea is not too far-fetched. Well done. 

[The Big Gimper]

Just like your CF-151 Kodiak Thomas, every plane looks better with a Lightning Bolt. 

[The Rat]

An elegant aircraft, in one of the best schemes EVERRRR! 

[kerick]

Well done! Is that the stock kit refueling probe? I need two of those for my F-20 and X-29 builds.

[The Big Gimper]

Well done! Is that the stock kit refueling probe? I need two of those for my F-20 and X-29 builds.

Yes it is for CAF models. The kit does comes a 2nd one. It is the one on top.



PM me your shipping address and I'll put it in the mail.

[kerick]

That's awesome of you! Thanks!

[PR19_Kit]

That's VERY smart indeed. 

And I LOVE all those acronyms. 

[zenrat]

Very cool.  Sub zero in fact.

[The Rat]

That's VERY smart indeed. 

And I LOVE all those acronyms. 

Here are some more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2018/11/24/if-you-swallow-a-lego-here-is-when-youll-get-it-back/#51a0f5e85d01

[Nick]

Excellent work there! I too love the acronyms! 

[TheChronicOne]

 

Magnificent!!!!!!!!