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F.A.C. - Guerrero del trueno

Started by Leigh, June 27, 2005, 07:40:56 PM

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Leigh

In 1974 Pinochet became the undisputed leader of Chile, assuming the position of head of state but the economy continued to deteriorate, even though the government sought to return private enterprise to Chile by denationalizing many industries and by compensating businesses taken over by the ousted Socialist government. The country was in turmoil and the United States fearing an uprising by the supporters of executed leader Allende, sought ways to prop up the military regime it had helped put in place and quell any communist rebellion. To this end it made available to the Fuerza Aerea de Chile at almost no cost surplus F-105 Thunderchiefs. The "Thud" had been an outstanding performer in the ground attack role in Vietnam but was now being replaced by the  F-4 Phantom in U.S.A.F. service. The F.A.C. welcomed this plane as the ideal weapon to deal with the Guerrilla forces hiding in the forests of southern Chile. The "Guerrero del trueno" as it was known by it's pilots saw many years of active duty and is still in service today, albeit only with training squadrons

I invite all and any criticism, except about Eric The Dog, it's not his fault he's stupid


Leigh's Models

Leigh

The Kit
This is a 1966 boxing of the 1957 Revell Thunderchief, all giant rivets and working features. Deleted the operating refueling boom, and left the rest intact. The only additions are, I scratchbuilt consoles, instrument panel and bulkheads (there were none) added seatbelts and tarted up the seat itself a bit. Overdid the weathering, tried an acrylic wash but everytime I brushed it on, waited then wiped off the excess, it looked like nothing had been left behind. Then I  went and used a pastel wash which looked good. Then after dullcoat the pastel went BLACK giving the overall sooty effect. Oh well it was a good kit to learn on and now I know that testors dullcoat is going to seriously darken everything. The decals are from the Plastyk Hunter. Wretched things that destroyed when they made contact with water, and no amount of Micro set/sol and three coats of flat could remove the silvering. But it was fun, a great learning experience and proof that even some of the old ones can be built into something interesting.

I invite all and any criticism, except about Eric The Dog, it's not his fault he's stupid


Leigh's Models

Leigh

The Inspiration.
While flipping through my trusty copy of "Flying Colors" looking for an idea for one of my F-5's I came across this scheme. "Yeah that's the one" I thought "and "I've even got some Chilean decals to do it with." Then it dawned on me what to do with that dog of a Revell Thud and another entry was born. Dunno what the real colours are but I used my trusty Wal-Mart equipment Grey primer and MM. Russian flanker blue/grey.

I invite all and any criticism, except about Eric The Dog, it's not his fault he's stupid


Leigh's Models

Leigh

One more 'cos I'm relly plaesed with the way some of these pic's turned out and I'm just showing off :P  

I invite all and any criticism, except about Eric The Dog, it's not his fault he's stupid


Leigh's Models

retro_seventies

*applause*

some of those rivets are as big as an orange, eh? GREAT imagination, fun subject, and good job!  i like her a LOT!  :wub:  :wub:  
"Computer games don't affect kids. I mean, if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." Kristin Wilson, Nintendo Inc, 1989.

anthonyp

*more applause*

Very attractive model.  I like Pic 3, with the light flare on the canopy, very real looking.  Incredible model and presentation!!

:cheers:  :cheers:  :cheers:  
I exist to pi$$ others off!!!
My categorized models directory on my site.
My site (currently with no model links).
"Build what YOU like, the way YOU want to." - a wise man

NARSES2

Great work Leigh - my personal favourite pic is the last one - love that 3/4 front on view

Chris
Do not condemn the judgement of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong.

Mike Wren

:wub:  love the camo scheme!   :wub:  

Joe C-P

Leigh,

Cool bird, great build, good story!

I built the same model many moons ago, only to have my younger brothers play with it, losing the undercarriage, bombs and tanks, and finally burning a big hole in the belly with a wood-burning tool. I'm glad to see yours came out much better than mine did, and it looks pretty good for a 48 year old mould!

JoeP
In want of hobby space!  The kitchen table is never stable.  Still managing to get some building done.

Gary

Wowwersers! Cool idea. I love backstories that have plausable political intrigue. It makes the story so much more tastey.

Excellent job mate
Getting back into modeling

Leigh

Thanks for all the kind words, and yeah it was a stroke of luck to get the sun glinting off the canopy like that, didn't even notice till I uploaded the pics.
In case anyone's interested heres the original inspiration no.13.

I invite all and any criticism, except about Eric The Dog, it's not his fault he's stupid


Leigh's Models

Bryan H.

OK, that's just sexy!  Great job! B)

:cheers: Bryan


Miscellany (that effects modeling):
My son & daughter.
School - finishing my degree

Models (upcoming):
RCN A-4F+ ArcticHawk