This week's build...

[AeroplaneDriver]

Well, the FireHawk is done, the lovely wife is out for the day shopping (Yikes!), the kids and I have been out for lunch together and they are settled into an afternoon of playing, so as I'm still deep into modelling mode, it's time to break out another box from the stash.

We've all seen the growing "What-If" trend in modelling, and we've all noticed that these "whiffers" frequently take on the Royal Navy, so in the name of modellers like ourselves, who see modelling as the ultimate expression of historical accuracy and realism, I am striking back at their "whiffery" with a real RN aircraft.

We've all seen examples fo these "whif" models that speculate as to what would have happened if the CVA-01/HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier had been cancelled in 1966.  Such speculation is pointless if you ask me, since the carrier and her sister ship the Prince of Wales have served in the RN for almost 4 decades now.  Still they persist with this fantasy.  Some of these fringe modellers go as far as to suppose that the Hawker Harrier would have been navalized into some sort of "Sea Harrier" for use on small cruiser/carriers.  In one alternate-history book that I am aware of, an otherwise respectable historian (Prof. Wilberforce Moletwiddler of the University of Durham) actually presents a scenario where Britain won the Falklands War with nothing but a handful of so-called "Sea Harriers".  

The large well equipped Argentine force could never have been defeated without the airwings of the two large RN carriers, and Moletwiddler's claim that without a large opposing naval air arm, Argentine may have viewed the Falklands as an easy campaign holds no water in my book.  No matter how easy Argentina may have considered the taking of the Falklands, only a buffoon can imagine a pig of an aircraft like the failed Harrier taking on Mirages and winning!  He even places his fantasy Falklands War two years earlier, in 1982!  While this sort of thing may be fine for the realm of Sci-Fi, it it too preposterous to be called "alternate history" if you ask me!!

Anyway, as a way of striking back at these wierdos with their "Sea Harriers", I am going to build a historically accurate 1/72 scale Royal Navy Corsair.  The Corsair II's service in the RN has been well documented, but to recap;  The initial order of 36 Corsair IIs was placed in 1974 to supplement Buccanneer squadrons aboard HMS QE, PoW, and Eagle.  Following the difficult integration of the UK engine in the UK Phantoms, it was an easy process to introduce the Corsair into the RN inventory, as it was already powered by a license built Spey.  In fact, with the exception of a few pieces of UK avionics kit, a Martin-Baker ejection seat, and special wiring for some UK-only weapons, the RN Corsairs were virtually identical to their US, Canadian, and French cousins.  The Corsair served in the RN, first in the FG.1 version, then later as the upgraded FG.2 until 2000, when they were withdrawn upon arrival into service of the Sea Typhoon aboard the new 65,000 ton carrier, HMS Ark Royal.

My build will end up as either a Shrike and Sea Eagle armed FG.1 in Extra Dark Sea Gray over white, as all Corsairs were painted before the 1984 Falklands War, or a later FG.2, from the 1991 Persian Gulf war, in the light grey RN camouflage of that period, carrying ALARMs.

Pics to come as the build gets going.

[Captain Canada]

Canadian

Build one of those too !

I like the Falklands era idea. We've seen to many Gulf War RAF types. But then again, this is RN......Hmmm


Great bit of sarcastic cunfusion in writing you got going there ! Could probably fool a few of the unknowing !

What war in the Falklands ?

 

[Damian2]

Oooh I like the sound of this build!!!

Join us on the ARC A-7/F-8 GB!!!!

[K5054NZ]

I like it too! Go Falklands! Not enough FW builds on this site!




Falklands War, not Focke-Wulf!

[lancer]

Love it!!! Can't wait to see how this one turns out.

[Damian2]

Hey APD!

I was serious about you joining the ARC GB!!! Whiff A-7s are allowed for some strange reason!


PM me the deatails!!

[AeroplaneDriver]

Will do Damian, been a busy week though so not much progress yet.

[Damian2]

Will do Damian, been a busy week though so not much progress yet.

Thats ok as long as I get yer info for the site and some completed pics before the end of May

[The Rat]

Good one AD, take some of the Argie heat off me buddy!