Recce and Surveillance GB - Finished Builds

[buzzbomb]

Trooper of the Queen Consorts Own Light Cavalry - Deguerreotype Section

54mm Airfix Napoleonic Lancer base figure with scrathbuilt camera, Apoxysculpt Helmet, lots of metal foil belts and straps, modded rifle.. lots of stuff

[Leading Observer]

A Far East Future Reconn System - JASDF Dragon system
Back story here:https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=49550.0

[Dizzyfugu]

A late and messy contribution, a wacky MPM kit that evolved into an Supermarine Spitfire FR. Mk. 18 of the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force, mid-Fifties.







More here: https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=49711.msg935099#msg935099

[loupgarou]

Vickers Wannabe, Iraq 1941.
Build ans story here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=49645.0

[kitbasher]

Republic RF-47N Thunderbolt - Republic of China Air Force, 1952

Although P-47 production ceased just weeks after VJ Day in 1945, Thunderbolts continued to serve for years (and in some cases decades) after World War Two.  The USA retired the type from front line service in 1949, but many other operators kept front-line squadrons of Thunderbolts into the 1950s, including the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF).

After World War II, the ROCAF received 170+ P-47Ds used during the Chinese Civil War.  Approximately 50 (actual numbers are uncertain) P-47Ns were subsequently supplied, withdrawn from US stocks.  The USAF redesignated the P-47 as the F-47 in 1948.  Interestingly, P-47s retained that designation throughout their Taiwanese service, whereas the Ns were redesignated F-47Ns.

Taiwanese F-47s routinely engaged People's Liberation Army fighters over the Taiwanese Straits.  They proved to be capable ground attack aircraft, especially when used in concert with F-51D Mustangs, the latter providing 'top cover' (although both the P-47D and F-47N could, in the hands of a well-trained pilot, hold their own in aerial combat.

One gap in the ROCAF inventory needing urgent plugging was tactical reconnaissance, and the ROCAF looked to the F-47N as a potential platform.  Fuselage-mounted cameras were initially considered but discounted as it was not considered possible to fit the requisite cameras around the bulky Thunderbolt supercharger arrangement.  Cameras mounted in drop tanks were also considered, however these were considered inadequate given the amount of movement the tanks displayed in flight.

The ROCAF turned to the USA for help, which came from the Fletcher company (incidentally the manufacturer of Thunderbolt drop tanks).  They proposed a new, more rigid pylon-mounted camera 'pod'.  These were based upon 1000 lb bomb shapes, closer in shape to RAF 1000 pounders than the American equivalents.  Each pod contained in their central part a single downward-facing camera.  This could remain facing downwards or be rotated either to the left or the right according to mission and then mounted onto a specially-modified wing pylon that held the pod firmly into place.

The arrangement worked satisfactorily but was only ever considered an interim arrangement pending delivery of dedicated recce airframes. These came in the form of another republic product, the F-84 Thunderjet.

The link to Fletcher didn't end there, as a number of Thunderjets were delivered as RF-84Es.  The (R)F-84Es, were equipped with two K.24 cameras in a modified Fletcher fuel tank on the left wingtip. The apertures had to be set manually before take-off, as had the camera position to either "forward vertical" or "forward left oblique".  But that's another story.




As mentioned in the build thread, this is the old and very inaccurate Heller kit.  Upper wing and fuselage roundels come from a spare Academy P-40B decal sheet, which (and I'd not spotted this at the time as the kit was built as an RAF Tomahawk) rather oddly lacked underwing roundels.  So these and the other markings are home made.  The nose art is a graphic of a 40s-style camera with a superimposed flash graphic.  The slogan below is a Google Translate translation of 'say cheese' into (IIRC) Chinese Simplified.

F-47321 was a real ROCAF-operated F-47N, by the way.  While the squadron badge does belong to an ROCAF squadron, it's not the one the real F-47321 carried.

[loupgarou]

Blohm und Voss BV 282

Build and story here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=49628.0

[Pellson]

The Avro 721 Shackleton MR.5



Already as the Shackleton MR.1 entered service in 1951, it was understood that the main problem with the new aircraft would be its power plants, the thirsty, maintenance intensive Rolls Royce Griffons, who were driving contra-rotating propellers that in addition to some thrust, also produced a very distinctive and unbelievably loud noise. Both the MR.1 and the significantly improved MR.2 entering service only a little more than a year later, suffered from inadequate noise insulation in the cabin, leading to an almost certain high tone deafness developing among its aircrew. In operation, the Griffons would further need complete engine head overhauls every 400 hrs and many missions had to be aborted prematurely due to an engine having to be shut down over some mechanical malfunction. Any normal work week in a squadron would include at least one engine replacement. Also, the aircraft handling, both when airborne but in particular on the ground, left something to be desired.
To mitigate this, Avro tried to update their design, and the following mark, the MR.3, replaced the tail dragger configuration with a more contemporary tricycle landing gear featuring twin wheel bogies all round. The noise insulation was further improved and a proper galley was introduced as was an improved crew rest area with a few bunks. The wings were altered a little, increasing the aileron area markedly to enhance controllability and the cockpit glazing was totally changed to significantly improve the pilots view. While alternative power plants were studied, in particular the turbo compound Napier Nomad, nothing came out of it and the Griffons would have to carry on, thus not really removing the main source of the troubles plaguing the design. Despite this, 21 aircraft (serials WR970 – WR990) were ordered as an interim measure.



In the meantime, Avro had been working on a new version that not only would do away with the maintenance intensive and loud Griffons, but also generally improve on other systems and crew comfort as well. This was the Avro 719 Shackleton Mk.4. This was an almost entirely new aircraft, with very little resemblance to its predecessor but for the common nose configuration. Behind the nose, it featured a new, circular fuselage of larger dimensions all over, longer wings and an entirely new tail empennage featuring a large single fin in place of the WW2 vintage twin fins of the earlier marks. The aircrafts larger size meant longer endurance and more space for equipment and systems, but also higher cost. Most crucially, it relied on the ill-fated Nomad engine, and when that finally was cancelled in 1955, the cost of redesigning the already very expensive Mk.4 to accept another power plant was seen as prohibitive.



Initially, RAF now turned to the pan-European talks that eventually would result in the Breguet Atlantic, but not much came out of it, and the Britons soon withdrew, mainly for cost reasons. Instead, RAF Coastal Command increased the MR.3 order by 13 further airframes (serial nos XF700 – XF712). Later, a third batch of five was added (XF730 – XF734)
But this was a short term measure, RAF being very much aware of the increasing submarine threat from the Eastern bloc. Avro however hadn't given in, and in 1956 proposed a redesign of the existing Shackleton MR.3, more intimately based on its predecessor but still with potential enough not only to solve the most immediate problems with the existing aircraft, but also to build on until an entirely new aircraft could be developed and introduced, this being foreseen for the late 1960s. This was the Avro 721 Shackleton Mark 5, or MR.5 as it became known when RAF bought in on the idea. It shared wings and most of its fuselage with the existing MR.3, but the engines were replaced with a smaller derivative of the Bristol Proteus turboprop engine now in final development. The new engine, named Bristol Prometheus, rated at just below 3000 hp, meant a significant increase in power in comparison to the old Griffon. This was welcome as weight creep had set in on the MR.3. In addition, the new engines weighed significantly less that the Griffons, and together with the deletion of the cannons in the nose, some internal changes and the reintroduction of a magnetic anomaly detection system at the very rear of the aircraft, it altered the centre of gravity significantly. To compensate, the wing was moved four feet to the rear. This was accommodated by simply shifting some fuselage components around, as the fuselage itself held a constant cross section throughout the mid-section of the aircraft, save for the bomb doors.
In addition to above, new somewhat larger stabilisators replaced the old units, albeit placed in the same location as before, but the twin tail was gone, replaced by a large single fin derived from the Mk 4 project. Internally, the opportunity was taken to redesign and improve both noise deadening and climate control, now providing both enough heating in cold climates and cooling in hot. The previous marks had been legendary for being ice cold up front and sauna warm further back.



As previously mentioned, the nose mounted guns were now gone, but in their place, two hardpoints rated for 1500 lb each were installed under each outer wing, allowing rockets to be carried in addition to bombs, depth charges or torpedoes. All in all, a combined weapons load up to 20.000 lb could now be carried under max load conditions.
Avro took MR.3 XF712 off the production line later the same year, quickly modifying it to MR.5 configuration. This prototype flew already late in 1957, even before the majority of the MR.3's had been delivered. It was generally perceived as a success, but some concerns about the main wing spar integrity had arose due to the higher torque from the new engines.  However, this was soon solved, and as the flight tests had been allowed to carry on in the meantime, results were soon obtained that convinced Coastal Command of reordering the second and third batches as MR.5's rather than MR.3's. In this process, the third batch was increased by a further ten aircraft (XF735-738, XF740 – XF745) bringing the total number up to 28.
As described above, the changes were easily accommodated, and thus, delay in delivery was only about a year and the first MR.5 (XF700) was delivered to no 201 Sqn in December 1959. The others followed during 1960-1961.



The Prometheus engine had now matured and its output had increased to 3850 hp (equivalent), adding even more growth capacity. The aircraft could now patrol on two engines, having the outer pair shut down and its propellers feathered to save fuel and increase patrol endurance. Also, as the new power plants were much more silent, the crew fatigue problems were all but gone and the MR.5 was quickly embraced by its crews. The Prometheus also soon built its reputation as a very reliable power pack indeed. As it turned out, in the more than thirty years the MR.5 flew, not one mission had to be aborted due to engine failure, and no engine had to be replaced out of ordinary maintenance schedule. A remarkable feat in its own right, but even more so when remembering the Griffon-related troubles.
In 1962, the Americans put the P-3 Orion in service, and while that bigger aircraft quickly set a new standard, towards which the all-new Nimrod was to be developed, the Shackleton MR.5 was able to keep on top of the game due to repeated equipment upgrades and very proficient crews. Based on results, the RAF Shackletons were much looked up to internationally, even by the Orion crews. Having seen Singapore-based Shackletons first hand in an ASW exercise in 1961, the Japanese Self Defense Forces even chose to modernise their P-2 Neptunes approximately along the MR.5 lines rather than buying new, much more expensive P-3 Orions.



Smaller and bigger systems upgrades continued to improve the efficiency of the MR.5 during the following years, one of the more significant being the integration of the American AGM-12 Bullpup missile giving the Shackleton a significantly increased punch against smaller vessels. As the old MR.2's became increasingly weary, and it stood clear that the Nimrod still was a decade away, another 37 MR.3's (serials XS130-XS148, XS190-XS208) were ordered in 1962 for delivery during 1964-1965. These were further upgraded from the start, most of the upgrades happening on the inside, but a very evident fin top fairing was added carrying additional ESM and ECM equipment, and in 1972, the Martel missile was integrated to add some serious anti-shipping capability to the boat-plinking Bullpup. The earlier MR.3's were upgraded to this new standard as they passed overhauls.
As the brand new Nimrod slowly entered service from 1973, Shackletons still remained active in parallel with its younger and bigger sister all the way up to 1990 when the last MR.5's finally bowed out as a result of the end of the Cold War.



Pictured here is one of the earlier MR.3's, XF704, attached to no 201 Sqn, in the state she was in 1980 when flying surveillance over the GIUK gap as a part of Exercise Reforger. At this time, the previously bright markings topside had been toned down significantly as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan had prompted an increased threat awareness within NATO



This, my first ever Group Build is built from the venerable Frog kit. The main changes are the tail, the fin nicked from an old Matchbox Privateer, the stabilisators and the new engines, both from a Frog cloned 1/96 Britannia and the rearwards shift of the wings. This was easier than first anticipated as I quickly found out that the fuselage has a constant cross section over the entire length of the bomb bay. Hence, by cutting and moving around fuselage sections, I could move the wing attachments, complete with spare and stuff, freely without having to cut neither the cabin floor/bomb bay roof, nor the bomb bay doors. Neat!

The resulting aircraft feels a lot mor modern than the rather anciently looking Shackleton MR.3 but still not as contemporary as the only slightly younger P-3 Orion. Still, looking at technology, it could very well have been evolved along the lines of the Japanese Neptune - and this is my thesis.

Anyway - it's been a fun build and I've enjoyed it. I hope you do too.

Build thread >HERE<

[mat]

P.347 Javelin PR, Prototype XJ166, Boscombe Down, august 1956

In 1952 Gloster made a design study for a Photo-Reconnnaissance version of the Javelin. P.347 were basically a Javelin with extended wings and a longer nose to house the cameras.

Even if RAF in 1953 did put forward a Operational Requirement - PR.118D and P - for a PR version of the Javelin, in the end the force chose to keep the Canberra for the job.

But what-if RAF have ordered the PR-Javelin.

It would probally have been in service as long as the Canberra.

[NARSES2]

Here's my entry the F.16 Moonbat

https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=49450.new#new

[zenrat]

Grumman NRA-6A Trespasser.  USS Forrestal - Operation Brother Sam 1964

Grumman NRA-6a Trespasser - 1 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Grumman NRA-6a Trespasser - 17 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr



https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=49533.60

[kitbasher]

BAC LIGHTNING PR.8, 58 SQUADRON RAF, 1972

No. 58 Squadron was first formed in 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps, flying a variety of bomber types until disbandment in 1919.  The unit reformed in 1924 as a Vicker Vimy-equipped heavy bomber unit.  It remained a bomber unit until 1942, when it re-roled firstly as as an anti-submarine unit, subsequently as an anti-shipping unit.  It disbanded in May 1945, only to reform again in October 1946 as a photo-reconnaissance unit, initially equipped with Mosquitoes.  The jet age arrived in 1953 in the form of the Canberra PR.3; these in time gave way to Canberra PR.7s, operating these until disbandment in October 1970.

58 Sqn stood up for the last time in April 1971 as the only unit to operate the Lightning PR.8, 20 of which had been ordered to replace the Canberra PR.7 fleet.

The PR.8 arose following considerable Air Ministry interest in the Lockheed U-2.  'If the F-104 can be the genesis of the U-2, why can't we do the same with the Lightning' was often heard in Whitehall corridors in the early 1960s.  English Electric - or more correctly (by now) BAC - proposed a heavily modified version of the Lightning F.6 for the role; all armament was removed, as were the air brakes, arrestor hook and reheated Avons.  The proposed PR.8 got a bigger wing, significantly greater fuel capacity, unreheated Avons and a fuselage-mounted camera pack consisting of one fixed forward-facing camera, one fixed downwards-facing camera and two sideways-looking cameras that could be rotated to either port or starboard on the ground and in flight according to sortie profile.

Flight testing began in early 1968, with deliveries to the RAF commencing in mid-1970.  The Photo-Reconnaissance Development Unit was formed to develop PR.8 operating methodology, becoming 58 Sqn upon the delivery of the twelfth airframe.

58 Sqn disbanded in May 1990, leaving the Canberra PR.9 to undertake all of the RAF's PR duties until that too was retired in 2006.

XS934 'F', flown by Flt Lt J T Kingsley, was unusual in that it briefly carried nose art 'Rose Zen' in recognition of Flt Lt Kingsley's mother's Gold Medal victory for 'Best Rose in Show' at the 1971 Chelsea Flower Show.

[zenrat]

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1 - 10 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1 - 14 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Boulton Paul Defiant PR Mk.1 - 7 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=49650.msg937145#msg937145

[TallEng]

Supermarine Spitfire PR.Mk.XX, TZ634 'WY.R' of 541 Squadron RAF, RAF Benson, 1948
Airfix kits, eduard wingtips, Resin Wheels, Prop and Decals from Freightdog.

Whiffs by , on Flickr

Whiffs by , on Flickr

not much else to say really, i know its too shiney, i've forgotten the whip ariel behind the cockpit I'm sure there's more....
glad I've finally finished something for a group build

Regards
Keith

[TheChronicOne]

Glue and paint still wet, finished at 11:59.

I present the TR-29 Wraith "alert recon" airplane.    Comprised of the Hasegawa X-29 and the nose from the Airfix RF-5 Tiger Eye kit. Brush painted with crappy craft paint and... stuff... some spray clear and automotive primer as a base (which also served as one of the three camo colors) and the decals are from the Caracal "Cold War Hogs" sheet for Thunderbolt II's.







https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=49503.0

[kitbasher]

Right then, playmates, that's the GB now closed.  Tom and I will get the poll prepared for launch early next week.

Thanks everyone for participating, great finished items - and if you didn't get your efforts finished in time then don't despair, we'd like to see them when they're eventually finished.