Anthony's next batch of entries

[anthonyp]

Ok, here's the next batch of entries for this Group Build.  Do I expect to win?  No.  It was just fun taking part.  I'm continuing to update the way I post pics, trying not to kill speed for dial-up users.  I'll be uploading a preview here, and the rest of the pics to my site and linking to the directory for them here, if that's alright with everyone.



First up is a 1/72 Mig-23 done up for the French Air Force.  I think the decals came from a Heller Mirafe F1A/B.  The paint scheme is based on the Mirage F1.  I got this idea from looking at pics of the swing wing Mirage G and thinking it looked sorta similar to the Mig-23.  I have no backstory for this, no reasoning other than I thought it might look cool.

This example of the MiGrage-23 family is based in Vendee.  It's typical of the type, being armed with two Super AA-530D medium range missiles, and two Magic AA-2 IR missiles.

More pics of the MiGrage-23 can be found here(click me for directory link)!

[anthonyp]

Next up is a Norweigian Harrier GR.5.  Why?  I dunno, just started painting the Harrier and came up with a scheme that I thought might fit the North Sea operational theatre in a scenario like Red Storm Rising

Backstory:

Norway has always looked for ways to increase its security, while maintaining a relatively small, yet potent military.  One way to do this was to incorporate remote operational capabilities similar to Sweden's.  The Harrier GR.5 was chosen to fill this role of being able to take off anywhere, and surprise the enemy, whoever it might be that was presenting a threat to Norway.

More pics of the Norweigian Harrier GR.5 can be found here.

[anthonyp]

Here's another Norwegian plane.  This 1/72 GR.1 Tornado was originally going to some Indian or Pacific Ocean nation, but I used colors I thought too dark, so it went to the North Sea for combat.  I think decals came from an ESCI F-5, while the decals for the pervious one were from an ESCI F-16A.

Backstory:

Another system that helped Norway maintain its ability to defend itself from threats was the purchase of 34 Tornado IDS GR.1's from the UK in the mid 80's.  These swing wing strike aircraft provided more of an air-to-ground punch than the F-16's Norway bought from the US, though the F-16's were better suited for air-to-air combat.  The 34 Norwegian GR.1's were upgraded in different ways than the rest of the IDS fleet.  They received a hybrid upgrade, taking improvements from the ECR, the Marinefleiger's maritime strike planes, and the GR.4 refits.  The resultant plane is known as the Tornado GR.N.  These "Green" Tornadoes (a play on the GR.N designation) can undertake all air-to-ground missions, though not as efficient as the specialized variants.

For more pics of the Norwegian Tornado, click here.

[anthonyp]

What's this one about?  I had a 1/72 Buccaneer, some Aussie decals from an F/A-18, some Harpoons, and paint.  That was pretty much the genesis of this one.  Then I remembered The Manifesto, and how I gave the RAN a CVA-01 (HMAS Fervent), and decided to update the airwing a bit with Buccaneers.

Backstory:

In the early 70's, the HMAS Melbourne was reclassified as an ASW carrier.  The RAN needed a new carrier to take up the loss of the only power projecting carrier they had.  Shipyards in the UK offered a derivative of the CVA-01 design, which was just coming into service with the RN.  Canada had also ordered two CVA-01's, but specified that they would not need both to be in service until the end of the decade.  In order to utilize the second carrier slipway constructed for the CVA-01 project, Australia was offered an "immediate construction" clause which specified that the keel laying would take place the day after the contract signing, with delivery to Australia within four years.  The UK government also offered two squadrons of F-4K's and one squadron of Buccaneer S.2 for use with the carrier.  

The Australian government couldn't turn down this deal, and purchased the HMAS Fervent, delivered in 1975, three years, 347 days after the contract was signed.  Unfortunately, the ship didn't live up to the hype, and was plagued with problems until a wholesale refit in the late 80's.  The ship will be retired in 2008, when the last Endeavour class carrier is completed in the USA.  The ship will probably be mothballed for a few years, then scrapped or sold.

The Buccaneers went on to serve on the Endeavour class as well until they were retired in 1998.

For more pics of this RAN Buccaneer, click here.

[anthonyp]

The following three are my 1/72 EFA's.

What if the French stayed in the EFA program?  I can't figure out if any of the Rafale's characteristics would have been integrated into the plane (other than naval capabilities), so I left the plane pretty much as is except for weapons.

France's Eurofighter "Ouragans" (Typhoon) differ from the rest of Europe's in that they are armed with French weapons, though the capabilities for non-French weapons are still retained in the programming and hardware.

This example was recently delivered to a squadron transitioning from the Mirage F1 to the Ouragan.  It is armed with six Micas and two Magic 2 IR AAM's.

For more pics of the French EFA, click here.

[anthonyp]

Next up is a Kuwaiti EFA Typhoon.  I wanted to do up a plane in Kuwaiti camo, but didn't have good reference shots when I started this one, so the colors are a bit off.

Backstory:

Kuwait ordered 48 Eurofighter Typhoons to supplement the large order of F/A-18E's and F/A-18F's ordered from the US.  While the Super Hornets could do both roles, new hostilities with Iran necessitated the acquisition of fighters quicker than Boeing could deliver them.  The Eurofighter consortium was more than happy to supply fighters for Kuwait's defense.  A portion of both Germany's and the UK's orders were diverted to Kuwait, and all examples are set to be delivered by the end of 2006.  These planes are armed similar to Europe's, and are painted in the same colors as Kuwait's Hornets.

Pics can be found here.

[anthonyp]

Last one of this batch.  I've got three more Airfix kits that might get finished by the deadline, but I'm not pushing them, as two of them need decals made up.

Reasoning for this one was I had a third EFA I wasn't quite sure what to do with.  I was trying out different warloads on it (Sparrows, Russian missiles, other stuff) and thought a Russian armed plane would look pretty cool.

Backstory:

The Egyptian Air Force ordered the Eurofighter Typhoon to replace their aging F-4 fleet.  Due to a lack of parts, and a falling out between the governments of Egypt and the UK after the first 12 examples had been delivered, all advanced missile deliveries were suspended, though the airframes were still delivered (minus fire control for AMRAAM, Meteor, Sky Flash, Sparrow, etc).  While the Egyptians could wire the planes for Sidewinder and other Western IR missiles, the weapons needing the radar were a problem.  Russia stepped in and offered to help the Egyptians rig their planes to fire Russian AAM's.

The first "Sphinx" (redesignated Typhoon) rolled out of the hangar in September of 2004.  It had its ventral hardpoints reworked to fit the shorter range version of the AA-10 Alamo, with two IR AA-10 Alamo-B's in the front well and two AA-10 SARH Alamo-A's in the back.  Longer ranged AA-10 Alamo-C's and Alamo-D's could be carried on the inner two hardpoints on each wing.  All wing hardpoints were wired for AA-8 Aphid and AA-11 Archer use.  It is unknown if the planes are modified for AA-12 Adder usage, though it is unlikely at this time.

Egyptian Typhoons/Sphinxes are painted similar to Egyptian F-16's, in an air defense grey scheme, with day-glo orange stripes to differentiate the fighters from Typhoons used by neighboring states.

More pics of the Sphinx can be found here.

[anthonyp]

Whoops!  Forgot I had one more to take pics of.  Pics aren't as good as the first ones, as I've lost the sun.

Here's a 1/72 Gnat that I had no idea what I was going to do with before I started building.  My friend suggested I go small naval trainer, and I thought the Argentinians would use something like this.  I put a tail hook on it, and painted it up, and voila!

Here's the link to the directory with more pics.

[K5054NZ]

Gnice Gnat!



And the Aussie Bucc - inspired!



Great stuff Anthony, I;m still amazed you managed to build them all! Terrific!

[lancer]

COMRADE!! you are a modelling factory, no doubt about it. Some amazing subjects there, the Aussie Bucc and the French Typhoon are my favourites, hell the French tiffie had me do a triple take, but it does look very right in those markings.  

[Brian da Basher]

Comrade Anatoly, your productivity and dedication to the Motherland are a constant source of pride to the Rodina! You are to be honored of an example of what can be accomplished by the citizens of the Workers' Paradise!

I love that Gnat!  

Brian da Basher

[BlackOps]

Another great batch Anthony!  



Jeff G.

[Leigh]

lovely stuff, my fave is the Kuwaiti Typhoon.
No come on fess up you've either got an army of elves helping you out or six arms?

[anthonyp]

Clones...  

   

[Captain Canada]

Wow.....great stuff, Anthony ! I dig the Eurodogs. Especially the red on the one's wings.

The Harrier is wicked cool as well.

Cheers !