Blackburn P.141

[Hobbes]

Cool! One of the better uses for a Phantom.

Did you paint over that brown sticky tape? I'd expect the tape to melt from the paint solvent. Also, that kind of tape deteriorates in a few years, so it'll come off and/or leave a gooey mess.  

[Archibald]

Cool! One of the better uses for a Phantom.

Did you paint over that brown sticky tape? I'd expect the tape to melt from the paint solvent. Also, that kind of tape deteriorates in a few years, so it'll come off and/or leave a gooey mess.

Nope, don't worry... already tested, strongly glued, there's nothing to fear...
NB well we will see that in 50 years, thanks to B-777LR ...

The exhausts are RB-199, not M45 (Thorvic, if you done an AFVG, I'm curious to know what you use for the M45 exhausts...) both engines are quite close in power (the RB-199 is ore powerful, and its a good thing for an interceptor) and offer an interesting commonality between the plane and the Tornado.
I think a fixed wing, smaller and lighter aircraft than the Tornado ADV (with the same engines) could have much better performances and this could change things in GW1...  

I have to add the decals... not too difficult, the Revell Jag changed into a P.146 was a GW1 bird with a superb pin up on it ... some kills markings would be cool...

[Archibald]

In late 1967, another defense white paper was published. The Jaguar was cancelled as redundant in the CAS role with the Harrier.
Bombers squadrons were reequiped with Buccs as an interim type, pending the arrival of the MRCA. It was later recognised that the two aircrafts were not really competitors : the Bucc had longer range, was stronger in the antiship role whereas the Tornado was much less vulnerable agains SAMs and fighters, and more evolved. So the Bucc was finally modernised for the AST-396 specs, which aim was to complete the Tornado by a cheaper aircraft.

Now the bombing squadrons were very powerfull (particularly after 50 Victors and Vulcan were refurbished in 1976)  but the fighter command still relied on the Lightning. It's replacement was split in two parts
- a point defense fighter no bigger than the Lightning itself
- a long range twin-jet interceptor.

The Blackburn P.146 was chosen as the point defense fighter (against the BAC P.61, Hawker P.1173, and Vickers 593).

For the long range interceptor, the RAF hesitate between a fighter variant of the MRCA, cheap Phantoms from the USA (the last rolled off the roduction line in 1979, so there was still plenty of time) and the Blackburn P.141.
This one was elected due to  its modular conception allowing three variants to be build on the same production run. to say the things simply, the wings, tail and central body were a single block in which could be grafted various type of forward fuselage
- a single seat/ recon nose
- two seat interceptor
- dual role operational trainer
- single seat ground attack variant
The RAF accepted the P.141 since it was simpler and more adapted to AD than a variant of the Tornado (hampered by the weight of its VG system)
First prototype flew in 1968 with the M.45 engines of the cancelled AFVG, but the RAF imposed the more powerful and modern RB-199 2 years later. This caused delays, but was necessary.
The second prototype of the Pirate (as It was known) flew with the RB-199 in 1973 and entered service in 1976.
Armed with a Phantom weapon system (AWG-10) with sparrows, it prove an exellent machine, which could easily swith to the ground attack role thanks to it's simple and modular conception.

When Saddam invaded Kuwait in 1991, the RAF was a prominent member of the coalition. When the real war broke out on 17th January 1991, Victors bombed Irak along the B-52G (they were refueled by VC-10). Tornados and Harriers striked numerous  Iraqis targets.The Buccs crippled the Iraqi navy with Martels.
P.141 were patroling, hunting Iraqis fighters. Thanks to the "special relation", the RAF patrolled along USAF, and this allowed the P.14 to score many kills with Skyflash and sidewinders.
after three weeks, there was no longer Iraqi air force so the P.141 went to ground attack, completing the Harriers, Tornado and Buccs. They destroyed a huge amount of targets (ships, trucks, bridges and the like).

XZ-367 (crewed by Francis Mortimer and Philip Blacke, with nose art "Debbie") scored heavily. It destroyed 50 ground targets (bridges, fuel tanks, trucks, barges, gunboats and the like). It scored 11 kills (2 MiG-23, a MiG-21, a Mirage F1 and a PC-9 and 6 helicopters.)

when it came back to great britain, the plane had as many decorations as an old general...







In 2006 the plane was withdrawn of service it was exposed along the 3rd P.146 prototype (XS-728) painted in Raspberry ripple)

[ysi_maniac]

Plane and history are FINE    

[Archibald]

Muchas gracias! Mirage F-1 drop tank, Phantom AAM, Jag gun pod in one of the former sparrow bays... decals from Revell Jag, spifire Mk16 (stephanie   ) for the A2A kills...

[Brian da Basher]

Wow Archie another masterpiece! She looks absolutely stunning in that desert pink! I swear you top yourself with each project you complete! Keep this up and I'm gonna have to order my subscription of "From Kits to Knits" by overnight mail!

Brian da Basher

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Very cool paint job and building!!

What did you use for the sand-pink color??

[Archibald]

Merci! C de la Humbrol 250 (Peinture officielle pour camouflage operation Granby, la participation britannique au feu d'artifice de Janvier 1991...)
I made a Viggen, a F-111 and I plan a Vulcan on this color... cheap, look good, easy to find even in the pequenot-land where I live...

[RLBH]

Peinture officielle pour camouflage operation Granby, la participation britannique au feu d'artifice de Janvier 1991...

Is that the official name for the Gulf War in France? The fireworks oof January 1991? Or is my French lacking?

Oh, and the model looks gorgeous. Enough Phantom in it for that double-take factor, too.

[Archibald]

Well sorry for the stupid sentence...    forget that... (I think I'm going to destroy this post!)

Thanks for the cheer comment! albeit I don't understand that

for that double-take factor, too.

[nev]

A "double-take" is when you look at something, and as you're nodding your head in recognition, suddenly a little light bulb goes off in your head   :dum: and you have to look again when you realise that what you are looking at, isn't what you thought it was at first.


BTW, great kit-bash, its like the fuzzy bunny child of an F-4, Jaguar and TSR2  B)  

[Archibald]

you said it!

BTW, great kit-bash, its like the fuzzy bunny child of an F-4, Jaguar and TSR2 

even better, it just killed those three aircrafts !!!

Thanks Nev, you're my personal english dictionnary today

[Zen]

Wow!

[John Howling Mouse]

Amazing how you can shape virtually any idea your mind's eye conjures up.

 

[Archibald]

Amazing how you can shape virtually any idea your mind's eye conjures up.

Thanks Tony buttler for its books, that's really a huge source of inspiration! so much cool projects to turn into models...  ^_^