Griffon STOVL

[Rafael]

I would like to thank beforehand every warm body at Whif forums for your welcoming me to this incredible fold. And i would like to dedicate this build specially to Brian da Basher, whose kindness never ceases to amaze me, Vivan los Spats!!!. To Archibald, my young french friend, whose builds are silent witnesses and testament to the huge amount of fun he has researching and constructing, and to Tophe (i think you are french, too), an intellectual, imaginative guy whose drawings and designs are an inspiration. Those of you not mentioned here, i didn't forget, but i'd need the complete Whif roster and this would not be a modeling thread, but a lenghty Roll Call. Gracias.


Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, October, 2026.
The salty air clung like glue to the giant Ursus Bomber. This license built version of the TU-160 Russian Bomber was part of a strike package searching for USS Texas, the first of the new CV-X  Aircraft Carriers. Ever since the South Pacific crisis exploded with the Furisian invasion of the island of Tegawan, the evasive, stealthy Carrier, has been the top assignmet of the aeronaval forces of Furisia. Furisia, a regional superpower had been amassing an incredible amount of armaments and military equipment and its attitudes towards the states of the South Pacific, had been less than friendly.

The bomber progressed slowly, listening attetively to every signal in the vicinity. Nothing, Zippo, Nada. The AC was watching the monotonous expanse of the sea, thinking in – "¡North-west, 90 kilometers, Colonel, Intermittent Contact,"
-"Arm missiles, this bloody American has spoiled my -..."
A pair of explosions rocked the bomber. Debris and dust was ¿floating? Everywhere around him, and a white and orange mushroom erupted ¿above? his head. The furious yank of the parachute stopped his reverie and a flash of blue-grey passed underneath him at a very high speed....

THE LOCKHEED-MARTIN/Bae GRIFFON:
The Griffon is the last fighter emerged from Skunk Works. Small, fast, incredibly manoeuverable it incorporated in its design the corporate experiences of the US and Royal Navy operating Stealth Fighters.

Based on the defunct STOVL P.1214, the Griffon is a state-of-the-art machine, with mission-adaptive wings that flex in lieu of actuate aerodynamic control surfaces. A powerful Radar and electronics, and the capacity to use offboard sensors give this little machine an edge against every foe imaginable. A STOVL Capability, thanks to its PW3466 reactor gives it a vectoring-thrust operation free of hot gas reingestion, and specially a greater range and time of flight with supercruise efficiency.

Stealth no longer requires the internal loading of  armaments and stores, the Griffon relies on a new stealth technology that makes it almost undetectable, with a new type of coating material, that absorbs RF and IR Energy, and a new Active Stealth system that complements that technology.

This is my first plastic (Yeah, Archibald, Plastic) scratchbuild, and though i used a cardboard (Cardboard, yum!!!) upper fuselage and canopy i wanted to try my hand at it and at painting splinter camo (by hand, for now). I hope you like it.

Rafa.

[Rafael]

Gaping mouth....

[Rafael]

right side

[Rafael]

behind and above

[Rafael]

left side, showing a Conformal Fuel Tank from ysi_maniac Enterprises on the sponson...

[Rafael]

turning

[Rafael]

belly, showing 2 harrier´s nozzles (cast in white glue and returned to said harrier)

[Rafael]

Hovering, with the rear exhaust extended downwards (it swivels!!)

[Brian da Basher]

Aye carrumba, Rafa! That's one absolutely gorgeous build! I really like your awesome camo scheme and that incredible futuristic shape! I'd give my last pair of spats to be able to paint so well.

I am humbled you dedicated this little gem to me.

Muchos gracias, amigo.

Brian da Basher

P.S. I really enjoyed the backstory too.

[Rafael]

A very "male" attitude...

[Rafael]

Tomorrow i will post pics with weapons load....

[Rafael]

Hey Brian, i'm glad you are the first one here!!!!.

Yeah, it's my first scratch and splinter camo paintjob (botched 3 times). and dedicate it to you is a token of my appreciation for you, buddy, i hope you like it!!!

Tu amigo,
Rafa

[AeroplaneDriver]

Good grief!  That's a mean looking machine!  

Beautiful work Rafael!!  

[Rafael]

Cool, A-D, and building it was also a trip to funnyland !!!!

[cthulhu77]

Neato! Love the backstory, too.

               Greg