Su-47kv Berkut/caiman

[dragon]

With apologies to Rafael, I will be severely truncating the backstory.  Basically, once the paint went on, the plane finished itself.  Yes, Rafael. the aircraft's registration number is on purpose and the flag does have 7 stars and all will be cleared up in the final installments of the story itself.  One view as the teaser:

[Spey_Phantom]

that is one sweet looking Berkut, me like it alot    

[Archibald]

This model is a pure marvel      

Su-27's cockpit area look much better than its Su-47 counterpart, and you married both aircrafts very nicely.

More pics, we need more pics!!!

PS If you consider that your backstory is too long, severely truncating it is not a good move.
Good move would be posting it in the Alt-history section    

[B777LR]

   

Much better than the original cockpit (and camouflage), however, wheres the thumping great big fuel tanks?  

[Rafael]

My dear Dragon:

This is a build that had me clinging to the edge of my chair all the while.
If this site had sound feeds, you could hear me hollering, whooo-hooeing and clapping.

I really like the way you mated the two fuselages, and the paint scheme is, well, very, very Venezuelan, criollísimo I would add.

I consider the reg number and the seven stars in the flag a gift to me. For that, I thank you very much.

I second Archi's motion. You can continue in Alt. History. You told volumes with a simple, well executed script.

Rafa

[dragon]

If it pleases the moderator, and acting upon the recommendations of a senior member of the forum (Archibald) and a member of the forum that is actually living and surviving within the environment my fictional character and fighter plane depicted in (Rafael), I humbly request that this thread be moved to the alternative history section at the moderator's earliest convenient oportunity.





April 11, 2002
Palo Negro Air Base

    The year up until now had been quite eventful for Venezuela.  It was one labor strike after another by some professional group or another.  The first labor strike had oddly enough started on Venezuelan Air Force Day (December 10) of 2001.  MATADOR sat in his office in his flight gear wishing he had brought along with him either his Gameboy or at least a few good military tomes.  He had been ordered to stay on base since April 7th, 2002, when the nation's largest labor union (CTV) joined forces with the National Chamber of Commerce (FEDECAMARAS) [Editor's note: CTV is equivalent to the US AFL-CIO].  There was supposed to be yet another concentration and march in Caracas: from Parque del Este (Editor's note: a large park in the east side of Caracas) to PDVSA's headquarters, both in the east side of Caracas.  Something or another made the government nervous about the march and concentration, otherwise MATADOR would not have been living on base since the 7th.  A messenger delivered a pouch with the word SECRET stamped across it unceremoneously on to MATADOR's desk.  He was curious about the timing and contents of the pouch, besides, as the squadron's Operation's Officer it was his job to do so.  He read the contents, drew his breath in sharply and exhaled deeply.
    "What the hell?!!"  he murmured to himself.  He rubbed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair.  He stared at the papers wishing he was having a nightmare.  It was his squadron's role in the AVILA plan.  To be sure, the AVILA plan had been around for ages and updated but its intent had been for defense against invading foreigners and not against fellow Venezuelans.  This particular incarnation centered on the Army and the paramilitary National Guard, with the Navy and Air Force having supporting roles.  MATADOR looked at the image of Simon Bolivar hanging on his office wall, below it one of Simon Bolivar's more famous sayings - Damned be that soldier who raises his weapons against his own people.  "Well, Simon, if that is the case and I follow this plan, I am going to hell- ain't I?"      

[dragon]

    PAPUPAPA poked his head through the doorway of MATADOR's office.  "Boss, you have got to see this."
    "PAPUPAPA, I have my own TV set in here"  he said raising the volume slightly on the set.  President Chavez droned on about how everything was normal, nothing was happening, there was nothing to see.  "What can I possibly see somewhere else that I can't see here?"
    "Come with me.  Trust me, Boss.  I mean when have I ever lead you wrong?" Said PAPUPAPA with an impish smile.
    "Well, you did introduce me to my first ex-wife".  Said MATADOR.  "Just for that, if you believe in Karma, you're coming back as a dung beetle."
    "Boss, I warned you that she had been flown more than some of the CF-5s"  said PAPUPAPA sheepishly.  The Venezuelan Air Force had owned the CF-5s since 1973 and were still flying them in 2002.  They would still be flying it for some more years.  "Besides, you have got to see this."
    MATADOR reluctantly got up from his desk and followed his RIO to a VIP office suite.  PAPUPAPA switched on the TV set.
    "PAPUPAPA, I can see this at my desk, plainly it is just another cadena.."  protested MATADOR.  PAPUPAPA just motioned watch this.  PAPUPAPA flipped through the channels.  RCTV, VENEVISION, TELEVEN, and CMT were off the air.  In fact VTV (the government owned station) seemed to be the only one on air.  At least that was until PAPUPAPA flipped to GLOBOVISION.  It was still transmitting, except part of the screen showed the President saying things were normal, the other side showed the scene as the Oposition protesters marched towards Miraflores Palace [Editor's note: the Venezuelan Presidential office, sort of like the Venezuelan White House].  The scene suggested to MATADOR's military mind that the Opositores were headed to an ambush.  "It's going to be a massacre..."    

[dragon]

    MATADOR and PAPUPAPA watched the split screen in the VIP suite.  To MATADOR it was like watching the proverbial slow motion train wreck.  Snippets of the slogans being shouted by both sides could occasionally be heard over President Chavez's ramblings.  The Opositores would yell Not a single step back!.  The Chavistas yelled They will not pass!.  As the Opositores marched towards Miraflores Palace, TV feed showed the Chavistas forming security perimeters around the palace- and the Chavistas knew the Opositores were coming and from what direction.  The Chavistas were armed and had the National Guard supplementing their defence perimeters.  
    "Turn that Crap off now!"  ordered the Squadron Commander.  "Go to the Ready room!"
    "Sir, Yes Sir!" Responded MATADOR and PAPUPAPA.  as they headed out the door.  The last scene on the TV set that MATADOR saw was of an older man with curly salt and pepper hair wearing a dark vest and shooting a handgun at some distant and unseen target from Llaguno Bridge, an overpass that crossed Baralt Avenue and was one of the Chavista defence perimeters.  Obviously the shooter was a Chavista.
    History shows that 20 people died at Llaguno Bridge and 150 were wounded by gunfire.  Both Chavistas and Opositores claimed the majority of the dead as belonging to their side.  In fact the Chavistas claimed that the deaths were due to Opposition sniper fire from the roof tops of buildings surrounding Miraflores Palace including a couple Government buildings, the snipers were never caught. All this achieved was a muddling of the evidentiary trail as far as the truth was concerned.  Two factors however put in question Chavista claims: 1.  Much of their claims about the shootings at Llaguno bridge fail Occam's razor test (the simplest explanation is the truth), 2.  A truth comission was supposed to be established but nothing came of it, therefore it stands to reason that someone is not interested in establishing the truth about the incident.

[ysi_maniac]

This model is a real beauty.

           

[Brian da Basher]

Glad to oblidge such a magnificent build and backstory, dragon!

Yours in moderation,
Brian da Basher

[dragon]

Thank You.
I will continue in this venue.



April 12, 2002

    A lot had happened between the shootings at Llaguno Bridge and daybreak.  The Generals in the Joint Chiefs of staff put a stop to the Avila Plan and had arrested Hugo Chavez.  A vacuum of power ensued and the President of Fedecamaras stepped in to fill this vacuum.  This started arguments within the military.
     MATADOR observed in shock the arguments going on around him.  CHIGUIRE was involved in a shouting match with PAPUPAPA.  Not that they were the only ones arguing.  In fact most everyone else was arguing for one side or the other- apparently political polarization had hit the military also.
    "We need to rescue the President from illegal arrest!" Yelled CHIGUIRE at PAPUPAPA.  "He is the legitimate authority of this country!"
    "He lost that legitimacy when he ordered all of us in the Military to shoot at our own countrymen!" Replied PAPUPAPA in equal anger.  "You have to be a coward to order the deaths of unarmed civilians- Venezuelans exercising their constitutional rights!"
    "And our heroic Bolivarian Circles [Editor's note: Bolivarian Circles are small groups of people who are fanatical followers of Hugo Chavez, to some, their organization reminds them too much of sleeper cells.  They can be found in many places of the world, including the US], stepped up to protect our commander!"
    "These people were unarmed.  Why can't Venezuelans protest in front of the Presidential Palace?  Have you idiot Chavistas never heard of Article 350 of the Bolivarian Constitution?  It is the people's constitutional right and duty to protest against a government they consider ilegitimate!"
     MATADOR chose to quietly exit the building and into a hangar holding his F-20F.  At times when he was unsure about something, he usually went into a hangar to perform preventive maintenance on his plane.  He wondered if the world had gone insane.  About an hour later PAPUPAPA entered the hanger and sat heavily on a crate.
    "They just voted", he said.  PAPUPAPA seemed to suffer from 1000 years of mental exhaustion.  "The F-16 squadron pilots opined that it was much better to deal with a known devil than an angel that you just met.  There is already an operation underway to put Chavez back in Miraflores.   My God, what have we done?!"

[Archibald]

Well now you can develop your backstory as long as you want    

And I still love this model very much !!!    

[Rafael]

Yeah, Dragon!!!
I was there, I went through that. Ducked the stones and the bullets.
But you tell it like no one else I read or heard.
Great job!!!
Rafa

[John Howling Mouse]

This is one to be very, very proud of!!!

You have my sincere appreciation for taking the time to share your backstory and skillfull modelling.          

[dragon]

April 13, 2002

During the night, the Presidential Guard had quietly taken over Miraflores Palace.  Even more events than the day before had happened.  By the dawn of April 13th, Hugo Chavez was out of Orchilla Island (where he was locked up after his arrest).  Later on a Venezuelan Army Helicopter landed in Miraflores Palace.  Out of it came a triumphant looking Chavez who then greeted his followers and the military personnel who had helped him out of the power vacuum.  
     Like most of the world (at least those who cared about the subject matter) MATADOR saw the event on TV.  PAPUPAPA just looked at the screen and looked disgusted.  CHIGUIRE looked pleased.  
    "Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Chavez will not go" murmured CHIGUIRE with a smirk.  PAPUPAPA looked ready to beat CHIGUIRE senseless, but kept himself under control and said nothing.
    MATADOR was rescued from admonishing both men by his cell phone.  He looked at the number, it was Ignacio.
    "Is it true?" asked Ignacio.  "Is it true that the military helped bring back the geatest threat to democracy that Venezuela has seen in decades?"
    "I didn"t vote on that."  Said MATADOR.  "I was performing maintenance on my favorite jet."
    "Didn't you tell me once that not acting upon something is the same letting the other side get a free shot"  responded Ignacio.  "as the American Benjamin Franklin said- for evil to succeed good men must do nothing, or something like that.  You did not do anything.  You did not act."
    MATADOR did not have an answer for this.