General Dynamics Fv-13a

Brian da Basher · July 25, 2007, 11:58:52 AM

Wow that's coming together great, Archie! You've done a superb job of blending in the fuselage with the wings. I think those markings are going to really look smashing on it!

Brian da Basher

Archibald · July 26, 2007, 01:57:08 AM

I've started decal works on this one.
Even better, I've discovered that our Productive Comrade had already imagined 2 years ago carriers for FV-13A operations (he called them Defiant and Zumwalt class, and even forged a designation, CVH. Sounds perfect to me...

)

More pics to come...

Archibald · July 26, 2007, 11:40:48 AM

Voila! It is now complete!

Here's some pics

Sunset shot

ysi_maniac · July 26, 2007, 11:49:00 AM

Hey, decaling makes the difference

Now, you will blur the pic, and publish in another furum ...

Rafael · July 26, 2007, 01:23:56 PM

Rafa
Words later-when I find them

Brian da Basher · July 26, 2007, 01:54:32 PM

Those decals really bring this project toi life! Good show, Archie!

Brian da Basher

BlackOps · July 26, 2007, 03:47:15 PM

Archi, it looks great! I also like the silhouette shot

Joe C-P · July 26, 2007, 11:05:54 PM

That works. B)

JoeP

Archibald · July 27, 2007, 01:46:23 AM

Thanks for all the sheer comments!
Yeah, lot of fun with the silhouette shot. I put the model onto a barrier (a narrow barrier, at first floor... fortunately the model didn't fall... ) and took a shot with the sky behind it. It worked well!

More shots to come...

Side view

Underside (with lift jets exhausts)

Top view

More pics to come, FV-13A along some real-world aircraft models

Archibald · July 29, 2007, 11:44:59 PM

"comparative" shots

An old Essex carrier with a wooden flight deck was used to compare the FV-13A to other naval aircrafts...

Along Italeri X-35
(Who bought General Dynamics aviation in 1989... wasn't it Lockheed ? Both designs share a similar three-bearing nozzle)

Along a Harrier GR.5 (which barely gave its canopy)

Hornet (had the General Dynamics 200 been built and ordered, USN and USMC orders for the F-18 would have shrinked or even vanished)

and Forger!

Howard of Effingham · July 31, 2007, 02:25:26 AM

hmm, in the last few days i have seen the artist's impression of the 'FV-13A' and
i think archie has done a grand job of it. it seems that this project may have lost
out to the XFV-12 and we know what a bit of a disaster that a/c was.

trevor

Archibald · August 01, 2007, 05:13:41 AM

Quotehmm, in the last few days i have seen the artist's impression of the 'FV-13A' and
i think archie has done a grand job of it. it seems that this project may have lost
out to the XFV-12 and we know what a bit of a disaster that a/c was.

trevor

Yes it had lost against the XVF-12, but it's bit more than a losing project.

In fact an USN bureau funded this General Dynamics project for two years (1972-1974) as an insurance against a XFV-12 failure! Nothing was built alas...
Rockwell failure happened in the end, but General Dynamics had no benefits of it, because in 1977 the SCS program was long gone, and interest for supersonic V/STOL with it... this, until the JAST 15 years later

But they didn't want lift-jets

Maybe I should post some pics of my model at "the whatif and oddball model page" ? (Telford V/STOL GB...)

anthonyp · August 01, 2007, 02:08:48 PM

That turned out pretty good, Archie!

Eddie M. · August 01, 2007, 05:43:04 PM

Once again, I commend you on your creativity. Looks good! B)
Eddie

elmayerle · August 01, 2007, 08:36:44 PM

Gorgeous piece of work, Archie.

I've always felt that if the USN had been serious about vstol fighters, they'd have gone for an AV-16 variant for the immediate future and committed R&D funding to explore other, less established, concepts. Instead, they bet it all on the riskiest approach with no fall-back. I can't help wondering if the XFV-12A's failure was used to help justify killing the SCS.