Re: Spinners' Strike Fighters Thread

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Convair F-102J Delta Dagger - 302nd Hikotai, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, 1973

JASDF F-102A DELTA DAGGER.10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

JASDF F-102A DELTA DAGGER.11 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

JASDF F-102A DELTA DAGGER.12 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

JASDF F-102A DELTA DAGGER.13 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

JASDF F-102A DELTA DAGGER.14 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The SEA Camo skin just needed some overpainting of national markings and I used the same 302nd Hikotai decals. The Tu-95RT "Bear-D" is not a willing photo-opportunity target and the cheeky beggar actually shot me down whilst I was trying to get a bit closer. I'll have to de-claw it at some time...

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Republic F-7A Thunderstorm - Thunderstorm Test & Evaluation Flight, Tactical Air Command, United States Air Force, 1967

During late 1958 the Langley Laboratory made the breakthrough that led to the realisation of a valid variable-sweep wing and by early 1959 Tactical Air Command (TAC) could see that this massive technological breakthrough could be the key to help them in their search for a tactical strike fighter to replace both the F-100 Super Sabre andthe F-105 Thunderchief. Pretty soon however the numerical values for unrefuelled range and payload that TAC had attached to their mission requirements had the effect of turning all the paper studies from F-105 sized machines to much larger tactical bombers with a corresponding increase in cost and price and this reduced affordability was of great concern to TAC.

In the Autumn of 1959 TAC wisely decided to split their requirement into a smaller tactical fighter to replace the F-100 and a larger tactical bomber to replace the F-105, B-57 and B-66. The larger aircraft would evolve into Specific Operational RequirementNo.183 that would launch the important TFX (tactical fighter experimental) programme and eventually lead (via a tortuous route) to the outstanding but highly compromised F-111 family whilst the smaller aircraft would lead to Specific Operational Requirement No.182 or TAX (tactical aircraft experimental).

Issued in March 1960 SOR182 called for a single-seat tactical fighter aircraft with "reduced dependence of paved runways" and with "the ability to carry a nuclear bomb at supersonic speed at tree-top height". Requests for Proposals were immediately sent out to industry and Republic Aviation's proposal soon gained the support of TAC by virtue of its use of a variable-sweep wing but also by the use of the existing J75 turbojet and F-105 avionics. With the end of F-105 production on the horizon Republic Aviation pushed hard for SOR182/TAX and in February 1961 they were rewarded with a contract for 24 prototype and pre-production YF-110 aircraft and 400 production F-110A machines and Republic wasted no time in bestowing the name of 'Thunderstorm' to the latest of their long line of fighter aircraft.

Republic Aviation were fortunate in being awarded the contract before Secretary of Defence Robert S. McNamara had got into his stride and the programme largely escaped McNamara and his whiz-kids. Development moved swiftly and during 1962 the programme was re-designated F-7 under the new tri-service designation scheme and the first prototype took to the air on December 22nd 1962 a full year ahead of the F-111A. Entering service in June 1965 the F-7A was followed by the F-7B two-seat trainer version and the more advanced F-7C version that first deployed to Vietnam in March 1968 when a two-squadron wing transferred to Takhli Royal Thia AFB, Thailand in a deployment called 'Combat Lancer'.

USAF F-7B THUNDERSTORM.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-7B THUNDERSTORM.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-7B THUNDERSTORM.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-7B THUNDERSTORM.08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-7B THUNDERSTORM.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-7B THUNDERSTORM.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I've previously done the F-7C Thunderstorm (below) and F-7M Thunderpig (MiG-27) and thought that an early TAC machine would look cool so I took a stock Soviet grey skin, masked off the undersides, cut them out and tinted them 25% lighter which makes them almost white but preserves the line and rivet detail. On the F-7A I've finally been able to remove the 'Odd Rods'!

USAF F-7C THUNDERSTORM.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

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Folland Gnat FGA.3 - No.33 Squadron, RAF South East Asia Command, 1964

RAF GNAT FGA3.01_zpsgtywsxso by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF GNAT FGA3.02_zpspflvt226 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF GNAT FGA3.03_zpseog6x7hj by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF GNAT FGA3.04_zpsyvxqjdaz by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF GNAT FGA3.05_zpssvmq4cql by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF GNAT FGA3.06_zpssuywszow by Spinners1961, on Flickr

This Gnat was created a long time ago by 'Marcfighter' a prolific Brazilian 3D modeller and skinner who also converted his Gnat into the Ajeet. My recent interest in the Hawker Hunter has reminded me of the RAF's quest for a Venom FB.4 replacement in the Middle East and the trials that saw two modified Hunter F.6's pitted against a Jet Provost T.3 and a borrowed Indian Air Force Gnat F.1 in the Venom Replacement Evaluation Trials held at RAF Khormaksar in Aden in 1958. Predictably, the Hunters "completely outclassed" the two rival types in the 'hot and high' conditions leading to the Hunter FGA.9 (all converted from Hunter F.6's). I might try and do a desert Gnat at some time.

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Republic F-7M Thunderpig - VMFA-333 'Shamrocks', United States Marine Corps, 1991

USMC F-7M THUNDERPIG.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USMC F-7M THUNDERPIG.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USMC F-7M THUNDERPIG.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USMC F-7M THUNDERPIG.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USMC F-7M THUNDERPIG.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USMC F-7M THUNDERPIG.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

This is another repeat from 2011 but as I was getting screenshots for a revised upload at Combat Ace I thought I'd post them here.

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Hawker Hunter F.6M - 1435 Flight, RAF South Atlantic Command, 1966

The introduction of the Lightning F.1 and F.1A into RAF Fighter Command in 1960 and 1961 began to free-up Hunter F.6's most of which were earmarked for conversion into ground-attack aircraft for the RAF (as the FGA.9) or for export. But the Falklands Crisis of May 1961 led to the decision to base a detachment of fighter aircraft at RAF Stanley and a batch of 8 Hawker Hunter F.6's were urgently converted into F.6M's a minimum-change conversion armed with the Firestreak missile and improved navigation and radio equipment. The first four Hunter F.6M's were dispatched as deck cargo arriving at Port Stanley in September 1961 to form No.1435 Flight who quickly christened the aircraft Faith, Hope, Charity and Desperation. The second batch of Hunters arrived in December 1961 but with improving diplomatic relations were basically used to keep the original four aircraft airworthy until a rotation policy was adopted. The Hunter F.6M's served until 1972 when they were replaced by Lightning F.2A's.

RAF HUNTER F6M.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HUNTER F6M.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA B-707.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HUNTER F6M.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA B-707.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HUNTER F6M.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HUNTER F6M.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HUNTER F6M.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HUNTER F6M.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A repeat for sure but my Hunter F.6M has slightly different markings (including all brand new decals) compared to my 2011 effort and it's a lovely photoset that includes an Argentinian 707 recce plane. I'm really into the Hunter at the moment and spent a bit of time studying photo's to position the decals better and knocked up a taller finflash that looks spot on compared to what I have been using. Just in case you think I'm in danger of lurching towards the JMN side I've given my Hunter serial numbers from a cancelled bunch of Swift F.Mk4's!

I've got a week of DIY ahead of me so I'll see you all in June.

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Republic P-72C Superbolt - Esquadra No.10, Força Aérea Portuguesa, 1955

Following the formation of NATO in 1949 there was an immediate acknowlegement that most of the air forces of the member states needed an urgent transfusion of modern combat aircraft and the Portuguese Aeronáutica Militar was especially in need of replacing it's old Hurricanes and first-generation Spitfires. In November 1950 it was agreed that, under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program, the United States would supply 50 P-72C Thunderbolt fighters to Portugal. The 50 P-72C's were all ex-USAF aircraft previously based at Bordeaux–Mérignac in France and were ferried to Portugal in small batches during the Spring and Summer of 1951. The aircraft were equally distributed among the newly created Esquadra 10 and Esquadra 11 and also a training flight at Ota Air Base. However, training proved to be a difficult time for the Portuguese pilots used to the lighter British fighters and there were also problems with the Portuguese air bases not having the appropriate radio equipment but these were soon addressed and both squadrons were fully operational by the time that the Portuguese Air Force was formed on July 1st, 1952 following the merger of the former Aeronáutica Militar and the Aviação Naval.

An important milestone was reached in September 1952 when four-ship flights from both P-72C squadrons were sent to Zwiebrucken in Germany to participate in 'Blue Alliance' a large NATO exercise where they acquitted themselves well in defending their temporary home against 'enemy' RAF Lincoln bombers. Back home in Portugal the P-72C force were soon hit by a serious shortage of spares leading to Esquadra 11 being disbanded and it's remaing aircraft were transferred to Esquadra 10 who moved across to Tancos Air Base in late 1954 where they operated the P-72C until disbanding in October 1956.

PoAF P-72C SUPERBOLT.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF P-72C SUPERBOLT.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF P-72C SUPERBOLT.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF P-72C SUPERBOLT.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF P-72C SUPERBOLT.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

This P-72 is from the DAT group of modders and it's a real favourite of mine. I think there was a conversion article in an Airfix Magazine from the 70's that always fascinated me. There'll be a few Portuguese 'what ifs' to come in the next few days as I'm re-reading one of my favourite books called 'Portuguese Fighter Colours 1919-1956' a really well-illustrated book full of Gladiators, Hurricanes, Spitfires, Airacobras, Beaufighters, Thunderbolts and many more.

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Gloster Meteor F.8A - No.30 Squadron, RAF South East Asia Command, 1951

RAF METEOR F8A.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF METEOR F8A.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF METEOR F8A.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF METEOR F8A.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF METEOR F8A.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF METEOR F8A.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF METEOR F8A.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF METEOR F8A.08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

My last SEAC Meteor was standard RAF Camo with colourful No.71 (Eagle) Squadron markings so when I was revising my upload over at Combat Ace I thought I'd ring the changes and go silver with blue wing bands. I've deliberately not used the band on the fin as the letter and finflash are fighting for space and, on a whim, I knocked up a full set (26) of 'square' letters that will see future use.

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Hawker 'Furacão' - 'SU' Flight, Aeronáutica Militar, 1944

The Hawker Hurricane entered service with the Royal Air Force at the end of 1937 when No.111 Squadron re-equipped with the type at RAF Northolt. By late 1938 the production capacity for Hurricanes at the Hawker Siddeley Aircraft group of companies was sufficient not only to meet the needs of the RAF's ambitious expansion scheme but also sufficient to allow exports to Yugoslavia, South Africa, Romania, Persia, Belgium, Poland and Turkey. Belgium and Yugoslavia had both negotiated production licences but only a handful were produced by Avions Fairey in Belgium before the German invasion in May 1940 and in Yugoslavia the Zmaj factory managed to build 20 Hurricanes before the German invasion in April 1941.

At the start of World War 2, Portugal was keen to both maintain it's neutrality and also bolster it's defences - recognising that the Portuguese mainland was of strategic importance as was it's island territories of Maderia and the Azores. Indeed, both the UK and Germany considered invading the islands but British diplomacy won the day in June 1940 when the UK formally asked for use of the Azores by invoking the Aliança Luso-Britânica (Anglo-Portuguese Alliance) of 1386 which is still the oldest alliance in the history in the world that is still in force. In return, Portugal asked for a wide variety of defence equipment from the UK including "100 modern monoplane fighter aircraft". With the UK facing a desperate struggle the Portuguese 'wish list' was largely unfulfilled until much later in the war but in December 1940 the British government agreed to supply 100 Hurricane fighters by the end of the following year.

However, there was an urgent demand for Rolls-Royce Merlin engines for the RAF's day fighters and also for the Boulton & Paul Defiant and Bristol Beaufighter night fighters. In addition, RAF Bomber Command were about to go on the offensive with the Handley-Page Halifax having just entered service and the superlative Avro Lancaster and de Havilland Mosquito were both on the horizon. In February 1941 the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, blocked the sale outright but Sydney Camm at Hawker considered that the Hurricane airframe could be adapted to take a different engine and Camm was already aware that Roy Fedden of the Bristol Engine Company had developed a modular engine installation or 'power egg' for the Bristol Hercules radial engine. Fedden and Camm quickly schemed the Hercules powered Hurricane Mk.III and instructed the Gloster Aircraft Company, who had been manufacturing Hurricanes for the RAF on behalf of its parent company since 1939, to slot in 250 Hurricane Mk.III's onto the Hucclecote production line. Whilst there was no Hurricane Mk.III prototype as such, the first two production aircraft were thoroughly tested by Gloster's chief test pilot Gerry Sayer and also by Bill Humble of Hawker's and both praised it's flying characteristics noting that "the aircraft is simple and easy to fly and has no apparent vices" although the stalling speed was 8 knots higher than a standard Hurricane.

The first 100 Hurricane Mk.III's were crated and shipped to Portugal arriving at Santo Amaro in November 1941. After local assembly, they were flown to Ota Air Base and Sintra Air Base to eventually equip six day fighter squadrons of the Aeronáutica Militar (Army Aviation) although, at the time, these squadrons (typically, with 15 aircraft on strength) were confusingly classed as 'flights' with two-digit flight codes that were used to designate the squadron. 'SU' Flight were the first to be declared operational at Ota in April 1942 followed by 'MP' flight at Sintra. In Aeronáutica Militar service the Hurricane aircraft were locally known as the Furacão and remained in service even after the formation of the Força Aérea Portuguesa in 1952 and it was not until August 1954 that the Furacão finally passed from service.

PoAF FURACAO.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF FURACAO.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF FURACAO.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF FURACAO.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF FURACAO.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF FURACAO.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF FURACAO.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Furacao_Loading by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I think I've shown this lovely radial-engined Hurricane by 'Raven' before but here it is with standard RAF day camo (a new skin by me created from Raven's template) and very authentic Portuguese markings for the real Hurricanes that they did fly - mainly IIC's but a few photographs show IIB's and Canadian-built XII's. The two-tone serial number decals took a bit of trial and error in making and positioning. There's a lot of fact in that backstory!

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BAC F-112B Lightnings - 186th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, United States Air Force, 1966

USAF F-112B LIGHTNING.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-112B LIGHTNING.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-112B LIGHTNING.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Shown before but this is a new photoset with the Lightning posing with a more compliant Bear!

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BAC F-112B Lightning - 57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, United States Air Force, 1967

USAF F-112B LIGHTNING.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-112B LIGHTNING.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-112B LIGHTNING.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Another golden oldie posing with my 'Friendly Bear' - that's actually the name I've saved it as! I must try the F.6 in USAF colours at some time.

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Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CA-14 Gidgee - No.5 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, 1945

When Joseph Lyons led the United Australia Party to a landslide victory at the 1931 Australian General Election to become the Australian Prime Minister he also served as the country's treasurer until 1935 overseeing Australia's recovery from the Great Depression. "Honest Joe" Lyons was a masterful political campaigner and his personal popularity was a major factor in the government's re-election in 1934 (albeit a coalition Government between the United Australia Party and the Country Party). In early 1935 he met Essington Lewis, the Chief General Manager of Broken Hill Proprietary, who had visited Europe and who had formed the view that war was highly probable. Lewis expressed his concern at the lack of manufacturing capabilities in Australia and suggested that miltary aircraft might not be available from Britain during wartime. Prime Minister Lyons was receptive to the lobbying campaign led by Lewis to establish a modern aircraft industry and the Australian government required little persuasion and encouraged negotiations between a number of Australian companies which would soon lead to the formation of the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) in October 1936 and by September 1937 a new factory had been completed at Fishermen's Bend, Port Melbourne. Whilst the company would initially pursue the development and production of the CAC Wirraway (a licence-built version of the North American NA-16) the firm would soon be presented with demands for the large-scale production of military aircraft to re-equip the Royal Australian Air Force.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 created an urgent review of Australia's defences and, in particular, Australia's air defences were found to be a perilous position with just small numbers of CAC Wirraway general purpose aircraft and aging Brewster F2A Buffalo fighters available to the RAAF to defend the mainland. Although Britain and America possessed considerable aircraft manufacturing capacity their output was destined for their own air forces who were by now both engaged in battle. Furthermore, even where capacity was available the delivery of fighter aircraft would involve them being crated and shipped over long distances in wartime conditions. Australia's new Prime Minister, John Curtin, met with Lawrence Wackett (CAC's Manager and Chief Designer) to examine the possibility of designing and building an indigenous fighter aircraft. Wackett proposed a two-step solution of an interim design that would use elements of aircraft that were already being produced in Australia and a later design for a new high performance fighter designed from scratch. The CA-12 interim design would become the tough and nimble CAC Boomerang for which Wackett had decided to use the airframe of the CAC Wirraway as a starting point as this had the advantage of requiring little additional tooling and would therefore reduce the design time and lead to the earliest possible depolyment. Within weeks, the Australian War Cabinet authorised an order for 105 CAC Boomerang aircraft off the drawing board.

For the new fighter design (now designated CA-14) Wackett schemed a neat single-engined, low-wing monoplane with an all-metal, semi-monocoque fuselage and graceful, evenly-tapered wings. To power the CA-14 Wackett and his design team selected the promising Alison V-1350 - a liquid-cooled inverted-vee 12-cylinder piston engine rated at 1,350 hp at 7,500 ft altitude with 2,600 rpm and featuring a mechanical direct fuel injection system using small pistons driven off the crankshaft. When compared to the Merlin installation on the Spitfire and Hurricane, the lowered inverted engine installation improved visibility for the pilot and also improved access to the cylinder heads and exhaust manifolds for the ground crew. Armament consisted of two synchronized .50 caliber (12.7 mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns set in the upper fuselage decking fed by ammunition boxes positioned behind the engine bulkhead and with a further .50 caliber AN/M2 Browning machine gun in each wing. Pilots would later comment favourably that the 'four gun' installation was a good compromise between lightness and firepower and sufficent when used against most Japanese aircraft. For the new CA-14 design, and in keeping with the aboriginal theme, CAC chose the name of Gidgee - a lethal quartz-tipped spear. Development continued through the first half of 1942 and shortly after the first flight of the interim CAC Boomerang in May 1942 the Royal Australian Air Force approved the CA-14 design concept proposal and issued design specification 6/42 for work to commence on two prototypes and, subject to a successful test flight programme, a production order for 250 aircraft. The first Gidgee prototype was rolled out in February 1943 but the first flight would have to wait another two months following delays with the Alison V-1350. Finally on April 25th, 1943 CAC Test Pilot, Jim Schofield, flew the prototype Gidgee and this was soon followed by the second prototype just two days later flown by CAC's Ken Frewin.

By the middle of 1943 there were many USAAF fighter squadrons now deployed in northern Australia operating a mixture of P-39 and P-40 fighters and the RAAF had also begun to receive P-40's of their own. With the first three Boomerang squadrons having also become operational the RAAF reduced their order to 125 Gidgee aircraft and the programme lost some of it's urgency so it was not until August 1944 that No.5 Squadron of the RAAF became operational at Toogoolawah before being deployed to Piva Airfield at Torokina on Bougainville in November 1944. No.4 Squadron became the second Gidgee squadron in February 1945 deploying to Morotai and then to the island of Labuan to support Australian ground forces in the Borneo campaign. The third and final Gidgee squadron was No.77 Squadron who re-equipped with the type at Morotai in April 1945 conducting ground-attack sorties over the Dutch East Indies before redeploying to Labuan to support the 9th Australian Division in North Borneo until hostilities ended in August 1945. All three Gidgee squadrons deployed to Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force with No.4 and No.5 squadrons returning to Australia in 1948 and No.77 squadron was about to return to Australia in June 1950 when the Korean War broke out. Flying from Iwakuni in Japan, No.77 squadron joined United Nations forces supporting South Korea flying escort and patrol sorties until April 1951 when it converted to the Gloster Meteor.

RAAF MIRO.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAAF MIRO.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAAF MIRO.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAAF MIRO.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAAF MIRO.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAAF MIRO.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAAF MIRO.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAAF MIRO.08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The DAT group of modders have been releasing a lot of aircraft recently for a forthcoming 2nd Sino-Japanese War mod (effectively a new game using Strike Fighters as a platform) and the Kawasaki Ki-61 'Tony' is a cracker. I've created this homegrown Aussie fighter by overpainting the Hinomaru with WW2 RAAF roundels and the white tail simply uses portions of the essentially white specular map masked off. There's a bit more to it than that but it's a quick 'cheat'. The CA-14 was actually a 'one off' experimental Boomerang fitted with a supercharger but CAC did produce the CA-15 'Kangaroo' which was like an Australian MB.5 (both released by DAT incidentally) and if you search 'Kangaroo' when on Page 1 of this thread you'll find several of my CA-15 what ifs including a Soviet one!

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McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.5 - No.29 Squadron, Royal Air Force, 1991

RAF PHANTOM FGR5.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF PHANTOM FGR5.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF PHANTOM FGR5.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF PHANTOM FGR5.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF PHANTOM FGR5.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I've shown 'Operation Granby' RAF Phantoms before but have revised the markings on this No.29 Squadron Phantom and also the No.23 Squadron bird seen on the last piccie. My favourite Phantoms of all are the RAF's FGR.2's in classic 1970's camo but I do like the F-4E too.

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Hawker Harrier Mk.59 - 3rd Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Caza y Ataque, Armada de la República Argentina, 1974

COAN HARRIER Mk59.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

COAN HARRIER Mk59.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

COAN HARRIER Mk59.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

COAN HARRIER Mk59.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

COAN HARRIER Mk59.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

COAN HARRIER Mk59.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

COAN HARRIER Mk59.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

COAN HARRIER Mk59.08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A new photoset of one I've shown before. Perhaps I should have called it Matador?

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Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIC - No.1 Squadron, Royal Dhimari Air Force, 1947

DHIMAR HURRICANE 2C.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMAR HURRICANE 2C.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMAR HURRICANE 2C.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMAR HURRICANE 2C.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMAR HURRICANE 2C.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Since doing the Portuguese radial-engined Hurricane I've been loving Camm's classic.

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Saunders-Roe Firebar FAW.2 - No.25 Squadron, RAF Fighter Command, 1965

RAF FIREBAR FAW2.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF FIREBAR FAW2.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF FIREBAR FAW2.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF FIREBAR FAW2.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF FIREBAR FAW2.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF FIREBAR FAW2.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF FIREBAR FAW2.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I've shown the Firebar in RAF service before but in No.29 Squadron markings and for this revision I'm adding No.25 Squadron (shown here) alongside No.29 Squadron and I've also changed all the decals including new serial numbers instead of using the stock Lightning serial numbers. It really needs a new name though.