Re: Spinners' Strike Fighters Thread

[SPINNERS]

Martin B-21A Montgomery - 28th Bombardment Squadron, United States Army Air Corps, 1940

USAAC B-21A MONTGOMERY.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAAC B-21A MONTGOMERY.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAAC B-21A MONTGOMERY.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAAC B-21A MONTGOMERY.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAAC B-21A MONTGOMERY.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAAC B-21A MONTGOMERY.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAAC B-21A MONTGOMERY.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I'm quite pleased with this! This is a new Mitsubishi Ki-21 'Sally' by Veltro2K and released by the DAT team recently. I've cut out the parts from the original IJAAF skin and used the white specular map (that normally dictates shininess) with a 40% grey layer to dampen things down and added the USAAC rudder directly onto the skin bitmap plus new decals. As the 28th Bombardment Squadron were based in the Phillipines at about this time I've used the Vietnam terrain as a stand-in.

[SPINNERS]

Martin Model 141 - 2e Afdeling, IIIe Vliegtuiggroep, Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force, 1941

NEI B-21A MONTGOMERY.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

NEI B-21A MONTGOMERY.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

NEI B-21A MONTGOMERY.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

NEI B-21A MONTGOMERY.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

NEI B-21A MONTGOMERY.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

NEI B-21A MONTGOMERY.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

aka Sally goes Dutch!

DAT's 'Sally' comes with a lovely pre-war IJAAF camo on which I've overpainted the rudder (orange edged with black) and also crudely overpainted the wing hinomaru. Some NEI markings complete the look.

[SPINNERS]

SEPECAT Jaguar FGR.3 - No.112 Squadron, RAF Near East Air Force, 1984

RAF JAGUAR FGR3.08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAGUAR FGR3.09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAGUAR FGR3.10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAGUAR FGR3.11 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAGUAR FGR3.12 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAGUAR FGR3.13 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAGUAR FGR3.14 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Whilst the Near East Air Force disbanded in 1976 I really wanted to place this desert Jaguar with them. This is a superb Omani camo by 'sundowner' with the same decals from my No.45/No.58 squadron Jaguars but I have changed the serial numbers to white. The intake markings are a bit speculative as whilst the 'cat' in the centre is correct the green bars are guess work based on the fins and rudders of their Vampire FB.5's being that shade of green (I think the Heller kit showed this).

[SPINNERS]

SEPECAT Jaguar FGR.3 - No.112 Squadron, RAF Near East Air Force, 1984

RAF JAGUAR FGR3.15 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAGUAR FGR3.16 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAGUAR FGR3.17 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAGUAR FGR3.18 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I'm not really a fan of special schemes but I have done a few 'Black Mikes' in my time! On this one I was hampered a bit by the available artwork for the distinctive No.112 Squadron cat being quite lo-res whilst better (sitting) black cats were more like domestic moggies. Anyway, it looks OK and the Jaguar looks as aggressive as ever.

[SPINNERS]

Avro Lancaster - 852nd BS, 491st BG, United States Army Air Force, 1944

USAAF LANCASTER B1.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAAF LANCASTER B1.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAAF LANCASTER B1.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAAF LANCASTER B1.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAAF LANCASTER B1.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I'd thought of doing a Lancaster assembly ship a few days ago and made a start on a homemade template yesterday - a bit of a basic job but OK for this. It was always going to be this scheme which I fondly remember from 'The Mighty Eighth' book that I borrowed from the library 45 years ago! I used 3 different sizes of red polka dots and chose to cover the upper wings as well (some illustrations show plain yellow upper wings). It's far from perfect and because the fuselage is halved (like most model aircraft kits) the polka dots cannot be placed too high or too low as they become wildly distorted (you can see a mild form on the engine nacelles). Some of the other assembly ship schemes are totally insane (some resemble the psychedelic fish from 'Yellow Submarine') and one questions whether the man-hours and paint cost was worth it. AFAIK the 8th's assembly ships were unarmed and also stripped of armour. Obviously, I couldn't do that with the Lancaster 3D model I used (once again by Veltro2K) but an assembly ship Lanc with faired over turrets would look cool.

[SPINNERS]

Handley Page Haydock C.1 - No.24 Squadron, RAF Transport Command, 1961

RAF HAYDOCK C1.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HAYDOCK C1.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HAYDOCK C1.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HAYDOCK C1.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A sweet IL-14 'Crate' was released recently and I've used one of the silver skins (all silver skins are a lightish grey colour) to make this RAF Transport Command machine by adding the cheat line and then using the cheat line to mask off the upper and lower fuselage and then tinting the upper surface a much lighter tone and slightly darkening the undersides. The decals actually took me much longer to do than the skin and I'm pretty sure that this is the first No.24 Squadron 'what if' I've done.

[SPINNERS]

Handley Page Haydock C.2 - No.30 Squadron, RAF Transport Command, 1963

RAF HAYDOCK C2.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HAYDOCK C2.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HAYDOCK C2.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HAYDOCK C2.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF HAYDOCK C2.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Whilst this looks like the Haydock C.1 it's the slightly different C.2 and it was actually quicker to make a new skin from scratch than adapt my earlier skin. I've taken the opportunity to improve the fuselage cheat line and will revise my C.1 at some time. The 3D model is of the IL-14T with the large cargo door on the port side and as No.24 Squadron are far too posh for lugging cargo around I've given the C.2 to No.30 Squadron. I've enjoyed doing these!

[SPINNERS]

Douglas Doncaster B.1(FE) - No.35 Squadron, No.5 Group, RAF Bomber Command, 1946

RAF B-42A MIXMASTER.08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF B-42A MIXMASTER.09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF B-42A MIXMASTER.10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF B-42A MIXMASTER.11 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF B-42A MIXMASTER.12 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF B-42A MIXMASTER.13 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

This was relatively easy to do as I made the template for the Mixmaster a few weeks ago but the demarcation line crosses an undercarriage door and really needs tidying up a bit. I've based the markings on the Airfix Tiger Force Lancaster and put a fair bit of weathering on it. Even the short Wiki page on Tiger Force gives a sense of how big an operation this was scheduled to become and I hadn't actually realised how much preparation was already under way.

[SPINNERS]

Hawker Siddeley Solent MR.1 - No.201 Squadron, RAF Coastal Command, 1968

RAF SOLENT MR1.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF SOLENT MR1.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF SOLENT MR1.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF SOLENT MR1.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF SOLENT MR1.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF SOLENT MR1.08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF SOLENT MR1.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Every time I see the Tu-95RT in game I'm struck by how majestic it looks and I thought I'd give it a Nimrod-esque scheme by tinting the upper fuselage and tail white and tinting the upper surfaces and the fuselage band black with both tints at 50% opacity. This sounds simple (and I'd told myself that) but it took much longer to get it right passable as the 'Bear' is split over 6 different bitmaps with the fuselage spread over three sections and the huge wings across two. I ended up re-doing the fuselage band making it deeper but curving it down at the nose. I've removed the refueling probe and the two side bulges and did consider removing the big belly radar. I don't actually like very large aircraft in 'Strike Fighters' (they're not meant to be flyable) and they are also a 'bear' to photograph in their entirety. I might try doing the Tu-16 Badger using this technique - it will certainly be more Nimrod sized.

[SPINNERS]

BAC Broadsword GR.1 - No.13 Squadron, RAF Strike Command, 1990

RAF FENCER GR3.08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF FENCER GR3.09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF FENCER GR3.10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF FENCER GR3.11 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF FENCER GR3.12 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF FENCER GR3.13 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF FENCER GR3.14 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I've always liked the 1980's style wraparound camo seen on the Jag and the Fin and also love the Tornado-era No.13 Squadron 'nosebar' markings (I should have reversed the starboard one) but this skin needs a LOT of tidying up (no camo on wing spoilers, strakes and complete mis-match between wing glove and swing wings) but to get it right will take many hours of trial and error due to the way it's mapped so I treated it as a bit of a speed build as I need to clear the decks for a new skinning project I've volunteered to do. For a variety of reasons things will be a bit slow around here for a few weeks but I hope to slot in the occassional 'what if' when time permits.

[SPINNERS]

Douglas A2D-2 Skyshark - VC-35, United Staes Navy, 1953

USN A2D SKYSHARK.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USN A2D SKYSHARK.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USN A2D SKYSHARK.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USN A2D SKYSHARK.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USN A2D SKYSHARK.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USN A2D SKYSHARK.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USN A2D SKYSHARK.08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

This has occupied me recently - making a skin from scratch for the A2D Skyshark. I'm starting with the glossy sea blue (aka midnight blue) and I'm hoping to move onto a grey and white USN scheme but there are a few issues with the mapping of the 3D model with several parts being mapped to one area and that means some awkward colour choices... like blue landing gear! No requests please, this one is a bit of a time-consuming beast.

[SPINNERS]

Douglas F-91B Skyshark - 36th Fighter Bomber Squadron, 8th Fighter Bomber Wing, USAF, 1953

The outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 came just one month after the first flight of the Douglas A2D Skyshark. Even before the Fall of 1950, the USAF could see that it had aircraft to suit every combat role except for the crucial close air support role where it had nothing inbetween the shiny new jets that were short on range and the F-51D Mustangs of WW2 vintage that were short on payload. A USAF evaluation team quickly studied a minimum change version of the Douglas A-1 Skyraider that was by now the backbone of the United States Navy carrier-based attack squadrons having exceptional payload ability and a very long range - indeed, some combat sorties were up to 10-hours long. However, the USAF evaluation team expressed concern that combat reports of these long-range missions constantly referred to pilots literally being dragged out of their cockpits such was their fatigue. In conclusion, the USAF evaluation team considered the A-1 Skyraider to be a good interim machine but recommended a faster follow-on aircraft that still had the A-1's exceptional payload ability.

Whilst the USAF were aware of the development problems of the turbo-prop powered Douglas A2D Skyshark they considered that it was a better prospect than any clean sheet of paper project and urged the Department of Defense for more funding to fix the A2D's problems. This re-ignited the United States Navy's interest in it's own program and the resultant joint campaigning effort resulted in more funding for an ambitious accelerated program. With the USAF having withdrawn the A (attack) designation in 1947 the USAF version was confusingly designated F-91* and the prototype YF-91 (converted from the third A2D-1) first flew on July 31st, 1951. 

Development and testing moved ahead smoothly during the remainder of 1951 and early 1952 with an initial production batch of 12 F-91A's entering service in August 1952 with a joint-service test and evaluation squadron based near the Douglas facility at El Sugundo in California. The main production version was the F-91B which entered service in February 1953 with the 36th Fighter Bomber Squadron temporarily detached to Itazuke Air Base in Japan before deploying to Suwon Air Base, South Korea to commence combat operations in March 1953. Operating in the night attack role the 36th Fighter Bomber Squadron primarily flew bombing and strafing missions against enemy air fields but in May 1953 the 36th succesfully attacked the Kuwonga, Namsi and Taechon Dams.

USAF F-91D SKYSHARK.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-91D SKYSHARK.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-91D SKYSHARK.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-91D SKYSHARK.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAF F-91D SKYSHARK.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The A2D 3D model is being revised so I'm holding off doing any camo schemes just in case the mapping is changed. Anyway. this scheme simply replaces blue with black but I have made some new decals including the 'FD' buzz numbers and the 36th FBS 'diamond' taken from their circular squadron patch but placed on a square rotated by 45 degrees. There's no need to comment on the F-91 designation - I've covered the Republic Thunderceptor often enough to know of it's existence but needed an 'F' designation that fitted the timeline.

[SPINNERS]

Curtiss P-36G Hawk - 126th IAP, Soviet Air Force, 1941

SOVIET P-36G HAWK.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIET P-36G HAWK.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIET P-36G HAWK.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIET P-36G HAWK.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A real quickie this. The DAT boys have been busy with P-51's recently and they've followed it up with a couple of P-36's. This is the P-36G and I thought I'd use the OD/Grey skin to make a lend-lease version for the Soviet Union but the funny thing was that before I did that I first checked that this hadn't actually happened! With hindsight, I should have used a version without the distinctive RDF aerial on the fuselage spine but I rushed this one.

Well, well, well. A tiny nugget for you is that the first P-40's to reach the Soviet Union were not lend-lease but were purchased with gold in September 1941 with lend-lease starting two months later.

[SPINNERS]

Curtiss P-36G Hawk - 126th IAP, Soviet Air Force, Winter 1941-1942

SOVIET P-36G HAWK.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIET P-36G HAWK.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIET P-36G HAWK.08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIET P-36G HAWK.09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIET P-36G HAWK.10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIET P-36G HAWK.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

For this winter P-36G (or Hawk 75A-8) I've tried a new technique of using the predominantly white specular map and 'distressing' it to reveal the original OD uppersurfaces. Gotta love YouTube!

[SPINNERS]

Douglas B-24B Mixmaster - 1 Grupo de Bombardeo, Fuerza Aérea Argentina, 1955

At the end of the Korean war the United States Air Force declared the B-42 Mixmaster to be obsolete and surplus to requirements. Despite the tense relations between the USA and Argentina during WW2 and throughout the Perón years the US Department of Defence authorised the sale of 30 B-42B's to Argentina which were delivered in two batches during early 1954 where they replaced the Fuerza Aérea Argentina's remaining Avro Lancasters and supplemented the Avro Lincoln in Fuerza Aérea Argentina service.

On June 16th, 1955 two B-42B aircraft from 1 Grupo de Bombardeo operated alongside a mixed force of aircraft from the Comando de la Aviación Naval Argentina in the tragic bombing of the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires where approximately 400 civilians were killed in the largest ever aerial bombing on the Argentine mainland. The type was subsequently used by both the government and rebel forces during the 'Revolución Libertadora' coup which eventually saw Juan Perón being deposed. As late as June 1966, the B-42B's remained in operational use with a force of ten B-42B's taking part in a flypast during the official inauguration of Juan Carlos Onganía as President of Argentina following the 'Revolución Argentina' coup d'état.

FAA B-42B MIXMASTER.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA B-42B MIXMASTER.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA B-42B MIXMASTER.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA B-42B MIXMASTER.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA B-42B MIXMASTER.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA B-42B MIXMASTER.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA B-42B MIXMASTER.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

For some reason, when I made the skin for the B-42 Mixmaster I was always going to do an Argentinian one in a similar scheme to their Avro Lincolns although I've used a lower demarcation line. The small batch of serial numbers (I made eight in total) took more time than anything else as I couldn't find a font that exactly hit the spot and I ended up using 'RAF_WW2_851ATH' with adjustments to the '1' and the hyphen.