Re: Spinners' Strike Fighters Thread

[SPINNERS]

Aero/BAC L-39K Cadet T.3 - No.17 (Reserve) Squadron, Royal Air Force, 1988

RAFCADETT302 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFCADETT301 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFCADETT303 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A revised L-39 Albatross was released recently and it is of outstanding quality with hi-rez skins and a superb 3D model. As a bonus the templates have been released making it quite easy for me to make a Desert Pink RAF Cadet T.3!

[SPINNERS]

BAC/Fairchild F-112B Lightning - 186th FIS, Montana Air National Guard, 1967

USAFF-112BLIGHTNING01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFF-112BLIGHTNING02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFF-112BLIGHTNING04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFF-112BLIGHTNING05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFF-112BLIGHTNING06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

BAC/Fairchild F-112B Lightning - 57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, USAF Keflavik, Iceland, 1966

USAFF-112BLIGHTNING07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFF-112BLIGHTNING08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFF-112BLIGHTNING09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFF-112BLIGHTNING10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

BAC Lightning F.Mk.52 - Finnish Ilmavoimat, 1965

FINLANDLIGHTNINGF201 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FINLANDLIGHTNINGF202 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FINLANDLIGHTNINGF203 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

English Electric Canberra B.5 - No.18 Squadron, RAF Middle East Command, 1956

RAFCANBERRAB501 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFCANBERRAB504 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFCANBERRAB502 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I was messing around with the B-57B that comes as a stock non-flyable and thought that an RAF 'tandem-seat' Cranberry would be nice although this is still strictly an English Electric product! Now I'd loved to have got rid of the engine cooling scoops that typified the B-57B's J-65 (Sapphire) engine installation but it proved impossible to completely remove them (sometimes you can hide parts using simple edits). The B.5 designation was actually used for a proposed 'Pathfinder' Canberra but I've used it for this interdictor - perhaps I should have called it a B(I).5!!

I'm trying to get back on my gradual revamp of my RAF decals so went for No.18 squadron who are another one of those RAF squadrons who have never really gone overboard on colourful markings even in the inter-war period.

[SPINNERS]

English Electric Lightning F.2 - No.19 Squadron, RAF South East Asia Command, 1967

RAFLIGHTNINGF201 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFLIGHTNINGF202 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFLIGHTNINGF203 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFLIGHTNINGF204 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The new Lightnings in the SF2 Expansion Pack 2 have all four of the main RAF schemes (silver, RAFG Green, Camo and Grey) and you can mix and match to your heart's content. These SEAC F.2's wear the Camo only normally seen on the Binbrook F3/F6 single-seat Lightnings.

[SPINNERS]

BAe/Boeing/Lockheed F/A-24K Shadowcat FG.2 - No.23 Squadron, Royal Air Force, 2014

RAFAFX09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFAFX10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFAFX11 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFAFX12 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFAFX14 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Julhelm's AFX 'Shadowcat' with a simple grey skin made all the more easier by the release of a superb template.

[SPINNERS]

BAe/Boeing/Lockheed F/A-24K Shadowcat FG.1 - 800 Naval Air Squadron, Iceland, 2013

ROYALNAVYAFX10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ROYALNAVYAFX08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ROYALNAVYAFX09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ROYALNAVYAFX11 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ROYALNAVYAFX12 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ROYALNAVYAFX13 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

BAC Lightning F.6(N) - No.23 Squadron, RAF Fighter Command, 1967

In mid-1966, in a radical move, the Leuchars based No.23 Squadron were re-equipped with the BAC Lightning F.6(N) (N for Nuclear) a long-range version of the F.6 with combat-rated overwing tanks and provision for the Douglas AIR-2 'Genie' rocket becoming the third and final user of this unguided nuclear-tipped weapon and, like Canada, using the type under a dual-key arrangement. Like the contemporary V-Bombers the F.6(N)'s were painted in 'anti-flash white' but the type was withdrawn from service in early 1970 after just 40 months service and the F.6(N)'s were converted back to standard F.6's, even losing the useful underwing pylons, and by early 1971 all 72 Genie rockets had been ferried back to the United States.

RAFLIGHTNINGF6N02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFLIGHTNINGF6N03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFLIGHTNINGF6N04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

From an idea by Mossie! I just couldn't bring myself to bang those ugly missiles on the fuselage pylons.

[SPINNERS]

BAC Lightning F.56 - Esk 726, Royal Danish Air Force, 1971

RDAFLIGHTNINGF5601 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RDAFLIGHTNINGF5602 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RDAFLIGHTNINGF5603 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RDAFLIGHTNINGF5604 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RDAFLIGHTNINGF5605 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The new 'Strike Fighters' Lightning comes with the classic RAFG 'Green' camo as worn by No.19 and No.92 squadrons and it was always going to find its way on a Danish Lightning! Rather conveniently, Third Wire have put this scheme in the F.3 and F.6 as well as the F.2 and F.2A (correct for both as some 'decoy' F.2's did receive the Green camo) and with simple edits you can put any skin on any Lightning. Indeed, the above F.2A scheme is on an export F.53 airframe. 

[SPINNERS]

BAC Lightning F.56 -154º Gruppo, 6º Stormo, Aeronautica Militare, 1973

AMILIGHTNINGF5601 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMILIGHTNINGF5602 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMILIGHTNINGF5604 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I love classic RAF camo as seen on Hunters, Phantoms and the Binbrook Lightnings. The similar Aeronautica Militare camo scheme seen on their Ginas and Zippers looks equally cool and, if anything, their roundels look even better! Add a little 'diablo rossi' to the fin and this 'NATO standard fighter' Italian Lightning is complete!

[SPINNERS]

McDonnell Douglas F-4M Phantom II -154º Gruppo, 6º Stormo, Aeronautica Militare, 1971

AMIF-4M03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMIF-4M01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMIF-4M02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMIF-4M04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

BAC Lightning F.56N - 22º Gruppo, 51º Stormo, Aeronautica Militare Italiana, 1968

The development of the 'multi-role' F.53 export version of the Lightning coincided with dissatisfaction among European F-104 users and, along with the end of RAF production on the near horizon, gave BAC the inspiration to aggressively market the Lightning as a 'NATO standard' fighter-bomber with the Marineflieger becoming the first customer for the F.56 quickly followed by the Aeronautica Militare Italiana and the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

AMILIGHTNINGF5605 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMILIGHTNINGF5606 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMILIGHTNINGF5607 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMILIGHTNINGF5608 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I love the 51 stormo 'cat' and worked it into a green fin marking - just slightly complicated by needing to create 'handed' versions  for tail direction and due to the script becoming back-to-front if using the normal Reverse=TRUE statement).

[SPINNERS]

AMD Mirage 2000 - No.13 Squadron (The Desert Bulls) Dhimari Air Force, 1999

DHIMARIM2K01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMARIM2K02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMARIM2K03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMARIM2K04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The long-awaited Mirage 2000 by 'The Mirage Factory' group of modders was released today and it's a beauty and I've used the French desert camo skin to create a Dhimari version.

[SPINNERS]

BAC-Rockwell Thunderstrike B-74A - United States Air Force, 1969

USAFTSR201 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFTSR202 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFTSR203 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFTSR204 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFTSR205 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

From an idea from one of the new members at Combat Ace who suggested the anti-flash white and agreed to my suggestion of pale blue/pale pink V-Bomber markings. Pretty wild!!