Sovietised VG Prowler

[McGreig]

Remember Wyrmshadow's Sovietised VG Prowler from back in April 2007, created by adding Backfire wings to the EA-6?

I've been thinking about turning this into plastic using an old Hobbycraft 1/72 Prowler kit, but the project has been on the back burner for a while because I couldn't find the right wings.

The snag is that what can be resized and merged in computer graphics can't necessarily be done so easily in plastic. In 1/72 the Backfire wings are far too large and 1/144 Backfire wings are too small. I tried adapting Su-24 wings, but these were too difficult to fit on to the Prowler fuselage (and I almost ruined an Su-24 for no good reason  ).

I'd assumed that Su-17 wings would also be too small but I looked at them again when I painted my recent winterised Hobbycraft Fitter and it seemed as if they might work after all.

So I've taped Hobbycraft Su-17 wings on to the Prowler fuselage to get a better idea of the proportions and it looks OK to me. However, I'd appreciate a second (or third or fourth) opinion before I go any further. Any thoughts?

[anthonyp]

Very cool!  I always like Wyrmshadow's CGI too, and wanted to try my hand at it one day.  I don't think mine will look that good!

I think the Fitter wings, um, fit (yes, bad pun, just go with it).

Looking forward to seeing paint on it!

[Eddie M.]

Sweet!

I didn't think there was a way to make the old Queer look any better, but you've done it!
   Eddie

[Wyrmshadow]

No way.
No freaking* way.

I didnt' think anyone would go through with this. Looks good. Will you be leaving the rear seats alone or filling them in as I did?

*Oops. I thought that the forum would automatically change it to Feck like it did on the last version of the forum.

[McGreig]

No way.
No freaking* way.

I didnt' think anyone would go through with this. Looks good. Will you be leaving the rear seats alone or filling them in as I did?

I'll be filling them in as in your original. It should make the final result look a bit less like a Prowler and a two seater will look more convincing as a naval attack bomber. Colour scheme (although we're still a long way from painting) will probably also be pretty much as in your original.

EDIT:  Just changing the quote from Wyrmshadow to show his edit of his post.

[Mossie]

Looks good!  Just a suggestion, I'd use the Su-17 tailplanes too as the Prowler's don't match the wing sweep.  Are you going to do any more 'Sovietization'?  A couple of things I can think of is to square the intakes, & maybe add some more framing to th main canopy?

[Captain Canada]

Wow....great job, McCreig ! That thing is gonna look awesome.

I have to agree with Mossie, tho, the tailplanes don't fit.....

[Wyrmshadow]

Btw, I used the tailplanes and rudder from a Su-24.

This was the inspiration for the colors, but I chose darker blues.

[GTX]

Looks damn fine - keep going please.

Regards,

Greg

[The Rat]

This has got to be one of the niftiest ideas ever. Keep going!

[John Howling Mouse]

This has got to be one of the niftiest ideas ever. Keep going!

What he said.  This is really out there.  An absolute stand-out is on the way.

My only observation (and it's strictly an aesthetic thing) is that the vertical tailfin and VG wings look so very sleek and arrowhead-like (in the swept wings position) that the horizontal tailplane seems (to me) to look a bit out of place.  Then again, maybe there has to be that kind of compromise for the varied flight envelope of a VG aircraft?  And I suppose it does make it look very Soviet (like the MiG-21 with its own dissimilar sets of wings vs tailplanes).

I guess I'd like to see it with, say, the tailplanes from an F-14 just for effect. 

[McGreig]

Thanks everybody. I'll definitely be going ahead with this. The general consensus seems to be that the wings are fine but the tailplanes need to be changed.

I had intended to square off the tips of the Prowler tailpanes and add the rod-like counterbalances often seen on Soviet aircraft like the MiG-21 and Su-7/9/17 but now that I look at it, I have to agree that the tailplanes need more sweepback.

The Su-17 tailplanes may be a bit too small, but I have spares from a Phantom and a MiG-25 among others, so I should be able to come up with something.

I won't be making any other airframe changes. I did consider squaring off the intakes but, although it made it look less like an EA-6, it didn't seem to suit the general shape and (in my opinion) spoiled the look of the model.

[Maverick]

Spanking looking CGI & looks like a winner for Gordon here!   

My only thought would be that the wings look fine & in prop when swept, but a little too small when unswept, but then that's just the Fitter coming out in it I think.

[McGreig]

My only thought would be that the wings look fine & in prop when swept, but a little too small when unswept, but then that's just the Fitter coming out in it I think.

Thanks John. I wondered about that myself and considered adding a dogtooth leading edge extension like the MiG-23/27. In the end, partly because the swept version looks OK and the overall length will not be much greater than a Fitter, but mostly because there will be enough PSR on this as it is  , I decided to leave it as it is, although I haven't completely ruled out extending the wing tips to increase span slightly.

[Maverick]

As a thought regarding the tailplanes, maybe a set of F-111 units would to the trick, swept enough but still fairly solid looking and appropriately Soviet in general appearance?

I'm assuming the general pose of the model would be with swept wings, so I wouldn't get too hung up on their unswept look.