Whiffers ultimate (insane) challenge: 1/144 aircraft carrier

[cthulhu77]

Trust me, "happy accidents" occur all the time...you just have to grin and bear it. I am sure that this carrier is going to be astounding !

[dy031101]

Minor curiosity from me: what kind of loadouts would the different aircraft you've chosen for the Dendermonde be displayed with?

For example, air-to-air for the F-4B, bombs and rockets for FJ-3, and everything else like that.  What would be your choices?

[Spey_Phantom]

Minor curiosity from me: what kind of loadouts would the different aircraft you've chosen for the Dendermonde be displayed with?

For example, air-to-air for the F-4B, bombs and rockets for FJ-3, and everything else like that.  What would be your choices?

well, the Phantom is already armed with AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9B Sidewinders

as for the FJ-3's, i got some rocket launchers from Chengdu F-7's and some WW2 style 250lbs bombs.
these would fit the Fury's nicely 

[dy031101]

as for the FJ-3's, i got some rocket launchers from Chengdu F-7's and some WW2 style 250lbs bombs.
these would fit the Fury's nicely

So you do indeed plan to task the Furies with ground attack missions. 

What variant would your TBM be?  (I was guess TBM-3W re-roled for AEW, but then again, it's just my guess.  )

[Weaver]

When you fit your Sea Sparrows, remember that they need targeting radars too, and that the early US, late US and NATO Sea Sparrows use WAY different systems.

Early US system (converted ASROC launcher on 3" gun mount) used a manned director: like an open-topped gun director with an open radar dish on the front. (Can't recall the Mk.no - sorry)

Late US system (NATO Sea Sparrow launcher) uses a Mk.91 director: weird thing, like two dustbins on their side, with black radomes on the front, one of them a hemisphere, the other more like a doughnut!

NATO Sea Sparrow can use a variety of trackers:

One is the STIR director. This is a parabaloid dish with a hemispherical weather cover, so it's kinda like a UFO on it's side..... (if you're looking for pictures of STIR, there are two sizes of aerial: you want the smaller one).

Another type is the HSA WM-series, which incorporates search and tracking aerials in one fibreglass "egg". This is the type seen on the real Belgian frigates and might be a good option for a carrier, since it incorporates two functions in one mount.

[Spey_Phantom]

OK, im gonna cut things short as my PC is on the fritz again 

here are some pictures from how she looked last night, there's a smudge of green on the front, so that needs to be cleaned up 
but now i can start on the landing strip 

Pictures 

So you do indeed plan to task the Furies with ground attack missions. 

What variant would your TBM be?  (I was guess TBM-3W re-roled for AEW, but then again, it's just my guess.  )

the Avenger will be a standard TBF1 used as ASW aircraft, a second one will be added later, witch will be an AEW converted one 

When you fit your Sea Sparrows, remember that they need targeting radars too, and that the early US, late US and NATO Sea Sparrows use WAY different systems.

Early US system (converted ASROC launcher on 3" gun mount) used a manned director: like an open-topped gun director with an open radar dish on the front. (Can't recall the Mk.no - sorry)

Late US system (NATO Sea Sparrow launcher) uses a Mk.91 director: weird thing, like two dustbins on their side, with black radomes on the front, one of them a hemisphere, the other more like a doughnut!

NATO Sea Sparrow can use a variety of trackers:

One is the STIR director. This is a parabaloid dish with a hemispherical weather cover, so it's kinda like a UFO on it's side..... (if you're looking for pictures of STIR, there are two sizes of aerial: you want the smaller one).

Another type is the HSA WM-series, which incorporates search and tracking aerials in one fibreglass "egg". This is the type seen on the real Belgian frigates and might be a good option for a carrier, since it incorporates two functions in one mount.

i havent found any good pictures yet of the early Sea Sparrow systems, but im starting to have doubt about fitting missiles. im now concidering fitting AA guns instead.
im still gonna try and google the Sea Sparrow systems, just to get some reference photo's.

[Weaver]

i havent found any good pictures yet of the early Sea Sparrow systems, but im starting to have doubt about fitting missiles. im now concidering fitting AA guns instead.
im still gonna try and google the Sea Sparrow systems, just to get some reference photo's.

Not a bad decision: on such a small carrier, missiles would take up a lot of space.

Things I missed:

1. The early Sea Sparrow guidance radar was the Mk.115.

2. Early Sea Sparrow was also called BPDMS (Basic Point Defence Missile System) whilst the later one was called IPDMS( Improved Point Defence Missile System). Googling on those two terms might find you extra pictures.

3. The BPDMS launcher was basically a quick and dirty lash-up, which used ASROC boxes on a 3" gun mount and standard Sparrows with non-folding wings. You can distinguish it by the spacing of the boxes as seen from the front, which is 2+4+2 like an ASROC mount. IPDMS used a custom launcher with a 4+4 layout, and folding wing missiles.

[Spey_Phantom]

UPDATE

although the ship itsself is now finished, i dont concider it so until the complete airwing has been build and placed on the deck.
so the next step is the airwing on board, so today, im gonna start work on the SA330 and the Avenger.
on the shopping list still to buy is the second addition to the carrier air wing, 2 A-6E's or 1 F-4E (to convert to F-4B)
i still have a Leutonian A-6E here, but im concidering to repaint it as a Belgian A-6E.
so airwing option is now in Down-select as:

option 1:
2 x F-4B Phantom
1 x A-6E Intruder
1 x SA-330B Puma
1 x TBF-1 Avenger ASW

option 2:
1 x F-4B Phantom
2 x A-6A Intruder
1 x SA-330B Puma
1 x TBF-1 Avenger ASW

and im re-concidering replacing the Avengers with an E-2A or B Hawkeye. but that would be bit overkill for the small carrier.
with 50/60's carrier aircraft so hard to find, for some time i was thinking about switching to 70/80's aircraft as these are available in large numbers (E-2C, F/A-18A, F-14A/D, A-6E,...)
but i decided to stay in the 60's style, as it suits the carrier well.

here's a profile im planning for the SA330B, decided to go with the Canadian Navy 2-tone grey like the seakings of the Canadian Carrier Bonaventure.
and add a red nose in the style of Belgium's S-58's and Seakings 



and here's the carrier on its first sea trials, on board are 1 Belgian F-4B, 1 Belgian Police SA330 (RealWorld) and 1 US TBF Avenger (RealWorld) just to give an idea of the airwing 

on the botom pic, you can clearly see the moisture setting on the deck cause of the damp during drying.
the white stripes on the deck can glow in the dark 

[cthulhu77]

Nothing else to say, but "WOW" !!!!!   

[Brian da Basher]

Nothing else to say, but "WOW" !!!!!   

Concur, Mr Cthulhu! Nils that's got to be one of the most incredible aircraft carrier whiffs of the year! Outstanding!

Brian da Basher

[noxioux]

WOW is good.  I prefer DAAAAAAAMN!

[Spey_Phantom]

UPDATE:

the 2nd aircraft for the airwing has been completed 
the TBF-1 Avenger was made last night, and painting was completed this morning.

Back History:

When Belgium bought the BNS Dendermonde in 1952, as part of the deal, 14 Ex-Royal Navy TBF-1 Avengers were donated by the USA. there aircraft were the most important ASW torpedo bomber in the fleet and was assigned as a fleet defence aircraft. the aircraft saw combat near the congolese/rwandese coast back in 1961, during the congolese civil war for independence. the BNS Dendermonde was based some 200 miles outside the coast.

on april 26, 1961, a group of congolese rebels attempted to attach the carrier, however the ships radar detected 2 small river attack boats heading to the carrier from the coast. immediatly, 2 avengers were launched to take out the threat. 10 minutes later, the aircraft attacked the vessels while taking small arms fire. 1 avenger launched a torpedo on the first boat, the second one attacked the oter boat with its cannons. both boats were sunk, just 50 miles before they could reach the carrier. both aircraft returned safely to the Dendermonde, although 1 aircraft took damage on its tail from being fired uppon from the rebels.

in 1965, the avengers were becoming obsolete, only 8 were operational of witch 2 were converted to COD aircraft (Carrier Onboard Delivery). in 1970, the Avengers were taken out of service and replaced by 8 Breguet Alizé aircraft from France.

The Model:

model is a minicraft 1/144 Avenger, decals are custom made with the Belgische zeemacht / Force Navale Belge decals on either side.
the aircraft depicted is the COD modified aircraft, where the center windows glass was replaced by steel plates.
both COD aircraft still retained the rear gunturrets for self defence.

[Spey_Phantom]

UPDATE:

the 3rd aircraft for the airwing is now done 

still to follow:

-1 additional F-4B (to be converted from an F-4E yet to buy)
-1 SA-330B Puma (in stash, building to commence soon)
-1 additional TBF-3 Avenger (possibly an ASW version to ad to the COD aircraft already build, see above)

Back History:

in early 1965, the Belgian Navy started looking for a replacement for the FJ-3 Fury in the strike role. having already selected the F-4B Phantom to replace the aircraft in the Carrier defence and strike role, the Belgian Naval Forces still needed an aircraft that can operate in bad weather conditions, both day and night. contenders for the requirement were the Dassault Etendard IV, the Grumman A2F-1 and the Blackburn Buccaneer AS.1.

in january 1966, the choise fell on the Grumman A2F-1, by then renamed the A-6A Intruder. an order was placed for 12 A-6A' and the first 2 were delivered in may 1967. the armament of the A-6A consisted out of Mk82, Mk84 and CBU-97 bombs, Shrike and Maverick Air-to-ground missiles, unguided rockets in pods, 20mm ZSU-23 cannons and AIM-9B Sidewinders for self-defence.

during operations above africa in april 1975 during the Angolan border wars, 2 A-6's were shot down by angolan MIG-23's while providing cover for UN forces on the ground who were evacuating european civilians from the war zone. from then, all A-6A's had be escorted to the target areas by phantoms. the Dendermonde stayed in the area until the UN withrew from the area in august 1975.

in 1982, the 10 remaining A-6A's were returned to the US to be rebuild as A-6E's, and 2 ex-US Navy A-6E's were ordered as replacements for the lost aircraft. the A-6's remained in service for carrier operations until 1998, when they were replaced by 12 F/A-18D. they did remain in service until 2004, operating from land bases as maretime strike aircraft.

the A-6E's were last used during the Kosovo-conflict in 1999, with 4 aircraft operating from Villafranca-Verone AFB in Italy as CAS aircraft, providing support to NATO forces in the south of the country. during the operations in that conflict, the intruder flew 437 missions, acculilating 2000 hours and dropped over 100 tons of bombs. its kill ratio: 12 T-72 tanks, 5 ST Fuchs mobile radars, 2 munition depots and the attack on the ministry of defence building in Sarajevo.

the A-6 was withdrawn from service in 2004, 4 are currently still being kept in storage, the other 8 have been sold for scrap in 2006.

the model:

the model is a 1/144 dragon A-6E, that was previously finished in Leutonian markings.
i removed the FLIR in the nose and repainted it to look like an A-6A.
she is painted in Royal Navy 2-tone grey and made in belgian markings of the (fictional) 16the Naval Air Squadron "Black Skulls" based at koksijde.
the armament was removed and replaced by 3 Mk.84 2000lbs bombs an a single AGM-45 Shrike missile (replesented by a crappy AIM-7 sparrow.

[Draken35]

Hallo Nils,

Found this:
http://gallery.pictopia.com/usni/gallery/5463/photo/315823/?o=676

Hope there is some Entendard IV at 1/144th scale, for you to reequip BNS Dendermonde....