THE EMPIRES TWILIGHT

[retro_seventies]

Your bristol freighter looks SO RIGHT.  Just wonderful - thanks for sharing!  And the viggie?  and your chinese jet?  WOW.  WOW!!

[ChernayaAkula]

Love the Swashbucklers! Very cool!

The Viggie an Q-9 are also pretty cool! 

[Brian da Basher]

I like the Desert Finch best, but they're all very nicely done!

Brian da Basher

[gunfighter]

Oh, I missed the Yak 130, it resembles a scaled down hornet. Way cool!

[kitnut617]

Your Bristol Cabot has definitely struck a chord with me, I've had a similar idea of using some turbo-props on mine, but using some Tynes.  What and where did you get your engines ?

[Vulcan7]

Ace builds!, the Vigilante's my favourite 

[thedarkmaster]

to answer the above question the engines are from a failed build of an a-model An-26....a bitch and i'm glad it's gone.



No aircraft to post today but a little help for those enquiring minds whom require a little more background

The World of The Empires Twighlight circa 1985

A little note on the colours used and what they represent

Pink Is the New Commonwealth, note also Poland and Portugal are partially in Pink as full Allies but not members, on a second note see Hanover or the British controled part of Germany.

RED The USSR and the countries of the Warsaw and the Damascuss Pacts

Blue The French Empire and former colonies tied to France economicly and militarily

Pink/purple The Red Chinease, note the ocupation of Taiwan

The USA is as normal, with most other nations coloured for ease.

Hope this is of help to anyone trying to understand some of the things that i mention


TIM

[thedarkmaster]

Fortress GR3A

On full indepandance Malta decided that it did not want to cut it's ties with the UK and that it did not want to be a republic and so The Queen remaned the head of state to this little stategicly imprtant island in the med.

Malta got by for years on the goodwill of the UK and other New commonwealth members and their willingness to use the islands facilities but in as Her Majesties Silver Jubilee aproached the people of Malta wanted their own armed forces to be present at their Queens festivities and so the Royal Malta Defence Force was formed, with the Royal Malta rifles as the ground element and one squadron of planes as the air component. Initally the aircraft was the Scotish Aviation Bulldog T1.

This state of affairs lasted until 1982 and the Argentine Invasion of the Falklands, this left Malta in somewhat of a condry. The nearest shore was not a friend whom could be called upon, and nations of the Damascuss pact looked on with interest, and only Gibralter, Cyprus and Israel where available to send help.

Malta needed to upgrade it's defence capability, but the pennies and pounds where not available, a source of aircraft was required. A cheap source. Then the RAF stepped in, for the knockdown price of £1 it would sell to Malta 18 captured Pucara aircraft. The offer was speedily accepted and the aircraft refurbished in the Uk and dispatched to Valletta.

Called the Fortress in New Commonwealth service ( the translation of the word Pucara ) , considered apt as Malta Ranked as the worlds greatest fortress. The 18 aircraft enterd full service in 1984, almost imediatly they began to fly full patrols over the island.

The RMDF used it's aircraft right up to and through the disaster of 91, seeing combat against US naval forces and the soviet 5th Eskadrille before the destruction of their base.

The aircraft modeled is aircraft no9, on the eve of the 91 action in the intrim roundel scheme ( change from RAF style to the new Malta roundel had just been approved by the Queen ) that contained both types of roundel. It is in the Malta med colours and is the maritime attack version with 3 hardpoints.

This craft took part in the retaliation attack on USS Wisconsin and was credited with causind damage on the ship before falling to triple A.























Kit is the Airfix one paint is Revell and decals are from a Freightdog sheet

[Taiidantomcat]

Pretty 

[pyro-manic]

That is very, very cool. The roundels are excellent! I like how little bits of information are building up to make a picture of this "1991 disaster" - sounds like a very messy event...

[JayBee]

Sensational, I love the "knockdown price of £1".
I am also looking forward to the CFH of the '91 disaster.
(I hated history at school, I mean, it has happened, so what, but this is SO good to read).

An awestruck JayBee!!!!!!

[bobbo]

OK, TDM.  I've had enough (he says, tongue formly in cheek!)!!  I want the STORY, not just the models!!

Seriously, I am enjoying the models immensely, but a (relatively) complete story would be a wonderful setting for them.

Keep up the great work!!

Bobbo

[thedarkmaster]

The Union Aircraft Company ( South Africa ) 1958-1991  part 1

Following the Formation of the New Commonwealth in 1956 South Africa found itself for a time cut off from American sources of aorcraft and spares. At a high level cabinet meeting the defence comitee concluded that South Africa must develop and indiganous industry to combat this problem in future, and so the Union Aircraft Company was formed in Cape Town.

Initially the remit was to just manufacture spares for the RSAAF, but, the RSAAF was aware of their position, isolated from major help and yet also vital for the New Commonwealths interests, and they asked the UAC to develop a basic cheap ground attack aircraft for home production.

The UAC approahed De Haviland in the UK and asked for help in the design for this basic one seater for the RSAAF. De Haviland sent a team headed by Frank Almond to assist and to give technical advice in al, aspects of the production process.

The design that eventually became the Aardwolf was a basic stright wing aircraft capable of carrying 4x 250lb bombs and carrying 2x12.7mm guns internally. The plane was a remarkably stable gun platform and became popular with the pilots who flew it.

Aardwolf G2 1961

Though a good aorcraft by the standards of the potential enemies of South Africa the UAC could not and would not stand on it's laurels. The Rsaaf need a fighter to replave the Sabrs then in service and so the UAC took up the challenge to design somethin more modern somethig faster, with a heavier armament anf the capability to take air to air missiles.

This time it was a purely UAC venture, much had been learned from De Haviland and many of the initial team had stayed in South Africa and found employment with the UAC. The new design was a swept wing configuration capable of Mach .96, armed with two internall 20mm cannon and with provision for two Redtop missiles, entered Rsaaf service in 1964 with no 5 squadron and went on to equip 7 front line squadrons and 1 Rhodesian sqd. Called the Boomslang ( tree snake )
in RSAAF service the Aircraft operated as South Africa's main interceptor well into the early 1980's

Boomslang FR4 1977

The RSAAF air staff approached the UAC in the early 1970's with a reqirement for a new interceptor to enter service no later that 1979 ! Well to say that the UAC was stunned was an understatement but work commenced and progress was made, however the greatest boon to the UAC came in 1975 when the south African army captured a SU9 intact on an Angolan airstrip, the Craft was in Soviet markings, but as the South African govenment never admitted it had the craft little could be said.

The UAC proceed to copy as much of the SU9 as required to make the new fighter, hense was born the Kommando. The external Differances in the airfames where slight but internally the Kommando had South African anf UK electronics, radar and weapon systems etc.

Entering service in 1980 the Kommando was the first RSAAF aircraft to adopt the now standard New Commonwealth anti flash white colour scheme, and the first to be deployed to the UK.

Kommando F3 1986

The UAC  had for a while been looking at finally producing a word class aircraft one that it coul export and one that would show the world what the could do.

A design based upon the research done within the UK and canada was finalised and in great secrecy tested over the veldt, the results where amazing with a fantastic straight line speed and climbing ability, all of which pointed at an interceptor.

At this time no requirement exsisted for such an aircraft within the New Commonwealth, but the RAF was looking for a medium range craft with in-flight refueling capability that it could use as a recon platform. The criteria was stringent and the craft had to be able to defend itself if called upon to do so. All the criteria where ablly met by the airframe, now called the Meerkat , and it was accepted into RAF service in 1984.

Meerkat R2 1991

Been a big job to get these done, hope it fills out about one of the New Commonwealth members a little more, part 2 will follow when i've made the kits.


finally this is my greatest creation and the thing i'm most proud of.

THE PINK PRINCESS S1

isn't she lovely ?

[PR19_Kit]

Really good putty work on the pink one........... 

[pyro-manic]

Is she nuclear-capable as well?

Brilliant stuff, TDM - this is one of my favourite threads on What If. Your excellent builds never fail to entertain.