THE EMPIRES TWILIGHT

[B777LR]

You deserve a nobel prize!

[pyro-manic]

This thread is all kinds of awesome. 

[Taiidantomcat]

  That just looks great, my favorite of your many great models. The Missiles look good, smooth paint, it looks natural in the RAF roundels. 

[NARSES2]

I've just caught up with this thread and my flabber is absolutely ghasted - stunning stuff 

The Russian aircraft is a Bolkhovitnov S1 I think. Planet do the S2 and I think the S1

[thedarkmaster]

Just a quick note to explain a few things I've put in my posts about my timeline.........

The New Commonwealth is an orginisation put together by the UK post a very differant and succesful Suez.
It is a little like the old commom market, but, it has real teeth with all members operating common euipment and sharing common security. At the hieght of the New Commonwealth it contained Australia, Canada, South Africa ( no apartheid in this timeline ) Rhodesia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Ceylon ( no name change here ) Kenya and of course the UK and it's territorries such as Singapore, Hong-kong, Aden, Gibralter, Belize and the Falklands.

Relations with France and it's empire are very good and have been that way since the shared experiance of Suez, with the Anglo french co-operation producing such aircraft as the Concorde, Jaguar, Gazelle and Puma.
Germany has not unified and is almost run as four sepererate countries with the uk's area run from Hannover. The cold war runs in this timeline with the New Commonwealth having a very anti communist attitude, but the New Commonwealth is not in Nato and runs it's own course in the world. Relations with the USA are somrtimes good and at others poor with the UK not the USA's gratest alliy and in fact sometimes it's direct rival.

Military equipment is 66% sourced from member states and the rest from the best the world can provide, which leaves it in reality from the UK, Canada, the US, France and the USSR.

An actual timeline is on it's way which explains the dark ending I have in 91.

[ysi_maniac]

Great collection of models, indeed

[lancer]

WOW!!! One of my all time Soviet birds. It looks superb in anti flash white. Brilliant job. also like the way yhe new Commonwealth is set up

[thedarkmaster]

As stated in the previous post, the New Commonwealth aquired from a cash strapped Soviet Union some su25's, qickly shoe horned into RAF and RSAAF service these aircraft saw service on the Angolan border and in the RAF base at RAF Hatzor, Israel.

The deployment of these aircraft as well as Phantom fgr2's was part of the UK's commitment to Israel following the Anglo French treaty with Israel in 1957, a commitment honoured right up to the dark days of 1991.
The SU25 became the Raven GR1/2 in RAF service and this particular example saw limited combat in the Israeli and Syrian clashes of 1983/4, with RAF aircraft supporting ANZAC forces deployed in the Golan heights. But also scrupiously not contacting Jordanian Forces also involved in the limited conflict Jordan was a favoured New Commonwealth trading partner and political ally ( ahhhh poltics ). Though not in this case which both countries agreed to ignore as long as no clashes happened.

The aircraft is from 89 sqd and was lost over the Golan Heights on September 19th the last day of the conflict, the pilot was rescued later by a combined SAS patrol.



















No real conversion on this one just a Desert cammo scheme made with "white Ensign " modern Soviet/Russian colours, not too happy with the photos as they have picked out some things not visible to the naked eye.

[thedarkmaster]

going to bump this as no-one has comented

[Taiidantomcat]

Sorry, I checked it out last night but decided to hit the rack with the idea that i would post about it later.  I really like it, The desert camo is well done and i like the Silver exhausts. Which kit is it? I had the italeri? i believe and it was a bit of a PITA to put together. Overall --great job!

[sotoolslinger]

Sweet love the Frogfoot and you have done an excellent job

[thedarkmaster]

to the outside observer the New Commonwealth seamed to speak with one voice, and that voice was generally the voice of the UK. Internally though there where disagreements and misunderstandings over many many issues, with Australia much more pro American than any other member and South Africa much more isolationist.

An issue that can throw a little light on this is the Fairey Fission. During a early New Commonwealth defence meeting the UK was worried about safety of the Woomera site in Austrlia and whilst speaking on the matter a british General made the mistake of saying " it is our wish to make this base the safest in the Empire ", needless to say this was not greeted well by the other members and Austrlia in particular, but rather than wash their linen in public Australia put stringent clause on the aircraft that could be based at the Woomera base.

Nothing the RAF had would fit this limited spec and nothing from abroad would or could be considered, which left a security gap the RAF was desperate to close so desperate that they contacted all their cheif aircraft suppliers with this rathe stringent spec and asked for imediate submissions. The Fairey Aviation Company had, in the last few weeks been taken over by the British Aircraft Coporation, but still managed to find an aircraft shorter than 52ft and with a wingspan of less than 27ft and powered by the one engine. They chose the experimental Fairey Delta 2 , but with two small canards and military equipment and the firecontrol for the new Fairey " Blue Banquet " atomic tipped air to air missile, no radar was considered nessacery as Ground control would be tight.

The aircraft was rushed into the limited 38 aircraft run and was in service in Australia by 1964, they served for 5 years until the UK could get permission for Javelin and then lightnings to take over their duties, after this service they took on once again the tasks of experimental work and at least one was still airworthy in the 1991 disaster.

The machine below is a f2 varient and is modeled on 124flt RAF in service at RAF Woomera 1968, it is equiped with two Blue Banquet air to air missiles.


















the kit is a Novo moulding, just a couple of canards, wing pylons and missiles as extra. Painted in Anti Flash White ( wilco's again ) with generic Raf markings to complete the piece.

[thedarkmaster]

my next three projects are a Phantom fgr2 in Middle east cammo, a upgraded Bristol Freighter ( no name yet ) or a Javelin FAW9 as mentioned above

Has anyone a preferance, only got time for one right now as we are moving house soon and bits need to be packed away

TIM

[Howard of Effingham]

you have done well with that novo fairey delta.

i lost patience with the one i had years ago.

[ysi_maniac]

Love your Fairey Delta and Frogfoot too