Imperial Roman "Spectre"

[Radish]

Imperial Roman Air Force Spectre, based on the 1/48th Italeri Mirage IIIE.

So far....it's built, with a longer, drooped nose, a bit like the Kfir TC7.
Also, slightly longer tail from the IIIC option in the kit, modified to take a bigger exhaust. New exhaust courtesy of a "spray thingy top"......I love technical descriptions!
Additional undercarriage detail, and lumps and bumps on the airframe.
Fully armed/loaded, with big underwing fuel tanks, two bombs on the centreline pylon, pods on the outer wing pylons and new inner wing pylons for air-to-air Asp missiles.
Resin seat and detailed cockpit interior.
Colour scheme?
It's a secret but I'll let you know.
History/back story......on the way?
Pictures?
At Bolton Model Show......a week tomorrow.

[Radish]

The Imperial Roman Air Force Spectre sat moodily on the ramp, ready for the pilot to climb aboard and launch it once more against the Mongabo front line.
The bright red of the airframe had been slightly adorned with the black tiger stripes ......this was the Air Centurion's aircraft after all....as the unit was commonly known as "The Red Tigers". Air Centurion Delirious (Del for short) Hebblethwaite was from Britannia, and an acclaimed pilot. Although "The Red Tigers" were a unit dedicated to ground attack duties, Del Hebblethwaite had already rattled up a score of 7 victories against the Ming-Mongabo Alliance after the Roman incursion into Mongabo territory. The enemy had been sending raiding parties into the Roman province of Borneo and after a warning, the Imperial Roman Forces launched a series of punishing attacks.
The Air Centurion's aircraft showed the strains of combat on its exterior finish, but Hebblethwaite knew that the Spectre was a sound a design, strong and capable. Any Mongabo fighter to attempt to mix it would follow his predecessors into the dust, a burned and mangled wreck.

Kit: 1/48th Italeri(ESCI) Mirage IIIE...modified to Imperial Roman Air Force configuration.
Decals: Spares box
Paint: Halfords Red Primer, washes of red Games workshop paints, etc..
Source: "The Ming-Mongabo Wars", by Derek Domino (Osprey)
Inspiration: "Thunderstrook", AC/DC

[ChernayaAkula]

  Lookin' forward to this! 

[gunfighter]

It seems that the Roman Empire is becoming one of our whiffing topics  , indeed it´s one of my favourites alongside with the Fatherland´64 and one that I recall from my early days on the forum: the corporate wars. I think that I posted some time ago some ideas for these aerial legions, maybe of some inspiration for the comrades:
My ideas were based on "modern" aircraft, the Romans maintaining some type of "cold war" with the aegyptian empire in the mediterranean, and all sort of skirmishes with the barbarians on central europe. The main fighter for the Romans is a F15C, or "Praetorians Aeronautics Inc. F-15 Aquilla", with a golden-silver-red scheme, the classic SPQR letters and, if I have the pulse of a surgeon, the silouette of a golden eagle all over the wings and upper fuselage.
The egiptians, of course, fly Flankers...with a menacing dark paint and some religious icons like eyes, foxes, or whatever, I´ll get some inspiration form hieroglyphs, don´t know yet. Maybe some type of night desert camo.
The barbarians...well, they don´t have much resources, so they will fly Mig-21Fs, still thinking about markings, camo, etc. Some times they only fly with one missile, or use mixes of them: magic and sidewinder, atolls of different versions, even asymetric fuel tanks! If they could, they should open the canopies and jump over the enemy aircraft to end the battle with swords...

[Radish]

Also, forgot to mention the Air Centurion Delirious Hepplethwaite is commanding "The Red Tigers" 201 Decadron, 20nd Air Legion based in Bornio in 1989.

[John Howling Mouse]

Rad, did you spring for the Aeroclub resin "spray thingy top" for this baby?  Looking forward to pictures, as ever...thank goodness for patrons of model shows who carry (and know how to operate) digi-cameras! 

[Radish]

Woof

[nev]

"Del Hebblethwaite"   Thats why you're so much better at this kind of thing than me Terry.  I am merely Sid Little to your Eddie Large

if I have the pulse of a surgeon, the silouette of a golden eagle all over the wings and upper fuselage.

Check out the Historex website, they have decals and stencils for things like Roman shields which include eagles and the like - or you could simply adapt Eagle squadron markings from the likes of 23 Squadron RAF or 306 Hikotai JASDF (my avatar - its even golden.  Well, yellow.

As for the Egyptians - are they Pharonic, Greek, Roman (Mark Anthony stays in power and founds a Roman/Egyptian kingdom), Caliphate, Nubian, Mamluk?  So many fun ways to play with history...

[Radish]

Don't forget that aircraft of elite Pretorian Guard units have the square "Fasces" insignia (seen in the 20th Century on RSI aircraft).
I've just been sorting decals.......

[Radish]

Meanwhile, looking for the resin seat I'd allocated to the Spectre, (somewhere on the table!) I found a pre-painted plastic seat plus pilot that'll do the job just as well, if not better.
Good.
"On target" for a Thursday completion, just in time for club night that evening and also Mercia club on Friday night, not to mention the trip up to Bolton on Saturday/Sunday

Woof, woof

[BlackOps]

Somebody please take pictures for he who is camera impaired! Sounds like a cool build, oh he who woofs!

[Radish]

Looking good in red primer so far.
Adding the washes next, starting tonight with various Games Workshop heavy washes in Gore Red, Blood Red and Fiery orange, the latter particularly on the upper surfaces.
Then some more painting of the general airframe tomorrow around 9.15am after I've taken sproglette to school and got home, made a coffee......
Then, when things have settled down, the cockpit need a black wash and some detail painting....radome, fin tip etc.. Also the black striping and undercarriage.
Late in the afternoon while it's still a bit light, I'll add, or at least start, some playing with a silver pencil and a HB pencil.
I'll paint the missiles....Asp missiles are green and make the bombs.
A busy Wenesday....not a lot of actual work....about 2 hours max, but spread over 14 hours or so.

[sotoolslinger]

What we have here is a lack of communication PICTURES

[Radish]

Woof, woof
Pictures of the finished project at Huddersfield, courtesy, no doubt, of Falcon (I hope)

[sotoolslinger]

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHOOOOOOO (mournful howl)
Oh yeah

THIS THREAD IS SPARTAN