GB proposal: Africa!

[Gondor]

Yeah, I'll avoid Ethiopia, Eritrea, Angola, Algeria.

How about doing a flanker in Egyptian markings then?

Gondor

[Fulcrum]

Depends. I have at least a dozen options that are open to me for profiling.


Oh yeah, almost forgot, I have to avoid Uganda as they are also getting Flankers.

[Spey_Phantom]

im in, i got a stash that need reducing, and got a few morrocan, egyptian and South African decals  
im thinking of an Egyptian Skyraider or a SAAF T-2C Buckeye 

[Mossie]

This is an interesting one, I might take part if I have the time.  I remember for the Trainers with Teeth/COIN GB I fancied doing Unicraft's MiG-8 in some african colours.  The idea of tackling a Unicraft kit makes me go all , but I might find something else.

[Weaver]

Hmmm - one of the first alternate histories I ever concocted was at school with my mate Chris: the Republic of Buranda, navigating a precarious path between apartheid South Africa to it's south and Soviet satellite Kimbali to the north.....

[Taiidantomcat]

Hmmm - one of the first alternate histories I ever concocted was at school with my mate Chris: the Republic of Buranda, navigating a precarious path between apartheid South Africa to it's south and Soviet satellite Kimbali to the north.....

The chance to create your own breakaway nation with exotic equipment and colors is practically perfect for Africa. I like that name Kimbali too... got any more info? Roundels or colors? 

[Mossie]

Got to admit, the more I think about it, the more I think of creating an air force for Zamunda!

[Weaver]

Hmmm - one of the first alternate histories I ever concocted was at school with my mate Chris: the Republic of Buranda, navigating a precarious path between apartheid South Africa to it's south and Soviet satellite Kimbali to the north.....

The chance to create your own breakaway nation with exotic equipment and colors is practically perfect for Africa. I like that name Kimbali too... got any more info? Roundels or colors? 

Not a great deal, to be honest. It was more an exercise in giving hypothetical arms deals a context than a serious exercise in country building.

Buranda occupies much of RW Namibia and has considerable natural resources. It's best described as "independent, pragmatic socialist", drifiting westwards from the late 1980s, with varying relations with the superpowers. America loathes it and won't deal at all. Britain (the old colonial power, relatively painless departure) has considerable business interests in the country (despite it's alleged "socialism") and is a lot warmer. France won't upset it's relationship with SA by selling anything game changing, but it's okay for low-level stuff. The Soviet Union would sell, but not give, post-Soviet Russia and China will sell anything to anybody, of course.

South Africa is pretty much the same as in the RW, except that without Namibia, it's poorer, but has no Angolan War to deplete it. At the time we were devising this, the country was still Apartheid. My guess is that that would last rather longer than in the RW (due to no Angolan War), but the point is debateable.

Kimbali is a hard-line Marxist state to the north-east of Buranda that fought a vicious guerrilla war to get out from under Portuguese rule. The animosity between Buranda and Kimbali is essentially traditional and tribal, although the language has morphed into modern territorial/ideological forms. Kimbali is rather poorer than Buranda and very badly run, which means it's leaders also have an incentive to promote the dispute with Buranda as a diversion from internal problems. It was supported by the Soviet Union for as long as that lasted (without much tangible return), so the fall of Communism hit them badly.

I've never worked out a flag for Kimbali. Buranda's flag is three vertical stripes of (left to right) blue, green and yellow, with a black and white spear forming the dividing line between the blue and the green and a small red star on the border of the green and the yellow.

[Daryl J.]

Some of those early WW-II Italian jobs would fit in well as would a Hawk P-6E converted to a STOL parasol wing and tundra-like sand tires.    Off to YouTube to watch Alaskan bush pilots in their modified Piper Cubs for inspiration.


[Edit] As the P-6E would (gasp) have to have its spats removed, here's to hoping BdB doesn't have to console himself with a shot of Knob Creek. 

[philp]

Lots of Real World examples to give ideas for camo, etc.
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?100975-African-Military-Aviation-Post-your-images-here!

[pyro-manic]

Some of those early WW-II Italian jobs would fit in well as would a Hawk P-6E converted to a STOL parasol wing and tundra-like sand tires.    Off to YouTube to watch Alaskan bush pilots in their modified Piper Cubs for inspiration.


[Edit] As the P-6E would (gasp) have to have its spats removed, here's to hoping BdB doesn't have to console himself with a shot of Knob Creek. 

Nah, they'd just need to be monster spats to enclose the huge wheels! Scale-bash a set of 1:32 Stuka spats onto a 1:72 P-6.

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Lots of scope for all kinds of post-war independance & separatist forces here. Just a note of 'caution' - not the right word but the only one I can think-of just now - I know this is What-If world, and essentially anything goes, but if you're looking to tie-in your project with a realistic alternative history or time-line remember that whilst some African nations have purchased/acquired 'up-to-date' weapons, they haven't always been able to use them - I believe Zaire's Mirage's spent almost all of their lives in the hanger, and Angola's MiG 23's couldn't get aloft without 'substantial' Cuban support.

Having said that I'm still uncertain just how Eritrea is able to field 'Flankers' - what did they use to pay for them, or are they gifts or loans - I genuinely don't know, perhaps somebody here can enlighten me !

Also the fickle nature of the Governments of a lot of the African nations in the 60's and 70's meant that equipment that was long since out-of-date by western standards would be handed-on/taken over by the next regime with almost no technical support in place. Lots of patching-up and gaffer-tape in evidence, and dont get me started on weathered and faded paintwork.

I'd like to join-in with this one, it simply depends upon the timing. Not too certain what I'll build, maybe an immaculate Zambian A-6 Intruder 

Ian

[Mossie]

That's a good point Ian, plenty of scope for battered & faded paint jobs & half derilict diorama's.  Lots of potential for backstories, African politics can get very complex in for a number of reasons.

Maybe a jump into the future, battered Ethiopian PAK-FA's in fifty or sixty years time as Russia are bringing their TIE Fighters () online, Senegal taking old Rafales maybe?

Inspiration from JHM:

[/quote]

[ChernayaAkula]

Love the Sabre Dog! 

And the forgot-its-name-but-think-it-came-from-a-Nanzan is a perfect example of the derelict aircraft just left to rot (pics of real life examples can be seen in philp's link).

<...> Angola's MiG 23's couldn't get aloft without 'substantial' Cuban support.
<...>

Or, in an even stranger twist of fate, piloted by South Africans who flew in support of Angolan government troops fighting against UNITA, which was supported by South Africa only a couple of years earlier in its fight against the Angolan government. 

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Or, in an even stranger twist of fate, piloted by South Africans who flew in support of Angolan government troops fighting against UNITA, which was supported by South Africa only a couple of years earlier

Moritz, money doesn't talk..... it screams 

Ian