Many of my old projects

[reddfoxx]

To officially introduce myself, here are some of my finished models.  I have been building since childhood, but most of those are long gone.  The oldest ones here are from junior high(around 1980;) I would say the bulk I built from then till college.  Since then I've slowed way down.

After the first few years I became almost obsessed with having planes from as many different countries as possible.  I am up to 105; a few of those are earlier national markings, or from nations that used to exist, so 99 if you don't count those.

Back then, in the pre-internet stone age, it was hard to find unusual markings.  Even good reference material was sometimes unavailable.  So, some of the paint schemes are guesswork, and a lot of the markings are hand-painted.  My skills got better over the years, but in the last few years have gone down as my eyes get worse... On the other hand, decals for almost any subject, real or imaginary, are now a few keystrokes away, along with pictures of every plane in existence (and, of course, the wonderful profiles and other concepts on this site.)

Some odd ones first, including my first true what-if build: a Lockheed Lancer, in Jordanian markings.  The rest of my projects aren't really what-ifs, except in the sense that some paint schemes were educated guesses...

Left to right: Gnat in "Hot Shots" movie markings, a weird swamp skimmer made with bits from an Iskra among other things, Lockheed Lancer (hand-painted roundels, shaped sheet styrene wings and tail,) "Egg Plane" A-7 in OH ANG markings, and sci-fi fighter not far removed from its Lightning origins- scheme inspired by Iranian P-3s, among other things.


La-5, Bv-141, C-47, Rufe, Hungarian He-112 (handmade markings,) Netherlands East Indies Buffalo.


Ugandan L-29, Somali I-28 (WAG scheme,) Nigerian Jaguar, Gabonian A-1 (painted-over roundels,) Zambian Beaver, Chadian O-2 (made-up scheme)


Some trainers: the L-29 again, Portuguese T-38 (handmade markings,) Honduran T-33 (totally imaginary scheme,) Bangladeshi Magister


RAF Tornado, RAAF Mirage (lost the tailcone a few years back...)- both are pretty old


T-6s in 1/72 and 1/48: Uruguayan Navy and Lebanon in handmade markings (some of my oldest- don't look too close!)


Sudanese T-62 (1/72 or HO scale?,) Slovak Su-25 1/144 scale


Strikemasters: Singapore and Kenya


Captured planes


High-school era SR-71


Saabs: Austrian and UN (Congo) Tunnans, Viggen, Finnish Draaken (another hand-made oldie)


Chilean Kingfisher, Peruvian P-36, Guatemalan P-26, Eire Provost, Burmese Sea Fury; all hand-done


Haiti, USAAF, Costa Rica, Dominica, Bolivia (all but one hand-painted markings...)


Korean War: North Korean Il-10, USMC Corsair nightfighter


South Yemen, China, Iraq, East Germany (Iraqi and Yemeni done by hand)


More MiGs: Romanian 1/100 and Albanian 1/72 (hand-made roundels)


Croatia, Bulgaria, Switzerland; all hand-painted (well, obviously the Croat ones are over Luftwaffe crosses...)


Kuwaiti A-4, Filipino F-8 (hand,) Omani Hunter, Danish Meteor (very old hand)


Helos, helos, helos!  L-R: U.S. civil 1/32 Jetranger, Maltese 1/144 Jetranger (tiny hand-painted markings,) Israeli Cobra, Vietnamese Mi-4 (hand-painted markings,) south Korean MD-500 (hand-painted markings,) U.S. civil MD-500, Moroccan Puma (hand,) Israeli Huey, U.S. civil Gazelle, Benin Bell 47 (hand,) Brazilian Lynx (hand,) Mauritanian MD-500 (hand)


Two French planes: Vichy P-36 (from high school,) Free French Lysander


Venezuelan and Norwegian Falcons (painted markings on both)


F-4s: Iran (painted-over roundels,) West Germany, USAF (1/700- I used to have a Nimitz model)


Bipes: Indonesian Willow (painted over Japanese markings, Estonian Camel (handpainted markings,) Lithuanian An-2, Ukrainian D VII, Belgian Camel, Guinean An-2, Czechoslovak Letov S328, British Stranraer (another oldie,) Yugoslav Fury, Polish SE5A (painted checkerboards)


Greek and USAF A-7s


The Stranraer again, for 1/72 comparison with BD-5J and Pitts


Some duplication, but these are a group of my 1/48 kits (I mainly build in 1/72) with some more early hand-painted markings: Russian P-39 (yes, there's a star under the helo's tail,) South Korean 500 again, Syrian MiG-29, Uruguayan T-6 redux, RAF Czech squadron Spitfire, Pakistani Sabre (hand,) Turkish Super Sabre (hand,) Libyan F1 (hand,) Spanish Harrier (hand,) Panamanian civil 172


1/144 stuff: Russian Su-27, Algerian MiG-25 (hand,) YF-23, Niger Noratlas (hand,) Jake in Japanese surrender markings (hand,) Indian MiG-29, Manchukuo Ki-43 (hand)


Whew.  I guess that's it.  Some others I wish I still had, and you might find interesting: Jamaican Jetranger, Angolan Mi-24, Biafran Saab MFI-9, Burkina Faso Alouette III, Cambodian A-1, Salvadoran Corsair, Mexican T-6, Slovak National Uprising B.534, Slovak Storch, and many others.

[Maverick]

Quite an eclectic mix there Reddfoxx.  Thanks for sharing.

Regards,

Mav

[NARSES2]

Some collection there 

[Weaver]

Welcome to the madhouse! 

Impressive collection you've got there - nice one!

[rickshaw]

I see nothing wrong with any of them, hand painted markings or not.  If anything, the markings show that you cared what you were doing IMO.  Well done.   You're doing OK to have kept them all these years in such remarkable condition as well!   

[reddfoxx]

Thanks all.  I sometimes lack confidence in my own stuff when I see the amazing models others are capable of.  But your comments, and looking back at some of these pix, make me more proud of what I've done.  It was done for my own enjoyment, of course, but it's nice to hear that others like them.

I really wish I had kept more.  These have been moved several times, and I took those pix after a period of repairs a couple of years ago.  Nothing finished since then, though I have several that are nearly done. 

Addendum: I think the Zambian markings on the Beaver were done by hand too; I'd have to look at the model to be sure.

[Brian da Basher]

I always enjoy seeing the old "star-and-meatball" markings, especially on a C-47. Very nice indeed. Thank you, reddfoxx.

Brian da Basher

[The Rat]

Nice set there! But...


...There is one thing which will make you a true whiffer - it is almost mandatory here that you do something with RCAF roundels, then you will join the masters of the art! 

[reddfoxx]

Hm.  The BD-5 is in Canadian civil markings... I'll look in the spares box for roundels, and think about possibilities...

As for the U.S. markings- I have considered repainting the C-47 several times (in small air force markings of some kind) and decided not to, because it looks so good.  I love driving up to the Air Force Museum buildings and seeing the huge prewar insignia (and others) plastered on the ends.

[reddfoxx]

A quick review shows I have one set of maple leaf roundels, but they're a little yellowed and out of register.  As for what to put them on, I have plans for all of the kits I have, so I might have to wait till I pick up something appropriate.  I have an unbuilt F-82 I already have an idea for, but might be persuaded to do RCAF- anyone done that, or maybe an F-20?

[GTX]

Some good work.  I especially like your idea of the Jordanian Lockheed Lancer - very smart!

Regards,

Greg

[reddfoxx]

Thanks.  The idea was from an article about it in Air International, years ago.   Looking at my models, that's really the only what-if I've built.  I'm mainly interested in small air forces when it comes to modelling, but I am very into alternate histories in general- Turtledove books, Operation Downfall, that kind of stuff.

[reddfoxx]

"Rat"- I know you were kidding about RCAF what-ifs, but you got me thinking.  I found that old set of RCAF markings, plus I came across a newer set (better shape, and newer markings- bilingual CAF.)  I have that F-82, which I've been saving for a particular project (I wrote an alternate-history short story about 5 years ago involving F-82s.)  I can always get another one, right?  Surely,though, someone has already done a Twin Mustang in Canadian markings?  And there's the F-20 I have, and maybe I'll find something else...

[GTX]

Surely,though, someone has already done a Twin Mustang in Canadian markings?

And where is it written that there can only ever be one rendition of an idea???

Regards,

Greg

[reddfoxx]

I know, I know...   And maybe seeing a picture of one already done up like that would dissuade me from doing it myself.  But still: F-82 or F-20?  (Or, since I have early and late Canadian markings, maybe both?)