Whiffs on Ebay

[AS.12]

The US Navy also used a BD-5 in the mid-70s to model a cruise-missile for specification of the Tomahawk program.

Another oddity with the BD-5 was that Bede's engineer at the time was... Jim Rutan!  He worked on the '5J conversion during the day and his own VariViggen in the evenings.

[CammNut]

"Burt" Rutan. "Jim" Bede.

But I am sure Rutan tries not to think about Bede much

[AS.12]

"Burt" Rutan. "Jim" Bede.

Oops!  Some day I'll get Bob Rutan's name right...


Found a snippet from AvWeek in 1975 that concludes with a few near-WHIFs:

USAF will evaluate the Bede BD-5J single-seat light jet as a potential low-cost transition and profciency trainer for the General Dynamics F-16 air combat fighter. Evaluation, with four aircraft. will begin in April at Edwards AFB. Calif.   [ AS.12 note: some testing was later planned at Nellis AFB to permit TAC pilots to evaluate it as an aggressor ]

The aircraft, produced in both kit and finished form by Bede Aircraft. Inc. Newton, Kan. also is being studied by a number of foreign nations. It has been viewed by U. S. Navy pilots during a demonstration at the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent, Md.

Boeing has evaluated the aircraft as a potential low-cost drone or remotely piloted vehicle and expressions of interest for such an aircraft have been received from both the U. S. Army and Israel. Other nations that have expressed interest include Pakistan. which has asked for quotations on an initial order for 50, Iran and several South American nations.

[zenrat]

Now that's something to envisage - a swarm of Pakistani Bedes rising to meet Indian Jabos.

[Snowtrooper]

"built and finished to a very good standard for display"



I... maybe I should start building models again...

He's right.  It has been built, it is finished and you could display it.  However, claiming the standard to which it is built is "good" is bollocks.

Back before I quit Warhammer 40K, if there was "PR@ P41N73D L@@K" (an expression overused to the point that peddlers had to use l337sp34k to bypass ebay filtering, because literally anything with even a drop of paint was advertised as "pro painted" and most also "out of production" aka "@@P V3RY R4R3" even if it was available in retail) in the ad header, it usually meant that various cans of paint had obviously fallen on top of the miniature, because even I could not paint as sloppily even if I tried. All too often these cans had contained paints that would not yield to Fairy Power Spray (which is usually enough to dissolve even superglue and styrene joints), sometimes not even brake fluid.

Guess the practice has now been carried over to model kits.

[Old Wombat]

They merely failed to state that they were professional house painters or crash repair spray painters, & used the same equipment & techniques on the models as they did in their day jobs.


It's been going on in Model Kit Land for quite some time, too - especially in the Sci Fi genre.

[Dizzyfugu]

Stumbled upon this whiffy Tornado (from Germany):

[NARSES2]

That's interesting. F-11 Tiger goes v.g. ?

[The Wooksta!]

Interesting Hurricanes found a few moments ago.

[Dizzyfugu]

Stumbled upon this whiffy 1:48 A-4 from Australia - could be yours!

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BUILT-1-48-HOBBY-BOSS-A-4F-SKYHAWK-WHAT-IF-RUSSIAN-NAVY/382801687876?hash=item5920c23544:g:GwEAAOSwQwFb-N9B

[Dizzyfugu]

Another find: an OOB whif!



Funny detail: on the box' side, a MiG-21F is depicted... 

[TheChronicOne]

That's pretty cool!!! I wish it were in 1/72.

[CammNut]

I have one of those!

[jcf]

That's pretty cool!!! I wish it were in 1/72.

One could get a 1/72 Shenyang J-8II kit and backdate it to the J-8I configuration.   

[nighthunter]

Another find: an OOB whif!



Funny detail: on the box' side, a MiG-21F is depicted... 

I've built a couple of these, need to do another one now that I'm older