F-111 X-plus

[silverwindblade]

So, alongside my F-16 Advance, I'm also working on another aircraft from my novel.

Like the F-16, this one's another heavily modified and modernised aircraft, re-engineered by the agency who support the heroes in the story. The aim is to create a modernized and updated F-111 as a heavy strike, recon and EW platform, with increased abilities in air-to-air and air-to-mud combat.

Like the F-16, this involved replacing the avionics and flight controls, replacement of the engines and inclusion of new thrust-vectored nozzles, new flight control surfaces, and integration with modern communications, targeting and ordnance.

The jet is flown by a pilot/co-pilot from the RAAF, Nina 'Dart' Dartford and Red 'Devil' Burnett. Incidentally, Nina becomes the protagnonists' love interest over the events of the story too.

As with the other 'enhanced' aircraft in the story, the F-111 incorporates a small amount of 'lost' technology from an ancient civilization that is an integral part of the story, which mainly manifests in it's extremely responsive and adaptive controls, and some of the materials used in its'  construction...

The kit was an Academy 1/48 EF-111 'Sparkvark', which I managed to snap up from Modelzone in Southampton a couple of years ago, since it was going for less than a tenner. I'd always planned on modifying it extensively into the beast, and now it's about time I got around to it. However, I've heard a lot of negative opinions about the kit, but dammit, I'm going to do my level best, after seeing so many good Academy 111's.

So, on with the show...



As always, I started with the office. Not too much changed in here that you can see in this pic. I did think about modding the seats into bang-seats, but I was worried about them fitting afterward, and I was eager to get onto the bits I find more exciting.


Apologies for the blurry pics, but the only camera I've got is on my ancient phone. You can just about make out that I've sanded out all the detail and scratched some MFD's for the glass cockpit. As per the fiction, most of the flight controls are touch-screen, helmet-cued and voice-activated, with context-sensitive functions and menus. The controls have also been relocated to a HOTAS configuration, with a side-stick for both pilot and WSO.


Put the nose together after cramming in some weight - don't want this to be a tail-sitter! Also removed the roots for the rudder, and put in a new fairing from an F-16 droptank.


I almost lost the ability to have the pylons pivot, and they in fact don't properly now, due to me not paying attention to the instructions properly and trimming off some of the required posts and tabs to make the bizarre Heath Robinson mechanism work. However, a bit of head-scratching and some work with plastic rod got some semblance of the system back.
I also modified the rear, as I was originally going to try and build in a 2D thrust vector nozzles, like the F-15 ACTIVE or the F-22, but it ended up being to much work. I have however, installed new intakes from an F-15.


Some work with thick plasticard and a steel rule results in this. What am I up to? We'll see 


Newly re-shaped engine nozzles - not entirely even all the way around, but they look the part!


Now something here hasn't quite gone right o.0 I'm not sure how this happened, but this really is one reason why I really dislike planes that come in a front and back half - though I've never seen a step this bad...!


Still, the effect is getting there. I've added an ancilliary fin in the middle there, as I want to give it a similarly anime/sci-fi look to my F-16 Advance, and inspired by the aircraft in Yukikaze and Macross, which are big inspirations for my novel.

[pyro-manic]

Looks like you've squashed the top plate down too much when gluing? A case of over-clampage I suspect...

Looks interesting - awaiting further progress.

[silverwindblade]

Yeah, I probably got a bit too obsessed with making sure I didn't have any gaps, instead of making sure the alignment was right - still, I managed to fix it!


I knew that I-Beam plasticard would come in handy for something!


Assembled an ordnance load for this beast. I figured the refined and re-engineered radar and avionics would easily support AMRAAMs, which is why I included a pair in the load.
I would've liked to open the bay and put something in it, but the design of the kit makes that too challenging for me at this time


Here's where I've got to at a glance. You can see I've added my scratch-built rudders, re-positioned the ailerons, added a pair of new ventral strakes, some 'moustache' canards like the B-1, and numerous greebles for sensors and antennae. I also assembled some shoulder pylons for the AAM's from my spares box.


Closeup on those canards - looks a bit like a baby B-1!
I also added some antennae like those on the F-16 from 1/72 Sidewinder fins. The doohickeys on the sides aft of the canards are spares from the F-16 Advance as well - they looked pretty good.


I love how the empennage has turned out. It looks mean as hell, and suitably futuristic!!


The view from the bottom lets you see the new strakes/fins, and the new intakes, as well as more of the greebles. There's a better look at the pylons as well.


Shame this is so blurry, but you can just about make out that I've added a blister for a Vulcan on the nose. In the story, the F-111 X-plus has a cannon, and uses it to great effect in a couple of sequences. I figure the reduction in component sizes frees up some space. Or... something.
I also added a sensor pod under the nose. Not sure what it's for, but it's there along with some more antennae.


DAT BUTT. Here's also a view of the odds and ends I added from a Gundam kit to represent rear-facing decoy/warning systems. I left the nozzles off for now, so I can paint the interior of the engines easier after the undercoat.

[Tophe]

Nice X-tail F-111, thanks for sharing!

[NARSES2]

Oh the rear end has certainly piqued my interest 

[ChernayaAkula]

Oh the rear end has certainly piqued my interest  

Which is the polite, British way of saying:



And which is absolutely justified in this case.   Wicked cool design so far!  

[jsport]

wicked wildness please keep it goin

[Dizzyfugu]

Oh the rear end has certainly piqued my interest 

Yup. The tail looks great - can't help, but it looks somehow like a successor to the Su-24. It has something Soviet/Russian about it with the twin tail? Looking forward to see progress! 

[silverwindblade]

Yeah, I've certainly seen some kind of SU-24 legacy in it myself on more than one occasion - but I do like the Fencer as well, so I'm not unhappy with that!

[Captain Canada]

Beauty. Looks awesome like that ! The tails remind me of that Mig ferret or whatever it was called. The weapons load is gonna be epic ! I'd appreciate if you stood back a bit when doing the photos tho. Most are pretty blurry....

[pyro-manic]

I'd appreciate if you stood back a bit when doing the photos tho. Most are pretty blurry....

Needs to be on an un-cluttered background, so as not to distract the auto-focus.

Looking rather sexy, it has to be said!

[wuzak]

I'd appreciate if you stood back a bit when doing the photos tho. Most are pretty blurry....

Needs to be on an un-cluttered background, so as not to distract the auto-focus.

Or set the AF mode to single point, and use that point to focus.

[kerick]

The sidewinder rails are a nice touch. I've always wanted to do an F-111 that was updated to more modern standards. I will include the rails as you have them when I do.

[pyro-manic]

Or set the AF mode to single point, and use that point to focus.

If (and that's a BIG if) the camera has such a control. Compacts, phone cameras etc. often don't.

The sidewinder rails are a nice touch. I've always wanted to do an F-111 that was updated to more modern standards. I will include the rails as you have them when I do.

I did that on my CF-111 Wolverine. Just use some rails from a Tornado or F-15 (or make your own, of course).

[silverwindblade]

I use my mobile phone camera, and it's pretty primitive. I don't have a sophisticated camera, as right now I can't afford one.
I'll try and take my pictures a bit further back, but then the subject looks lost in the frame most of the time, though I suppose I can always go through and size them down or whatever. We'll see.

I think the rails are from parts I had spare from an old 1/72 kit, but they were oversized, and look right on this kit.

The sidewinder rails are a nice touch. I've always wanted to do an F-111 that was updated to more modern standards. I will include the rails as you have them when I do.

One of the key things about the aircraft in the story I'm writing is that they're older types all updated with off-the-shelf modern technology, each being both an operational aircraft, and also a 'proof of concept' aircraft for prospective buyers as alternatives to expensive new builds... or something. It might not exactly scan in reality as being true, but it works for an excitement and interest perspective.