Moments of Zen

[PR19_Kit]

Oh yeah, bigger wings, right? Our fellow Kit probably also prefers this one over the other 2 variants, don't you think? That is, if he does like the F-35 at all...

Hehehe, Actually I like the B version best, but that's because it couldn't do it's VTOL bit without me having installed the MONSTER friction welder that built the lift fan for its engine. They're all made at Rolls-Royce's Compressor factory in Nottingham and I put the welder in there in 2002 or so.

Then i guess you would like to see the B version with bigger wings right?  

<snip>

You bet!   

[Captain Canada]

The wingtip rails make the wing look bigger ? Or the smaller missiles ?

I like the look of the JSF with conventional loads 

[DogfighterZen]

The wingtip rails make the wing look bigger ? Or the smaller missiles ?

I like the look of the JSF with conventional loads 

Well, look at an F-16 with no wingtip rails and missiles, or better, the F-5 and the T-38. The missiles and rails don't provide lift but do extend the wing's size, it's probably more a bit more than a foot but, added on each wing and to the whole wingspan, it does fill the eye a bit more, doesn't it?
I really only want to put winders and amraams on the A version as that's the one i see more likely to be fitted with the wingtip rails. I think the B wouldn't really need more A2A weapons as to me, it's supposed to be more of a CAS or attack mission oriented aircraft. The C wing looks good enough for me as it is, normal outboard pylon under the wing looks good there.
I have plans to build an A version with C control surfaces, with and without wingtip rails but, on a C wing, i would need to cut the wingtip a little bit, for more area to support the rail so, i'm hoping some other company will soon release a cheaper 1/72 C kit, i've read that Kittyhawk were planning to down-scale their molds and were going to put out the whole F-35 family in 2015, read it here, http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234953374-kitty-hawk-now-does-172-scale-with-3-f-35s-simple-as-abc/
Box art for all 3 variants, they're even listed on Scalemates, but the Kitty Hawk site has nothing about 1/72 models... Still, even if they do, probably will be around the same price tag as the Orange kit, so it would be nice to see one from Italeri or Revell. Those would probably be more available here and would surely be cheaper, average to good quality kits...
Now, all this talk of F-35s is making me wanna build one... real bad!! You know what, i've a Hasegawa F-35A to be delivered next week, that brings a very nice stand and no option for open weapon bays... might very well be the first test of the wingtip rails and some ordnance under the wings... See what you've done, Captain?

[Captain Canada]

Good point re: the F-5 wingtip !

And lol....you can blame me but I'm gonna blame you  If they don't have a table selling models today I'm going to hit my LHS tomorrow and grab whatever 72nd scale one I see....just because 

[DogfighterZen]

I know, we can both getaway with it by blaming the F-35's designers... Should've made them all with bigger wings... and option for wingtip rails!!!
About the F-5, i'm thinking of F-16/18 or similar wings and stabs on it...

[Captain Canada]

That F-5 variant would be interesting. Especially doing somat like that on the F-20.

And for sure part of what I like about the F-35 was seeing them in person, that shape. Although I am still bitter about being setained for over an hour and having all of my photos deleted 

[DogfighterZen]

Deleted all your pics? Was that at an airshow? Why do they let people go near the aircraft without warning that no pics are allowed?
The F-5 idea came about when thinking of twin tail and other stuff to change, back before i cut the back end of my F-5PM, more than a year ago. F-16,-18, for bigger but similar wings and, if swept back, A-7's, Hunter or F-100 would do the trick.
Last night looking at the SBP, i remembered i bought a Tamiya/Italeri Super Hornet for a wing change and didn't know what to use, then i realized i've had the wings way before i had the Hornet kit, now it's one less on the pile and a bunch of new spares in the box.

[Captain Canada]

I was outside the base and seemed to have caused alarm...they take security pretty serious ! Have a look at page 9 here :

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,40300.120.html

[PR19_Kit]

The USAF tried the 'No Pics' stunt for the first visit of the B-2 to Fairford some years back.

They parked it on the west end of the airfield surrounded by 2-3 layers of fierce looking USAF guards all carrying M-16s in a threatening manner, and large notices saying 'Photography of this aircraft is not permitted'. But the barriers were only 25 yards from the aircraft so anyone with even a 50 mm lens could get good pics and with a 500 mm lens you could look right into the intakes!

If they didn't want it photographed they should have left it at Whiteman AFB!

[Captain Canada]

Agreed. They did that at London way back when, with the F-117. I had a brush cut at the time, and was half corked, and as they were wheeling it by I was pointing to a Bronco behind it and said to my buddy something about them using that in Desert Storm. One of the armed guards misheard me and said " you flew that in Desert Storm ? " and next thing I know my buddy and I are walking down the flightline, behind the barricades, escorting the 117 ! It was crazy, and scary. We ended up running for it and disappearing into the crowd.

[Rick Lowe]

Agreed. They did that at London way back when, with the F-117. I had a brush cut at the time, and was half corked, and as they were wheeling it by I was pointing to a Bronco behind it and said to my buddy something about them using that in Desert Storm. One of the armed guards misheard me and said " you flew that in Desert Storm ? " and next thing I know my buddy and I are walking down the flightline, behind the barricades, escorting the 117 ! It was crazy, and scary. We ended up running for it and disappearing into the crowd.

LOL! Cool story. 

[DogfighterZen]

  that F-117 story is funny, thanks for sharing that bit!  Not the part on the F-35s though, there are hundreds of pics of the aircraft spread through the web, what could your pics reveal that others don't? I don't get it... I agree with kit, if they don't want people to see it, why show it?

I've never been at an airshow, only the PoAF's museum, dind't get to see any jets in flying condition, let alone a stealth fighter... They did have a squadron of prop propelled training aircraft outside, ready to take off, but i don't remember which one...
It was when i was with my band recording our latest album and was outside the studio smoking, when 6 F-16s fly overhead in a delta formation, which reminded me that, a few days earlier, i'd bought a kit online of some guy from a city near the studio's location and i thought i could save the postage costs and get it from the seller directly, if he hadn't sent it to my house by the time he read the email. He gets back to me the same day, saying i can stop by his work, the Air Force museum which is right next to airbase B.A. Nº1 and PoAF's pilot training academy... I didn't even know i was anywhere near an airbase! 
So i got there and asked for Staff Sargent Moreira , which shows up a few minutes later, while i was looking at some stuff selling at the museum's souvenir shop, with an Airfix 1/72 F6F Hellcat on his hand, and afterwards, proceeded to guide me through a tour of the museum, let me sit in an Alpha Jet's front seat and in a Spitfire Mk.IXc that they bought to show the colors of our old Spits(none of our Mk.Vs was preserved). Also saw a TA-7C, a T-33 in restoration and an F-86F waiting for it's turn. There aren't many airshows in Portugal and i doubt i would see a Stealth jet at Anniversary festivities held every year. The display teams and all the flying is good and provide great entertainment with their routines, but it's only once a year...

[Captain Canada]

Anywhere to hear your music ?



Still a pretty good tour they gave you ! Lucky. Love it when that stuff happens.

[DogfighterZen]

Yup, the tour was great, worst part was that it happened when i had a really old nokia phone which had a camera but it was so bad that i didn't even bother to take any pics... Guess i'll just have to go back there and do it all over again...
About the band, you can watch the videos and stuff on the tube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-K7t1TPO9UmjupIn4Bwx5Q, that's our channel.

[DogfighterZen]

Well, haven't been doing much on my whifs because somehow, i was convinced by a forum member to join a GB in the Portuguese forum where i normally post my RW builds...  I guess that if i was going to build a RW model in a Portuguese Armed Forces GB, it would have to another F-16...
To be honest, it was a good choice, i'm trying a bunch of stuff that haven't tried before, like trying to add some detail to landing gear bays, improving the kit's details in the intake, gun port and nozzle. I'm using the Italeri 1/72 F-16C/D Night Falcon again, this specimen is even worse than the first i built as the F-16 ADCUP http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,39813.msg663070.html#msg663070
Those of you who know that kit, know that it's an old kit with some issues, biggest being the front landing gear bay is molded short of the join with the intake lip part. This leaves a big gap between the two, which is visible if you have the gear down. There's no intake ducting so i'm building it, cut out the plastic walls on top and bottom parts, filled with putty and sanded to shape. Will help with the gear bay, which i will cover with some evergreen plastic and blend in with putty. Opened the hole in the cannon port with a 1,25mm drill, covered the old vents with putty and opened the two used on the more recent gun ports. Might also have to inscribe the gun bay panel lines as they're not represented...
I'm also gonna use evergreen strips to try to build the "ribs" on the open nozzle that comes with the kit, just waiting for them to be delivered.
It is distracting me from the whif builds but i wanna evolve my skills and this was started with that in mind. On most of my stalled builds pile, i couldn't do most of the stuff i'm doing on this build so i hope i can do that and still manage to do some work on my SBP

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