Portuguese Navy F/A-18D- EAN300 " Os Bárbaros"- NRP "Infante D.Henrique"

[DogfighterZen]

"January, 1976. In the meetings held at Lajes AB in the Azores, the U.S. government and Navy representatives and their recently elected Portuguese counterparts reached an agreement, which stated that the U.S. would maintain it's occupation of the base for at least another 20 years. As part of the payment for the this renewed period, the Portuguese Navy Admirals were finally granted the full cooperation of U.S. nuclear carrier design teams to start working on the first Portuguese supercarrier.
The PoN had been operating the first 2 carriers built by the Portuguese naval industry(INP) since 1963. These were the conventional-powered Vasco da Gama class carriers, displacing around 33.000 tons each, with angled deck and CATOBAR design, similar to the French Clemenceau.
The PoN wanted a nuclear powered aircraft carrier for the XXI century to help maintain the role it had of watching the middle section of the Atlantic Ocean since the Nato conference held in Lisbon, in 1952. Also looking to the future in terms of newer aircraft, the Vasco da Gama class vessels were already starting to show their age and would soon need to be modernized with some up-to-date electronic systems and newer hydraulic catapult systems, and besides that, they should probably be retired around the year 2000.
The new carrier would be called "Infante D. Henrique", the one and only of it's class to be built. It would be very similar to the new USS Nimitz class carriers, and would operate a variety of new aircraft, which, obviously, also had to be acquired.
There wasn't much to worry about in making decisions as the American ships would be a very obvious example to follow by the Portuguese carrier.
After several budget cuts, delays with US tech teams being available to train and supervise the installation process of the main nuclear components and systems, the suspension of the program during 2 years and much debate about Portugal needing such a vessel, funding and technicians finally started coming through, and the keel of the "Infante D.Henrique" was laid down on the 15th of September, 1979. 3 years later, it was christened and launched at the Alcântara INP Docks on the Tejo estuary, in Lisbon.
After several delays in construction due to worker strikes and more budget cuts, after another 6 years for completion, the ship was ready for it's final acceptance trials with it's new air wing.
The new F-18C/D were among the chosen aircraft and, the also new Naval Fleet Squadron 300 "The Barbarians", were chosen to be the first to call the "Infante" their home at sea.















This is the 1/72 F-18B/D hobby boss kit that was started around 2 years ago...?
Shamelessly stole the kit's decals for the VMFA(AW)-225 Vikings, and the fin flash and serial number from a Santa Cruz F-16A sheet, mixed and transformed into the fictitious NFS300, The Barbarians.
The crew is from a Revell U.S./Nato pilots set, drop tanks from the kit, aim-9s from Revell F-16 kit, aim-7s from Hasegawa air to air U.S. missile set, Mk.20 Rockeyes from Italeri F-16 kit and all the antennas and LERX starkes were made out of styrene bits of sheet and rod cut to shape. Paints and varnish are Tamiya acrylics, main color XF-24 don't know what's the name grey... Nose cone is XF-19 sky grey, nozzles are X-10 gun metal and X-11 silver.
I know, it's not much but, i managed to mess up what was actually a nice paint job, while gluing on the antennas and handling the model with painted fingers... Also managed to put too much glue when i closed up the canopy, but as it was masked, i only saw the excess glue on the inside today after unmasking...



Oh, well... at least it's another one off the stalled builds pile and bench, and on to my display shelf... The 5th whif finished this year, out of 6 models.
It's one from a bunch of builds i still want to include in my alternative history for the Portuguese military forces... so now, i can move on to the In The Navy GB!
Hope you guys like it and thanks for looking!

[Army of One]

Looks quite mean in that darker grey........great effort.......like the idea of the marking theft as well......nothing wrong in that......I've used that trick before......

[DogfighterZen]

Looks quite mean in that darker grey........great effort.......like the idea of the marking theft as well......nothing wrong in that......I've used that trick before......

Thanks, mate!  Marking theft was one of the first things i did when i started whifing with the PoAF F-16PM Adcup.
I didn't have any PoAF F-16 sheets at the time so i just used the decals from the kit with the PoAF roundels, serial number and fin flash. I will do it again very soon...

[NARSES2]

I like that. The dark colours make it look quite different 

[DogfighterZen]

I like that. The dark colours make it look quite different 

Thanks!
Like Army of One said, the scheme makes it look meaner indeed. It was inspired by Malayan F-18's, i've always liked dark aircraft and i thought the markings would look good on this color. Actually, it came out better than i expected.

[Army of One]

I have some jets that I don't wanna paint silver or light grey.....you have now given me ideas......cheers.....





Silly spelling sorted........

[DogfighterZen]

I have dome jets thatbi don't wanna paint silver or light grey.....you have now given me ideas......cheers.....

[Captain Canada]

Looks great ! Nice little story as well.

[Weaver]

Yep, as others have said, that dark grey is a very good look. Nice model! 

[Dizzyfugu]

Nice! The dark colors suit the Hornet well. Reminds me of one I built 20 years ago in a 3 tone scheme (Like low viz USN aircraft, with Humbrol 79 as darkest/upper color).

...but, Vikings in Portugal? 

[Gondor]

Nice! The dark colors suit the Hornet well. Reminds me of one I built 20 years ago in a 3 tone scheme (Like low viz USN aircraft, with Humbrol 79 as darkest/upper color).

...but, Vikings in Portugal? 

If I remember correctly, the Vikings reached Italy once

Gondor

[zenrat]

But did they go the long way via Gibralter or take a short cut inland by river?

Good build DFZ.   

[comrade harps]

I do like that mean camo colour too  Very nice.

[NARSES2]

But did they go the long way via Gibralter or take a short cut inland by river?

Good build DFZ.   

Possibly both. The Danes and Norwegian's tended to start off going westward whilst the Swedes (the Russ) started off eastward on their travels. Not sure which lot got to Byzantium to form the Varangian Guard but I do know that by the time of the great defeat at Manzikert in 1071 quite a few of their number were ex Saxon Housecarls who'd left England after Hastings.

[Snowtrooper]

The "Vikings" did travel the Mediterranean from both directions, but they usually took the eastern route when travelling to Miklagard (Byzantium).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikings#/media/File:Vikings_exploration_and_territories-en.svg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_route_from_the_Varangians_to_the_Greeks

The route began in Scandinavian trading centers such as Birka, Hedeby, and Gotland, crossed the Baltic Sea, entered the Gulf of Finland, and followed the Neva River into Lake Ladoga. Then it followed the Volkhov River upstream past the towns of Staraya Ladoga and Velikiy Novgorod, crossed Lake Ilmen, and continued up the Lovat River, the Kunya River and possibly the Seryozha River (ru). From there, a portage led to the Toropa River (ru) and downstream to the Western Dvina River. From the Western Dvina, the ships went upstream along the Kasplya River and were portaged again to the Katyn River, a tributary of the Dnieper. Along the Dnieper, the route crossed several major rapids and passed through Kiev. After entering the Black Sea, it followed its west coast to Constantinople.