DONE +++ 1:72 English Electric Thunderbolt F.2 of the 79 Squadron, RAF Germany

Dizzyfugu · March 12, 2018, 01:10:58 AM

Well, following the discussion along nighthunter's English Electric Thunderbolt profile (http://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php/topic,44991.0.html) I found the idea of a British fighter along the lines of the MiG-15 charming. This topic has been tackled in hardware form before, so I will add my personal interpretation.

Basis will be a Hobby Boss single-seater which I found in my stash - but unlike nighthunter's profile (and other former builds) this will not remain a travesty whif, with an RAF livery applied to an OOB MiG-15. I want to make some cosmetic changes, so that it looks less Soviet (and consequently more British). One plan is to get rid of the cannon bulges and replace them with fairings for four 20mm cannon. The wing fences will go, and I will modify the wing tips into a different shape. The fin might also change (hence the "F.2" suffix), as well as ordnace (either clean or with different slipper tanks).

Livery will be classic RAF grey/green, and - most probably being a machine from 79 Squadron based in Germany - the undersides will become PRU Blue.

Work started yesterday evening, und this morning I already had an aircraft model with wings and a finished interior on the bench.

NARSES2 · March 12, 2018, 07:10:15 AM

Quote from: Dizzyfugu on March 12, 2018, 01:10:58 AM

Work started yesterday evening, und this morning I already had an aircraft model with wings and a finished interior on the bench.

What took so long ? Early night ?

Dizzyfugu · March 12, 2018, 08:07:07 AM

The Wooksta! · March 12, 2018, 01:14:32 PM

Many years ago, in an issue of Scale Aircraft Modelling (IIRC it was the issue on the DH Hornet, so that dates it to May or June 1990), Ian Huntley wrote an article on British jet developments and explained some side views he'd drawn as an apprentice at Faireys in the mid 1940s. One of which was a dead ringer for a MiG 15...

Dizzyfugu · March 13, 2018, 12:44:10 AM

Finished basic painting this morning. Weathering and shading to follow soon, and I have already begun a decal safari. As remembered correctly, I found the sheet with markings for the No. 79 Squadron from the Xtrakit Swift, but I have to check if they are not too big. But I have an alternative in store, too, from a Jet Provost (Xtradecal).

At the moment the Fagot looks rather "wrong" in its grey/green/blue livery, I hope that it will change with some colorful roundels and other markings.

nighthunter · March 13, 2018, 06:29:25 AM

Excited to see what you have thus far!

Dizzyfugu · March 13, 2018, 09:24:16 AM

Well, pics might take some time to show up, since I want to finish the F-94 first, including the pics. This one here will probably pop up finished right after the Starfire - until then just descriptions.

But you might remain curious, since there are subtle changes - including a transplanted fin from a Hawker Hunter and slipper tanks from a Folland Gnat (both Matchbox), in order to add some British flavor.

Dizzyfugu · March 14, 2018, 12:37:13 AM

Post-shading an minor corrections finished, decals will follow soon. Still looks a bit odd, I am curious how the RAF markings change that impression. Deviating from nighthunter's sketches I will probably move the roundels with the squadron markings forward, under the cockpit. One reason is their sheer size (the Swift, from which they come, is a pretty big bird!), and I think that they have better visibility there, Lightning-style.

Dizzyfugu · March 14, 2018, 12:14:16 PM

A small visual preview.

nighthunter · March 14, 2018, 05:39:12 PM

Looks good!

Dizzyfugu · March 15, 2018, 12:29:29 AM

Glad you like it - I hope I can do the basic ideas justice with my evolutionary build.

jalles · March 15, 2018, 05:29:06 AM

Quote from: nighthunter on March 14, 2018, 05:39:12 PM
Looks good!

Agreed, it looks great with traditional British camouflage and markings.

Dizzyfugu · March 16, 2018, 12:27:34 AM

Finished this one yesterday evening - after a tragic accident with the stabilizers... Both came off while handling the model, and the repair left some scars. $:-\$

Anyway, I hope I can take beauty pics next weekend, and the F-94B is also nearing completion.

Dizzyfugu · March 18, 2018, 08:05:46 AM

And here we go, in formation flight with the Hellenic F-94B, a hardware rendition of nighthunter's English Electric Thunderbolt, here in its slightly advanced F.2 incarnation:

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background*:
The English Electric Thunderbolt was a 1st generation jet fighter operated by the Royal AIr Force between the early Fifties and the late Sixties. Shortly after the sale of the Rolls-Royce Nene to the Soviets, the British MOD realized their serious and grievous error. Fortunately, Britain's famous MI6 was already on the case: they had managed to infiltrate Mikoyan-Gurevich Industries and their development of the I-310 project, the projected MiG-15 jet fighter.

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

In one of the grandest acts of espionage, the MI6 agents copied the plans, and then modified them by making false measurements to cause continuous disruptions of the I-310 project. Through a series of British agents the plans Soviet plans made it to the Ministry of Defense and English Electric aircraft company. English Electric then started construction of the P.101A prototype, which would later become the Thunderbolt jet fighter. By the time the Soviets discovered the leak, the British agents were long gone and so they cancelled the I-310 project. The P.101A's first fight was on December 30th, 1947, and the production started quickly. The refined production Thunderbolt F.1's first flight was a year later and the type was quickly introduced to service.

The Thunderbolt was armed with four 20mm Hispano cannon in the lower nose and could carry eight 3-inch "60 lb" rockets, two 500 lb (225 kg) bombs or a pair of drop-tanks under its wings. The rugged design made the Thunderbolt a very effective medium and low altitude fighter.

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

In 1951, following the first operational experiences with the new type, the F.2 variant was introduced. Outwardly it differed from the initial F.1 in several details. The most obvious change was a modified fin with a different shape, a reinforced internal structure and with a lowered stabilizer position. The wings' shape and profile had been modified, too, so that the original air dams could be deleted. A less visible but highly effective improvement was a radar rangefinder. It was mounted in the former place of the taxiing light in the air intake splitter (which was re-located under the inner starboard wing and now retractable). The small radar provided range input to the gyro gunsight. It supported air-to-air gunnery only, but improved the aiming efficacy considerably, esp. in less-than-perfect visibility conditions.
The F.2's engine was also slightly uprated to a Rolls-Royce Nene 103 turbojet which now delivered 5,200 lbf (23.1 kN). Another novelty that was introduced together with the modified wings were streamlined slipper tanks which markedly reduced drag and improved the aircraft's handling, especially its roll characteristics.

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

In parallel to the F.2 fighter a dedicated photo reconnaissance version, called FR.3, was developed and introduced into service, too. It was basically a F.2 which carried two camera packs instead of the cannon armament in the lower nose section, and it lacked the fighter's radar rangefinder. Both versions became operational in 1953.

The Thunderbolt's career was short-lived, though, because the fast pace of technological development quickly rendered the small aircraft obsolete. The Thunderbolt, as well as other first generation jet fighters like the Vampire, Venom or the Meteor, was soon replaced by the formidable and more capable Hawker Hunter. The first F.1 fighters were already retired in 1955 and, in small numbers, handed over to RAF Auxilliary Units as well as to some friendly air forces, e. g. Rhodesia, Southern Arabia (later Yemen), Burma (Myanmar) and the Dominican Republic. The more advanced F.2 and FR.3 Thunderbolts remained active in frontline units until 1958, but were also quickly retired, scrapped or relegated to second-line units. Only a few of these machines went to foreign operators, since they had become completely outdated. The last RAF Thunderbolts, a handful of FR.3s that served with No. 79 Squadron in Germany, were finally withdrawn in 1963.

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

*Background story is based on facts conceived by fellow user nighthunter, see here: http://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php/topic,44991.0.html

General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 10.102 m (33 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 10.085 m (33 ft 1 in)
Height: 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 20.6 m² (221.7 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,681 kg (8,113 lb)
Loaded weight: 5,044 kg (11,177 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 6,106 kg (13,458 lb) with 2 × 600 l (130 imp gal; 160 US gal) drop tanks
Fuel capacity: 1,420 l (310 imp gal; 380 US gal)

Powerplant:
1× Rolls-Royce Nene 103 turbojet, delivering 5,200 lbf (23.1 kN)

Performance:
Maximum speed: 600 mph (965 km/h)
Range: 480 mi (770 km)
Service ceiling: 44,500 ft (13,564 m)
Rate of climb: 5,700 ft/min (29.0 m/s)
Range: 2,520 km (1,565 mi; 1,362 nmi) at 12,000 m (39,360 ft) with 2 × 600 l (130 imp gal; 160 US gal) drop tanks
Service ceiling: 15,500 m (50,840 ft)
Rate of climb: 51.2 m/s (10,080 ft/min)
Wing loading: 296.4 kg/m² (60.8 lb/ft²)
Thrust/weight: 0.54

Armament:
4× 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano Mk.V cannon in thelower nose with 150 RPG
Underwing hardpoints for up to 8× 3-inch "60 lb" rockets, 2× 500 lb (225 kg) bombs
or two drop or slipper tanks

The kit and its assembly:
This little, whiffy kit is the hardware response to a profile drawn up by fellow user nighthunter at whatifmodelers.com for the 2018 "Cold War" group build. The idea of a MiG-15 in RAF colors is not new and a pretty plausible idea, since it was powered by a re-engineered British jet engine, and there have been model renditions of this topic before. But I found the idea charming and had a surplus Hobby Boss MiG-15 in the stash, so that I took quick action with this tribute build.

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

I did not change much, since I wanted the MiG-15 to remain recognizable, but did some cosmetic changes that were intended to somewhat de-sovietize the aircraft. As a consequence, the air dams had to go and I modified the wing tips so that their shape resembles the Hawker Hunter or Folland Gnat. Under the nose the bulges for the MiG-15's heavy cannon armament were deleted and four smaller gun mounts (scratched from styrene) as well as a pair of cartridge collector fairings (Hunter-stye) added.
Most obvious change is the new, more elegant fin: a donor part from a Matchbox Hawker Hunter. Another British donor are the slender slipper tanks – also taken from a Gnat (the Matchbox trainer).
Other small changes include a different seat in the cockpit and a small radome in the air intake for the radar rangefinder.

Painting and markings:
Well, this was to be "RAF at first sight", so I stuck with the typical early RAF colors Dark Green and Dark Sea Grey (Humbrol 163 and 164) from above, but in order to add a small twist I painted the undersides in PRU Blue (Humbrol 230) – a feature frequently seen on aircraft based in Germany. The cockpit interior became dark grey (Humbrol 67) while the landing gear was painted with a mix of silver and blue-grey (Revell 99 and 57). The kit received a light black ink wash and post-shading as a standard procedure.

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

In order to tell the RAF Germany story I chose markings from an appropriate squadron, in this case No. 79 Squadron. The decals were puzzled together from various sources, including an Xtrakit Swift, an Airfix post-war Spitfire, an Italeri Tornado and other bits and pieces.

The kit was sealed with a mix of matt and semi-gloss acrylic varnish (Italeri) for a sheen finish.

1:72 English Electric "Thunderbolt" F.2, aircraft "WK452/N" of No. 79 Squadron Royal Air Force Germany; RAF Wunstorf AB in West Germany, 1955 (Whif/modified Hobby Boss kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A simple build, realized in just five evenings – but I like the result. Especially the roundels placed under the cockpit change the MiG-15 look considerably (reminding of the Finnish trainers, though?), and the other cosmetic changes are not obvious – even though they make (IMHO) the aircraft look a little more elegant and British, even though it's ancestry is hard to deny. But in the model's context it's appreciated.

Old Wombat · March 18, 2018, 08:49:51 AM