DONE @ p.3 +++ 1:72 Panavia Tornado F.6 of RAF 5 Squadron, 2018

Snowtrooper · September 24, 2018, 05:48:48 AM

My brain is hurting, because the inlets make the entire nose look like MiG-23, but the tail end wants to identify itself as Su-24. The "painting accident" actually looks like well-done heavy weathering and that together with the red squadron flashes complete the illusion of a Soviet/Russian bird. Complete with the distinctive Tonka fin

PR19_Kit · September 24, 2018, 07:40:59 AM

That does look distinctly UN-Tornado like with those intakes. A super job there.

Where did the 'No Step' walkway decals come from please? I don't have any of those on any of my umpteen Tornado sheets, or are they from an Su-24 sheet?

Dizzyfugu · September 24, 2018, 07:58:00 AM

No, they come all from the Revell-reboxing sheet of the Italeri kit. Their carrier film is quite thin and flimsy, though.
The dotted walkway markings come from a Model Decal Tornado F.3, though, because Revell only provides you with a dozen thin, white lines, printed on a single carrier film, and wishes you "Good luck" with them!

PR19_Kit · September 24, 2018, 08:11:58 AM

OK, thanks Thomas.

I may steal the designs from your pics for my F5, but they'll be black or grey I guess as I can't print white.

Dizzyfugu · September 24, 2018, 08:25:49 AM

You might try this sheet here, too:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/1-72-Tornado-F-3-F-4-Phantom-FG-1-229-OCU-65-Sqn-29-Sqn111-Sqn-RAF-MODELDECAL/392116264991?hash=item5b4bf3601f:g:EuoAAOSwPFFbjGIK

It's the one from which I used the dotted walkway markings (and some other elements like the fin flashes), but it also carries lots of white "No Step" stencils. As a bonus, it's pretty cheap, too.

jalles · September 24, 2018, 08:46:04 AM

Wow, considering the issues you had with this build I think it turned out great!

I can't wait to read the backstory.

Between this build and Kit's F5, it makes me want to tackle building a Tornado 2000.

PR19_Kit · September 24, 2018, 08:50:34 AM

Magic, thanks. I just bought it.

Dizzyfugu · September 25, 2018, 12:15:46 AM

You're welcome!

Dizzyfugu · September 26, 2018, 11:41:33 PM

Unexpected delays due to sickness... $:-\$

NARSES2 · September 27, 2018, 06:28:20 AM

I hope recovery goes well and quickly.

Dizzyfugu · September 27, 2018, 08:15:27 AM

Thank you very much, it's already getting better.

PR19_Kit · September 27, 2018, 09:34:18 AM

I've got that F3 sheet now thanks Thomas. It looks REALLY great!

Dizzyfugu · September 29, 2018, 04:18:47 AM

Final pics from the finishing touches on the work bench, beauty pics and more info concerning the updated Tornado F.3 are just being made.

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Dizzyfugu · September 29, 2018, 07:22:49 AM

Here she finally is, a 1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018:

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The Tornado ADV had its origins in an RAF Air Staff Requirement 395 (or ASR.395), which called for a long-range interceptor to replace the Lightning F6 and Phantom FGR2. The requirement for a modern interceptor was driven by the threat posed by the large Soviet long-range bomber fleet, in particular the supersonic Tupolev Tu-22M. From the beginning of the Tornado IDS's development in 1968, the possibility of a variant dedicated to air defence had been quietly considered; several American aircraft had been evaluated, but found to be unsuitable. However, the concept proved unattractive to the other European partners on the Tornado project, thus the UK elected to proceed in its development alone. On 4 March 1976, the development of the Tornado ADV was formally approved.

In 1976, British Aerospace was contracted to provide three prototype aircraft. The first prototype was rolled out at Warton on 9 August 1979, before making its maiden flight on 27 October 1979. During the flight testing, the ADV demonstrated noticeably superior supersonic acceleration to the IDS, even while carrying a full weapons loadout.

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The Tornado ADV's differences compared to the IDS include a greater sweep angle on the wing gloves, and the deletion of their kruger flaps, deletion of the port cannon, a longer radome for the Foxhunter radar, slightly longer airbrakes and a fuselage stretch of 1.36 m to allow the carriage of four Skyflash semi-active radar homing missiles. The stretch was applied to the Tornado front fuselage being built by the UK, with a plug being added immediately behind the cockpit, which had the unexpected benefit of reducing drag and making space for an additional fuel tank (Tank '0') carrying 200 imperial gallons (909 l; 240 U.S. gal) of fuel. The artificial feel of the flight controls was lighter on the ADV than on the IDS. Various internal avionics, pilot displays, guidance systems and software also differed; including an automatic wing sweep selector not fitted to the strike aircraft.

Production of the Tornado ADV was performed between 1980 and 1993, the last such aircraft being delivered that same year. A total of 165 Tornado ADVs were ordered by Britain, the majority being the Tornado F3. However, the Tornado ADV's replacement, the aircraft that is known today as the Eurofighter Typhoon, met several delays – primarily of political nature. Even though the first production contract was already signed on 30 January 1998 between Eurofighter GmbH, Eurojet and NETMA for the procurement of a total of 232 for the UK, the development and eventually the delivery of the new aircraft was a protracted affair. It actually took until 9 August 2007, when the UK's Ministry of Defence reported that No. 11 Squadron RAF, which stood up as a Typhoon squadron on 29 March 2007, had received its first two multi-role Typhoons. Until then, the Tornado F.3 had become more and more obsolete, since the type was only suited to a limited kind of missions, and it became obvious that the Tornado ADV would have to be kept in service for several years in order to keep Great Britain's aerial defence up.

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

In order to bridge the Typhoon service gap, two update programs had already been launched by the MoD in 2004, which led to the Tornado F.5 and F.6 versions. These were both modified F.3 airframes, catering to different, more specialized roles. The F.5 had a further extended fuselage and modified wings, so that it could operate more effectively in the long range fighter patrol role over the North Sea and the Northern Atlantic. On the other side, the F.6 was tailored to the mainland interceptor role at low and medium altitudes and featured new engines for a better performance in QRA duties. Both fighter variants shared improved avionics and weapons that had already been developed for the Eurofighter Typhoon, or were still under development.

The Tornado F.6's new engines were a pair of Eurojet EJ200 afterburning turbofans, which offered 30% more dry and 20% more afterburner thrust than the F.3's original Turbo-Union RB199-34R turbofans. These more modern and fuel-efficient engines allowed prolonged supercruise, and range as well as top speed were improved, too. Furthermore, there was the (theoretical) option to combine the new engine with vectored thrust nozzles, even though this would most probably not take place since the Tornado ADV had never been designed as a true dogfighter, even though it was, for an aircraft of its size, quite an agile aircraft.

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

However, the integration of the EJ200 into the existing airframe called for major modifications that affected the aircraft's structure. The tail section had to be modified in order to carry the EJ200's different afterburner section. Its bigger diameter and longer nozzle precluded the use of the original thrust reverser. This unique feature was retained, though, so that the mechanism had to be modified: the standard deflectors, which used to extend backwards behind the nozzles, now opened inwards into the airflow before the exhaust.
Since the new engines had a considerably higher airflow rate, the air intakes with the respective ducts had to be enlarged and adapted, too. Several layouts were tested, including two dorsal auxiliary air intakes to the original, wedge-shaped orifices, but eventually the whole intake arrangement with horizontal ramps was changed into tall side intakes with vertical splitter plates, reminiscent of the F-4 Phantom. Even though this meant a thorough redesign of the fuselage section under the wing sweep mechanism and a reduction of tank "0"'s volume, the new arrangement improved the aircraft's aerodynamics further and slightly enlarged the wing area, which resulted in a minor net increase of range.

The F.3's GEC-Marconi/Ferranti AI.24 Foxhunter radar was retained, but an infrared search and track (IRST) sensor, the Passive Infra-Red Airborne Track Equipment (PIRATE), was mounted in a semispherical housing on the port side of the fuselage in front of the windscreen and linked to the pilot's helmet-mounted display. By supercooling the sensor, the system was able to detect even small variations in temperature at a long range, and it allowed the detection of both hot exhaust plumes of jet engines and surface heating caused by friction.
PIRATE operated in two IR bands and could be used together with the radar in an air-to-air role, adding visual input to the radar's readings. Beyond that, PIRATE could also function as an independent infrared search and track system, providing passive target detection and tracking, and the system was also able to provide navigation and landing aid.
In an optional air-to-surface role, PIRATE can also perform target identification and acquisition, up to 200 targets could be simultaneously tracked. Although no definitive ranges had been released, an upper limit of 80 nm has been hinted at; a more typical figure would be 30 to 50 nm.

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The Tornado F.3's Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon was retained and the F.6 was from the start outfitted with the AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile, with the outlook to switch as soon as possible to the new, ram jet-driven Meteor AAM with higher speed and range. Meteor had been under development since 1994 and was to be carried by the Eurofighter Typhoon as its primary mid-range weapon. With a range of 100+ km (63 mi, 60 km no-escape zone) and a top speed of more than Mach 4, Meteor, with its throttleable ducted rocket engine, offered a considerably improvement above AMRAAM. However, it took until 2016 that Meteor became fully operational and was rolled out to operational RAF fighter units.

A total of 36 Tornado F.3 airframes with relatively low flying hours were brought to F.6 standard in the course of 2006-8 and gradually replaced older F.3s in RAF fighter units until 2009. The Tornado F.3 itself was retired in March 2011 when No. 111 Squadron RAF, located at RAF Leuchars, was disbanded. Both the F.5 and F.6 will at least keep on serving until the Eurofighter Typhoon is in full service, probably until 2020.

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

General characteristics:
Crew: 2
Length: 18.68 m (61 ft 3½ in)
Wingspan: 13.91 m (45 ft 7½ in) at 25° wing position
8.60 m (28 ft 2½ in) at 67° wing position
Height: 5.95 m (19 ft 6½ in)
Wing area: 27.55 m² (295.5 sq ft)
Empty weight: 14,750 kg (32,490 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 28,450 kg (62,655 lb)

Powerplant:
2× Eurojet EJ200 afterburning turbofans with 60 kN (13,500 lbf) dry thrust and
90 kN (20,230 lbf) thrust with afterburner each

Performance:
Maximum speed: Mach 2.3 (2,500 km/h, 1,550 mph) at 9,000 m (30,000 ft)
921 mph (800 knots, 1,482 km/h) indicated airspeed limit near sea level
Combat radius: more than 1,990 km (1.100 nmi, 1,236 mi) subsonic,
more than 556 km (300 nmi, 345 mi) supersonic
Ferry range: 4,265 km (2,300 nmi, 2,650 mi) with four external tanks
Endurance: 2 hr combat air patrol at 560-740 km (300-400 nmi, 345-460 mi) from base
Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft)

Armament:
1× 27 mm (1.063 in) Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon with 180 RPG under starboard fuselage side
A total of 10 hardpoints (4× semi-recessed under-fuselage, 2× under-fuselage, 4× swivelling
under-wing) holding up to 9000 kg (19,800 lb) of payload; the two inner wing pylons have shoulder
launch rails for 2× Short-Range AAM (SRAAM) each (AIM-9 Sidewinder or AIM-132 ASRAAM)
4× MBDO Meteor or AIM-120 AMRAAM, mounted under the fuselage

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Panavia "Tornado F.6"; aircraft "ZF205/CG" of the Royal Air Force 5 Squadron; RAF Cranwell, summer 2018 (Whif/modified Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

With many troubles involved (the paint job, but furthermore the wing pylons as well as one stabilizer broke off during the building and painting process...), I must say that the modified Tonka turned out better than expected while I was still working on it. In the end, I am happy with it – it's very subtle, I wonder how many people actually notice the change of air intakes and jet exhausts, and the Meteor AAMs are, while not overtly visible, a nice update, too.
The paint scheme looks basically also good (if you overlook the not-so-good finish due to the problems with the Tamiya paint), and the darker tones suit the Tonka well, as well as the fake RAF 5 Squadron markings.

PR19_Kit · September 29, 2018, 09:19:40 AM

Very, VERY good Thomas, one of your best.

Mind you, I am slightly biased, being as you've saved me the problem of writing the backstory for my F5.

At first sight you think, 'Yeah, it's a Tornado F3.................er, no it isn't!' The intakes and exhausts take a while to impinge themselves on your brain. As you say, very subtle.

Oh yes, I LOVE the 'Bear intercept' pics.