Anthony's entries

[anthonyp]

I'm just gonna put all my entries into one thread.  I figured out how to remotely link pics from my site, now I will abuse that ability until my site breaks.

First up are pics of all the kits I've decided to do for this Group Build.  All but the third Eurofighter EFA were in the stash (I found another box with four more Airfix kits in it).






So far, I've got eight of them completed (as detailed below), with another six needing decals and weapons, and the final three needing to be started.

There's gonna be a butt-load of pics being post in this thread, and they're all between 80k and about 150k, so please be patient.

If anyone wants me to go back to the old way of post blitzing, let me know.

So, without further adieu...

[anthonyp]

First up, here's the Airfix Buccaneer NA.39.  I found it on the bargain table of my local hobby shop and just couldn't resist.  It was a really easy build (as are all Airfix kits).

I made this thing up in speculative colors for Taiwan's Air Force.  I figure Taiwan would have bought early Buccaneers to counter increased Chinese activity in the Straits.  The planes survived until the early 80's when they were replaced by Buccaneers being retired by the RN because they weren't carrier rated anymore.

[anthonyp]

Next up is a Hunter.  I had some Dominican Republic decals from a 1/72 T-33 set sitting around.  I had no idea what I was going to do with the Hunter, so I decided to make it a maritime air defense fighter... or something.  The paint scheme was based on some Omani (I think) Hunter, but I didn't want it that dark.

The decals are actually only blue and red, so I carefully painted the white cross-hairs onto the plane.  I armed it with some AIM-4's I had sitting around that I really had no other use for.

[anthonyp]

Next is an ancient F-104.  I lost one of the main gear doors, and really had no idea what I was going to do with this thing.  I had some Finnish decals and thought it might look neat.

[anthonyp]

Next up is the first of the entries that I actually got a bit creative with.  This was a Mig-21 I bought off a bargain table some time ago.  It had not only the Mig model in it, but a lot of spare parts.

This thing got really screwed up during construction.  The really thin landing gear literally melted, which honked me off.  I managed to save the lower 2/3 of the main gear, but the nose gear was lost.  On top of that, I had to replace the nose gear three times because the replacement gear kept getting broken off.

Because this thing became a sort of low-rider, I decided to cut off the rear ventral fin.  The pitot tube up front kept breaking, and was finally lost, so I just cut off the whole thing.

It sat on my bench for about three weeks in an almost finished state, until I finished up the soon-to-be-posted Harrier GR.10.  I love Airfix Harrier kits as they put all sorts of extra stuff into the box.  This includes the fuselage strakes that are mounted on USMC AV-8B's.  I took those from the Harrier, and decided to make some over-the-wing fuel tank mounts similar to the Lightning.  I used the Starfighter tanks that I didn't use for the above Finnish F-104, just clipped off the fins.  

I then took half the Mig-21's fuel tank, and glued it to the belly of the plane, giving it a similar look to the Lightning.  It's even got a dinky little ventral strake.

The weapons come from some Javelin kit I got off the bargain table.

Whatiffery history:

The Mikoyan-Blackburn Thunder F.3 was built to defend the UK from overflights conducted by Soviet Tu-52 Stratofortesses.  It performed its duties admirably until being replaced in the role in 1991 by the Mikoyan-BAE Systems Fulcrum FG.5 multirole fighter.  This example is seen on a live-fire training mission.

[lancer]

Bloody heck Anthony, those are bleeding brilliant. You're being a productive little comrade again ain't you?      

[anthonyp]

Next up is a heavily modified Lightning F.3.  I lost the canopy for the plane, and had to make a new one out of an F-16's.  I trimmed it down and liked the bubble canopy look.  The pitot tube kept breaking off (like the above Mig-21's) so I had to make a new one.  I then decided to give this thing to a truly alternate history where the UK went all Warsaw Pact after WWII, while Russia went all NATO and stuff.

I armed it with two AA-7's on the fuselage pylons, and had two AA-8-ish missiles already on pylons from some old Mig-23 model.  I couldn't decide where to put them (overwing, just ahead of the main gear, or outboard), but finally decided to go with the outboard position.  The decals came from a Fujimi Mig-29.

This plane flys for the Czech Air Force about mid-1985.  NATO calls this plane the BAC-14bis Fishfry.  It is easily distinguished from previous models by the bubble cockpit, which surronds a totally state of the art modern cockpit.

[anthonyp]

Next is one I really enjoyed building.  It's a Harrier T.10 done up in Irish Air Corps markings, and armed to the teeth.

Not really anything custom on this, other than I put launch rails on the outboard wing pylons, and the USMC's 25mm cannon.  I armed it with ASRAAM's from two Airfix EFA Eurofigthers, two JDAMs from a Hasegawa weapons set, and two miscellaneous rocket pods.

I figure this thing would serve aboard Ireland's Invincible class carrier, the Dublin, and from shore bases.  The two-seater was chosen for the extra pair of eyes while participating in SAR ops, as well as FAC missions.  The Harrier FGR.12 is the radar armed version of the GR.10.

[anthonyp]

Here's a F-15B done up for the Philipino Air Force.  The decals for this one and the next model came from an ESCI F-5 set from the 80's.  I had no idea what to do with either decals or kit, when it hit me!  Why not the Philippines?

I figure long range bombers operating from Vietnam and China, as well as planes from Indonesia would be enough reason for the Philippines to look for a bigger, more advanced fighter for interception duties than the F-5.  The US was busy building new F-15C's and F-15D's, and moving the old F-15C's and D's to the ANG, so they had all these early model A]s and B's that, while capable, weren't up to the latest specs.  The Philippines bought as many as the US could get airworthy.  This example is seen loaded out for a long patrol over the ocean.

[anthonyp]

Here's the last of the first batch.  It's an F-16B done up in the colors of the Philippino Air Force's Blue Diamonds aerobatics team.  It's a fully speculative paint scheme, as the Blue Diamonds fly standard camo F-5's with the added Blue Diamonds markings on it.

I figure when the Philippines bought the older F-15's to replace the F-5's and F-8's, they'd also get a bunch of older F-16A's and B's for ground attack and light interception duties, with the F-15 being preferred for over-the-water ops.

Taking a page from the USAF, they Philippino Air Force took four F-16B's for use with a dedicated Blue Diamonds squadron.  The B model was chosen because the A was needed in front line squadrons and could not be spared for dedicated service.

[anthonyp]

Forgot to mention they're all 1/72, and all future ones will be 1/72.

That's it for now.  I'll finish up the currently under construction models before I start on the last three.

Comrade Lancerov, you have no idea!    

   

[GTX]

Anthony,

Nice work.  Mind you there would be no pilots left alive in the Philippines once they were told they were getting F-15s and F-16s - they would have all died from happiness!

Regards,

Greg

[BlackOps]

I really like the Lightning in that Scheme


Jeff G.

[NARSES2]

I surrender - amazing collection

Chris

[gooberliberation]

B)  Between your uber-lightning, philippine eagle, and taiwanese buc.... shoot I think I might as well throw in the towel.