[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

The Alicats(as Iranian Tomcats were called) in my collection

1:72 JC Wings F-14A 3-6024 & Calibre Wings F-14A 3-6079


Tomcat Alley

Wow what a collection of Tomcats ! Maybe get a custom 1:72 Aircraft carrier deck as a base for a diorama.

Originally Posted by skanchan95

That honour belongs to Israeli Air Force Ace Brig. Gen. Giora "Hawkeye" Epstein. He had 17 confirmed air to air kills flying Mirage IIICJs and Neshers against Egyptian & Syrian Jets - the highest scoring modern jet ace. The accounts of his air to air kills are fascinating to read, as described in his autobiography.

In my opinion Vietnamese Fighter Ace Nguyễn Văn Cốc (11+ kills) would rank higher in the list given that he flew against a well trained, equipped and experienced pilots from the US compared to poorly trained arabs.



He had a quite a background story.

Nguyễn Văn Cốc was born in 1943, in the Việt Yên District of the province of Bac Giang in French Indochina, north of Hanoi. He had his first birthday the same year Lt. Robin Olds scored his first aerial victory over the Luftwaffe. When he was 5 years old, his father, Nguyen Van Bay, Chairman of the Viet Minh in the district, and his uncle (also a member of the Viet Minh), were executed by the French. Fearing further trouble with the French, his mother moved the family.

Nguyễn spent the rest of his childhood near Chu air base, which kindled an interest in aircraft. He attended Ngô Sĩ Liên school in Bắc Giang, and upon completion of his schooling, enlisted in the VPAF in 1961 at the age of 18 and underwent his initial training at Cat Bi Airbase in Haiphong. At this point in his life he had never driven a car, graduating directly from bicycle to aircraft as a mode of transportation. Nguyễn subsequently spent four years undergoing pilot training in the Soviet Union at Bataysk and Krasnodar Soviet Air Force bases.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

I am a swing wing design
My name put fear in the hearts of NATO in the 1980s
I am a dedicated lo-lo-lo attack aircraft.

Tupolev Tu-22M "Backfire" ?

Currently work in progress and will be for many months (years ?). Planning to make a IAF Su-30MK (k). The IRST is in the middle instead of the side but I will probably end up ruining the model if I try to cut it out.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Wow what a collection of Tomcats ! Maybe get a custom 1:72 Aircraft carrier deck as a base for a diorama.

Thank You. Yes, a carrier display base is on my mind(for the display cabinet) - Get it printed and paste it on a thin foamboard.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Currently work in progress and will be for many months (years ?). Planning to make a IAF Su-30MK (k). The IRST is in the middle instead of the side but I will probably end up ruining the model if I try to cut it out.

Why not stick to the original and make a Russian Su-27UB only?

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Why not stick to the original and make a Russian Su-27UB only?

I wanted to make this as a centrepiece of my collection, given its size (1:48) and complexity (323 parts) hence was planning to make a IAF version.

I'm still looking to procure the markings (decals) for the IAF version, found them on eBay from a seller in Serbia (made in Russia!) but they cost a bomb probably due to their rarity.

[skanchan95]

"Having to hunt and kill the people who had unintentionally saved my life, was now my profession"
- Anonymous Iranian Fighter pilot, awaiting execution before being released to the fight the Iraqis


After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, support for the IRIAF's fleet of American fighters (F-4, F-5, F-14) was withdrawn. The US Navy trained IIAF F-14 crew were Iran's best aviators and considered by the new clerical regime as loyal to the deposed Shah of Iran. Some pilots had left the country even before the Shah & the Americans had left, while others remained in Iran, waiting to see what would happen. Those who stayed back, were arrested and put behind bars . "Shah's pilots" as the clerics called them suffered terribly. Some were executed and others were awaiting execution.

The new rulers of Iran wanted to sell the F-14s back to the US. The matter had reached the US Congress but was halted when US Embassy in Tehran was occupied and hostages taken.

In September 1980, Iraq officially declared war on Iran. Seeing an ill-prepared IRIAF, the clerics had no choice but to release all former IIAF crews to fly for the new IRIAF.

On September 13,1980, Major Mohammed-Reza Attaie flew a mission to prove the F-14’s effectiveness. He shot down an Iraqi MiG-23MS with an AIM-54 Phoenix. This mission also convinced the Iranians to let their pilots and ground crews, many scheduled for execution, out of prison so they could fly and fight against Iraq.

Had Iraq not attacked Iran, the surviving IIAF aircrew would surely have been executed.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Currently work in progress and will be for many months (years ?). Planning to make a IAF Su-30MK (k). The IRST is in the middle instead of the side but I will probably end up ruining the model if I try to cut it out.

Some work in progress pics. One advantage of this size (1:48) is that you are able to add much more details to the models, I was able to paint the individual buttons in the cockpit even! This is the first 1:48 model I have made in 27+ years.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Some work in progress pics. One advantage of this size (1:48) is that you are able to add much more details to the models, I was able to paint the individual buttons in the cockpit even! This is the first 1:48 model I have made in 27+ years.
]

Looks really good! Not sure if you can get them in India, but there are specials kits to detail cockpits, in different scales too.

One thing I always did, even on 1:72 scale was add a red/white ejector seat handle to the top of the pilot seat. Just a tiny little piece of wire p, glued in place. Even if the real plane did not have it, it always looked really cool!

Jeroen

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Looks really good! Not sure if you can get them in India, but there are specials kits to detail cockpits, in different scales too.

One thing I always did, even on 1:72 scale was add a red/white ejector seat handle to the top of the pilot seat. Just a tiny little piece of wire p, glued in place. Even if the real plane did not have it, it always looked really cool!

Jeroen

Thanks!

Yes I am aware of those add on resin parts. Nothing is available in India in physical stores and very few kits are sold online. But you can order everything online from international online shops however shipping and customs duty is huge.

I recently moved to the US and here everything is easily available especially for Western aircraft. But for Soviet models eastern sources are best , the model kit was shipped from China and the Indian decal markings are coming from Serbia which were printed in Russia.

A lot of detailing paints and finishes are easily available here are I have ordered those online. Yes adding wire inserts is a great way to add realistic detail to the cockpit. Might do that for the landing gear if I have any available. In the case of the Su-27 the red object (seen in the pics) between the pilots legs is the ejection seat handle.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Some work in progress pics. One advantage of this size (1:48) is that you are able to add much more details to the models, I was able to paint the individual buttons in the cockpit even! This is the first 1:48 model I have made in 27+ years.

Congratulations on your relocation. When I saw the plug point in post#1891 I suspected this was not India :-) That Su-30 has the makings of a great beast. Like Sandesh I too would say build it as a Russian/Soviet model. looking forward to the models story. Best of luck. That is a brave task you have taken on. The details in the cockpit are very enticing.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

An IAF Su-7 even had a confirmed air -to-air kill to it's credit( probably the only one ever by an Su-7 too). Wg Cdr M S "Mad Mally" Malhotra, on a PR mission, managed to shoot down an intercepting PAF F-6 more than 100 kms inside Pakistani airspace.

A nice re-enactment of this incident:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB2CitIHNs4

[skanchan95]

1:72 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet A44-210, No. 1 Squadron "The Fighting First", Royal Australian Air Force, 100th Anniversary markings(Hobbymaster)

The Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet is a twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more advanced derivatives of the F/A-18C and D Hornet.

The Super Hornet entered fleet service with the United States Navy in 1999, replacing the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which was retired in 2006. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F two-seat aircraft took the place (rolewise) of the F-14 Tomcat, A-6 Intruder, S-3 Viking, and KA-6D aircraft. An electronic warfare variant, the EA-18G Growler, replaced the EA-6B Prowler. The US Navy called this reduction in aircraft types a "neck-down". During the Vietnam War era, the Super Hornet's roles were performed by a combination of the A-1/A-4/A-7 (light attack), A-6 (medium attack), F-8/F-4 (fighter), RA-5C (recon), KA-3/KA-6 (tanker), and EA-6 (electronic warfare).

RAAF's Super Hornets
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which had operated the F/A-18A as its main fighter since 1984, ordered 24 F/A-18Fs in 2007 to replace its aging General Dynamics F-111C/G fleet. RAAF Super Hornets entered service in December 2010 with No. 1 Squadron "The Fighting First", followed by No. 6 Squadron in 2011.

On 24 September 2014, eight RAAF F/A-18Fs, along with a KC-30 tanker, an E-7 early warning aircraft, and 400 personnel arrived in the United Arab Emirates to take part in operations against Islamic State (IS) militants. On 5 October 2014, the RAAF officially started combat missions over Iraq, with a pair of F/A-18Fs armed with GPS guided bombs and a KC-30A refuelling aircraft; they returned safely to base without attacking targets. On 8 October 2014, an Australian Super Hornet conducted its first attack against IS forces, dropping two bombs on an ISIL facility in northern Iraq. In 2017, the Royal Australian Air Force replaced the No. 6 Squadron RAAF Super Hornets with EA-18G and transferred No. 6's Super Hornets to No. 1 Squadron RAAF.


A44-210
F/A-18F A44-210 Bu No. 167966 (c/n AF-10) was delivered to RAAF's No. 1 Squadron at Amberley on July 6, 2010. In 2016, the aircraft was painted to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of No. 1 Squadron and still wore the scheme in 2021. The aircraft also took part in Exercise Pitch Black 2018 at RAAF base Amberley, Queensland which saw participation of IAF 's Su-30MKIs for the first time ever in Pitch Black exercises.


F/A-18F Super Hornet Specifications
Crew - 2
Role – Multi-role attack and fighter

Performance
Powerplants – 2 x F414-GE-400 turbofans
Thrust (Static) – 22,000 lbs (9,977kg) per engine
Ceiling – 50,000 ft +
Speed – Mach 1.8 +

Weight – Maximum Gross Take-off 66,000 lbs (29,932 kg)

Dimensions
Length – 60.3 ft (18.5 m)
Height – 16 ft (4.87 m)
Wingspan – 44.9 ft (13.68 m)

Armament
1 x M61A1/A2 Vulcan 20mm cannon (internal)
Possible External Payload
AIM 9 Sidewinder
AIM 7 Sparrow
AIM-120 AMRAAM
AGM-84D Harpoon
AGM-88 HARM
AGM-45 Shrike
AGM-84H SLAM/SLAM-ER
AGM-62 Walleye
AGM-65 Maverick
AGM-154 JSOW (Joint-Stand-Off Weapon)
An assortment of Laser,GPS guided/unguided bombs, and rocket pods

Aircrew names on the aircraft (in 2019):
Wg Cdr Jason "Gam" Gamlin (Pilot)- CO No. 1 Sqdn & Sqdn Ldr Adam "Caz" Carroll (WSO)










Exchangeable Armament on the model - 2 X GBU-32 JDAMs or 4X AIM-120 AMRAAMs(on dual missile rails)






On the inner side of the tail, silhouettes of four aircraft operated operated by No. 1 Sqdn -
F/A-18F
F-111C
Avro Lincoln
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 or Westland Wapiti ->(Wild guess)




Aircrew Names

[skanchan95]

Hornet's Nest
1:72 Legacy & Super Hornets - A,C,E & F

[skanchan95]

1:500 Boeing 737 MAX 8 Spicejet VT-MAX "King Chilli" (Herpa)

VT-MAX was Spicejet's First Boeing 737 MAX 8 delivered on 28-09-2018. It is named "King Chilli".

Registration : VT-MAX "King Chilli"
Airline: SpiceJet
Serial number: 60644 LN:7103
Type: 737-8MAX
First flight date: 12/09/2018
Engines 2 x CFMI LEAP-1B









King Chilli & Red Chilli (VT-SZK)










The only two Indian carriers to have operated the 737 MAX 8 - 9W & SG

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet A44-210, No. 1 Squadron "The Fighting First", Royal Australian Air Force, 100th Anniversary markings(Hobbymaster)

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Hornet's Nest
1:72 Legacy & Super Hornets - A,C,E & F

Another beautifully etched Hornet from HobbyMaster. I think you have the world's largest collection of F/A-18s. A truly multi-role combat aircraft. Quite a journey it has been starting as the Northrop YF-17 that lost to the General Dynamics' YF-16 then evolved up by McDD to the F/A-18 for which the new prefix F/A was introduced and finally to the Super Hornet.

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:500 Boeing 737 MAX 8 Spicejet VT-MAX "King Chilli" (Herpa)
VT-MAX was Spicejet's First Boeing 737 MAX 8 delivered on 28-09-2018. It is named "King Chilli".

Congratulations on another addition to your fleet.

[skanchan95]

1:72 Mil Mi-8MTV2/Mi-17-2V RF-06057/Yellow 87 Russian Air Force (Herpa)
The Mil Mi-17 (NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production as of 2021 at two factories, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russian service & Mi-17 is its export designation. The helicopter is mostly used as a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter, as well as an armed gunship version.

The first studies to improve the Mi-8 airframe already began in 1964. In addition to increasing the carrying capacity, it was also a matter of improving performance at high altitudes. However, due to the development of other helicopters such as the amphibious Mi-14 or the Mi-24, it was not until August 17, 1975 that the prototype of the improved Mi-8 made its first flight. The need for such a helicopter was then acute, because the Mi-4 whose performance at high altitudes was superior to that of the Mi-8T was then being phased out. This new version was initially called Mi-8M, and then Mi-8MT (MT for Modernizerovannyy Transportnyy - Modernized Transport) "Hip-H." Its performance was superior thanks to the new Isotov TV3-117MT turbines rated at 1900hp associated with the Mi-14 VR-14 gearbox with a reinforced transmission chain.

One of the most notable external changes of this new "Hip" version was the displacement of the anti torque rotor to the left side, the latter becoming "tractor" instead of "pusher," which provided better yaw control. The Mi-8M turbine fairings were shorter and an Ivchenko AI-9V auxiliary power unit used to start the turbines was located perpendicularly behind the main rotor (air intake on the right side and exhaust on the left side). The turbine air intakes were - most of the time - protected by semi-cylindrical shaped PZU (Pylezashchitnoe Ustroystvo - dust protector) filters.

Mi-8MTV
The second half of the 1980s saw the arrival of a new "Hip" version. Its designation was Mi-8MTV (MTV for Modernizerovannyy Transportnyy Visotnyy , Transport, Modernized, High-Altitude). it was sold for export as the "Mi-17V". The new 2000hp TV3-117VM turbines that powered this Mi-8 variant enabled it to take off and land at altitudes up to 4000 meters, while level flight was possible up to 6000 meters. The maximum power of 2200hp could only be used when one of the two turbines was shut down. Production of the Mi-8MTV (Mi-17-1V for export) began at Kazan' in 1988, while the Ulan-Ude plant started production in 1991 with the designation Mi-8AMT (Mi-171 for export).

This new version of the Mi-8 based on the Afghan conflict experience was designated Mi-8MTV-2 by the military (the equivalent civilian version was known as Mi-8MTV-1). These new "Hip-H" were equipped with an armored cockpit comprising internal and external shields. The latter were two removable lateral plates located on each side of the nose. The overall resistance to damage of this "Hip" version was superior; vital elements such as the tail rotor transmission were better protected, while the fuel tanks were self-sealing. The survivability of this helicopter was further enhanced by the installation of a SOEP-V1A Lipa (Linden Tree) IR jammer that was placed on a support behind the rotor, at the root of the tail boom; however, the jammer was not systematically mounted in peacetime. It should be noted that the Mi-8MT based in the GDR also had the provision for a Lipa but they were never mounted. Like the Mi-8MT, the MTV-2 model was equipped with a SRO-1P "Parol'"(Password) IFF system. The latter could be identified thanks to its two small triangular antennas located under the nose and under the tail.

There were three main production variations of the Mi-8MTV:
The "Mi-8MTV-1 / Mi-17-1V", notice the odd suffix for the export version, was a civil variant, lacking armor and other combat kit. It was sold with a Kontur (Contour) weather radar in a pod fitted into the lower forward panel of the nose glazing.

The "Mi-8MTV-2 / Mi-17-2V" was a transport / gunship variant, with full combat kit and the Kontur nose radar -- the export variant had the same designation as that for the Mi-8MTV-1. It had improved avionics and, given the increase in power, external sling load of 5 tonnes (11,000 pounds), passenger load increased from 24 to 30, with a centerline row of seats. Along with the nose and tail guns, there were mounts for up to eight light machine guns in the side doors and windows.

The "Mi-8MTV-3 / Mi-17V-3" was a slight upgrade of the Mi-8. Oddly it eliminated the nose gun and reduced the stores pylons from six to four, but it permitted a greater variety of external stores and had other small improvements.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Mil Mi-8MTV2/Mi-17-2V RF-06057/Yellow 87 Russian Air Force (Herpa)

What an absolute beauty. Foxbat will be pleased. :-) Almost as detailed as the earlier HobbyMaster version {I think} you possess - both are enchanting actually.. An all time classic. The world's most produced helicopter at 17,000+ and counting. The only non-World War 2 aircraft with a higher production is the Antonov An-2 at 18,000 {which the Mi-17 still being in production will eventually surpass}, and a handful of small single piston engine powered primary trainers/general aviation machines such as Cessna 172. Outside WW2 this is the most produced multi-engine flying machine. What greater testimony to its reliability and versatility. I consider it an honour to have worked with the Mil Mi-17. When I first encountered the mil Mi-17 in course of my work its 'heavy duty' build caught my eye - very unlike helicopters and so Russian :-) The Mi-17/Mi-8 first flew as a prototype in 1961 i.e., 6 decades ago and still remains a leading medium-heavy transport chopper. Among major aircraft world over I think the Lockheed C-130 is the only aircraft still in production with a longer history. Congratulations on this eye-catching addition.