[V.Narayan]

A warm welcome to @Sajands to the scale model enthusiasts corner . Thank you for sharing your collection of Air India, Indian Airlines and Indigo. The Air India Express livery looks best and most modern of these colours. Please put up photos of other acquisitions that you may add. Between Foxbat, skanchan95 and Jeroen we have a serious depth of knowledge on this thread not just about aircraft but squadrons, history etc.

Sandesh, that is a neat looking Indigo Hogan A320. Is it diecast or high end plastic. The line up of your Jet fleet now has some serious historical value! That looks like a collection of virtually all aircraft they ever flew. Now you need the 737NG to complete your fleet. :-)

One of my nephew's got married lady month to a girl from Mysore. My sister, as happens in weddings, wanted to give out gifts to ask the guests who came from far and wide. I told her don't waste your money on a shirt or suit length for me. To make up for all the times you complained about me, in our childhood to our mother, to our mother gift me a1:72 '25' :-).... the one and only '25'. :-).

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

The second Gulf of Sidra incident occurred on 4 January 1989 when two United States Navy F-14 Tomcats shot down two Libyan MiG-23 Floggers that appeared to have been attempting to engage them, as had happened eight years prior in the first Gulf of Sidra incident, in 1981.

Came across this article from 1989 from the Washington Post which as expected proves that the Americans shot down without warning Libyan Mig-23s in International air space then concocted a story about how they were doing in in self defence.

"The Pentagon has said the Libyan pilots never turned on the radar needed to guide their long-distance Apex missiles into the oncoming F14s."

"A Pentagon official steeped in the rules of engagement for military pilots said that "if the pilots had been Russians and done the same thing {as the Libyans}, they wouldn't have been shot down."

Source:

DESPITE NEW DETAILS, LIBYAN MIG INCIDENT IS STILL PUZZLING
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archi...-f9eb3a1b4225/

[V.Narayan]

MiG-25 Foxbat PD of the Libyan AF :: All weather interceptor :: HobbyMaster 1:72, diecast

Model is about 12 inches in length

In the world of aviation certain numbers are forever associated with one and only one aircraft. Some such numbers are , -21, -16, -104, 707 etc. The -25 is forever the redoubtable MiG-25 Foxbat. I would have ideally preferred a MiG-25PD {Foxbat E} in Soviet colours or a MiG-25 RB in IAF colours but given the sheer quality of HobbyMaster products I was tempted to pick this up while it is available.

This forum is very familiar with the Foxbat so I wont dwell on too many details. A full narrative on the aircraft can be found on Team BHP at https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/comme...air-force.html (Indian Aviation: MiG-25 Foxbat in the Indian Air Force)

In my eyes from an artistic point of view the MiG-25 design of the wings and the air intakes spells masculine beauty all over. With the exception of the equally superlative SR-71 it remains till date the second fastest combat aircraft in history. The exception being that while the SR-71 flew relatively few missions each specifically curated the MiG-25 was very much a regular full service squadron aircraft. Its sustained cruise speed of 2700 kmph was higher than the short burst top speed of almost any other fighter. But its magic was in sustained high speed at high altitude flight which made it an ideal reconnaissance platform before spy satellites became common.

How high did the Foxbat go…….the short answer is high enough to view the curvature of the earth. The aircraft's typical recce mission cruise altitude was 65,000' to 80,000'(~24,000 metres). It could go higher as you would like to leave room above you to engineer an escape if it were ever needed; 88,000' (~26,000 metres) was the usually accepted combat altitude by Western analysts. As civilians we will never know. These educated guesses should be viewed in light of the fact that in 1973 the MiG-25 set a FAI recognized world record of altitude to which a 1000 kg payload can be carried - 115,580' (35,230 metres).

The trick of the MiG-25 was in the design of its wedge shaped air intakes which allowed the turbojets to act half as a ramjet at speeds above 2500 kmph. This enabled it to cruise at 2500 kmph+ at high altitudes for over 1000 nautical miles on internal fuel alone.

The MiG-25 represented the ultimate progress of fighters of higher and faster since the dawn of air combat. It represented the limits of practicality. Today satellites, advanced AAMs and avionics have to an extent taken over the needs of higher and faster. More nuanced aerodynamic attributes now matter such as super cruise, maneuverability at Mach 0.9 to 1.1 rather than straight line at Mach 2.5, acceleration, stealth, ability to fly lo-lo-lo etc.


MiG-25 PD, Foxbat


Those perfect lines of two giant turbojets mated to the wings


Big wing, two big engines, twin tails. This design philosophy was followed (though not mimicked) in the F-14; F-15; F-18; Su-27, -30; it became the basic design of large fighters of the 1960s to 1990s era




Bisnovet (now Vympel) R-40 AAM. The largest AAM to ever get into regular squadron service. Weight 475 kgs; Warhead said to be up to 100 kgs; Range 50 to 80 kms; Speed 2.5 to 4.5 Mach. A near miss from a 100 kgs warhead can cripple a large aircraft.




The Su-27 with the MiG-25. Similar in size. Built for very different roles. The Su-30MKI is a little more powerful and weighs a little more than the MiG-25. It is an interesting observation of combat aircraft that today's mainstay is bigger and heavier than yesterday's big fighter.


The MiG family. MiG-19, -29, -31 are wanting.


Foxbat Forever!!

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

MiG-25 Foxbat PD of the Libyan AF :: All weather interceptor :: HobbyMaster 1:72, diecast

Foxbat Forever!!

Congratulations! The king has arrived! The 1/72 Su-30 has been dethroned, this is the best combat aircraft model on this thread! From some angles that model looks like a photo of real aircraft.

When you get time can we have a photo of your 1/72 Mig collection without the stands?

Looks like the Libyan Air Force Foxbat Serial 6716 is famous probably due to the clashes with the US Navy in the 1980s, my 1:200 model is the same exact plane.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Congratulations! The king has arrived! The 1/72 Su-30 has been dethroned, this is the best combat aircraft model on this thread! From some angles that model looks like a photo of real aircraft.

When you get time can we have a photo of your 1/72 Mig collection without the stands?

Looks like the Libyan Air Force Foxbat Serial 6716 is famous probably due to the clashes with the US Navy in the 1980s, my 1:200 model is the same exact plane.

Attachment 1948208

Foxbat, I followed in your footsteps:-) After you landed that Libyan MiG-25 a year back I just had to get a 1:72. I agree on terms of those Panther like looks nothing to beat the
' 25'. I'll do another photo shoot of all the MiGs in a few days.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Sandesh, that is a neat looking Indigo Hogan A320. Is it diecast or high end plastic.

Hogan's Indigo A320 was plastic. Hogan had made only two 1/200 A320s in diecast metal -an Air New Zealand one in All Blacks Livery and an SAS one.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

The line up of your Jet fleet now has some serious historical value! That looks like a collection of virtually all aircraft they ever flew. Now you need the 737NG to complete your fleet. :-)

Yes, pretty much all the major aircraft type they flew. Inspite of all of Naresh Goyal's misdeeds, Jet was my favourite airline probably because of the 737 and the convenient connectivity they offered to all major cities/towns I flew to. Great aircraft and great crew!!!

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

I told her don't waste your money on a shirt or suit length for me. To make up for all the times you complained about me, in our childhood to our mother, to our mother gift me a1:72 '25' :-).... the one and only '25'. :-).

Payback time and great banter. Hope you got what you wished for.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

MiG-25 Foxbat PD of the Libyan AF :: All weather interceptor :: HobbyMaster 1:72, diecast

One Word - WOW!!!! The mighty Eagle King, such a handsome beast!!!! So happy to see the Foxbat, that has such a rich combat history in your collection. Congratulations!!! Being a HM model, it is of the highest standards. I noticed they have even modelled the PD's RWR blisters shape near the engine intake accurately. The R/RB had a different shaped RWR blister. Some other brands ignore such very minor but important details, but not HM!!!

The Foxbat's speed was legendary. There were occasions were Iraqi Foxbats outran AIM-7s fired at them by USAF F-15s during the first Gulf War!!!! Syrian MiG-25s too were able to outrun AIM-7s fired by Israeli F-15. Probably the only fighter capable of doing it. Then of course, there was the famous Hornet kill by Iraqi AF's Lt. Zuhair Dawood flying his Foxbat in the first Gulf War.

The only reason why the Shah of Iran acquired the F-14 was to take on the Soviet MiG-25 threat. IIAF's Phantom & Tiger fleet could not even getting close to the Foxbat. Till the Tomcat's arrival, Soviet MiG-25s overflew Iran routinely. Over the course of the Iran-Iraq war, most attempts by Iranian F-14s to intercept Iraqi Foxbats were unsuccessful, except one. Iranian air defenses were usually late in detecting the Foxbats, leaving Iran’s F-14 crews only three to five minutes to attempt an intercept. For all practical purposes, if no Tomcat was almost directly in front of the incoming Iraqi MiG-25, a successful engagement was entirely out of the question. The only confirmed Iraqi Foxbat kill by an IRIAF TOmcat crew was when an IRIAF F-14 shot down an Iraqi MiG-25R over Khark Island using an AIM-54. It was claimed that the MiG-25 had a failed RWR and the Iraqi GCI failed to warn the Iraqi Pilot( who was the CO of that Iraqi Foxbat sqdn) in time to avoid the Iranian F-14.

The Pakistanis had nothing to counter our MiG-25Rs. Nothing could touch our Garudas, not their SAMs, Not even their much vaunted Fighting Falcons, which left a lot of Pakis helplessly red-faced. I wish we had acquired a few Foxhounds as replacements for the Foxbat just to needle the Pakis from time to time!!!

Although the MiG-25 was not a very maneuverable jet, look at the kind of aggressive maneuvering Libyan Foxbat pilots did with their Foxbats.
Footage from a USN Tomcat's TCS

https://youtu.be/wT7pahvn-aY

I would love to add a MiG-25 to my collection one day, but either in Soviet,Iraqi or Syrian Colours.

[ariesonu]

Reminiscing the Doordarshan days, I couldn't help but sigh on the beautiful Sundays spent in company of Capt Kirk & Mr. Spock. STAR TREK was my first brush with spaces (COSMOS as I loved to call it in those day) & of course later Issac Asimov.
This led to small search and as always is the case with internet searches, one from one thing to another - I landed on searching for scale model of the fabled Star Trek Ship - USS Enterprise.
What I came across is this, little larger the match box size, but awesomely detailed piece and at, to-die-for price <INR 400/-
Even the base of stand is designed to match the LOGO of Star Trek.
AND-AND-AND, it lights up on flick of a switch.












Regards-Sonu

[sajands]

Originally Posted by ariesonu

Reminiscing the Doordarshan days, I could help but sigh on the beautiful Sundays spent in company of Capt Kirk & Mr. Spock. STAR TREK was my first brush with spaces (COSMOS as I loved to call it in those day) & of course later Issac Asimov.
This led to small search and as always is the case with internet searches, one from one thing to another - I landed on searching for scale model of the fabled Star Trek Ship - USS Enterprise.
What I came across is this, little larger the match box size, but awesomely detailed piece and at, to-die-for price <INR 400/-
Even the base of stand is designed to match the LOGO of Star Trek.
AND-AND-AND, it lights up on flick of a switch.

Regards-Sonu

Amazing, where did you source this from.

[Foxbat]

1:200 Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Current livery, Hogan Plastic model







Next to another Hogan Dreamliner in the old Air India livery. For some strange reason both models are missing registrations numbers. I have never seen a Dreamliner photo in the old livery, wondering if this exists only on paper.


The Air India wide body fleet in the current livery Boeing 787-8, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 747-400. Boeing would be proud!





Not sure why Hogan has started packing their models in this long, thin box. Looks better and maybe appears to be a bigger gift when packed but costs a lot more to ship internationally !

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by ariesonu

Reminiscing the Doordarshan days, I couldn't help but sigh on the beautiful Sundays spent in company of Capt Kirk & Mr. Spock. STAR TREK was my first brush with spaces (COSMOS as I loved to call it in those day) & of course later Issac Asimov.
This led to small search and as always is the case with internet searches, one from one thing to another - I landed on searching for scale model of the fabled Star Trek Ship - USS Enterprise.

Very nice. Another Original Star Trek fan I see. Its a very pretty looking model of the Enterprise. Congratulations.

Wasn't the Original Star Trek( i.e. in which William Shatner played the role of Capt. James T Kirk & Leonard Nimoy played the role of Spock) aired on Star Plus in the evening as well? It was in the early or mid-90s if I remember correctly - the initial days of Satellite TV. Star Trek was followed by Wonder Years, Different Strokes & Batman.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

1:200 Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Current livery, Hogan Plastic model

Next to another Hogan Dreamliner in the old Air India livery. For some strange reason both models are missing registrations numbers. I have never seen a Dreamliner photo in the old livery, wondering if this exists only on paper.

Congratulations. The 787 looks classy in AI livery. Its great to see the Air India Boeings together. Thanks for sharing the pics. That completes you AI fleet

Yes, its disappointing that Hogan chose not to paint the "Inflight model" with a registration and it was the sole reason why I did not go for this model. The other Hogan AI 787(ground configuration) model has a registration but cannot be mounted on a stand. I think Hogan has made the 787 in AI Star Aliiance livery as well.

You are right the 787 in old AI livery was just a concept. It was never painted in that livery.

[sajands]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

1:200 Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Current livery, Hogan Plastic model

I have the same model and as true to the carrier, My Dreamliner has a faulty landing gear that does not stand and keeps falling off, hence its always in the hanger and flight status remains cancelled due to technical maintenance.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by sajands

I have the same model and as true to the carrier, My Dreamliner has a faulty landing gear that does not stand and keeps falling off, hence its always in the hanger and flight status remains cancelled due to technical maintenance.

My landing gear had the same problem, I glued it with a glue stick, which is water soluble and not too strong so it can be taken off later if required.

[skanchan95]

1:72 T-90S Main Battle Tank(Unbranded)
The T-90S was the eport designation of the Russian T-90 Tank. The T-90 was the first mass-produced tank in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Inspite of its name/designation, the T-90 is actually an evolutionary development of the earlier T-72 series. In the 1980s, there were three different tanks in production in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Army and for exports. These were the T-64, T-72 and T-80. All three tanks had similar characteristics and the same main gun, yet all posed different logistics issues because each had different engines and suspension.

Of the three, the T-72 was regraded as the mobilization tank. It was an inexpensive design that could be produced quickly in large numbers at low cost. The T-72's fire control system was a generation behind the T-64 & T-80.

After the collapse/split of the Soviet Union, the main factory producing the T-80 was now in the newly formed Ukraine. A 2nd plant producing the T-80 was in RUssia, but it did not have the capacity of the one in Ukraine. Due to budgetary concerns after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was decided that Russia could no longer mass produce two types of tanks (T-80 & T-72).

The further development of the T-72 - called the T-72BU was first redesignated as the T-88 and then later T-90( signifying that it was the first new tank of Modern Russia built in the 90s).

Operators of the T-90S include armies of Algeria, Armenia,Azerbaijan, India, Iraq,Russia, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uganda and Vietnam

The Indian Army acquisition of the T-90
Exports clearance from the Russian govt was given for the T-90 in mid-90s and it was designated as the T-90S. The T-90S was first displayed at the IDEX exhibition on Abu Dhabi. It caught the eye of the Indian delegation.

The Indian Army was already operating the T-72 and was it was being manufactured locally under license as the T-72 Ajeya. Indian Army had conducted trials of the T-80 and modernized T-72S in 1993, but concluded that neither was a significant improvement over the T-72 Ajeya. The Army was increasingly concerned about losing its Armoured edge over Pakistan army, after Pakistan signed a deal with Ukraine to supply T-80UD tanks including guided projectiles. The Army was fully aware of the T-80's advantages and needed something to counter the new threat from Pakistan.

Following the T-90S's debut at IDEX 97, India approached Russia about a potential purchase and license manufacture of the T-90S. However, India set pre-conditions linked to the T-80UD's features- that the T-90S should have an engine of atleast 1000hp, a thermal imaging sight and a ability to fire guided projectiles. In 1998, a preliminary understanding was agreed upon for purchase of around 300 T-90S tanks with the condition that they were successfully demonstrated at Indian trials.To meet the Indian requirement, the T-90S was fitted with the Chekyabinsk V-92S2 1000-bhp diesel engine( the standard Russian T-90 was powered by a 840bhp diesel engine), thermal imaging sights and a new projectile was offered and demonstrated . Eventhough the trails were largely successful, it uncovered issues with engine overheating during desert trials, but immediate remedies were offered. In the year 2000, the Indian govt gave the go ahead to purchase 310 T-90S tanks. Under the contract, 124 tanks wer to be imported directly from Russia and 186 were to assembled in India from CKDs supplied by Russia, at Avadi Heavy Vehicle Factory in India , that was already manufacturing the T-72. The Indian Army named the T-90S "Bhishma". Another 347 T-90S were acquired directly from Russia because of delays in the indigenous Arjun tank. In 2006, it was announced that India would be manufacturing 1000 T-90 tanks in India at Avadi. In 2016, it was announced that India could be the first client for the heavily modernized T-90MS.The T-90MS ie being license manufactured in India as a part of the original 1000 T-90 license production programme. The T-90MS has a completely different turret compared to the T-90S.

T-90S:


T-90MS.Note the different turret that includes a remotely operated 7.62 mm gun:


Indian Army Bhishmas in action:


The Model:
Came with an acrylic case with a base. The model is highly detailed and made of plastic. It is held on the plinth with two removable screws.



























T-90S Specifications
Type : Main battle tank
Place of origin : Russia
In service : 1993 (T-90)
Wars : War of Dagestan, Syrian Civil War, War in Donbass
Designer : Kartsev-Venediktov
Manufacturer: Uralvagonzavod
Unit cost : USD 2.5 million in 1999, USD 2.77 – 4.25 million in 2011
T-90MS: USD 4.5 Million in 2016
Produced: 1992–present
No. built : 3,200+
Mass : 46 tonnes (45 long tons; 51 short tons) (T-90), 48 tonnes (47 long tons; 53 short tons) (T-90MS)
Length : 9.63 m (31 ft 7 in) 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) (hull)
Width : 3.78 m (12 ft 5 in)
Height : 2.22 m (7 ft 3 in)
Crew : 3
Armor : Steel-composite-reactive blend APFSDS: 550 mm + 250–280 mm with Kontakt-5 = 800–830 mm HEAT: 650–850 mm + 500–700 mm with Kontakt-5 = 1,150–1,550 mm
Main armament : 2A46M 125 mm smoothbore gun with 43 rounds (T-90), 2A82-1M 125 mm smoothbore gun (T-90MS)
Secondary armament : 12.7mm Kord Heavy machine gun, 7.62mm PKMT
Engine V-84MS 12-cyl. diesel (T-90), V-92S2F (T-90MS)
840 hp (618 kW) for V-84MS 12-cyl. diesel engine
950 hp (736 kW) for V-92S2 12-cyl. diesel engine
1,130 hp (831 kW) for V-92S2F (T-90AM&T-90MS)
Power/weight : 18.2 hp/tonne (13.3 kW/tonne) (T-90)
Suspension : Torsion bar
Operational range : 550 km (340 mi) (without fuel drums)
Speed : 60 km/h (37 mph)

[ChiragM]

Originally Posted by ChiragM

The only 1:200 plane model I have:

Emirates Boeing 777-300ER

Added this 1:200 FedEx MD-11





With both planes:

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by ariesonu

This led to small search and as always is the case with internet searches, one from one thing to another - I landed on searching for scale model of the fabled Star Trek Ship - USS Enterprise.

Welcome to the thread. You've debuted with a bang and what a unique model. Congratulations.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

1:200 Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Current livery, Hogan Plastic model

The Air India wide body fleet in the current livery Boeing 787-8, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 747-400. Boeing would be proud!

Your Air India fleet doth groweth from strength to strength. Another happy addition to your fleet of biggies.

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 T-90S Main Battle Tank(Unbranded)

Came with an acrylic case with a base. The model is highly detailed and made of plastic. It is held on the plinth with two removable screws.

OMG!!! Wow. WOW. WOWWhat a find. What delightful detailing. I an falling in love with your tanks and am almost tempted to get one myself. Simply fabulous.

Originally Posted by ChiragM

Added this 1:200 FedEx MD-11

A very good addition. Aircraft look nice together. Congratulations on your 2nd acquisition.