[V.Narayan]

^^^^^ What a beautiful photograph. Thank you. Just look at those wing planforms. Each tells a story of the role, the weight and the wing design technology of the time. The Russians are right that at least for Strike aircraft bigger is better assuming you have engines of equivalent power which the Su-34 does. Bigger means more space and weight carrying ability for fuel, avionics, armour, duplication, spacing of redundancies. And with a bigger wing and power you can make up for the manouverability.

Foxbat, did you paint yourself?

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Foxbat, did you paint yourself?

Yes I did, spray painted blue and then a few layers of acrylic paint by brush. Spent hours trying to make the matching shade of blue green and light blue but eventually had to give up. However it came out reasonably well at the end.

[Jeroen]

Love the Douglas Skyraider. One of my all time favourites! There are still quite a few of the airworthy and flying. I have come across them at various airshows in the USA.


My other favourite is the North American Bronco OV10. You gents have any models? The German airforce had some too I belief.

A good American friend mine flew them in Vietnam. So he talked me through a lot of its characteristics. Very interesting plane. Again, still some them are flying, even here in Europe. Although, not sure what engines they are using.

Jeroen

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

The Mikoyan MiG-31 (Russian: Микоян МиГ-31; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft developed for use by the Soviet Air Forces. The aircraft was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a replacement for the earlier MiG-25 "Foxbat";

1/72 Russian Air Force Mig-31 "Foxhound" Aka the "Super Foxbat" !

I knew about the "Super Foxbat" but just today found out there was a "Super Foxhound" ! Unfortunately like many advance weapons systems in development during the collapse of the USSR this too never made it to production.






Source: https://militarywatchmagazine.com/ar...combat-monster

[skanchan95]

Finally, after being a lazy thought in my mind for the last two years, my display cabinet is finally ready after being a frustratingly slow WIP for the last two months. .

The LED lights make it look more bright than it actually is. Looks fantastic in the dark. I can probably use acrylic risers to create more space for future models(height of the shelves is not an issue). I intend to use the blank portion on the left sidewall to paste some sort of velcro backing to display my patches collection.



Bottom Shelf - Gets a runway base. In the hindsight, I should have got an apron base printed.
1:200(/150/400) Private Airlines & Indian Airlines set




1:200(/150/400) Air India set







1:200 Military Set




Helicopters & 1:200/400 Miscellaneous



1:72 US Air Force


1:72 US Navy




1:72 Russian Origin Jets(and IAF)




1:72 European & Asian Air Forces




Top Shelf - Tanks, Cars, 1:100 Aircraft & my twin daughters toys (on their request).




P.S. the cloud background and runway base for the bottom shelf were my wife's ideas . The idea to use the sidewalls for displaying patches is hers too. I am an unimaginative dork that way

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Finally, after being a lazy thought in my mind for the last two years, my display cabinet is finally ready after being a frustratingly slow WIP for the last two months. .

Looks fantastic!

Dust is a major problem with displaying models and this will make sure
your models remain dust free. Not sure if its allowed but I think it would look better
without the sky background

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Finally, after being a lazy thought in my mind for the last two years, my display cabinet is finally ready after being a frustratingly slow WIP for the last two months. .

Congratulations. That is one big job out of the way. That is quite a Wing you have there. Looking first class. Here's to many more Your daughters' contributions are too cute. I am working on a two year project to convince wifey that I need a new cabinet {my fourth} The unwritten rule is that my study is mine, rest is hers. But as I said it is a two year project 23 months to woo her around and 1 month to execute :-)

[Foxbat]

My respect for HobbyMaster grew exponentially with this new release!





Source: Iraqi MiG-29 Pilot Explains how he was able to Shoot Down a RAF Tornado during Operation Desert Storm.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Looks fantastic!

Dust is a major problem with displaying models and this will make sure
your models remain dust free. Not sure if its allowed but I think it would look better
without the sky background

Thank you. Yes, keeping the dust out was a major reason why I did not opt for a frameless glass door. I have even pasted self-adhesive rubber liners around frame where the doors meet on the main frame - to seal even the tiniest of gaps.

The sky backgrounds looks more brighter than they actually are , in the photos - possibly because of the usage of flash and LED spotlights. In natural light, when viewed with the naked eye, it looks fantastic. Besides, I had to have some sort of background because no plywood or fiber base was used on the background wall. It was the wall on which the support frames of the cabinet were drilled directly into, the wall also had lines and circles drawn by my daughters which had to be covered also. And yes, both of them are pretty keen to know what is each aircraft's name/type. It makes me so happy when both of them point to the IAF Su-30 and say it is an Esh-You Thirteee

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Congratulations. That is one big job out of the way. That is quite a Wing you have there. Looking first class. Here's to many more. Your daughters' contributions are too cute.

Thank you sir.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

I am working on a two year project to convince wifey that I need a new cabinet {my fourth} The unwritten rule is that my study is mine, rest is hers. But as I said it is a two year project 23 months to woo her around and 1 month to execute :-)

Ha ha. Good Luck

Originally Posted by Foxbat

My respect for HobbyMaster grew exponentially with this new release!

HM has done quite a few western aircraft killers from the "Dark Side"
There's Lt. Dawood's Hornet killing Iraqi AF MiG-25PD, SyAAF Capt. Al-Masry's Israeli F-4 killing MiG-23MS, a couple of famous VPAF MiG-17s and MiG-21s that shot down US jets in the Vietnam War. There was also an Iraqi MiG-21MF Tomcat killer. The only aircraft they did so far from the sub-continent was Sqdn Ldr M M Alam's F-86F Sabre and a couple of PAF F-16s. Hopefully more aircraft from the sub-continent will be released by HM in the future. How I wish we knew what Sqdn Ldr P K Bundela's PN Atlantique MiG-21bis serial number & aircraft markings were.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

The only aircraft they did so far from the sub-continent was Sqdn Ldr M M Alam's F-86F Sabre and a couple of PAF F-16s.

Classic example of Pakistani fake-ology on one hand and PR spin to the Western media on the other. Sadly till 15 years ago we were rather poor about managing our PR with the international media. MM Alam, it was claimed, shot down 5 Indian jets in 1 minute!!!!- when did he turn, when did he fire, when did he pull out? Assume the Indians kept sitting like ducks in a row and took no evasive action. Best part is that the IAF have no record of any pilot being shot down. And the PAF have no record shown so far of camera footage. The best of German Luftwaffe aces could not manage anything remotely like this with all their experience and abundance of targets on the WW2 Eastern front.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Classic example of Pakistani fake-ology on one hand and PR spin to the Western media on the other.

Yes, it has been debunked not only by our side but their side as well. From his "claimed" 9 kills in the 1965 war, only four were confirmed and one was doubtful (All IAF Hunters). So his claim of being an ace is also dubious!!!

Confirmed Kills:
06 Sep - S/L A K Rawlley, 7 Sqdn Hunter CAP mission near Pathankot. Pilot KIA, flew into ground while trying to shake off S/L M M Alam's Sabre

07 Sep - S/L S B Bhagwat, F/O J S Brar, 7 Sqdn, who were flying as Hunter fighter escorts to a 7 Sqdn/27 Sqdn Hunter strike mission against Sargodha airbase - all KIA , shot down by S/L M M Alam

16 Sep - F/O F D Bunsha, 7 Sqdn Hunter CAP mission near Pathankot - KIA, shot down by S/L M M Alam

Unconfirmed kill:
07 Sep - S/L O N Kacker , 7 Sqdn - POW - Booster Pump failure during exfil from Sargodha, forcing him to eject. how he managed to fool Pakistani civilians into believing he was a PAF pilot is another interesting tale.

Fake Kills:
07 Sep - S/L D S Jog, F/L D N Rathore, 7/27 Sqdn (claimed) - Both made it back to base

1:200 Mitsubishi F-15DJ Eagle JASDF Tactical Fighter Training Group ( Aggressors) #92-8068 (Hogan Wings)
The F-15DJ is the Mitsubishi built twin seat version of the F-15 Eagle.

The Tactical Fighter Training Group is the Aggressor unit of the Air Tactics Development Wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force based at Komatsu Air Base in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Most of their single seat F-15Js and twin seat F-15DJs were painted in spectacular paint schemes like these.












With my 1:72 F-15J




The real F-15DJ 92-8068

[skanchan95]

1:144 McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II, USAF 8th TFW, #63-7680, Robin Olds, Ubon RTAFB, Thailand, Operation Bolo January 1967 (Air Force 1 Models)
The C variant was the first operational variant of the F-4 Phantom II in USAF service. It supported a wide spectrum of weapons including AIM-4 Falcon, AGM-12 Bullpup,AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow and nuclear weapons. Compared to carrier based F-4Bs, the F-4C had wider main wheel tires that resulted in distinctive wing bulges; J79-GE-15 engines with provision for cartridge start; boom refueling instead of Navy F-4's probe and drogue refueling; AN/APQ-100 radar; duplicated flight controls in the rear cockpit.

The first of 583 F-4C ordered by the USAF began delivery in late 1963. They basically were F- 4Bs that had been refit for ground operations. The F-4C arrived in Southeast Asia in early 1965 and by 1966 equipped 7 squadrons in Vietnam and 3 in Thailand. The early F-4Cs lacked guns and relied totally on missiles but it wasn’t long before the addition of SUU-16A gun pods with M-61A1-20-mm guns were put to use to compensate for the lack of internal guns. The addition of these gun pods gave the pilot gun fire but degraded the performance of the aircraft. The early F-4Cs suffered from many defects such as wing tanks that would spring leaks and require resealing after every flight. Many had cracked ribs on outer wing panels. It wasn’t too long before the improved F-4D made an appearance.

F-4C 63-7680
This particular F-4C was flown by Colonel Robin Olds and First Lieutenant Charles C. Clifton, as the Weapons System Operator on January 02, 1967 , callsign Olds 01 during Operation Bolo, when they shot down a VPAF MiG-21 using an AIM-9. F-4C 63-7680 got two kills in the Vietnam War. With another flight crew(Lt. Col Fred Haeffner & 1st Lt. Michael R Bever, Callsign- Harpoon 03), F-4C-21-MC 63-7680, shot down a VPAF MiG 17 using an AIM-7 on 13 May 1967.

F-4C 63-7680 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire while attacking a SAM site on 20 November 1967. The Weapons System Officer, 1st Lieutenant James L. Badley, bailed out and was rescued, but the pilot, Captain John M. Martin, was not seen to leave the aircraft and was KIA.

Operation Bolo was a response to the heavy F-105 losses sustained during the Operation Rolling Thunder aerial-bombardment campaign of 1966, during which Vietnam People's Air Force fighter jets had evaded U.S. escort fighters and attacked U.S. F-105s flying predictable routes. Operation Bolo was designed to fool the enemy aircraft into beliveing they were about to ambush USAF F-105s but instead ended up facing USAF Phantoms. Instead of the usual F-105s leading the way and being intercepted by MiGs who departed the scene when the F-4s arrived, the F-4s took the lead and flew at normal F-105 speeds, altitudes and formations. When the MiG-21s came up to intercept what they thought were F-105s, they instead found Phantom IIs.

As the VPAF MiG 21s started coming up through the clouds, their pilots quickly realized that instead of the vulnerable targets of F-105s on a bomb run, they were faced with USAF F-4s armed for air superiority missions. The F-4Cs(Olds, Ford & Rambler flights) that day succeeded in shooting down seven MiG 21s, with another two probably destroyed. This accounted for about half of the VPAF’s MiG 21 complement.

In the official after action report, Colonel Olds, about his MiG-21 kill, said,

At the onset of this battle, the MiGs popped up out of the clouds. Unfortunately, the first one to pop through came up at my 6 o’clock position. I think this was more by chance than by design. As it turned out, within the next few moments, many others popped out of the clouds in varying positions around the clock.

This one was just lucky. He was called out by the second flight that had entered the area, they were looking down on my flight and saw the MiG-21 appear. I broke left, turning just hard enough to throw off his deflection, waiting for my three and four men to slice in on him. At the same time I saw another MiG pop out of the clouds in a wide turn about my 11 o’clock position, a mile and a half away. I went after him and ignored the one behind me. I fired missiles at him just as he disappeared into the clouds.

I’d seen another pop out in my 10 o’clock position, going from my right to left; in other words, just about across the circle from me. When the first MiG I fired at disappeared, I slammed full afterburner and pulled in hard to gain position on this second MiG. I pulled the nose up high about 45 degrees, inside his circle. Mind you, he was turning around to the left so I pulled the nose up high and rolled to the right. This is known as a vector roll. I got on top of him and half upside down, hung there, and waited for him to complete more of his turn and I timed it so that as I continued to roll down behind him, I’d be about 20 degrees angle off and about 4,500 to 5,000 feet behind him. That’s exactly what happened. Frankly, I’m not sure he ever saw me. When I got down low and behind, and he was outlined by the sun against a brilliant blue sky, I let him have two Sidewinders, one of which hit and blew his right wing off.


“MiG Sweep,” painting by Keith Ferris. Colonel Robin Olds uses a Vector Roll to gain firing position on a MiG-21 fighter. “I got on top of him and half upside down, hung there, and waited for him to complete more of his turn. . . .”

F-4C 63-7680 with two kill marks, at Ubon RTAFB, sometime between March and November 1967
















The kill mark on the Intake splitter plate












Phabulous Phantom Phorever!!!!




F-4 MiG killers from the Vietnam War in my collection:
1:200 F-4B Phantom II VF-111 - Lt. Garry Weigand/ Lt.(JG) William "Farkle" Freckleton - 06 March 1972 - 1 X VPAF MiG-17
1:100 F-4C Phantom II 64-0829 'Scat XXVII' - Col. Robin Olds/1st Lt Stephen Crocker - 20 May 1967 - 2 X VPAF MiG-17s
1:144 F-4C Phantom II 63-7680 - Col Robin Olds/1st Lt Charles C. Clifton - 02 January 1967 - 1 X VPAF MiG-21
1:72 F-4D Phantom II 67-7463 - Capt. Richard Stephen Ritchie /Capt. Charles DeBellevue - 2 X VPAF MiG-17s




The famous Robin Olds finger at his final mission celebrations at Ubon RTAFB Officers Club. He flew his final combat mission in Scat XXVII (F-4C-24-MC 64-0829) with Lt Steve Crocker over North Vietnam on September 23, 1967. His 259 total combat missions included 107 in World War II and 152 in Southeast Asia, 105 of those over North Vietnam. He had a total of 16 confirmed kills (12 in World War II and four in Vietnam) and that made him a triple ace.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:144 McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II, USAF 8th TFW, #63-7680, Robin Olds, Ubon RTAFB, Thailand, Operation Bolo January 1967 (Air Force 1 Models)
Phabulous Phantom Phorever!!!!
F-4 MiG killers from the Vietnam War in my collection:His 259 total combat missions included 107 in World War II and 152 in Southeast Asia, 105 of those over North Vietnam. He had a total of 16 confirmed kills (12 in World War II and four in Vietnam) and that made him a triple ace.

The ride of your favourite ace the handsome Phantom F-4C. Congratulations. Quite a collection of Phantoms and F-14s and F-15s you have. Looks like Foxbat will need to add to his North Vietnamese squadron.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

The ride of your favourite ace the handsome Phantom F-4C. Congratulations.

Thank You Sir. I am on the lookout for F-4J "Showtime 100" (US Navy aces Lt Driscoll and Lt Cunningham's F-4J) to my collection.

1:72 General Atomics MQ-1B Predator 99-057 USAF 432nd WG, Creech AFB, Nevada, USA (Air Force 1 Models)



The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA)/ Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Initially conceived in the early 1990s for aerial reconnaissance and forward observation roles, the Predator carries cameras and other sensors. It was modified and upgraded to carry and fire two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles or other munitions. The aircraft entered service in 1995, and saw combat in the war in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the NATO intervention in Bosnia, Serbia, the Iraq War, Yemen, the 2011 Libyan civil war, the 2014 intervention in Syria, and Somalia.

At one point in time, when the MQ-1 was flying around unhindered over Pakistan(from 2003 to 2011), the Predator was mockingly referred to as the national bird of Pakistan!!!

An Iraqi MiG-25 shot down a MQ-1 Predator performing reconnaissance over the no fly zone in Iraq on 23 December 2002. This was the first time in history a conventional aircraft and a drone had engaged each other in combat. Predators had been armed with AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles, and were purportedly being used to "bait" Iraqi Air Force fighters, then run. However, Predators are 1,800 mph slower than MIG-25's and the service ceiling is nearly 60,000 ft lower, making the "run" segment of any "bait and run" mission a difficult task. In this incident, the Predator did not run (or could not run fast enough), but instead fired one of its Stingers at the Iraqi Foxbat. The Stinger's heat-seeker became "distracted" by the MiG's missile and missed the MiG. The Predator was hit by the MiG's missile and destroyed. Another two Predators had been shot down earlier by Iraqi SAMs.

Two or three MQ-9B Sea Guardians - a larger, heavier, more capable and navalised derivative of the MQ-1 Predator; is currently on lease with the Indian Navy.







The basic crew for the Predator is one pilot and two sensor operators. They fly the aircraft from inside the ground control station via a line-of-sight data link or a satellite data link for beyond line-of-sight flight. The aircraft is equipped with a color nose camera (generally used by the pilot for flight control), a day variable-aperture TV camera, a variable-aperture infrared camera (for low light/night), and a synthetic aperture radar for looking through smoke, clouds or haze. The cameras produce full motion video while the SAR produces still frame radar images.

The MQ-1 Predator carries the Multi-spectral Targeting System with inherent AGM-114 Hellfire missile targeting capability and integrates electro-optical, infrared, laser designator and laser illuminator into a single sensor package. The aircraft can employ two laser-guided Hellfire anti-tank missiles with the MTS ball.

The system is composed of four major components which can be deployed for worldwide operations. The Predator aircraft can be disassembled and loaded into a "coffin." The ground control system is transportable in a C-130 (or larger) transport aircraft. The Predator can operate on a 5,000 by 75 feet (1,524 meters by 23 meters), hard surface runway with clear line-of-sight. The ground data terminal antenna provides line-of-sight communications for takeoff and landing. The PPSL provides over-the-horizon communications for the aircraft.

An alternate method of employment, Remote Split Operations, employs a smaller version of the GCS called the Launch and Recovery GCS. The LRGCS conducts takeoff and landing operations at the forward deployed location while the CONUS based GCS conducts the mission via extended communication links.

The aircraft includes an ARC-210 radio, an APX-100 IFF/SIF with Mode 4, an upgraded turbo-charged engine and glycol-weeping "wet wings" for ice mitigation. The latest upgrade, which enhances maintenance and performance, includes notched tails, split engine cowling, steel braided hoses and improved engine blocks.


The 432nd Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command at Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada. The group operates unmanned reconnaissance aircraft which provide real-time reconnaissance, surveillance, and precision attack against fixed and time-critical targets. It currently flies General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-170 Sentinel Unmanned aerial vehicles.

General Characteristics
-Primary Function: Armed reconnaissance, airborne surveillance and target acquisition

-Contractor: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Incorporated

-Crew (remote): Two (pilot and sensor operator)

-Length: 27 ft (8.22 m)

-Wingspan: 48.7 ft (14.8 m); MQ-1B Block 10/15: 55.25 ft (16.84 m)

-Height: 6.9 ft (2.1 m)

-Wing area: 123.3 sq ft (11.5 m²)

-Empty weight: 1,130 lb (512 kg)

-Loaded weight: 2,250 lb (1,020 kg)

-Power plant: 1 ×Rotax 914 F turbocharged four-cylinder engine, 115 hp (86 kW)

Performance
-Maximum speed: 135 mph (117 knots, 217 km/h)

-Cruise speed: 81–103 mph (70–90 knots, 130–165 km/h)

-Thrust: 115 horsepower

-Stall speed: 62 mph (54 knots, 100 km/h) (dependent on aircraft weight)

-Range: 675 nmi (675 mi or 1,100 km)

-Max. takeoff weight: 2,250 lb (1,020 kg)

-Payload: 450 pounds (204 kilograms)

-Ceiling: up to 25,000 feet (7,620 meters)

-Endurance: 24 hours

-Armament: 2 with provisions to carry combinations of Missiles:
2 × AGM-114 Hellfire
4 × AIM-92 Stinger air to air missiles
6 × AGM-176 Griffin air-to-surface missiles

-Fuel Capacity: 665 pounds (100 gallons)

-Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,620 m)

The model can be displayed "Inflight" or "On ground" with interchangeable attachments for the landing gear. The model is armed with Two AGM-114 Hellfires.









The crew names -Staff sergeant (SSgt) Magana & Senior Airman (SRA) Peterson














In-Flight












Comparison with the F-16's wingspan. The F-16s's wingspan is 9.96 m while the Predator's is 14.8 m.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 General Atomics MQ-1B Predator 99-057 USAF 432nd WG, Creech AFB, Nevada, USA (Air Force 1 Models)


An Iraqi MiG-25 shot down a MQ-1 Predator performing reconnaissance over the no fly zone in Iraq on 23 December 2002. This was the first time in history a conventional aircraft and a drone had engaged each other in combat.

-Empty weight: 1,130 lb (512 kg)

Congratulations for the first pilotless aircraft on this thread! I never knew they were so big until I saw your picture with the F-16.

Regarding the Mig-25 vs MQ-1 Predator I always wondered what missile did the Mig-25 use. If it was a R-40 then it would have weighed as almost as much as the target(empty weight) itself!

Specifications (R-40RD)
Mass 475 kg (1,047 lb)
Warhead weight 38–100 kg (84–220 lb)

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

The ride of your favourite ace the handsome Phantom F-4C. Congratulations. Quite a collection of Phantoms and F-14s and F-15s you have. Looks like Foxbat will need to add to his North Vietnamese squadron.

Incidentally I was just looking at this