[skanchan95]

The 1:72 Fulcrum fleet
Polish Air Force MiG-29 and MiG-29UB, while MiG-29A Red 77 was a former Czech AF machine, MiG-29UB Red 4105 was a former LSK/Luftwaffe MiG-29UB that were acquired by Poland.











HM MiG-29As
IAF & Czech MiG-29As






MiG-29 fleet
3 X MiG-29A - Indian AF, Polish AF, Russian AF
1X MiG-29UB - Polish AF

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

The 1:72 Fulcrum fleet
Polish Air Force MiG-29 and MiG-29UB, while MiG-29A Red 77 was a former Czech AF machine, MiG-29UB Red 4105 was a former LSK/Luftwaffe MiG-29UB that were acquired by Poland.

HM MiG-29As
IAF & Czech MiG-29As

MiG-29 fleet
3 X MiG-29A - Indian AF, Polish AF, Russian AF
1X MiG-29UB - Polish AF

What a fine exhibition of what IMHO is one of the most handsome jet fighters of all time - the MiG-29. It has perfect proportions and fluidity in design. Other fighters I find similarly beautiful are the F-16 Falcon, the Hawker Hunter, Mirage 2000 and the MiG-25.

Looks like your connoisseurs collection of MiG-29's will soon rival your squadron of F-14s and F-4s. Comrade Foxbat nods in appreciation. :-)

May your fleet of MiG-29's grow.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

3 X MiG-29A - Indian AF, Polish AF, Russian AF
1X MiG-29UB - Polish AF

Impressive lineup of Fulcrums! The Russian livery is my favorite in my opinion. They are all HMs right? any difference in details between the models?




Air India has only operated two Airbus A330-200s during its history. The pair joined the fleet in September and November 2007, registered VT-IWA and -IWB, respectively. Air India leased the planes following a merger with Indian Airlines, a primarily Airbus operator, and to grow its operations in the Middle East and East Asia.

However, as noted in the Deccan Herald, the A330s were actually a stop-gap for the delayed 787 Dreamliners. While Air India had placed an order for 27 787-8s early on, production delays meant the plane's delivery was pushed back several years. To protect its market share, the flag carrier chose to lease two A330s.

The A330-200s could be seen on routes to Shanghai, Tokyo, Riyadh, Dubai, Singapore, and many others during their stint at the airline. Both aircraft had been leased directly from Airbus for their seven years of service.

VT-IWA and IWB were delivered new to Sweden's Novair in September and October 2000 with SE- registrations, where they flew for seven years.

1:400 Scale Air India Airbus A330-200 Registration SE-RBF (later became VT-IWA)









This is from a company Dragon and although its not accurate in many areas I believe its the only model of this rather rare subject.





The Real SE-RBF before re-registration.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

The Russian livery is my favorite in my opinion.

In my best Yuri voice ( from Red Alert) - "Predictable, Comrade General"



The Russian Fulcrum has artwork of an Eagle getting chased by a Fulcrum. The model post:

Herpa MiG-29A Fulcrum-A White 52, 120th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, Russian Air Force, Domna Air Base, Russia, 2000 (Scale Models - Aircraft, Battle Tanks & Ships)

Originally Posted by Foxbat

They are all HMs right? any difference in details between the models?

No, they are not all HM.

Russian MiG-29 - Herpa
Polish MiG-29UB - JC Wings
Polish and Indian MiG-29A/B - HM

HM ones are clearly far more accurate in terms of aircraft shape, ease of fitment of attachments, cockpit detailing and are more "stronger" i.e the model itself does not feel brittle.

Where JC and Herpa( which use JC mould) score is in the intricate detailing of the landing gear, lights , weapons and moveable rudder & airbrake and modelling of auxiliary intakes. Plus they get engine intake covers too. The depth of the panel lines on JC and Herpa feels more accurate but the canopy and IRST on the Herpa MiG-29A are inaccurate.

HM gives a stand in the box, while for Herpa and JC, a MiG-29 stand has to be bought seperately. JC/Herpa pilot figures look like a painted bag of sand sitting in the cockpit, the figures are that bad!

In the end, both have their strengths and weaknesses. But I would prefer HM any day over the other two.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Air India has only operated two Airbus A330-200s during its history. The pair joined the fleet in September and November 2007, registered VT-IWA and -IWB, respectively. Air India leased the planes following a merger with Indian Airlines, a primarily Airbus operator, and to grow its operations in the Middle East and East Asia.

It's a very old and rare model. Congratulations on the acquisition.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

In my best Yuri voice ( from Red Alert) - "Predictable, Comrade General"

Never played the game but I found this on YouTube to get the voice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdyNxm2Kang

Originally Posted by skanchan95

The depth of the panel lines on JC and Herpa feels more accurate .....

I think thats one of the key differentiators for me when comparing built models vs models assembled from kits. Too deep and wide panel lines bring down the realism of the model. Although having small details like landing gear details covers up some of it.

Originally Posted by skanchan95

It's a very old and rare model. Congratulations on the acquisition.

Yeah I was surprised when I saw it, I never knew Air India operated A330s until I searched online after seeing the model.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Air India has only operated two Airbus A330-200s during its history. The pair joined the fleet in September and November 2007, registered VT-IWA and -IWB, respectively. Air India leased the planes following a merger with Indian Airlines, a primarily Airbus operator, and to grow its operations in the Middle East and East Asia.

Hearty congratulations, Foxbat. This is quite a find. I did not even know Air India once operated A330s. In terms of rarity this is a collectors find.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Never played the game but I found this on YouTube to get the voice:

Those voice-overs brought a flood of memories back


And now, something very different.

Keytag - English Electric Canberra PR.9 S/N XH135(Aviationtag)
These keytags, which can be used a keytag or simply as a collectible, are made from aircraft "skins" salvaged from retired aircraft. The "skin" of an aircraft is the outer surface which covers much of its wings and fuselage. The most commonly used materials for the skin are aluminum and aluminium alloys with other metals, including zinc, magnesium and copper.

In a way, one gets to own a piece of aviation history as the aircraft from which the skin would have been recycled from, would have seen many landings and take -offs, flown to different parts of the world at great heights and in cases of military aircraft like this, would have taken part in military missions.

Unlike a scale model, this little piece used to be a part of an actual aircraft and that's what makes it so unique! Every aviation tag bears traces of aviation history and has bumps, scratches, dents, rust and paint chips, which also make each individual tag one of a kind in the world (which can be seen in this tag too). The original colour of the aircraft skin is retained.

The keytag was made from the skin of ex-RAF Canberra PR.9, registration XH135. It was built is 1959, where it was originally built as H135. It served as a reconnaissance aircraft for the Royal Air Force until 1982, before going into storage at RAF St. Athan. After an interim reactivation, this PR.9 was finally retired in Kemble in 2006.

After several failed private rescue attempts for XH135, the Canberra was finally scrapped - except for the cockpit - in 2022 and now lives on as the Aviationtag Edition.

Canberra PR.9
The English Electric Canberra PR.9 was the photo-reconnaissance variant of the Canberra, based on B(I).8 interdictor variant[IAF's B(I) 58]. Compared to the B(I)8, the PR.9's fuselage was stretched to 68 ft (27.72 m), wingspan increased by 4 ft (1.22 m), and Avon R.A.27 (Avon 206) engines with 10,030 lbf (44.6 kN) of thrust. It retained the offset canopy of the B(I).8 with a hinged nose to allow fitment of an ejection seat for the navigator. But the nose plexiglass was deleted, so was the bombardier/Navigator's door on the nose. A total of 23 PR.9s were built by English Electric.

Number 286 of 1500 tags made from the skin of the 65+ year old Canberra PR.9 XH135










PR.9 XH135:

[skanchan95]

Keytag - Airbus A320-214 Indigo VT-IDV(Aviationtag)

Aviationtag's first keytag from an Indian carrier - Indigo (A320 VT-IDV)

Indigo's VT-IDV was one of the few CFM56 powered A320 CEOs. All most of their A320 CEOs were powered by IAE V2500 engines.

AIRBUS A320 VT-IDV
Serial number : 1767
Type: 320-214
First flight date: 20/03/2002
Engines : 2 x CFMI CFM56-5B4/P

Delivered new to Spanish carrier Iberworld as EC-IEQ in May 2002.Served with many carriers including Go Air as VT-WAY and VT-WAX in 2005 and 2006, Rossiya Airlines as VQ-BDQ from 2009 to 2016.

It was delivered to Indigo as VT-IDV in August 2016, where it served till 2020. It was stored in Lithuania thereafter in September 2020 and scrapped in 2023.

No. 140 of 4500
















Cutting the skin from the aircraft:




VT-IDV:

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Keytag - English Electric Canberra PR.9 S/N XH135(Aviationtag)
These keytags, which can be used a keytag or simply as a collectible, are made from aircraft "skins" salvaged from retired aircraft. The "skin" of an aircraft is the outer surface which covers much of its wings and fuselage. The most commonly used materials for the skin are aluminum and aluminium alloys with other metals, including zinc, magnesium and copper.

Unlike a scale model, this little piece used to be a part of an actual aircraft and that's what makes it so unique!

Interesting pieces of history, a new addition to the thread. Saw these online many times but never thought of buying one. If someone is selling the skin of an F-117 or B-2 I might think about it I many times think while walking in a remote forest I will stumble upon an aircraft wreck and get souvenirs for free!

My sister lives in Germany and while hiking in some remote trails in forests people often find graves, weapons and equipments left from WWII.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Interesting pieces of history, a new addition to the thread. Saw these online many times but never thought of buying one. If someone is selling the skin of an F-117 or B-2 I might think about it I many times think while walking in a remote forest I will stumble upon an aircraft wreck and get souvenirs for free!

It's a co-incidence you mention that because the other day while I was researching on these keytags, I found keytags made out of the wreckage of crashed Russian aircraft and destroyed Russian tanks.



The Ukrainians are making and selling these to fund the war effort. While some may be interested in buying these, the fact that someone may have died in that tank or while flying that aircraft makes it a very macabre object for me and not something which which I would ever want to have.

EDIT:
Further research on Su-34 Red 31, reveals that the crew onboard the Su-34 Red 31 were killed in the shootdown of the Su-34 in March 2022 during the Battle for Kiev.

Date: Tuesday, March 01, 2022
Type: Sukhoi Su-34
Owner/operator: Russian Air Force
Registration: RF-81251/ Red 31
Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 (Occupants: 2 - Pilot and Navigator/WSO)
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location: Near Borodianka, Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast - Ukraine
Phase: Combat
Nature: Military
Narrative:
A Russian Air Force Su-34 bomber plane was lost near Borodyanka, Kyiv region. Fragments of the craft surfaced on 3 March 2022, later images of a wing panel appeared. Later identified as Red 31, registration number RF-81251.

[skanchan95]

1:72 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21bis Fishbed-L 665 Black, 21st Interceptor Rgt,“Bay of Pigs” Guard Brigade, Defensa Anti-Aérea y Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria(Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force), Cuba, 1993(Hobbymaster)

Cuba is the only country in the two American continents to have operated the MiG-21. It has operated all major variants of the MiG-21.

After the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, The Soviet Union let Cuba keep 46 MiG-21F-13s and 2 MiG-21Us that were deployed to Cuba. These were incorporated into the Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria/Cuban Air Force.

Then on, from 1962 to 1989, Cuba received around 270 MiG-21s of various types:
MiG-21F-13 Fishbed C : 46
MiG-21PFM Fishbed-F : 30
MiG-21U Mongol-A : 2
MiG-21MF Fishbed-J : 90+
MiG-21R Fishbed-H : 12
MiG-21UM/US Mongol-A : ?
MiG-21bis FIshbed-N : ?

In 1975, Two squadrons comprising 12 of these MiG-21MFs were sent to Angola to take part in the Angolan war. In 1978, Cuban MiG-21s were also deployed in Ethiopia to fight on Ethiopia's side against Somalia.

The first MiG-21bis were received in 1981 and many of them were shipped off to Angola to fight in the war. Cuban MiG-21s also took part in action

By the end of 2007, 12 MiG-21bis and 6 MiG-21UMs remained operational out of the 270 Fishbeds (of all variants) received by the Cuban Air Force. Little is known about how many MiG-21s are active exactly. In the last few decades some of these Cuban MiG-21s have been sold to North Korea (DPRK).

The Blue/Green livery on Cuban MiG-21s is gorgeous to look at. The same livery was painted on their MiG-17s, MiG-23s, L-39s and Mi-17s. I had painted that livery for an Mi-17 model for the sim X-Plane 10.


General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 14.7 m (48 ft 3 in) excluding pitot boom
Wingspan: 7.154 m (23 ft 6 in)
Height: 4.1 m (13 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 23 m2 (250 sq ft)
Airfoil: root: TsAGI S-12 (4.2%); tip: TsAGI S-12 (5%)
Gross weight: 8,725 kg (19,235 lb) with two R-3S missiles
Max takeoff weight: 8,800 kg (19,401 lb) unprepared or metal planking runway
9,800 kg (21,605 lb) paved runway with standard wheels and tyres
10,400 kg (22,928 lb) paved runway with larger wheels and tyres
Powerplant: 1 × Tumansky R-25-300 afterburning turbojet, 40.18 kN (9,030 lbf) thrust dry, 69.58 kN (15,640 lbf) with afterburner

Performance
Maximum speed: 2,175 km/h (1,351 mph, 1,174 kn) / M2.05 at 13,000 m (43,000 ft)
1,300 km/h (810 mph; 700 kn) / M1.06 at sea level
Landing speed: 250 km/h (160 mph; 130 kn)
Range: 660 km (410 mi, 360 nmi) clean at 11,000 m (36,000 ft)
604 km (375 mi; 326 nmi) at 11,000 m (36,000 ft) with two R-3S missiles
793 km (493 mi; 428 nmi) at 10,000 m (33,000 ft) with two R-3S missiles and 800 L (210 US gal; 180 imp gal) drop-tank
Service ceiling: 17,500 m (57,400 ft)
Time to altitude: 17,000 m (56,000 ft) in 8 minutes 30 seconds
Thrust/weight: 0.76
Take-off run: 830 m (2,720 ft)
Landing run with SPS and brake parachute: 550 m (1,800 ft)

Armament
Guns: 1 × internal 23 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23L autocannon with 200 rounds
Hardpoints: 5 (4 underwing + 1 ventral, reserved for fuel droptanks) , with provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets: 4 × S-24 or 4× UB-16-57 rocket pods (4×16 57mm rockets)
Missiles: ;* Air-to-air missiles:
K-13
R-55
R-60
Bombs: 2 × 500 kg (1,100 lb) and 2 × 250 kg bombs

This is a very old HM MiG-21 release and considered to be a holy grail among HM MiG-21s. Eventhough the box states that the model is a MiG-21MF, Black 665 MiG-21 of the Cuban AF was a MiG-21bis. Also, the scale model is that of a MiG-21bis because the spine extends well into the tail fin and stops just above the brake parachute container(an easy way to distinguish a MiG-21bis from a MiG-21MF)

[skanchan95]

HM 1:72 MiG-21bis
Croatian Air Force MiG-21bis, White 102,1st Fighter Sqn, "Avenger of Dubrovnik", Ivan Selak, Zagreb-Pleso AB, Croatia - White
Cuban Air Force MiG-21bis, Black 665, 21st Interceptor Regiment - Blue/Green

[skanchan95]

WW2 RAF Spitfire Pilot Figure -Eddie (Iron Maiden)

"There goes the siren that warns of the air raid
There comes the sound of the guns sending flak
Out for the scramble we've got to get airborne
Got to get up for the coming attack

Jump in the cockpit and start up the engines
Remove all the wheel blocks, there's no time to waste
Gathering speed as we head down the runway
Gotta get airborne before it's too late

Running, scrambling, flying
Rolling, turning, diving, going in again
Running, scrambling, flying
Rolling, turning, diving

Run
Live to fly
Fly to live
Do or die
Won't you run
Live to fly
Fly to live
Aces high

Move in to fire at the mainstream of bombers
Let off a sharp burst and then turn away
Roll over, spin 'round to come in behind them
Move to their blindsides and firing again
Bandits at eight o'clock move in behind us

Ten Me-109's out of the sun
Ascending and turning our Spitfires to face them
Heading straight for them I press down my guns

Rolling, turning, diving
Rolling, turning, diving, going in again
Rolling, turning, diving
Rolling, turning, diving

Run
Live to fly
Fly to live
Do or die
Won't you run
Live to fly
Fly to live
Aces High"

Many of us military aviation enthusiasts would have heard or area fan of this brilliant Battle of Britain themed song by Iron Maiden. The song was a dedication to RAF pilots who fought against the entire might of the Luftwaffe and saved Britain during the Battle of Britain - a feat that prompted Winston Churchill to remark - :"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg9aQvjMS60

"Aces High" Song Artwork:


Eddie (also known as Eddie the Head) is the mascot for the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He is a perennial fixture of the group's artwork, appearing in all of their album covers (as well as most of their singles) . Eddie is whatever the album artwork needs him to be - British Colonial soldier, Pharaoh, World War II Spitfire fighter pilot, Cyborg, Tree, Alien, etc.

However, being an Iron Maiden fan, I like to think of Eddie as an immortal beast that has survived through time and will live on forever - A creature that will never die (just like heavy metal)!!!

Eddie, as a WW2 RAF Spitfire pilot, was the mascot for Iron Maiden's immortal song - "Aces High".

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21bis Fishbed-L 665 Black, 21st Interceptor Rgt,“Bay of Pigs” Guard Brigade, Defensa Anti-Aérea y Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria(Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force), Cuba, 1993(Hobbymaster)

Cuba is the only country in the two American continents to have operated the MiG-21. It has operated all major variants of the MiG-21.

A nice looking model in a rare and striking livery. Cuban Mig-21s and Mig-23s saw combat in the Angolan conflict where there is at least a confirmed kill of a South African Air Force Mirage F-1.

I am wondering when Hobby Master will come out with some IAF Mig-21s.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21bis Fishbed-L 665 Black, 21st Interceptor Rgt,“Bay of Pigs” Guard Brigade, Defensa Anti-Aérea y Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria(Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force), Cuba, 1993(Hobbymaster)

Cuba is the only country in the two American continents to have operated the MiG-21. It has operated all major variants of the MiG-21.

Congratulations on this rare find - a Cuban MiG-21 with its unique camouflage design. The eternal lines of a MiG-21 have gone down in the annals of aviation like the Bf 109, Spitfire, Sturmovik IL-2, MiG-15 and a few others. Don't wish to nit pick but I assume you mean that the 21st Interceptor Regiment took part in the Bay of Pigs 1962 action and later inducted the MiG-21bis. When ever I see the planform of a MiG-21 wing it seems like divine inspiration hit the designers, it just looks so perfect. Among modern aircraft I feel the same wobbly knees excitement looking at the wing planform of the Boeing 747, the Boeing 727, the F-16, the MiG-25. Even our humble Marut HF-24 had a close to perfect wing planform....alas for the engines.

Sandesh, Foxbat, thank you for keeping this thread alive and enriched. I'll be back in full swing, hopefully, in a few months.