[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

History is written by the victors, thats the problem..... They are quick to shame Germany for its Nazi past while at the same time they are proud of their colonial past.

Good to see France take a small step

Excellent step by France. Right thing to do. Power to Macron. Atonement helped the Germans and the Japanese rebuild their attitudes, see the world and themselves with a different lens and become the 3rd and 4th largest economies in the world. Life actually changes faster than we realize. Who in 1918 at the end of WW-I would have thought that in 2018 China would be the second and India (in PPP terms) the third largest economies. The China which in 1918 was torn asunder and the India which was under the colonial jackboot both suffering from relentless economic exploitation. Similarly Africa will, in my opinion, be the next big story in 2118. When I meet my class mates at our reunions I can see the ones from Africa bouncing with confidence and pride they didn't have earlier. 100 years is not a long period of time. All four of my grandparents were around in 1918 and one was already employed by then. And who knows some my grand kids (yet to be born) could be around in 2118.

My wife is commissioning a new and cavernous show case for my aircraft models. When my aircraft scale models started adorning her dressing room she figured it was time something was done about it. Will post photos soon once ready.

Two big models have come - a Shorts Sunderland flying boat and a Consolidated Liberator B-24.

[revverend]

Gentlemen

I have been a lurker of the first order shying away from contributing to the forum, but this thread got me out of my shell. Out of interest in military and commercial aviation, I started collecting aircraft scale models very recently. Focusing primarily on 1:200,1:400 and 1:500, given the lack of real estate at home.

Dwarfed in comparison with the active members of this thread, I managed to gather the following models as of date :

1. Cathay 1:500 B777
2. SR71 Blackbird 1:200
3. MH53E 1:144 Sea Dragon (One of my favorites!)
4. IAF Jaguar 1:200

While I purely go by the look and feel of things, I would want to delve into the history behind each aircraft going forward. I am fascinated by the reserach that goes behind collections of skanchan95,foxbat,V.Narayan and others.

Going to placing an order for the following soon :

1. Cathay B747 1:400
2. Safair L100 1:500
3. Luftwaffe C160 1:200
4. Mirage 2000 1:200
5. Douglas DC8 Albert Plesman 1:400

Hoping to contribute and participate more in this thread. A humble request to all the regulars is if you can mention where you have procured your models from it will be super helpful for me and rest of the novices

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure :

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by revverend

I started collecting aircraft scale models very recently. Focusing primarily on 1:200,1:400 and 1:500, given the lack of real estate at home.

Dwarfed in comparison with the active members of this thread,

Welcome to this thread. Post more photos of your models. Make them walk the ramp:-). On this thread the only thing that counts is your love for models of aircrafts & ships. The size or sophistication of a collection does not count; enthusiasm does.

I managed to gather the following models as of date :

1. Cathay 1:500 B777
2. SR71 Blackbird 1:200
3. MH53E 1:144 Sea Dragon (One of my favorites!)
4. IAF Jaguar 1:200

That is a neat opening collection. Your MH53E is a rare piece and well detailed.

Going to placing an order for the following soon :

1. Cathay B747 1:400
2. Safair L100 1:500
3. Luftwaffe C160 1:200
4. Mirage 2000 1:200
5. Douglas DC8 Albert Plesman 1:400

All very nice picks. I have been procrastinating about the C160 and Mirage 2000 myself. More photos please.

[revverend]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Welcome to this thread. Post more photos of your models. Make them walk the ramp:-). On this thread the only thing that counts is your love for models of aircrafts & ships. The size or sophistication of a collection does not count; enthusiasm does

Thank you for the warm welcome,Narayan! I should say my creative skills when it comes to photographing these beauties falls way short of expectations. Nevertheless I will make an attempt the next time I am home.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

That is a neat opening collection. Your MH53E is a rare piece and well detailed.

All very nice picks. I have been procrastinating about the C160 and Mirage 2000 myself. More photos please.

The C160 is a beauty only next to the C17 Globemaster. I am also on the lookout for some offbeat finds:

1. Tu-160 White Swan
2. Tu-95 Bear (Inspired by your collection I have always been fascinated by the size of it in the multiple careless intrusions into US Airspace. The intercepting F22,F4,F14s of USAF pale in comparison while the bear trots away to glory)
3. U2 Dragon lady
4. A10 Thunderbolt

Let us see how this pans out. Exciting times and empty wallets ahead !


Revverend

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by revverend

Gentlemen

I have been a lurker of the first order shying away from contributing to the forum, but this thread got me out of my shell. Out of interest in military and commercial aviation, I started collecting aircraft scale models very recently. Focusing primarily on 1:200,1:400 and 1:500, given the lack of real estate at home.

Dwarfed in comparison with the active members of this thread, I managed to gather the following models as of date :

1. Cathay 1:500 B777
2. SR71 Blackbird 1:200
3. MH53E 1:144 Sea Dragon (One of my favorites!)
4. IAF Jaguar 1:200

Welcome and excellent choices of aircraft to start with. I really liked the MH-53.

Originally Posted by revverend

While I purely go by the look and feel of things, I would want to delve into the history behind each aircraft going forward. I am fascinated by the reserach that goes behind collections of skanchan95,foxbat,V.Narayan and others.

Going to placing an order for the following soon :

1. Cathay B747 1:400
2. Safair L100 1:500
3. Luftwaffe C160 1:200
4. Mirage 2000 1:200
5. Douglas DC8 Albert Plesman 1:400

Hoping to contribute and participate more in this thread. A humble request to all the regulars is if you can mention where you have procured your models from it will be super helpful for me and rest of the novices

The Transall has always looked appealing to me, especially in the Luftwaffe green camo.

I mostly get my models from DBjets.com and Aliexpress.

[V.Narayan]

In addition to db.jets who is quite co-operative and enterprising I also buy from -- collectables air wings australia and diecastairplanes.com . Lily in the first and Steve Howland in the second. The Tu-160 and Tu-95 in my collection came from diecastairplanes.com. I also source from corgi.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Historical tit-bits on the MiG-15


How did the MiG-15 compare to the F-86. Well that is another story for another time.

A very rare balanced Western documentary on the Mig-15 and comparison with the Sabre and acknowledgement of the Migs superiority:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBcC_TY2lBA&t=2617s

Originally Posted by revverend

I have been a lurker of the first order shying away from contributing to the forum, but this thread got me out of my shell. Out of interest in military and commercial aviation, I started collecting aircraft scale models very recently. Focusing primarily on 1:200,1:400 and 1:500, given the lack of real estate at home.

Welcome to the thread! Thats an interesting collection you have. Please post pictures of your models as they arrive.

I see you are also based in Hyderabad. Most of my collection is bought from the US, some from dbjets.com and some from Ebay.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

A very rare balanced Western documentary on the Mig-15 and comparison with the Sabre and acknowledgement of the Migs superiority:

Thank you Foxbat for sharing this. Almost all assessments of the MiG-15 are penned by western (read American) authors. No surprise they always say the Sabre was better.

My own take is as follows : (1) the Sabre had a power loading of 0.38 while the MiG-15 was considerably higher at 0.53 - that is a lot which accounted for its faster climb, tighter sustained turn and higher useful ceiling of 50,000 feet. (2) the Sabre's wing loading was 48 lbs/sq foot versus the MiG's 50 lbs/sq foot - here both are almost the same. The Sabre had leading edge slats for superior control low and slow and in tight turns at lower speeds. (3) armament - the MiG-15 was way ahead with medium & heavy cannon versus 0.50" machine guns (4) the MiG-15 had big low pressure undercarriage for rough field operations which the Sabre did not.

When the MiG-15 was flown by the Russians at the start of its surprise debut the kill ratio of MiG-15 vs Sabre went to the MiG-15. Later when much less ‎Chinese pilots took over the kill ratio tipped in favour of the Sabrejet. The Chinese did not have G-suits and often lost consciousness in high G manoeuvres causing the aircraft to crash dive. This led to the western media conclusion that the MiG-15 had poor control at high speeds and dives. Those large wing fences indicate otherwise.
‎
The MiG-15 was VERY good. Better acceleration, tighter sustained turn, steady flight at high speeds, heavier armament, rough field landing gear with high-flotation tires. The F-86 was also very good. Slightly lesser acceleration, better turning ability at low altitudes, lighter guns but with a higher combined rate of fire meant a higher chance of something hitting. Both were great planes. One went on to be developed into the MiG-17 and the two seat trainer which as used as an advanced trainer till the early 1990s. The other got built into several variants and eventually the Super Sabre. All told a close run where pilot competence & experience would make the difference.

[revverend]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

I see you are also based in Hyderabad. Most of my collection is bought from the US, some from dbjets.com and some from Ebay.

Thanks for the welcome Foxbat. While my base is Hyderabad, I am on the road 300 days a year spending most of my time in airports and hotel rooms. Sigh!

Will definitely post pics as the models start coming in.

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Welcome and excellent choices of aircraft to start with. I really liked the MH-53.

The Transall has always looked appealing to me, especially in the Luftwaffe green camo.

I mostly get my models from DBjets.com and Aliexpress.

Thanks for the leads Kanchan. Do you use any specific sellers for procuring through Aliexpress?

Looking forward eagerly for the C160 ! On a side note, I bought the MH53E from a very renowned place called "Top Gun" in Akihabara,Tokyo. I wouldn't call the prices reasonable but they had an amazing collection

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by revverend

Thanks for the leads Kanchan. Do you use any specific sellers for procuring through Aliexpress?

On Aliexpress, I mainly buy from two sellers. One is "Model Online Hobbyshop" and the other one is "RS Toy or Model Store". These two take extreme care in and package the model box strongly, are very co-operative and extremely quick in shipping out the model.

There was one more seller from whom I bought the 1/72 RN Sea Harrier ( package opened, model damaged/broken and shabbily packed by our good for nothing Customs jokers) and 1/100 USAF F-4C but he is no longer there on Aliexpress.

But these days I avoid buying from Aliexpress, purely because of the fear that those customs fellows might charge unreasonable duties or worse, damage the model. Any model collector will tell you how much care and precautions have to be taken while handling these models and in the hands of the bungling Customs, damage to the model, purposeful or otherwise, is a risk. There is nothing you an do to complain against them too.

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by revverend

Gentlemen, I have been a lurker of the first order shying away from contributing to the forum, but this thread got me out of my shell.
...
3. MH53E 1:144 Sea Dragon (One of my favorites!)
...

A pretty nice collection, the MH-53 is a beast

P.S. But doesn't the CH-53, & hence the MH-53, have a 7-bladed main rotor ?

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by im_srini

P.S. But doesn't the CH-53, & hence the MH-53, have a 7-bladed main rotor ?

US designations can sometimes be common for the same broad family but where the grandson is so different from the grandfather that they really are different aircraft still sharing the same dash suffix number. The MH-53 preceded the CH-53E. The MH-53 had 2 turbo shafts x 6 blades= 7950shp. The CH-53E was almost a wholly new machine based on the same fuselage with 3 turboshafts x 7 blades = 13,050 shp a over 60% increase in power.

The CH-53 A, B, C, D were similar to the MH-53 with the former used by the US Marines & the MH-53 by the US Army.

The next generation CH-53K under development is a whole growth ahead at 22,500 shp! Hope this helps.

[revverend]

Originally Posted by im_srini

But doesn't the CH-53, & hence the MH-53, have a 7-bladed main rotor ?

Thank you,Srini ! You indeed have a keen eye for detail. The MH53E does have a seven rotor configuration and I snapped one of the rotor blade mounts while assembling it :(

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

US designations can sometimes be common for the same broad family but where the grandson is so different from the grandfather that they really are different aircraft still sharing the same dash suffix number. The MH-53 preceded the CH-53E. The MH-53 had 2 turbo shafts x 6 blades= 7950shp. The CH-53E was almost a wholly new machine based on the same fuselage with 3 turboshafts x 7 blades = 13,050 shp a over 60% increase in power.

The CH-53 A, B, C, D were similar to the MH-53 with the former used by the US Marines & the MH-53 by the US Army.

The next generation CH-53K under development is a whole growth ahead at 22,500 shp! Hope this helps.

Thank you for the insights, Narayan. A small correction though; the MH-53J Pave Low had the 6 blade,2 turboshaft configuration, primarily used by the USAF. The MH-53E Sea Dragon on the other hand is derived from CH-53E Sea Staliion, with a longer fuel range and endurance. Both CH-53E and MH-53E share the same powertrain and rotor configuration and are used by US Navy

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by revverend

...
The MH53E does have a seven rotor configuration and I snapped one of the rotor blade mounts while assembling it :(
...

That is tragic indeed, as a fellow model collector myself ( though they're mostly the assemble-it-yourself kind from Tamiya & Academy ), I do know very well the agony associated with "accidental" breakage of parts - my commiserations.

Having seen one of these take off firsthand, this machine is a beast & scale models do not do justice to its size & power; the rotor head & swash plate alone are the size of a small bed ! I can only imagine what a Mil Mi-26 feels like at take-off

The first time you see the 7-bladed rotor, you kinda do a double-take, to the math-inclined, the blades are not set at 51.428 deg as one would assume. Coincidentally, Numberphile did a video on this very topic recently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DHE8RnsCQ8

[skanchan95]

1:200 Hogan Mirage 2000C 103-KC 120 Armee De L' Air(French Air Force), Cambrai AFB













The real 103-KC


The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter to replace the Mirage III for the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air). The Mirage 2000 evolved into a multirole aircraft with several variants developed, with sales to a number of nations. It was later developed into the Mirage 2000N and 2000D strike variants, the improved Mirage 2000-5 and several export variants. Over 600 aircraft were built and it has been in service with nine nations( France, India, Greece, Peru, Qatar, Egypt, UAE, Brazil & Taiwan).

The first aircraft entered service in July 1984 with the French Air Force. The first operational squadron was formed during the same year, the 50th anniversary of the French Air Force. A total of 124 Mirage-2000Cs were obtained by them.

Egypt became the first export customer of the Mirage 2000 when it ordered 20 aircraft in December 1981. The $890 million order encompassed 16 single-seat Mirage 2000EMs and 4 two-seat Mirage 2000BMs, as well as options for 20 more aircraft. The aircraft were delivered between June 1986 and January 1988.

In October 1982, India placed an order with Dassault for 36 single-seat Mirage 2000Hs and 4 twin-seat Mirage 2000THs (with H standing for "Hindustan"). Previously, negotiations were underway for a purchase of up to 150 aircraft, which would have paved the way for joint production with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. In any case, the number of aircraft ordered was too small for such an arrangement. India nevertheless had the option to produce a number of Mirage 2000s under license that was later scrapped. India also purchased ATLIS II pods and laser-guided weapons for the Mirage, which the IAF had named the "Vajra"

With the delivery of the first seven aircraft on 29 June 1985 to No. 1 Squadron "Tigers", the Indian Air Force (IAF) became the first foreign user of the type. The service's early aircraft were powered by the Snecma M53-5 engine (and so were designated Mirage 2000H5 and Mirage 2000TH5), which were quickly replaced by the more-powerful M53-P2 engine. No. 1 Squadron formally converted to the type in January 1986; within twelve months of the first delivery, the IAF had received all 40 aircraft ordered. No.7 Squadron "Battle Axes" were the second IAF Mirage 2000 Squadron.However, the delivery schedule had in fact been delayed. In addition, with the various accidents that occurred, another eight single-seat and one two-seat aircraft were ordered in 1986 as attrition replacement and maintenance reserves. As such, it was not until 1990 that full unit establishment was achieved. The Mirage 2000 would encounter other issues; during the first decade of service, the fleet suffered from operational and maintenance issues. The Indian government's Comptroller and Auditor General reported in 1995 that there was a delay in the construction of overhaul facilities and a shortage of spare parts, and that as a result the fleet could not meet its required flying hours. Compounding the issue was a lack of Mirage pilots.

In 1999, when the Kargil War broke out, the Mirage 2000 performed remarkably well during the whole conflict in the high Himalayas, even though the Mirages supplied to India had limited air interdiction capability and had to be heavily modified to drop laser-guided bombs as well as conventional unguided bombs. Armed with Paveway LGBs, the aircraft were involved in the destruction of enemy command bunkers. During Operation Safed Sagar from June–July 1999, two Mirage squadrons flew a total of 514 sorties. No. 1 Squadron flew air defence and strike escort missions, while No. 7 Squadron conducted 240 strike missions during which it dropped 55,000 kg (121,000 lb) of ordnance.

In 2004, the Indian government approved purchase of ten Mirage 2000s, featuring improved avionics, particularly an upgraded RDM 7 radar; they were delivered in 2007. the government also announced its intention to upgrade its existing Mirage 2000s with that order. No.9 Squadron "Wolf Pack" converted from MiG-27Ms to Mirage 2000s thereby becoming the third Mirage 200 Squadron.

After a period of protracted negotiations for the next several years during which India and Dassault came close to signing a contract several times, India in July 2011 approved a $2.2 billion upgrade package for its Mirage 2000s. Worth some $43 million per aircraft, the upgrade would see the fleet be upgraded to Mirage 2000-5 Mk. 2 standard, with provisions made for the use of a night vision-capable glass cockpit, upgraded navigation and IFF systems, advanced multi-mode multi-layered radar, and fully integrated electronic warfare suite, among other updates. In addition, the fleet's inventory of Super 530D and Magic II missiles would be replaced by MICA, an order for which was placed in 2012. The first of the two IAF Mirages sent to France to be upgraded made its first flight in October 2013, marking the start of a test campaign that would encompass 250 flights, culminating in the handover of the first aircraft, redesignated Mirage 2000I, in March 2015. The new jets were redesignated Mirage 2000I for the single-seat version and Mirage 2000TI for the twin-seat version.