Sorry for the inactivity

sorry about not posting the big season ender, but I got too overwhelmed before heading out west and was unable to post. And now, for whatever reason, the 'make a new post' is very tiny so I can't really see what I am doing when I have pictures up. I hope it gets fixed soon so I can stop dissapointing

1/72 Hobbycraft F2H-3 Banshee Royal Canadian Navy

Hey everyone,

well, only one more post (not including this one) until the season finale. I think you will really like it as it is not like the other posts I have made thus far. I may even do two posts tomorrow if I am feeling like it. Either way, I will tell you this about the finale and the final few posts of this season... the subject of each post is Canadian.

1/72 Hobbycraft F2H-3 Banshee Royal Canadian Navy

 This plane was kind of a bastard. I bought it from a shop on eBay but when it arrived it only had decals, the instructions and basically no pieces (nothing useful anyways).

I received a full refund as the model was factory sealed and I used the refund to buy another, except that it is technically American with the RCN decals from the "broken" one.

 Like most other Hobbycraft kits I have made, there are no complaints from me. It was an easy build with no flaws. I did have to use elastics to keep the thing together, but no other snags. As promised this aircraft is half air-brushed. The top I used the remainder of my lighter IJN Grey.

 The bottom is Medium Grey and is what I airbrushed. It doesn't look too different than using a spray can, except that Airbrushing is way easier to control and it doesn't show brush lines.
The engine exhaust is a mix of Metallic Grey and Chrome Silver to make a lighter engine look. The cockpit is Black with a Neutral Grey seat.

As this was airbrushed I will give you a few tips if you are also considering an airbrush:
1. Don't get frustrated. The paint will always look blotchy on the first go and will require a second or third coat before it looks pro.
2. Never ever leave the pain in the brush if you aren't using it. The pain will dry and become a huge pain in the ass to clean.
3. At the end of the day, disassemble your brush and soak it in a mixture of airbrush cleaning solution and water overnight. This will keep all the open parts open and free of clogging so it doesn't take forever to finish the model.
4. Tap, tape tape. This is an obvious one for any kind of painting, but it is easier to get away with no tape when using a simple brush. I don't usually have the windshield or any clear parts on the models until after it is painted, but make sure to tape the windows if you do or else you will have assembled the cockpit for nothing.

 OK. The F2H-3 was the first and only jet-fighter ever operated by the Royal Canadian Navy. It was a high speed interceptor aircraft and fairly advanced for its time. It served the Navy from '53 to '62. The RCN even used the aircraft with an aerobatic team but the aircraft was never painted in any special colours, it was just whatever aircraft was within the radius of an airshow.


General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 48 ft 2 in (14.68 m)
• Wingspan: 41 ft 9 in (12.73 m)
• Height: 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m)
• Wing area: 294 ft² (27.3 m²)
• Empty weight: 13,183 lb (5,980 kg)
• Loaded weight: 21,013 lb (9,531 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 25,214 lb (11,437 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Westinghouse J34-WE-34 turbojets, 3,250 lbf (14.5 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 580 mph (504 kn, 933 km/h) at sea level
• Cruise speed: 461 mph
• Range: 1,716 mi (1,492 nmi, 2,760 km)
• Service ceiling: 46,600 ft (14,205 m)
• Rate of climb: 6,000 ft/min (30 m/s) from sea level

Armament

• Guns: 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Colt Mk 16 cannon, 220 rounds/gun (upper pair), 250 rounds/gun (lower pair)
• Rockets:
  
  • 8 × 60 lb High Explosive rockets or
  • 6 × 500 lb bombs and 2 × 60 lb H.E. rockets
• Missiles: 2 × AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles (in RCN service)

info from wikipedia and Canadian Forces website

1/72 KP Models MiG 15 Korean Peoples Air Force/Soviet Air Force

hey guys,

Sorry about the late post but it has been a busy day, but I will post this and another later today after work is over. Enjoy this rare aircraft find haha.

1/72 KP Models MiG 15 Korean Peoples Air Force/Soviet Air Force

 This one was a hard find for me, even on eBay. I wasn't willing to pay more than $20 for a model like this, but I think it came out great despite silver not coming out too good.

 The aircraft was pretty easy to build, just a seat in two fuselage pieces with wings and elevators.
One thing that did piss me off was putting the front part of the engine.

It didn't fit right so I constantly had to shave and shave and shave the plastic until it finally fit. The aircraft is overall Silver, with a Red nose and a Black exhaust port. The cockpit is Neutral Grey

 Ok, fact file time. The MiG-15 was one of top aircraft of its time and was comparable to the F-86 Sabre. In fact, both of these aircraft first met in Korea.

The MiG-15 was first used to harass UN aircraft flying missions over Korea. The UN responded with the F-86. Both aircraft did well in battle, the F86 was faster and more maneuverable. It could fly the speed of sound relatively well.

 The Mig-15 had a higher fire power and was piloted by the Soviet Unions best pilots.

Air Forces all over the world operated this aircraft and some still do as it is reliable.

 

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 11.26 m (36 ft 11½ in)
• Wingspan: 9.63 m (31 ft 7 in)
• Height: 3.80 m (12 ft 5½ in)
• Wing area: 22.6 m² (243.3 ft²)
• Empty weight: 3,919 kg (8,640 lb)
• Loaded weight: 5,350 kg (11,770 lb)
• Max. takeoff weight: 6,069 kg (13,375 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Klimov VK-1F afterburning turbojet
  • Dry thrust: 22.5 kN (5,046 lbf)
  • Thrust with afterburner: 33.8 kN (7,423 lbf)
  
  

Performance

• Maximum speed: 1,145 km/h (618 knots, 711 mph) at 3,000 m (10,000 ft)
• Range: 2,060 km (1,111 nmi, 1,280 mi) with drop tanks
• Service ceiling: 16,600 m (54,450 ft)
• Rate of climb: 65 m/s (12,800 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 237 kg/m² (48 lb/ft²)
• Thrust/weight: 0.63

Armament

• 1x 37 mm Nudelman N-37 cannon (40 rounds total)
• 2x 23 mm Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 cannons (80 rounds per gun, 160 rounds total)
• Up to 500 kg (1,100 lb) of external stores on two pylons, including 100 kg (220 lb) and 250 kg (550 lb) bombs, unguided rockets or external fuel tanks.

(some versions equipped with 3x NR-23 cannons and 2x K-13 missiles)

(All info from Wikipedia and documentaries about the Korean War)

 

1/72 Italeri F19 USAF

Hey everyone,

Hope things are going well with your models. Anyways, here is a new post about probably the rarest aircraft I have ever built.

1/72 Italeri F19 USAF

 This one was really cool and easy to build. Not really too much to say about this one in terms of building because it was pretty easy.

The overall colour is NATO Grey, the interior is Flat Black with a Clear Green targeting screen. The missiles are White

 The F19 was/is a suspected top secret aircraft that may have been/is in production or testing. The reason many think it exists is because of the name scheme for fighters.

It has progressed from F1 in order all the way up to F22, and not including F13 for superstitious reasons. But there is also no aircraft named F19 in the USAF.

 So this has led to speculation that it may be top secret. Italeri tried to make it seem interesting by saying when the aircraft model was released it created an uproar in the American senate.

Total BS, but whatever floats their boat haha.

Anyhow, this one is a cool one in my collection and I use it as if it really exists.

1/72 Trumpeter Shijiazhuang Y-5 PLAAF

Good morning world,

Hope all is well and the battles in your model world aren't too tough for the good guys haha. Monday's post is coming together well and you should be satisfied with it.

So here is another "Exotic" model for you to take a gander at.

1/72 Trumpeter Shijiazhuang Y-5 PLAAF

 Due to a lot of possible spelling mistakes I will just call this aircraft by its original name, Antonov AN 2.

This aircraft was a pain in the ass to build as the wings were too high so I had to use weights to lower them and allow the support struts to connect.

 I don't think this model had the interior section but getting the fuselage to stay together was still tough so I used elastic bands like usual.

Overall the aircraft is NATO Green with a Light Grey underbelly. The interior is Neutral Gray with Red cockpit seats and a Flat Black control panel, wheels, and propeller. The engine is Gun Metal while the propeller tips are Flat Yellow.

 This aircraft is nearly 100 years old yet it is still widely used by civilians for crop dusting and bush flying in the outback parts of the former Soviet states. The AN2 was originally developed as a transport to provide lifelines to remote locations in Russia.

China first received their aircraft in the 60's and still operates them in many military roles including medivac, troop transport and combat drops. I was surprised when I saw that the PLAAF still uses them but with a rugged design and reliability as well as flight upgrades it isn't too big of a surprise. I suspect this aircraft will be part of the PLAAF well into their hundredth year as it is hard to replace a reliable Ukrainian design.

General characteristics

• Crew: 1–2
• Capacity: 12 passengers
• Length: 12.4 m (40 ft 8 in)
• Wingspan:
  
  • Upper wing: 18.2 m (59 ft 8 in)
  • Lower wing: 14.2 m (46 ft 9 in)
• Height: 4.1 m (13 ft)
• Wing area: 71.52 m² (769.8 ft²)
• Empty weight: 3,300 kg (7,300 lb)
• Loaded weight: 5,500 kg (12,000 lb)
• Useful load: 2,140 kg (4,700 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Shvetsov ASh-62IR 9-cylinder supercharged radial engine, 750 kW (1,000 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 258 km/h (139 kn, 160 mph)
• Cruise speed: 190 km/h (100 kn, 120 mph)
• Stall speed: ~50 km/h (26 knots, 30 mph)
• Range: 845 km (456 nmi, 525 mi)
• Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,750 ft)
• Rate of climb: 3.5 m/s (700 ft/min)
• Power/mass: 0.136 kW/kg (0.083 hp/lb)

(All info from Wikipedia and the instruction sheet)

1/72 Trumpeter Hongdu JL-8 PLAAF

Gooday everyone,

Sorry for the recent inactivity, I've been busy trying to construct all my models before I head out west in a weeks time and that is a lot of models (With more expected in the mail :$).

Anyways, so what that means is that on August 12th, the second season of modeling will come to a close, and that also means I have begun working on the final post for season 2. It will be more than one model and I have already built all the models I expect to post for it so all I need is the right wording.

1/72 Trumpeter Hongdu JL-8 PLAAF

 

For this batch I have decided to start off with one of my smaller and more favored aircraft, the nimble  Hongdu JL-8. I found this guy at Aviation World near the Toronto Pearson airport and was at first skeptical about purchasing it, but after I did and built it I was happy I decided to do so.

 The one thing I like about Trumpeter is that their planes always go together without so much as a hitch or snag and this little guy was no exception. And easy assembly was only made better by the white spray paints willingness to cooperate.

The fuselage is overall White with Red underside and control surfaces. The engine is Gun Metal while the interior is Neutral Grey.The engine nacelles are silver


This little aircraft serves the same purpose as the CT-133 or the Hawk. It is an intermediate jet trainer that some of its users have used as an attack aircraft.

I personally think this plane is really cute and that the red on white really looks good. The main users are the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (China) and the Pakistani Air Force. In fact, the PAF uses their JL-8's not just as trainers and attack aircraft, but also in their aerobatic teams (Like the Snowbirds or Blue Angels.)

General characteristics

• Crew: 2 (in tandem)
• Length: 11.6 m (38 ft 0 in)
• Wingspan: 9.63 m (31 ft 7 in)
• Height: 4.21 m (13 ft 9 in)
• Empty weight: 2,687 kg (5,924 lb)
• Max. takeoff weight: 4,330 kg (9,546 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Garrett TFE731-2A-2A turbofan, 16.01 kN (3,600 lb)

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 0.75 (800 km/h, 498 mph)
• Range: 2,250 km (1,398 mi)
• Service ceiling: 13,000 m (42,651 ft)
• Wing loading: 254.40 kg m^-2 ()
• Max. airframe load factor: +7.33 g / -3.0 g

Armament

• Guns: 1× 23 mm cannon pod (mounted on centreline hardpoint)
• Hardpoints: 5, total capacity 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) external fuel and ordnance:
• 4× under-wing, capacity 250 kg each
• 1× under-fuselage (23 mm cannon pod mount) 
• Rockets: 57 mm unguided rocket pods, capacity 24 rounds (2 x pods with 12 rounds each)
• Air-to-air missiles: PL-5, PL-7
• Bombs: 200 kg, 250 kg unguided bomb, BL755 cluster bomb
• Others: 
• 2× 80 gal fuel drop-tanks mounted on outboard under-wing hardpoints 

Avionics

• EFIS

(Info provided by Wikipedia)

1/72 "Classic" F15 Eagle USAF

1/72 "Classic" F15 Eagle USAF

 You may be saying to yourself, "I have never heard of this model manufacture called 'Classic' before." Well that is because the model is not by a company called classic, rather it is a classic kit that I don't remember what the company was. It wasn't one of the regular companies I usually build from (revell, air fix, etc) so I am not sure on the name.

 But here it is, the F15 Eagle, America's former most advanced and top-of-the-line air-to-air fighter. I say former because the F22 is newer and much more capable.

Anywho, this kit was easy to assemble, and thanks to being from the 80's, it didn't have an excruciating amount of decals to apply. The only thing I had trouble with was when I realized the 2 seater version was a training only variant.

What did I do to overcome? I simply cut away the panel and pulled the seat out. I then took the piece that is normally applied behind the pilot and covered where the former back seater used to sit. I can't tell if something used to be there to it turned out good.

The over all colour is the darker IJN Grey, while the canopy is painted Neutral Grey (I hadn't figured out that Neutral Grey matched the lighter IJN Grey when building this guy). The missiles are White with the engines being Gun Metal. All in all, it turned out great.

It was almost as hard finding this aircraft as it was trying to find the A10 from earlier, but I found it for a very reasonable price and am glad it is in my inventory now. The F15 is probably my favorite aircraft after the 80's as the F104 is my favorite preceding it.

The F15 Eagle was the USAF's top of the line fighter aircraft. It was nearly unmatched by anything produced by the Soviets and was the first true modern air superiority fighter. It proved itself during the Gulf War when they took on Saddam Husein's Air Force to help liberate Kuwait. It still serves today to protect American airspace from harm much like the F16. A new variant of the Eagle is currently in testing known as the 'Silent Eagle' due to its stealth capabilities. Low operating costs and a reliable airframe means this vehicle will serve well into the 21st century.

General characteristics

• Crew: 1: pilot
• Length: 63 ft 9 in (19.43 m)
• Wingspan: 42 ft 10 in (13.05 m)
• Height: 18 ft 6 in (5.63 m)
• Wing area: 608 ft² (56.5 m²)
• Airfoil: NACA 64A006.6 root, NACA 64A203 tip
• Empty weight: 28,000 lb (12,700 kg)
• Loaded weight: 44,500 lb (20,200 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 68,000 lb (30,845 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney F100-100 or −220 afterburning turbofans
  • Dry thrust: 17,450 lbf (77.62 kN) each
  • Thrust with afterburner: 25,000 lbf for −220 (111.2 kN for −220) each
• Fuel capacity: 13,455 lb (6,100 kg) internal

Performance

• Maximum speed:
  
  • High altitude: Mach 2.5+ (1,650+ mph, 2,665+ km/h)
  • Low altitude: Mach 1.2 (900 mph, 1,450 km/h)
• Combat radius: 1,061 nmi (1,222 mi, 1,967 km) for interdiction mission
• Ferry range: 3,450 mi (3,000 nmi, 5,550 km) with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks
• Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (20,000 m)
• Rate of climb: >50,000 ft/min (254 m/s)
• Wing loading: 73.1 lb/ft² (358 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 1.12 (−220)

Armament

• Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan 6-barreled gatling cannon, 940 rounds
• Hardpoints: Total 11 (not including CFTs): two under-wing (each with additional two missile launch rails), four under-fuselage (for semi-recessed carriage of AIM-7 Sparrows) and a single centerline pylon station, optional fuselage pylons (which may include conformal fuel tanks, known initially as Fuel And Sensor Tactical (FAST) pack for use on the C model) with a capacity of 16,000 lb (7,300 kg) and provisions to carry combinations of:
  • Missiles:
    
    • 4× AIM-7 Sparrow
    • 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder
    • 8× AIM-120 AMRAAM
  • Bombs:
    
    • Mark 82
    • Mark 84
    • GBU-8
    • GBU-10
    • GBU-31
  • Other:
    
    • up to 3× 600 US gallons (2,300 L) external drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time.
    • MXU-648 Cargo/Travel Pod – to carry personal belongings, and small pieces of maintenance equipment^. 

 
 Avionics

• Radar:
  • Raytheon AN/APG-63 or AN/APG-70 or
  • Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)1 or
  • Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)2 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) or
  • Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)3 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)
  • Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System
• Countermeasures:
  • Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/ALQ-131 electronic countermeasures pod
  • Hazeltine AN/APX-76 or Raytheon AN/APX-119 Identify Friend/Foe (IFF) interrogator
  • Magnavox AN/ALQ-128 Electronic Warfare Warning Set (EWWS) – part of Tactical Electronic Warfare Systems (TEWS)
  • Loral AN/ALR-56 Radar warning receivers (RWR) – part of TEWS
  • Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems ALQ-135 Internal Countermeasures System (ICS) – part of TEWS
  • Marconi AN/ALE-45 Chaff/Flares dispenser system – part of TEWS
  
  All info from wikipedia and the National Museum of the United States Air Force