Matt Roberts

The intakes look small don't they? The head on pic in post it almost does not look to be big enough for a supercruise - or even afterburning engine.

A while back I read a statement that the USN didn't see the benefits of LGB capability fleet wide until Desert Storm, so that most precision munitions that Navy and Marine airframes were seen with were either anti-radiation missiles or TV guided weapons such as the Walleye and Maverick. One of the earliest usages I recall hearing about were the AGM-123 Skipper during the 'Tanker War' in 87-88 against the Iranians. Those were utilized by the A-6 and not the SLUFs or Hornets then in service. Even during Desert Storm I recall seeing more iron bombs and CBUs than anything else (well other than

What weapons are you using with your IDS? That is the bad thing about the HB kits, no real RAF specific weapons other than the ALARMs. Probably the main reason I have not bought one - well that and unemployment... For free fallweapons from the RSAF - would they have been British or US in origin, other than the JP-233? I'm thinking BL755 and 1000lb vs Rockeye and Mk 83s. IIRC the kit does come with a quartet of Mk 83 1000lb iron bombs - with ballute retard fins.

The Academy kit is the known release. There is a rumor of a 'Chinese' Phantom out there, no company is linked to it yet (basically EVERYONE is said to be doing one) The thing with Eduard was that they had cancelled...delayed....whatever thier F-4s as an Asian company would end up beating them to market. Now if that has meant the Academy series - I don't know. A similar line of reasoning was mentioned to me here at the Nats in 2009 as to why Eduard was not doing 'early' Mig-21s (Mig-21F/F-13/J-7) Nearly two years later and no 48th Fishbeds yet though.

Don't get your hopes up too soon. From what I have been told this is still early in the process, basic data gathering. It'll be a while before we will even learn who it may be. The project is being designed and reserch being done. If any of you recall we started to hear about Trumpeters 32nd Jaguar about 3-4 years ago and saw the resin prototype a year or so ago, the kit still is not yet in the 2011 catalogue so that may give us an idea of how far out this is. I suspect that the next news may be late 2011. Matt Le Rumourmongre

Take a look at one of the schemes that Trumpeter has with the recent J-10B release. A 'naked' Dragon, think of what the Streak Eagle back in the day looked like. Primer/bare metal/composite though masking it would be pretty nerve wracking.

Looks like the paint scheme on Sukhoi on the cover of Combat Aircraft a couple of months ago, though less angular than the Su-35 on the cover

Notice I am not the one spreading this one..... Shame on you Mike if it 'taint true....

The 6 months before Pearl Harbor and the six months after saw a ton of changes to USN/USMC tactical paint schemes. Not 100% sure of exact dates but.... Yellow Wing scheme Yellow wing scheme with Neutrality stars on the cowls (Atlantic Fleet Birds - not sure if I ever saw a Pacific Fleet airframe with one) Around June 1941..... Tactical Gray with white squadron designators Blue Gray uppers added white designators Pearl Harbor Tail stripes added, designators black 'Reprisal Raids' Feb '42 comically large upper wing insignia Coral Sea (May) 'classic early war' Blue Gray over light gr

The markings changed in the weeks (if not days) leading up to Midway. At Coral Sea in early May, the aircraft still had the red dot as well as tail stripes. They were hastily overpainted in the last weeks of May. You'll find darkened rudders where fresh blue gray was used - some planes still had traces of the striping showing thru (I'm thinking of the Vindicators on Midway) As for the red dots the white paint in real life covers as well as it does for us on our models so you'll also see faint hints of the dot on airframes during the battle. I think the 'ghost' markings are most common

Euro One is FS 36081 and is a very dark gray (if you do WW II Luftwaffe - RLM-66 Black Gray is actually a hair lighter) Gunship is 36118 and has a lighter as well as bluer side to it, Euro 1 is almopst pure dark gray. I have also seen it mentioned as 'Engine Gray' in the past - especially as regarding USN utility schemes from the 50's and 60's. Euro I came from the scheme that replaced the Vietnam TAC scheme with darker and somewhat bluer greens and grays in the 1980s. It was the last scheme that some of the last USAF Phantoms flew in (along with Egypt I) Europe 1 http://www.testors.com/p

Nothing yet, when it appears on the websites then it'll be about three months out. We are out to February releases at the moment. The next bit of news will be mid-Jan when they update the sites next or the Nurnberg Toy Fair in February

As for population growth, the Chinese population is forcast to get to near 0% mid century (perhaps as early as 2030) as a result of the one baby policy and the resulting male preference in families. There also is immigration (or lack there of) mainland China will probably still be a net loser as in a relatively homogenous society it is less likely for foreigners to want to move to China and assimilate like happens in The United States. As for a naval build up...China is an economic power based upon trade....trade that mostly goes via water. A Chinese Blue water naval force should be a muc

The biggest differance is in the tail. The vertical tail was larger - in chord - in the 'G' than the tail was in the 'C' Here is a scan of the F-104C painting instructions from 1999.co.jp http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10023346 And here is an F-104G in similar markings (these are the Luftwaffe trainers based in the Southwest US) Here are the sprues for the C and G F-104C F-104G

The Iranian Tomcats had the doors for the refueling probe removed as the tankers that the IRAF used (KC-135 'like') had a probe and drogue basket that damaged the doors and sent them back into the right engine. USN F-14s didn't start to have this done until Desert Storm and later, when they began to use USAF tankers. The nickname for the refueling baskets on USAF tankers were nicknamed the 'iron maiden'

There is a new 'Easy Kit' Tiger announced this month for 2011, I had forgotten this one ever existed.

Still like the Ukrainian ones though. Those unis look like a 60's stewardess

Pit Road 144th - Thanks to 1999.co.jp for posting these

P.S. this is a very helpful thread to have. Once Tomcats started carrying thier weight...in air to ground that is, it became a bit harder to get the loadouts right, fighter loads were pretty simple - at least until I read about the rear pallete problems here. The CBU loads are ones that I had not seen shown before. I have something to loadout my R/M and Acad Bombcats with now. Thanks for doing this

The Academy Bombcat has them loaded side by side (w/JDAMs aft...)

Also another question, was there any problem when carrying a Sparrow in the aft trough if there were anything on the forward pallets? Right now I am looking at my Ali-cat hanging over my bench with Phoenix in the forwad pallets and a Sparrow aft

Never heard of the problem with the loaded rear palletes before, I had always learned it was weight problems. I have built plenty of Tomcats with all 4 pallates loaded over the years in the 4-2-2 configuration. Now were there similar limitations if they were carrying A/G weaponry on them? Seems the Bombcat racks would cause the ordnance on the aft pallates to hange lower than a Phoenix (thinking of 2000lb JDAM or GBU-24 class of weapon)

I think the knock against the 6 Phoenix load out was that the bird could not land back aboard if none were fired. Now in a full on WW III scenario with waves of Backfire Regiments coming south from the Kola Penensula - maybe

Hey Kalinshnakov-47...never heard of the Dead Kennedys before but every year we have a flare up of the Dead Schembechlers! ;p http://www.deadschembechlers.com/