Jump to content

Flankerman

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    6,222

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Flankerman

  1. Flankerman
    Rhapsody in Orange... OR...... "Gentlemen, I give you Orange October"....... Mikro-Mir USS Albacore - modified to an earlier configuration with + shaped rear dive planes and 'standard' propeller... She is painted in an orange primer coat before the application of topside black - as seen here......... Ken
  2. Flankerman
    She's painted..... As she was painted in primer orange whilst afloat - I assume only the hull above the waterline would have been painted...... and.... I'm guessing that the pennant numbers and other deck markings weren't re-applied until after the topsides were re-painted black? Thoughts anyone???? This is what I'm trying to re-create...... Comments - and links to any other images - welcome. Ken
  3. Flankerman
    Those figures are interesting AV O - but they're not what I'm after....... I'm trying to compare the total sweepable wing area of the Blackjack (your figure of 400m2) with the area of ONLY the folding wingtips on the Valkyrie. I found this :- Measuring just a bit over 20 feet at the trailing edge, these wingtips represent the largest movable aerodynamic device ever used. from here :- http://www.dept.aoe.vt.edu/~mason/Mason_f/XB70PresS07.pdf My contention is that the above claim for the XB-70 is no longer true and it is now the Tu-1
  4. Flankerman
    I don't think it's bigger overall - merely that the area of the swept wings (at 293.15m2 / 3,152.15 sq ft) is greater than the area of the XB-70's moveable wingtips. (Can someone find out the area of the XB-70's wingtips?) Ken
  5. Flankerman
    Yuri is correct - unlike the Tu-22M3 Backfire - which is normally parked with its wings swept to save ramp space - the Tu-160 is parked with its wings fully forward. Due to CG issues, it would tip onto its tail when parked with the wings swept - unless it had the obligatory jack under its tail...... I took this photos from a tethered hot air balloon at a MAKS airshow ...... This one was at Engels in 2007.... Lots of people ask how big is it - compared to a Rockwell B-1 ??? It's about half as big again.... (Re
  6. Flankerman
    All assembled and ready for a coat of primer...... The early variant had + shaped rear dive planes - so I used the kit-supplied X planes cut down to size and mounted appropriately. I decided to use Halfords White Plastic Primer instead of my normal grey as a better base for the topside orange..... Ken
  7. Flankerman
    I built it in 2008 (where does time go..?) My build is here :- http://www.flankers-site.co.uk/modl_tu-160-trump.html (complete with my walkround photos of the real thing...) One major error concerns the Kh-55M cruise missiles - they are way too long - as is the spindle on the rotary launcher. Amodel do an accurate Kh-55 (two to a box, IIRC)....... so you would need a few boxes for a full complement ! As for painting - I used a rattle can of automotive paint - Halfords White Plastic Primer - with a top coat of Halfo
  8. Flankerman
    Making a start.... the upper and lower hulls are cemented together - with the join filled and sanded down. Note the filled-in holes for the X-shaped rear dive planes.... Mikro-Mir's model is of a later version - with a moveable 'rudder' at the rear of the saill...... As I am building an earlier version, the rudder was cemented in place..... ... and blended in with filler....... Ken
  9. Flankerman
    The Type R has three chordwise fences on each upper wing - and A&A provide them in plastic. They are very thin (almost scale thickness) and very delicate - but have large flow gates that must be carefully removed and cleaned up. There are engraved lines on the wing surface showing where they go - but they are just butt-joined - although, mercifully, they went on OK... What you might call 'Wing Fenced'....... Ken
  10. Flankerman
    Great solution to the nose ring issue MB A little progress....... Wings and tailplanes attached..... Type R was actually built - but never flown due to political interference - which eventually led to Sukhoi OKB being deactivated. Ken
  11. Flankerman
    I do wish that these limited-run companies (Modelsvit, Amodel, A&A etc) would provide a separate nose ring...... Trying to get a smooth intake without any slight gaps at the extreme tip is almost impossible when you only have the two fuselage halves forming the lip.... Stay Safe Ken PS - Re the Fowler actuators - just checked mine and they look OK - the wings are attached to the fuselage - and guess what ? - they need filler at the root.
  12. Flankerman
    Meanwhile...... The intake/cockpit, main wheel bays and jetpipe are installed into the starboard fuselage half... The port fuselage half was (with difficulty and lots of clamping) cemented in place ......... it was only when the cement had set and the clamps were removed that I discovered that the intake splitter was not aligned vertically and the nosewheel bay was offset....... So I took the drastic action of splitting the fuselage halves apart - and 3 rounds and lots of fettling later, I finally beat it into submission......
  13. Flankerman
    'ere ya go........ I crawled underneath and simply pushed in 3 of the slats - they are hinged at the front....... They would normally spring back shut - but this museum example has lost its springyness. You can see the retracted mesh grille inside the intake - it is hinged at the rear and lies flat along the inside bottom of the intake when not deployed. This is the Hasegawa Su-27 with the correct number of doors (although they should be closed on a static aircraft).... ... and this is the Trumpe
  14. Flankerman
    You are correct Yuri - there should be 12 slats/louvres. They are spring-loaded and open individually on demand from the engine - to let more air into the intakes - that's why you can see some closed and some open on underside shots. In fact in a video you can see them 'fluttering' open & close. I've got a photo somewhere that I took at Khodynka - where I crawled underneath and pushed one of the slats open by hand - I'll try to find it.... Ken
  15. Flankerman
    Just finished - the 1/350 scale model of USS Parche (Early)........ from Mikro-Mir... In order to disguise her true role as a 'Spec Ops' boat she was fitted with a 'pretend' trials DSRV.... She had retractable skegs to allow her to sit on the seabed.... My attempt at reproducing the image above - using photos of my models....... Mikro-Mir USS Sturgeon (pretending to be USS Parche as first launched), USS Parche (Early) as kitted by Mikro-Mir and my (incorrec
  16. Flankerman
    PS - I found this image on't tinterweb thingy...... It shows USS Parche as first launched (top), followed by her conversion to 'Special Ops' (and as kitted by Mikro-Mir and finally, after having her hull lengthened by 100ft. My conversion - here - shows how to make the last version. (mine lacks the lower lockout chamber - due to scarcity of info at the time... Ken PS Apologies if I am breaking any rules posting this image.......
  17. Flankerman
    In the meantime - the parts for the 'dummy' DSRV.... (it looks more like a torpedo) Tiny parts, lots of flash to clean off, massive sprue gates, no propeller supplied.... what's not to like......??? The instruction diagram shows vertical fins on the aft end of the DSRV - but they have moulded only horizontals - I suggest cutting two of them off to make verticals (guess who didn't?) The model is now painted - Halfords car spray rattle cans - Matt Black, Red Plastic Primer and Volvo Dark Grey..... I managed to break the to
  18. Flankerman
    Excellent work Gabor - very realistic.... But.... if it was me I'd go for option 5 - fit a red-painted circular cover over the exhaust.... seeemples.. Keep up the good work - and stay safe. Regards Ken
  19. Flankerman
    Lots of filing/sanding later.... The Lockout Chamber pannier, the hull and the sail.... Diving planes, sonar dome and Towed Array Sonar tube attached... The TAS tube is in two parts -just butt-joined and very delicate - and, guess what? - it needs some filler to blend in the front end!! Almost ready for a primer coat...... Ken
  20. Flankerman
    Leningrad by Billy Joel gets me every time.... https://youtu.be/LgD_-dRZPgs Kyen
  21. Flankerman
    Totally off topic - and because I'm waiting for paint to dry......... can you guys help with this conundrum..?? I'm having a debate with my eldest daughter about the difference between 'Thirty Square Meters' and 'Thirty Meters Square' She maintains that they are one and the same, whereas I say that Thirty Square Meters is an area of, say 5m X 6m (or 10 X 3 etc) and Thirty Meters Square - which is an area of 30m X 30m i.e. 900 Sqare Meters !! Who is right?? (and if it is me, how do I prove it??? ) Bored of Lea
  22. Flankerman
    The lockout chamber assembled.... ... the sides don't fit precisely - leaving a gap at the front end.... The parts for the sail - and its rear extention ........ I may need to buy shares in filler manufacturers.... Ken
  23. Flankerman
    Excellent job Sebastijan... It really is a beast of a plane - what were Ilyushin smoking at the time????? Trying to re-crate the glory days of the Il-2 - by making a jet-powered version that was totally anachronistic for the 20th century ..... Sukhoi got it right with their private venture T8 (Su-25 Frogfoot) Great model though - a credit to your building and painting skills. Ken PS - I wonder what Reporting Name it would have received had it entered service?? Flatiron? Fatfolly? Facepalm???
  24. Flankerman
    You're doing some great work there PSM - the fibreglass resin moulds seem to be at the end of their useful lives with all those short-shot holes to repair. My 3MD had a much better surface finish - I didn't have to do that much repairing :- http://www.flankers-site.co.uk/modl_3md.html (I can't believe I started it TEN years ago - and it still isn't finished!!!) BTW - I crawled up inside the wheelbays in the example at Monino - the pics are at the bottom of the page linked to above..... Keep it coming PSM - your work is an inspiration.....
  25. Flankerman
    I'm afraid I don't know...... Ken
×
×
  • Create New...