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494th Expeditionary Panthers


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Thought I'd throw this up on ARC, since I know there are a lot of folks who are big fans both of 48FW at Lakenheath and the Strike Eagle in general.  After their recent deployment, the 494th Panthers returned home sporting a pretty awesome array of nose art....that was immediately removed upon recovery to the base.  However, I've been working with members of the unit to capture and document all those aircraft, and--as part of my humble little side hustle--have produced the linked Aviation Art Print showing all 15 of the specially marked Strike Eagles.  While the print is certainly available for purchase (and right now, my page is running a holiday sale, use discount code SBS18 at checkout to receive 10% off), I'm more throwing this here because I've not seen anyplace yet that has all 15 of the airframes documented.

 

It's pretty cool, and I think the creativity displayed by these airmen is awesome.  I'm glad I was able to help them capture this unique piece of heritage from their most recent support to OIR.

 

https://third-offset-designs.myshopify.com/collections/heritage-series/products/494th-expeditionary-panthers

 

And if you WERE interested in these birds, but maybe didn't want the big print with all of them, I'm also selling "Maquette" prints with single subjects.  Use the drop down menu to select your personal favorite:

 

https://third-offset-designs.myshopify.com/collections/maquette/products/494th-deployed-panthers-maquette

 

Drawing these up was a ton of fun, as was working with the (very funny) Airmen who created the original artwork.  Thanks for checking them out.

 

 

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4 hours ago, KursadA said:

Caracal Models will be releasing a 1/48 scale sheet with markings for some of these jets.

 

Sweet!

 

34 minutes ago, airmechaja said:

 

This is true. Heard from Bob Sanchez this morning. He's hoping for completion at the end of the year.

 

I dunno, after the whole BDU F-16 thing, I may have a hard time buying their stuff in the future.

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Well this is cool news. My Monogram F-15E has been sitting in limbo on the shelf of despair for a few years now so maybe it is the time to revive it with some cool nose art. I was planning on a MO marked aircraft in Tiger Meet but I have a second F-15E for that.

 

By the way I saw a 1/48th F-15E by Academy at a model show some time ago and it had nose art. I asked the builder whose decals he used and he said it came in the box. I forgot to take any pics but I think it was some sort of dragon. Looked cool.

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8 hours ago, A-10 LOADER said:

Print ordered !! Thanks for saving this piece of history.

 

Thank YOU, Steve, for your support.  Much appreciated. 

It has been very fun working with the maintainers to get these details right, and to hear some of the stories behind the nose art.  I am humbled that they are pleased with my re-creations of their art.

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11 hours ago, Whiskey said:

 

Sweet!

 

 

I dunno, after the whole BDU F-16 thing, I may have a hard time buying their stuff in the future.

I'm not buying anything from Two Bob's again.....he has lost my trust for good!

Looking forward to the Caracal's offering though!

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Thanks again, folks.  If you follow the page on Facebook, I'm posting a few pics of the actual jets as they're sent to me by the crewdawgs themselves (when they give permission).  Pretty cool.

Also gotten a few queries about the side hustle itself.  Yes, I have a Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/3rdOffset/

 

I also have a direct sales store, via Shopify:  https://third-offset-designs.myshopify.com/

 

And finally, I've currently got a clearance sale going on with all the Centennial and Anniversary prints from the last few years reduced to $25 per print to clear the remaining inventory for new stuff:  https://third-offset-designs.myshopify.com/collections/clearance-sale   The 50th Anniversary Wild Weasels print, in particular, has been selling like hotcakes, and I've only got around a dozen or so remaining:  https://third-offset-designs.myshopify.com/collections/clearance-sale/products/wild-weasels-heritage-print

 

More cool stuff to come....I'm now working with a few other E-model squadrons to try and see what can be captured from their nose art as well.

Cheers!

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I merely throw it out there because I know some folks had asked about availability for specific tails that Kursad said he was NOT doing, due to lack of reference availability.

So, for those who might want to do a specific bird which is not on the Caracal sheet, there's other options.  I also believe there is a third company that will also be releasing these, so it appears the subject is pretty well covered.

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