helios16v

DDG-53 was one of the destroyers that was part of our battle group on the '95 deployment, and were instrumental in getting the aircrew back aboard after their Tomcat turned into a fireball.

Damn Stu, you and you luck w/ canopies..... Glad you had a spare. I've got to try to track down one for my Canberra PR.9. Kit was missing it all together. Box was still factory sealed, but was purchased second-hand from a model show so I'm kinda on my own to track one down. I've looked a little, but haven't spent too much time on it yet.

Nice work. You are not helping me in my attempt to stay focused on my current projects (2 of which are getting close to the end). My eye keeps drifting over to the Su-17 sitting next to the desk...whispering it's seductive calls.

For the fuselage bits you could also use some tape to act as a straight edge for the pen/marker. Looking forward for your decals to arrive so you can see this through. We used to have those beasts fly over our house in Vermont (based out of Massachusetts) on occasion back in the day.....along w/ almost weekly low level overflights by A-10s.

Sounds like Hasegawa made a bit of a mess w/ the wings mixing bits of naval & USAF variants. Ah well, nothing a little filing, filling, and sanding can't fix. Good to know. I'm going to have to go look through my stash and see what the wings look like on my various kits (have both naval & USAF variants). I'm sure I'll need to do some research and leg work before I bust one of them out. I'm not super critical when it comes to my models...but I would at least like to get the right wing/stab/nose configurations.

Mmm yes, the lovely Spang birds. Now for the real tough question.....scheme. Classic SEA? Stunning Euro1? Or all business Hill Grey?

Finish turned out exquisite. Kinda makes me want to go hunting for a C.

Maybe ECM blisters?

Yeah, I was looking at the wing root...I see now that he was referring to something completely different. That I have no clue and didn't see it mentioned in the brief search I did.

Oh damnitalltohell! I hate those long thin decals. Most of the time I would rather mask & spray...I can get straighter lines that way. That's what I ended up doing on my RF-4 for the red vertical line on the aft fuselage after I scrapped the kit decals. Another option to possibly consider for the future (since you've already ordered another set) is a pen or marker.

https://www.usaf-sig.org/index.php/reference/114-research-material/136-f-4-phantom-guide-for-the-masses-jay-chladek

The MER would definitely be hung off a pylon. However what I do not know is if the center pylon differed if it was carrying a drop or weapons. I would think in most cases the pylon would be the same...but I have heard of certain aircraft having to change pylons pending load out.

Oooh, looks like a nice little kit. I built the old Hasegawa one back in high school (early '90s). Always thought they were a neat little bird.

Stenciling really is progressing.....honest. It's just time consuming as I'm only doing a few at a time. 1, to keep from accidentally handing a freshly installed decal (they are everywhere!), and 2, to keep my sanity.

Oh deary me. Make sure you have a pint w/ you to keep your nerves calm. Not too much though, otherwise it'll be a bugger to keep the paint where you need it.

I know, right?

The MiG-31 is the 1/48 AMK beast, the rest are only 1/72. The Su-24 is only the old Dragon kit, so I'm sure has it's issues...but it was cheap. It'll be ok.

Might look at the Naval Su-33 in the stash...... Other front runners (off the top of my head) would be a Ukrainian Su-27 or perhaps a Russian Su-24 (pending decals...need to revisit the sheet I picked up not too long ago). The MiG-31 is going to be squirreled away for the hopeful MiG-25/31 STGB. edit: Just confirmed the sheet has a Russian Fencer-C unit based out of Karshi Airfield in Uzbekistan until 1992.

I like the weighted tires of the kit and I like the axle detail of the resin. But in this case I would compare against reference photos. It looks like there is a fair difference in the aspect ratio (sidewall height) of the tire between the 2. I would personally run whichever one the eyeball deems the closest fit, since you've already got both sets all painted up. If you go with the resin, you can always sand a bit off the bottom to create a weighted illusion. You won't get the sidewall bulge w/o adding some putty, but a lot of times just a little sanding of the bottom of the tire creates enough of the illusion.

That's a fine match.

@Corsairfoxfouruncle I just went back and re-read. I think I misread the geographic area on the first go, as being USSR & satellite states...not just the areas that were former republics under the USSR banner. I'll scrub my Hungarian option as I've got lots of other options.

Sounds like the perfect home for my Hungarian MiG-21MF. And yeah, I'm in with something or another. Got some MiG-29s, a MiG-23, a MiG-31, a Su-27 and others.

We'll see if enough people think so. 😜 I'd hate to eat up a Specialist slot if it can support enough on it's own. That way we can get some of the more limited disciplines represented.

Already gotcha mate!

As far as AAA goes, I don’t see why not. Air side is a bit harder to justify as to my knowledge there wasn’t any special load out or mission profile for AAA suppression. It was just another bombing run. I could very well be mistaken though, as to be honest I’m not thoroughly versed on WW2 AAA suppression. I’ll get you added. Welcome aboard.