Madoc

Excellent posts here guys. This is exactly the sort of info that I enjoy about this forum. Thanks for the details and explanations as to the differences in the Horten machines and which kits depict which versions and so on!

I was wondering what this version of the An-2 was used for. From Wikipedia An-6 Meteo – After the failure of 'Izdeliye K', the Antonov bureau was tasked with developing the 'An-2ZA' high-altitude weather reconnaissance aircraft based on the An-2. Featuring the same observers cockpit, forward of the vertical stabiliser above the rear fuselage, used on 'Izdeliye K', power was supplied by a turbo-charged Shvetsov Ash-62IR/TK which enabled the 'An-2ZA' to carry out its intended high-altitude research role. On 9 June 1954 OKB-153 test pilot V.A. Kalinin and Flight Engineer V.I. Baklaykin set a World altitude record for Class C-1e-1 (3,000–6,000 kg; 6,600–13,200 lb) at 11,248 m (36,903 ft) which had not been broken by 2004. The 'An-2ZA' was re-designated 'An-6 Meteo' early in its career and continued to fly until a take-off accident in September 1958 caused extensive damage.

"Avro Bison." Wow. I didn't think it possible for another aircraft to be out there which made the Blackburn Blackburn look... graceful... in comparison. Thanks to the Avro Bison, I was wrong...

And a little diorama action goin' on with figures of Mando and Boba Fet in full kit looking at each other as they stand next to their ships!

This site is an excellent one to view in general. Here specifically, it has some good visual guesses as to the landing gear of the Orion. Orion Spaceplane

It'll be interesting to see how this kit compares to the Fantastic Plastic kit of the same subject. I'm definitely looking forward to this release!

Hello all! I was at the IPMS National Convention in Las Vegas and saw a preliminary rendering of the Orion. It looks great! The guy running the table spoke of the detail they've gone to with the kit. It is not just a scaled up 144th rendering but an entirely new tool and new design. Things like the "eyebrow" ridge over the cockpit windows. It's there in the studio model but was not replicated in the original Airfix release nor anyone else's afterward. The 1/72nd kit will have it however! One thing the guy was clear on was the kit will NOT have any landing gear. For one thing, it'd drive up the cost of what's already going to be an un-cheap kit. For another, there's no official depiction of the Clipper's landing gear. Educated guesses, yes. But it was never shown on screen so there's nothing official. Thus, the aftermarket boys are gonna have field day filling this one in!

Latest updates on the Razorcrest from Round 2. They're now at the 3D printed test shoot stage. They're still looking at an end of this year release but are not excluding it slipping into early next year. So far, it's looking good! This'll be a nice size to work with. And it'll pair nicely with the 1/72 Moebius Orion Clipper due out at about the same time. Razorcrest preview from Round 2

Lookin' great!

And that does look good in navy blue! I could just see the Japanese as having bought some of these for merchantman convoy defense in a Alt Hist setting against the Communist Chinese in the 1960s. They'd have been just the thing to have parked on deck of some cargo ship - ready at a moment's notice to fend off any attackers and be just capable enough to keep those attackers busy until the fighter jets from the US carriers arrive.

I see that AMP got some potential new kits in this line. Found this art on the "Atom Punk" group on Facebook. Either the same guys who came up with the Victory 357 felt a tad bored and let their minds wander or perhaps AMP is gonna have some fun. This'd be hella cool to see! https://www.facebook.com/groups/408007142579635/posts/4385325288181114

I take it you're new to being on the Internet?

The Swearingen Metroliner? Ack! It's difficult for me to put into words just how much I loathed that plane. This, from a ground crew perspective. Yeah, the airframe's robust - that recent mid-air in Colorado proved that. And it's apparently an economical plane to operate as I first learned to loathe 'em back in the 80s when they came through the Commuter Terminal ramp at National Airport in DC where I worked as a "ramp agent." The "human factors engineering" of that aircraft was appalling. One example - of many - was where the engineers first put the receptacle for the ground power cable plug. It was located on the outboard side of engine number two, right between the prop and the leading edge. That meant that you had to get up between the leading edge and the spinning prop to unplug the ground power before the aircraft could get going on its flight. Atrociously bad placement, that. The fix however, showed just the same level of "intelligence." They next moved that receptacle to be directly underneath the nose of the plane. Fair enough. The protective flap which latched closed over the receptacle was where that next display of "intelligence" was. To secure that flap closed you needed a screwdriver to turn the little captured bolt into its locked position. No, your fingers couldn't do it. You needed a screwdriver. That implement was about the last damn thing anyone would want to have in their pockets with 'em when out on the ramp around all those aircraft and turbine inlets. "Brilliant engineering" indeed. Then there was the oh-so-cool door latch handles Swearingen came up with. On the cargo hold door that handle took the form of a nice long piece of sharply angled metal bar. You'd press it in at one end and that would pivot the bar to pop the other end out where your thus grab it and rotate it downward to open the door. The cargo door would then rise itself up on its hydraulics. The floor of the cargo compartment was at almost shoulder height. This, thanks to the low wing design of the plane which meant it had tall stalky undercarriage so the props would still clear with the engines mounted on that low wing. That meant the loading of the plane was a righteous pain. But that was little when compared to what could - and too often did - happen when you pulled that cargo compartment door closed. Remember that door handle? The one that's shaped as a long piece of sharply edged metal bar? And how that handle was popped out at an angle once you opened the cargo door? Yeah. Now you're yanking on the pullcord to get that cargo door to come down again and that means that sharply edged metal bar sticking out at an angle from the door is now coming down fast - and is in just the right position to leave it's sharply edged mark in your head. No, I truly loathe the Swearingen Metroliner. I wouldn't mind a good injection molded rendering of one however. In 1/72nd, of course. But that's not gonna stop my loathing of that plane's design....

Well, if it's a "I wish it was in this scale" game we're to be playing, then I want it in 1:1 scale and fully operational. I could use it as my daily driver to work...

Yeah. Fine. Great. No, really. It's wonderful. I mean, sure, I plonked down the cash for the Ushi Models rendering of this bird. But, I knew the risks. So, this is fine. No, really. That MikroMir is coming out with one and it will definitely cost less than the Ushi kit isn't a problem for me. No, really. It's wonderful. Really... /sigh...