The Little Charger That Could

[Rafael]

Some of you already know that I've been ill... I appreciate the messages wishing me well. Since I've been in this state, I've been barely able to model....a most hurtful thing to me. Well, last friday I started my treatment and my new build. As Doctors nev, Howard of Effingham, Brian da Basher and other specialists prescribed, I swallowed this dose of model therapy, that busied my weekend and made me feel much, much better. Gracias

THE SELVA, JUNE 2009:

General Suarez awakened with the chirping and singing of the local fauna in this hellhole. In his hammock outside his CP he felt the onrush of a sledgehammer headache that Excedrin or any other medication would not make go away. As the years passed by, he discovered the growing grumpyness of his character, and the fury of his behavior toward his troops and employees.

Rising from the hammock, he let fall an empty scotch bottle, his only companion at bedtime. The breaking of glass sent shivers down his spine and an anger took hold of his body, preparing him for a new day in the office. –"Pedro!!!!, Maldición, Pedroooo!!!!". His faithful assistant, consigliere, and associate emerged from inside the CP hut. –"Sí, Señor General, what do you need, señor.?"

-"¿Have the troops arrived?"
-"Yes, mi General, they are one hour away by the river"
-"¿AND.......?"
-"They caught the diamond miners and a cache of little stones, as well as gold"
-"Make sure they are delivered to me. And, this time, por dios, dissapear the condenados peasants effectively, no traces, and keep the media away!!. Dismissed!!"
-"Sí mi Genera!!"

As Pedro hurried away to carry out his orders, the general started his daily inspection of his facility. Disguised as a military installation in the deep of the selva, it was, in reality, a most profitable enterprise. Hidden behind his supreme authority in the region, he was a close ally of the Guerrillas, who paid him for protection, he got paid by the druglords, who had an extensive network of jungle labs, all guarded by his uniformed men (also paid by him). He also collected from the illegal immigrants, who risked their lives crossing the selva, and provided them with original ID carnets, wich he also sold. He also controlled the supply of gasoline in the region. And robbed the illegal miners. He was God, with an attitude, the owner of all life and property in this godforsaken region of the country.

The Cuartel had a group of semi-hidden buildings, wich were used to store impounded goods, minerals, money, transient people, and a few labs of a white, profitable powder. All his. All under his command. All contributing to his growing, immense fortune, safely tucked away in a Florida Bank, where he owned a big, big house, and five shiny new Hummers.

Up in the River Delta, Tens of kilometers away, a group of six, quietly droning twin-boomed-twin-turboprop aircraft approached the facility to give the general a good-morning salutation. Ahead, near the facility, a large team of Special Forces, cops, and other specialists waited since last night for the arrival of the air support that would open the fireworks leading to the shut-down of this facility...

-"Ballpark, Slugger, we're at the IP" radioed the air group (slugger) commander. Rearranging his non-reg ballcap, matching his non-reg jeans and flowers shirt, and watching attentively the surrounding jungle, he heard Ballpark's answer: -"Slugger, Ballpark, Catcher is in the Pit". Ballpark was the Julieta, a mineral ore carrier transiting the River delta, almost out to sea. A modified cargo ship, it had a small expanse of surface wich served to dispatch and recover the planes. A Mini-Aircraft-Carrier, of sorts.

Catcher, The ground team, was prepared to jump in, with tranquilizing gas, and an assortment of other more-lethal weapons, to execute the assault on The Pit, the target facility, to shut it down and to kill or capture General Suarez, AKA Hardball.

Minutes passed away, and while the General, in the middle of his walk-around talked to some men, all hell broke loose. A ripple of rockets tore into several buildings, mercilessly sparing the human transients deposit. A strafing run took care of the only AA site in the installation. Several buildings were selectively attacked and put on fire. All around a group of fast, small airplanes were shooting everything and everyone to pieces.

A series of thumping sounds echoed across the surrounding jungle, and clouds of a white gas blossomed everywhere. Shots rang out, and a cacophony of sounds assaulted him. More gas, more shots and more shouts. A man standing next to him collapsed bloodlessly and he started running towards his CP. His legs felt leaded, his breath, the breath of an eight-mile jogger, failed him, and his vision turned to gray. He saw his soldiers and employees crazily running around, like zombies, while more thumping and popping sounds and erupting gas clouds blossomed all around. Strange, but now, the shooting sounds sounded like coming from the jungle, not towards it.... The ground met his face with force, and Pedro collapsed nearby him, uncocked gun in hand.

More minutes passed, and Catcher reported in: -"Ballpark, Catcher. Boring game, everyone's asleep. Hardball is in the pocket, retrieve the Glove". Immediately, a couple of MV-22E Ospreys approached and landed on a clearing, where everybody gathered orderly and boarded, with prizes like gold, money, stones, papers, drug samples, photos and the unconscious forms of Suarez, his aide, and several other criminals.....

As the Ospreys left, The Chargers of Slugger flight torched the drug-fabrication facility with cluster bombs and headed out to provide escort to the departing Ospreys, enroute to Ballpark, where they would recover silently and head out to sea. Aboard Julieta, a smiling commander announced -"Mission accomplished. We've got more here than we've bargained for, according to the preliminary reports of Catcher, Mr. Secretary. Yes, you can tell SecTreas we have the proof and the guilty. Yes, I will pass your Bravo Zulu to all hands, sir. Out"


THE O/A-48 CHARGER:

The charger was an experiment in Special Forces equipment. A very little airplane, powered by two small yet powerful turboprops, and a configuration reminiscent of the O/V-10 Bronco. Such reminiscence had all the sense, because the Charger was a direct descendant of one of the competitors for the LARA project of wich the Bronco emerged Victorious. The Convair model 48 provided the basis for this little attack and observation aircraft.

The allied Special Forces were on the lookout for a small, quiet platform to use in low-intensity conflicts. But with a capability to perform ESTOL (Extremely Short Take Off and Landing) operations thanks to its NewCanadair surface-blowing system. It deployed from jungles, specially modified ships, roads, cities, rivers and a plethora of other sites.

Equipped with an advanced communications, detection, surveillance and attack system, the Charger was a common sight in Special Operations fields, training, and installations, never to be seen on actual deployments or photographed during attacks, its swiftness and special tactics made it a terrible foe, almost impossible to contend with.

It was used to provide fire support and protection to operatives on land, and sometimes, perform anti-drug interdiction in cooperation with international drug-enforcement organizations, when not-very-legal operations NEEDED to be executed.

-----------------------------------

Maybe I will catch hell for this backstory, but I'm more afraid of being afraid. I wanted to take out of my system some unjust situations and corrupt behaviors. The names have been withheld to protect the innocent (in this case, Me.)

This is another of my two last unplanned models, the planned one is still waiting for me to cast an important part of it and resting comfortably in one corner of my bench.

I hope you like my rendition of "The Little Charger that Could", and enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed (and cried) building it.

Dedicado a todos los hombres libres. (Dedicated to all free men)
Un abrazo,
Rafa


Small, fast, powerfully armed, the heritage of the bronco in a tiny machine


Head on, showing its massive 30 mm cannon and weapons sponsons (with one .50 MG each)


Profile, showing the aerodynamic center fuselage


Top astern, visible bronco configuration, and very small wingspan


Another angle


Meaning business


More Business


And more...


Swooping down on an unsuspecting enemy....


Belly side, showing its gender....

[cthulhu77]

Ah, the best medicine of all...a project well done!

[John Howling Mouse]

oooOOO OOOOO!!!!
Betcha she can turn on a dime, eh?

Nice backstory, too.  Just purposely spell his name incorrectly.

Nice to know Canadair could help out with the ESTOL, too!

Great job, Rafa----she looks good from every angle.

[Rafael]

Thanks, Greg and Barry. It is a privilege to have such distinguished audience!!!!

Later on, I will post the in-progress.... with some unconventional (?) shortcuts I implemented.

Saludos.
Rafa

[BlackOps]

Rafa, so far I have loved everything you've come up with, this one is no different, great job!

[Brian da Basher]

Wow is that cool, Rafa! Looks like a slimmed down and sexy version of the OV-10 Bronco. Absolutely awesome!

What a great way to recover from that illness!

Brian da Basher

[matrixone]

Rafa,
Very Sorry to learn of your illness , I hope everything will be O.K.

With that different nose on the Bronco it changes its look completely, very cool!

Matrixone

[Rafael]

Thanks Brian and Matrixone!!!
Well, the inspiring design was this one:

[Rafael]

It was the Convair (GD?) model 48 for the LARA contest.
Rafa

[Maverick]

Hola Rafa,

   

Muy muy bien!  I think Mr Tom Clancy and his friends are on the phone.  They're asking you to quit with the backstories cause you are making them look bad.

Absolutely killer backstory & neato bird to go with it.  

You tell it like it is with authenticity and just the right edge.  I've just finished watching 'Tears of the Sun' and it has exactly the same feel.

Muchos Gracias for sharing and I hope your recovery is speedy, although looking at this I can guarantee you're on the right path.

Saludos

 

Mav

[anthonyp]

OOoooooohhh....  (homer drool, homer drool)

   

[Tophe]

Wonderful model...
We will see with unfinished pictures (to come? confirmed?) the source kit you used.
For the backstory, it seems the source is a fancy Universe called Reality...

[Howard of Effingham]

the medicine is DEFINATELY working!  

nice one rafael!

trevor

[Archibald]

looks cool! hope you recover soon !!!    

[Rafael]

Thak U, Mav. I'm sure Mr. Clancy is laughing his **** off because of me!!
I have had my fair share of drooling over your marvelous collection, Anthonyp!!!
Yea, mon cherí Tophe, reality has away of overcoming the boundaries of fiction.
And, HoE, Your prescription medicine is working miracles!!
Archi, mi amiguito, my eyes have had the delight of your last builds (pics stored)!!!

Thank you all,
Rafa