An American Whatif..... McDonnell Douglas 265-1 VLF AFTI

[Diamondback]

Yeah, there's a lot of drawings, with many load-outs, making it quite difficult to decide on a scheme. For an easy life I could go for low-viz with a pair of sidewinders, maybe using an F-16 sqn markings. Or, to highlight the CAS and anti-tank role I could go camo and use an early A-10 sqn markings and give it a full load.

I really don't know. Suggestions would be welcome. I'm really not au fait with US squadrons or their history since there are so damn many of them! I really can't see this sort of aircraft being Air National Guard (based on it's intended theatre), so it suggests USAF or perhaps Marines? Do/did they operate non-VTOL fixed wings?

One other thing, do we think it would have a sliding or hinged canopy?

Hinged canopy possibly similar to the F-18 Hornet, as one of the drawings show a blade aerial just aft of the canopy.

As to USMC, yes they operate F-18C/D and F-35C, they previously had their own F-4s, Shyhawks and Crusaders which did deploy to carriers.

The Marines had Intruders too. Didn't they put some Tadpoles onto carriers in the '70s?

[scautomoton]

1st and 2nd test prints are complete. And I obviously couldn't resist gluing most of one together. Its a lot smaller than you think, similar to a Fairey Delta 2.






And yes, I shamelessly copied an F-16A console. Mostly because if they had built a demonstrator it would have used off the shelf parts from existing craft. Or thats my excuse. One deviation from the drawings is the pitot location. I'm designing it to use an F-16 pitot, which is a bit short. This would require a long bit of 1mm resin which I'm sure would get pinged off immediately. So I'm moving the pitot to the tip of the radome, just like an F-16. It will also use the AoA probes.

I'm just about to start a third print. This time with all the panel lines, and both sides (I model half of the aircraft then just mirror the parts when they're in the Slicer software). I've also decided I'm going to keep it simple with the scheme, and do it as the brochure AFTI image, but using F-16 stencils. It'll wear a pair of sidewinders too. I thought about extra pylons for the bomb loadout, but this would just have been a tech demonstrator, and I don't want to get bogged down designing too many parts.

[PR19_Kit]

I DO like the look of that.

The tailplane between the fins is just weird enough to trigger my interest. 

[Diamondback]

And yes, I shamelessly copied an F-16A console. Mostly because if they had built a demonstrator it would have used off the shelf parts from existing craft. Or thats my excuse. One deviation from the drawings is the pitot location. I'm designing it to use an F-16 pitot, which is a bit short. This would require a long bit of 1mm resin which I'm sure would get pinged off immediately. So I'm moving the pitot to the tip of the radome, just like an F-16. It will also use the AoA probes.

Yup. Almost every system on Have Blue was borrowed from other programs.

[Thorvic]

Looking good so far Stuart, nowt wrong with using other types from the period for ideas, where drawings and artwork do not specify.

[zenrat]

Leave it like this - the spirit of Tophe is smiling.

[PR19_Kit]

And it's nearly his colour too. 

[su27rules]

  

[Captain Canada]

Great stuff. Your printer does phenomenal work ! So clean.

[scautomoton]

A little progress on this lately since my Wife has insisted upon jobs around the house being started/continued/finished. Plus I have a long list of jobs on the Mustang that need doing. Anyway.

There have been thankfully few print iterations thus far. The biggest challenge has been the main landing gear bay and the resulting fuselage shape post-print. I started out with the usual supports, but the profile kept distorting significantly. The end result is I designed a breakaway tab that bridges the gap and has improved the print result to within acceptable limits.




Removal is as simple as pressing on it with your thumb then trimming neatly with a scalpel.

Next is actually painting bits. And also trying to shift the X-29 from the bench once and for all so I can focus better.

[George the Cat]

The Marines had Intruders too. Didn't they put some Tadpoles onto carriers in the '70s?

Marine A6s did several cruises in the 1980s too.

[scautomoton]

So I thought I was making good progress on this, but its been over a month since I last posted.... Where does the time go? Oh yes, it goes into renovating a bathroom & bedroom (unfinished), changing a clutch on the Mustang (er, finished but other stuff to do as well), going on holiday (definitely finished unfortunately), and inadvertently cracking on with a model design I started last year but haven't done much on recently (being printed as we speak). Ah well.

Anyway, more paint has occurred! Hooray. It involved a pilot figurine, booooo. Now, I hate painting 1/72 figures. I don't know how some of you do them so well. No matter how small the paintbrush I use, or how steady I keep my hands they come out looking like a small melted thing (like that bloke at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark). But I'm not about to do a model in flight without someone in the cabin, because it would look silly, so I guess needs must. Obviously, this means I've also painted the cockpit and bang seat. I've used a Quickboost A-4 Skyhawk seat since I just don't have the time to dedicate to drawing and printing one as nice as what is available already.

I also vacuformed a canopy and spent a couple of hours gently massaging it into shape. I only scratched it once (rectified with Gauzy Agent) and only cut my knuckle once (deeply, but rectified with a sticking plaster). Annoyingly, there was no wine on hand for this most heinous injury, so I settled for a bottle of cider instead.

No, before you ask, Douglas Bader was not moonlighting as a MDC test pilot in the 1970s, and as for being so relaxed, perhaps he's testing the Autopilot.....

And then, the joy that is attaching a vacform canopy. I decided to give UV Resin glue a go this time. I made a stupid schoolboy error of trying to put the glue on the rim of the canopy, but quickly realized my error and cleaned it off. Instead I used a toothpick to put it on the fuselage instead. I carefully taped it in place and then zapped it with the UV light for 30s or so and then left it on the windowsill.

Next task is is to mask the canopy, fill the base of the windscreen, and then give the whole thing a lick of primer. Colourwise, I'm going to go with something like Air Superiority Blue to replicate the manufacturers model seen below. The aim is to have it done for SMW, which seems reasonable on the face of it, but then you did read the list of other activities I have going on currently, so.....

[HarryPhishnuts]

That's really looking great. How did you do the canopy?

[scautomoton]

I modelled the canopy surface, then offset it by 0.5mm and used that surface to design a mould. I printed the mould, gave it a light sand with 2000-5000 paper, then coated it with Gauzy Agent (Future by another name). Then I used that in my vacformer and Robert's your Cousin's Father.

I do want to try making a female mould for whatever I do next, that should give really nice surface detail for masking purposes.

[kerick]

Looking really good.