74 Squadron RAF MiG/BAe/IAI Twister F.1

SimonR · September 13, 2005, 08:50:55 AM

What if, despite economising by apparently washing his hair in used chip fat, Gordon Brown ran out of batteries for his calculator and caused a massive budget defecit. This caused deep cuts in defence spending and the Ministry of Defence was forced to offload the RAF's tranche 2 and 3 Eurofighter orders to Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Norway on the cheap.

An urgent operational requirement for a cut price Tornado F.3 replacement was issued and BAE Systems officials travelled to Moscow and Tel Aviv with suitcases full of used tenners. They obtained the rights to build under license the MiG 1.44 Mnogofounksionalni Frontovoi Istrebiel airframe. Israeli Aircraft Industries were selected as the systems integrator and designed a modern avionics suite and integrated the AIM-9X and AIM-120C AA weapons.

The resulting aircraft was dubbed 'Twister' by the RAF due to the lively handling resulting from its 79,000lbs of thrust, low wing loading and 3D thrust vectoring. With its Israeli avionics and modern US weapons it was in many ways superior to the Typhoon for which it was intended to be a cheap, downgraded replacement.

For the first squadron to be declared to NATO as operational on the aircraft the RAF revived the famous 74 'Tigers' numberplate. This was soon followed by two other famous RAF fighter squadrons: Treble One and 56 'Firebirds'.

This is the Zvezda 1/72 MiG 1.44 kit which is excellent and highly recommended. It also comes with a stand and pilot figure which is kickin' it old skool. The drops and weapons came from a 1/72 Revell Phantom and the decals are from the 1/48 Model Alliance RAF Hawks sheet. The 1.44 is a b-i-g fighter (19m wingspan!) so the 1/48 decals actually look right on it.

lancer · September 13, 2005, 08:56:22 AM

Damm Simon, that is stunningly beautiful.

cthulhu77 · September 13, 2005, 09:02:55 AM

Whooo hOOO !!!! Nice one !
greg

Ian the Kiwi Herder · September 13, 2005, 09:07:12 AM

Am I ever gonna buy one of them puppies !

D*mn right I am !

I H-G

Tophe · September 13, 2005, 10:19:03 AM

Great picture but maybe cumbersome in your room. Could you tell us the size? 30cm (1 foot) long? 1/48 would make a monster...

AeroplaneDriver · September 13, 2005, 10:54:05 AM

Stunning model Simon!!

I love the 74 Sqn markings too!

BlackOps · September 13, 2005, 10:54:17 AM

Wow! Now that a beauty! Well well thought out and executed.

jeff G.

SimonR · September 13, 2005, 10:54:41 AM

QuoteGreat picture but maybe cumbersome in your room. Could you tell us the size? 30cm (1 foot) long? 1/48 would make a monster...

Yes, it's about 30cm long. A 1/32 1.44 would make a good coffee table...

Hobbes · September 13, 2005, 11:30:24 AM

Wow! Beautifully done!

Can we have some pics of the front and underside?

Gary · September 13, 2005, 11:44:38 AM

Serious eyegasm!!!!

Wow is that nicely done!

SimonR · September 13, 2005, 11:50:30 AM

QuoteWow! Beautifully done!

Can we have some pics of the front and underside?

Here you go, the camera flash highlighted the white intakes a bit too much...

Thanks for the kind words, lads. Nice to have my coming out of the whif closet greeted with acclaim.

PolluxDeltaSeven · September 13, 2005, 02:18:05 PM

Well done!!
The model is very good and the back story too!! (even if here in France, Gordon Brown is unknown

)

I hope another of your models will come here soon

RotorheadTX · September 13, 2005, 05:29:28 PM

SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An absolute beauty!!!

rallymodeller · September 13, 2005, 08:54:14 PM

GORGEOUS!!

Must.

Get.

That.

KIT!!!

NARSES2 · September 13, 2005, 11:21:34 PM

Simon that's a stunner

and your right about the 1/48 transfers they fit right in

Chris

74 Squadron RAF MiG/BAe/IAI Twister F.1

RotorheadTX