GLAAAR!

Zoku Mura http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/images/f-22-cutaway.jpg The jet gains a​ lot of character when it's seen with weapons bays open and wing tanks on the pylons. I prefer it up and clean on a stand but either would be welcome. The big issue here is that there really isn't a great kit out there in my preferred, 1/48th, scale. ​ The Academy has serio​us shape issues. The Hasegawa is near perfect but ruined by Steam Punk RAM tape. I'm told the Fujimi 72nd is good but at the cost, three Fujimis is likely equal to one 1/32 Tamiya. Japan, Saudi and Australia all pushed hard for the Raptor and were turned down. I don't know if a restart on the line is possible but if it was, the F-35 would likely find itself outbid for customers among the discerning powers that could afford it's bigger brother.​ Weapons are a big deal ​to me and here you are looking at: GBU-32 X2, GBU-39 X8, GBU​​-53 X8, AIM-120C X10, AIM-9M X​​2, AIM-9X X2, ​CUDA/SACM X8, AGM-158 ​JASSM X4 600 gallon tanks X2​ The aircraft would not be suffering for want of options in terms of things under wings.

Emperor, Really nice work there on your NAW. I hope you will publish finished photos of it. Thought I might contribute a little bit to the discussion on the windscreen. There are three reasons for the switch to a single piece windscreen. 1. Birdstrike vs. Small Arms. While the existing windscreen is indeed 'bullet proof' (7.62mm API), that is -all- it is and only the main panel is so rated, not the quarter panels. It will not stop 12.7mm (Tank) 14.5mm (BTR) or 23mm (Zoos). To be honest, from that aspect, you'd be fortunate if the bathtub did. Given the period GSFG/WARPAC threat, by the time you close enough for small arms fire to pose a serious risk, especially at night, you had better be down to harsh language and rude gestures yourself. The reverse was true of bird strike. Generally you outrun anything you might hit as birds are only roused by overhead jet noise in the aftermath of their wakes. But CAS often requires tight orbits over a narrow area where risen flocks of birds could pose a real second-pass problem as you went in for five minutes to rough the enemy up and then backed of for 5-10 more before rinse-repeating. Under these conditions, where a solid windscreen will bow and deform in a rippling wave effect (after being struck by a bird), it will not break. A framed windscreen however usually shears on the unequal stress lines of the frame posts and this shear causes the quarter panels to shatter and shrapnel spray the whole cockpit. Razor sharp and heavy fragments of Polycarb are far worse than the bird itself in this. 2. Raster Presentation of FLIR. While it was not generally assumed that the jet would get the WARHUD (holographic raster presentation) systems being developed for the F-15E and F-16C.40, you do need to have a wide field of view system so that there is minimal tunnel-speeding effect and some look into turn ability on which to present 1:1 scaled imagery. Where the windscreen frames interfere with this, they 'superimpose' an artificial lateral terminus that disagrees with the infinity projection of the image itself. So the windscreen post frames had to go, along with the double combiner stack and it's own heavy side frames. 3. Night Vision Effects. While we were not using the existing Gen-2 goggles at the time within the fast jet community, it was discovered, later in the early 90s, that the main, armored, windscreen panel was so heavily leaded that it interfered with the performance of the Gen-3 M949s (ANVIS-9) which were then coming online. This is important because, while goggles greatly exacerbate the risks of low altitude ejections, they also provide significantly better look into turn and threat tracking. You can literally see a missile launch from dozens of miles away because it is a very intense, near-IR, source. Almost like a small sunrise. As a result most pilots prefer night vision on a stick over HUD FLIR. With regard to the WX-50 pod. It was a strange looking beast with a nose/radome assembly almost half again as large as the rest of the pod with a noticeable step in diameter as a result. The scanner was fifteen inches across with perhaps another 6-8" on either side. The Flight Global from 6-12-76 has a couple of good renderings of the pod on a Skyhawk and in sectioned view. Possibly enough to let you scratch build. Note the conformal ECS vent system on the back which looks somewhat like the drogue receptacle on a KC-130 wing tank (I can't paste LINKS here so check out the Wikipedia listing for Google: 'Hose Drogue Pod'). I believe Attack Squadron resin models makes this pod as part of their KC-130W upgrade in 1/72nd. Useless for the Trumpeter but possible for the Hobbyboss. Though the late 1979 Aviation Week article on the NAW A-10 shows the WX-50 radar in the forward section of the port landing gear sponson, I have some question over the utility of the unit in this location. Namely, in a starboard turn there is no look angle as the fuselage masks. The FLIR was never intended to be more than a basic terminal (gun) targeting aid with a FOV of approximately 20` to either side and a laser range finding ability only. But the radar needs to have a full look angle of at least 80`, both in searching for MTI ground targets to cue the FLIR onto and to assist with manual terrain following. This means a suspended centerline pod. Which is not all that hard to do as the station easily spanwise and longitudinally clears the inboard wing hardpoints and is rarely used otherwise. Just some thoughts, hope your hard effort turns out well.

Most USAF squadrons did not like the drag and AOA impositions with both pods onboard. Especially in combination with a jammer on the centerline, the three pods imposed a 2-3` AOA limiter reduction on an already critically deep-stall restricted FLCS number of 27.5`. I seem to recall the combination of pods really beat up the ventrals with adverse flow. The term 'nose heavier than the Ayatollah' might also apply. Gen-3 goggles like M949 'ANVIS-9' were coming online in a big way and it was easier to get quality night vision outside the limits of the WARHUD's 40` FOV anyway. USAF birds, especially those in the Guard/Reserve which got the lion's share of gutless F100-PW-220 engined .42s, also began making quiet tradeups to -229 engines for their jets because the baseline P&W machine is just not thrusty enough to work with typical A2G loads. Serious altitude/airspeed issues which effected package work and refueling. Modeling wise, this changes the rear petals on the nozzle to composite shiny black metallic and a slight shape change. If you are doing an overseas model, be careful which one because at least originally, the Sharpshooter and Pathfinder were issued instead of full up LANTIRN. The SS pod is basically the same but the pathfinder did not have the TFR radar and so looks a lot different. Post CCIP, the .25/.30 jets could use targeting pods but couldn't employ automated TFR because they are still equipped with the older, analogue, flight control signaling. Jets outside the .40/.42 range typically don't have WAR but WAC HUDs (Wide Angle Raster = moving pictures, Wide Angle Conventional = just the strokes folks) so the navpod is basically worthless to them. WARHUDs are much harder to keep collimated.

Just A Couple Then... F-22 Because it is going to be REALLY important in the next war and it is starting to get the mods which will make it interesting to build. A-10 Because, frankly, the Hobby Boss edition is both more expensive than it needs to be and just...errrgh. From about the wings forward. Revell could do a great model, simply by taking the flaws out of the 1/48th version and scaling it up with appropriate weapons. Pull the resin, pull the engines (though perhaps leave the doors, ala Italeri) and for goodness sake, _Stop Modeling Edwards Test Range Weapons Loads From The 1970s_!! Realizing where I'm at, under the "Waaaaa!" section: Someone could make some cash from me by finishing the N/AW production version conversion set they promised they were working on too. I'd even settle for a prototype set of WX-50 and AAR-42 pods. Trumpeter really made the pooch howl on that kit. Because you know someone's going to say it if I don't: A CV-22 with full options (LAIRCM, Minigun well, full greeblies) would also be impressive with those immense rotors and the metallic scheme.