[Bees or Vees? That is the question]

13 hours ago, Oldbaldguy said:

why could we not do the job with much younger 130s, C-17s or C-5s?

Those airframes will very likely be busy doing their primary missions should the need arise to carry large numbers of standoff weapons in the general direction of Quanzhou.

[Bees or Vees? That is the question]

The Buff doesn't really need to be stealthy to be an effective bomb truck in many scenarios.  Against peer and near peer adversaries the ability to haul long range standoff weapons and possibly drone assets to within 2000 miles of the target area is still a value added capability.  I see the new RR re-engine as an upgrade in maintainability more than a performance boost.  

 

In my opinion, the last B-52 pilot hasn't been born yet.

[What do you all listen to while modeling?]

History podcasts are my go-to :-)

[B-17 nose job]

On 2/10/2024 at 9:02 PM, John1 said:

Lol, I’ve fired .50’s.   You can’t hit a thing with them.   Outside of a hundred meters they are an area suppression weapon.  

I fired the .50 cal professionally for 27 years.  Your point about the Ma Duce being an area suppression weapon is valid, but I can assure you I've hit many a "thing" with it at ranges up to 500 meters.

It's certainly not a precision instrument and was never designed to be, however, as big ass hammers go, it's a beautiful thing.

[1/32 F-35 pilot and ground crew figures]

Love these.  The fine details look crisp, and they got the boots right.  Also the reflective belts are being worn correctly with just the right amount of DGAF...

[YF-16 memorable take off video]

My last active duty assignment was with ACC HQ at Langley AFB and I volunteered at the Virginia Air & Space Museum.  I can proudly say I've actually dusted this very Aircraft.  And considering it's displayed hanging from the roof (or at least it was then) it was quite an interesting job lol.

[1/32 Hasegawa P-47D-30 "Duck Butt"]

Awesome build and an outstanding subject!

[Thoughts about Possible Future Kotare Releases - NOT a wishlist]

I think a proper P-51B/C will be coming from Kotare at some point, but most likely not in the next few releases.  One of the Griffin Spits would be my guess for a near term release due to customer interest.  However, if their next drop is a Typhoon, I wouldn't be shocked.

[It helps to have a son in the Air Force...]

I was stationed at Kunsan, Home of The Wolfpack, class of 92-93.  It had one of the best selections of kits I've ever seen in a USAF BX.  An effort to keep the troops out of trouble I guess.  I should have stashed a bunch of those...