[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Its amazing to see the kind of exotic birds the Egyptians had in their fleet once.
Attachment 1782327

The Indian Air Force also was not far behind once upon a time.





Centreline: Canberra, MiG-25 Foxbat, MiG-29 and Gnat/Ajeet. The left wing has a Hawker Hunter, MiG-23/27 and a Mirage 2000. The right wing has a Jaguar, MiG-23/27 and a MiG-21

https://www.livefistdefence.com/2018...showed-up.html

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Super Guppy 1:400 scale model. Diecast polished model

Thats another unique one in your collection, however its must be one of the most ungainly airplanes of all time !

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) MD-11 1:200 scale; Plastic

The model is about a foot long

Thats a really detailed model, is it .I think its a Limox Premium model judging from the silver base stand. It's the first plastic model I have seen that is so detailed as to show the aerials and protrusions on top of the fuselage.

[V.Narayan]

Antonov An-12 Aeroflot livery; Medium lift freighter; 1:200 scale Herpa, diecast

Model has a wing span of ~8 inches and a length just under 6 inches.

The An-12 was the Soviet equivalent of the Lockheed C-130. Powered by 4 Ivchenkov 4000 ehp turboprops it was capable of carrying 20,000 kgs full load though 16,000 kgs was more normal. Range at full load was 3600 kms. My understanding from past data is that this was with a payload of 16,000 kgs but I might be wrong. Unlike Western contemporaries the Russians continued with the practical habit, in military versions, of carrying a twin turret at the rear to provide last ditch defence against attacking fighters. The only shortfall was of an unpresurrized cargo hold which limited altitude, while carrying troops, to ~10,000 feet and below with consequent implications on range. The civilian version depicted here served with ~27 airlines. The military versions served with about 41 countries. 1248 were built. A Chinese reverse engineered version the Shaanxi Y-8 is still in slow production


Note the anhedral droop of the outer wing surfaces a trademark of Antonov


Note the large tail. Compare it with the C-130. Cargo carriers which have rear exit ramps need these large tails to provide stability because the girth of the fuselage is large compared to the length and the aft portion does not narrow down to a sleek cone but instead remains broad like the tail of a platypus.


Note glass nose for navigator to get a visual sighting if needed - a typical Soviet trait in aircrafts of the 1950s and 60s.






Undercarriage was designed for rough field performance.


The real thing...


Russian transport collection. Clockwise from top - Antonov An-12 (1:200), Antonov An-124 (1:400), Ilyushin IL-76 (1:500) and Ilyushin IL-96-300 (1:400) - hopefully many more to come.

PS: True confession - I have a soft centre for Soviet aircraft - civil & military. Alas top quality models at least 1:200 or bigger are not easy to find

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Antonov An-12 Aeroflot livery; Medium lift freighter; 1:200 scale Herpa, diecast

Another addition to your nice Russian Fleet . Its great you found one in the larger 1:200 Scale, it will complement your "Bear". Looks stunning in white as well as your detailed writeup.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

[b]
PS: True confession - I have a soft centre for Soviet aircraft - civil & military.

As do I ....

Libyan Air Force Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-25PD "Foxbat" , 1025th Aerial Squadron,
Ai Jufra Air Base

1:200 Diescast Herpa, although its a small 1:200 scale, the Foxbat is huge making the model decently sized and its well detailed.






Carrying two Bisnovat R-40 (NATO reporting name AA-6 'Acrid') and four Molniya R-60 (NATO reporting name: AA-8 "Aphid") missiles.


The Real Aircraft in the 1980s when it was involved with clashes with US Navy Aircraft on the Libyan coast.





The R-40 is the largest ever Air to Air Missile to ever to go into service and is thought to weigh between 700kg and 800kg, making it twice the weight of Phoenix—the heaviest Western air-to-air missile. It is only carried by the Mig-25 and Mig-31. There was no evidence of nuclear warheads being used in Russian air-to-air missiles but there is enough room for one in Acrid. Warhead weight could be anywhere between 60kg and 100kg! In comparison the R-60 in total weighs just 44kg.


The "Hornet Killer"
On the night of January 17, 1991. LCDR Scott “Spike” Speicher was piloting an F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-81 “Sunliners” when his aircraft was shot down. The F/A-18C was at 28,000 feet and hit by an R-40 missile fired from an Iraqi MiG-25PDS believed to be flown by Lt. Zuhair Dawood of the IrAF 84th Squadron. The huge warhead which was originally intended to bring down bombers completely destroyed the Hornet and the pilot had no chance for survival.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Libyan Air Force Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-25PD "Foxbat" , 1025th Aerial Squadron,
Ai Jufra Air Base

1:200 Diescast Herpa, although its a small 1:200 scale, the Foxbat is huge making the model decently sized and its well detailed.

Read to the sound of rolling drums and the trumpet tapping out a marching tune.....Congratulations my friend. What a find. Oh My God. Superb, simply superb. Even at 1:200 the model would be 5 inch or so - pretty good size I'd say. The eye of jealousy wanders.

The Real Aircraft in the 1980s when it was involved with clashes with US Navy Aircraft on the Libyan coast.

This was in 1982 & 1989 in what came to be known as the Gulf of Sidra incidents.

The R-40 is the largest ever Air to Air Missile to ever to go into service and is thought to weigh between 700kg and 800kg, making it twice the weight of Phoenix—the heaviest Western air-to-air missile. It is only carried by the Mig-25 and Mig-31. There was no evidence of nuclear warheads being used in Russian air-to-air missiles but there is enough room for one in Acrid. Warhead weight could be anywhere between 60kg and 100kg!

The Soviets followed a policy of large warheads so that even a close miss could be very damaging. The SS-N-2C Styx anti-ship missile has a warhead of 500 kgs + when Western equivalents like Exocet had an all up weight a little higher.

On the night of January 17, 1991. LCDR Scott “Spike” Speicher was piloting an F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-81 “Sunliners” when his aircraft was shot down. The F/A-18C was at 28,000 feet and hit by an R-40 missile fired from an Iraqi MiG-25PDS believed to be flown by Lt. Zuhair Dawood of the IrAF 84th Squadron. The huge warhead which was originally intended to bring down bombers completely destroyed the Hornet and the pilot had no chance for survival.

Mummy I want this toy.

Convair 580 of the FAA; 1:200 scale from Gemini 200

Model is about 5 inches long; wing span just under 6 inches

The Convair 240/440/580/660 series of twin engine propeller driven airliners were the most successful regional airliner of the post war era from 1945 to 1960. It first flew in 1947. Like several American airliners of the day it had a healthy degree of over engineering that made it unbreakable and a few dozen fly even today in utility and cargo roles mainly in the Western hemisphere. This airliner was unique in being equally successful as a piston engine one as it was when re-engined with turboprops. The original 240, 340 & 440 series were powered by two of the ubiquitous Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp 18-cylinder, 46,000cc, 2400 shp engines. These were later re-engined with the 3 different types of turboprops and re-named the 500 series and the 600 series. This one is the Convair 580 re-powered by Allison turboprops belting ~4000 shp. The 580 carried 44 to 52 passengers.












Contemporaries - Vickers Viscount 800 and Convair 580

The collection of prop airliners of the 1940s and 50s - back row DC-6, Bristol Britannia, Lockheed Constellation ; front row Vickers Viscount & Convair 580. Missing from this generation are Lockheed L-188, Illyushin IL-18 & IL-14 and Vickers Vanguard.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Read to the sound of rolling drums and the trumpet tapping out a marching tune.....Congratulations my friend. What a find. Oh My God. Superb, simply superb.

Convair 580 of the FAA; 1:200 scale from Gemini 200

Thank You Narayan, only a fellow model collector and aviation enthusiast can understand the joy of this new acquisition


You have an enviable collection of both knowledge and models. Many of these airliners of yesteryear I have never heard of before and after reading your posts I Google them to find more and in the case of the Constellation order one of my own.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

The collection of prop airliners of the 1940s and 50s - back row DC-6, Bristol Britannia, Lockheed Constellation ; front row Vickers Viscount & Convair 580. Missing from this generation are Lockheed L-188, Illyushin IL-18 & IL-14 and Vickers Vanguard.

Thats a fantastic collection of prop airliners, the Air Ceylon Constellation is my favourite followed by the Bristol Britannia.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Antonov An-12 Aeroflot livery; Medium lift freighter; 1:200 scale Herpa, diecast

That's a beautiful looking model and is a proud addition to your collection thatis getting unique with very addition.

I remember reading somewhere that the An-12's powerful engine was mounted on the An-26 specifically on the IAF's request for good hot & high performance and was re-christened as the An-32 before being sold to the IAF and other countries. The IAF used the An-12 to good effect in the airlift role and 44 Sqdn even used it as a bomber in the 1971 war, just like the PAF did with their C-130Bs.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Libyan Air Force Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-25PD "Foxbat" , 1025th Aerial Squadron,
Ai Jufra Air Base

1:200 Diescast Herpa, although its a small 1:200 scale, the Foxbat is huge making the model decently sized and its well detailed.

So happy to see a Foxbat in your collection, Foxbat. That is one great looking model. I believe Herpa has an IAF MiG-25RU too in full markings of 102 Sqdn. It will compliment your MiG-25PD perfectly.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

The "Hornet Killer"
On the night of January 17, 1991. LCDR Scott “Spike” Speicher was piloting an F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-81 “Sunliners” when his aircraft was shot down. The F/A-18C was at 28,000 feet and hit by an R-40 missile fired from an Iraqi MiG-25PDS believed to be flown by Lt. Zuhair Dawood of the IrAF 84th Squadron. The huge warhead which was originally intended to bring down bombers completely destroyed the Hornet and the pilot had no chance for survival.

Yeah, his wingman saw Lt Cdr Speicher's aircraft taking a hit from the R-40 (front left side). He ejected from his burning jet but died later, perhaps from the wounds suffered from the R-40 impact. I have book titled "F-15C v/s MiG-23/25 Iraq 1991" by Tom Cooper, which details the engagements between US jets and Iraqi MiG-23s and 25s during the first Gulf War. Lt Cdr Speicher's shootdown has been mentioned in great detail along with an account of that incident from the victorious MiG-25 pilot, Lt Dawood of IrAF's 96 squadron. Iraqi MiG-25s fired R-40s at an EF-111A and an F-15C, both of which missed. Iraqi MiG-25s were flown by Iraq's most experienced and elite fighter pilots, as was evident in some of the engagements, where they were able to hold their own against much superior USAF F-15s.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

This was in 1982 & 1989 in what came to be known as the Gulf of Sidra incidents.

Minor correction. The shootdowns were in 1981 & 1989.
In 1981, two USN Tomcats shot down two Libyan Su-22s . It was after this incident that the Libyans sent two MiG-25s towards the direction of US carrier battle group and two Tomcats scrambled to intercept and chase them away. There were many such close encounters between Libya nd and USN aircraft.
In once incident, a Libyan MiG-25PD armed with R-40s and R-60s came very close to a E-2 Hawkeye, till the panicked E-2 crew radioed nearby USN jets for help, after which the MiG-25 left the area. I remember seeing a grainy video of the MiG-25 taken from the E-2. The Foxbat must have scared the wits out of the E-2 crew.
Then in 1989, there was Gulf of Sidra incident Part II when two USN Tomcats shot down two Libyan R-23 and R-60 armed MiG-23s.
Here's the unedited guncam footage(Use headphones)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibjAv21InEY

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

The Soviets followed a policy of large warheads so that even a close miss could be very damaging. The SS-N-2C Styx anti-ship missile has a warhead of 500 kgs + when Western equivalents like Exocet had an all up weight a little higher.

Thanks to that overkill policy, the Navy's Operation Trident was successful in the 1971 war when our OSA missile boats wrecked havoc on the Pakistanis.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Convair 580 of the FAA; 1:200 scale from Gemini 200

The collection of prop airliners of the 1940s and 50s - back row DC-6, Bristol Britannia, Lockheed Constellation ; front row Vickers Viscount & Convair 580.

That "coollection" of yours is great enough to make any model collector jealous.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Missing from this generation are Lockheed L-188, Illyushin IL-18 & IL-14 and Vickers Vanguard.

Won't be long before you have them in your collection I suppose

[V.Narayan]

The An-32 was designed for us. Such was the extent of the friendship then. Antonov fitted an uprated version of the Ivchenko AI-20 belting 5100 ehp to give it superb hot & high. To improve the wing they increased the chord of the section in-board of the engines and if memory serves me right fitted flaps on 2/3rds of the wing trailing edge. To accommodate the wider diameter props they mounted them above the wing! Rugged and faithful is the An-32. It is so noisy inside that the troops being transported have to wear ear plugs! But it works even at Daulet Beg Oldi.

An aside - the Alenia G.222 was to be evaluated alongside the An-32 Cline. The Rolls Royce Tay engined variant was /is quite a good match. The other option was the Transall C-160 but it's hot & high was cold & low:-). To the credit of the French they were willing to give us assembly/production. But the European pilot (Italian I assume) of the G.222 lost his nerves on the steep approach into Leh airstrip and after 3 misses flew back to Chandigarh. The Soviets had offered license production to us which we did not take up. A miss in my view. The G222 was reborn as the Lockheed C-27 and was recently being looked at as a An-32‎ replacement! I hope we will look at the Brazilians & the Japs.

I didn't know the opposition used the C-130 for bombing. Skanchan95, You should be given the title of Team BHPs aviation encyclopedia. Other than the An-12 we used a lone DHC Caribou to drop one bomb every 20 minutes over Dhaka cantonement through the night to deny their Generals proper sleep. And this came up in the post 71 war interrogation of the enemy as a factor they roundly cursed.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

The An-32 was designed for us. Such was the extent of the friendship then. Antonov fitted an uprated version of the Ivchenko AI-20 belting 5100 ehp to give it superb hot & high. To improve the wing they increased the chord of the section in-board of the engines and if memory serves me right fitted flaps on 2/3rds of the wing trailing edge. To accommodate the wider diameter props they mounted them above the wing! Rugged and faithful is the An-32. It is so noisy inside that the troops being transported have to wear ear plugs! But it works even at Daulet Beg Oldi.

An aside - the Alenia G.222 was to be evaluated alongside the An-32 Cline. The Rolls Royce Tay engined variant was /is quite a good match. The other option was the Transall C-160 but it's hot & high was cold & low:-). To the credit of the French they were willing to give us assembly/production. But the European pilot (Italian I assume) of the G.222 lost his nerves on the steep approach into Leh airstrip and after 3 misses flew back to Chandigarh. The Soviets had offered license production to us which we did not take up. A miss in my view. The G222 was reborn as the Lockheed C-27 and was recently being looked at as a An-32‎ replacement! I hope we will look at the Brazilians & the Japs.

Always to pleasure to read such gyaan from you. I don't think such tidbits related to Indian aviation is available anywhere else on the internet or books.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

I didn't know the opposition used the C-130 for bombing.

Bombing by these IAF AN-12 & PAF C-130 transports was done mostly at night. The effectiveness of these raids is questionable as bombing was mostly blind and by dead reckoning, but they leave no doubt about the courage of the crew flying these converted bombers.

On the Indian side, the lack of effective night interceptors prevented the tackling of these huge and lumbering transports. One major issue of using transports as bombers was the limit of flying at a maximum speed of 150 knots because of the open ramp and door. The matter was resolved by flying without the rear ramp door which enabled the pilot to maintain a speed of 280 knots during bomb release.

I remember having made mods for IAF & PAF An-12BP & C-130B bomber transports - 13 years ago!!!! Man, I feel old

An-12 IAF Bomber mod

C-130B PAF Bomber mod

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Skanchan95, You should be given the title of Team BHPs aviation encyclopedia.

That title proudly belongs to you.

[V.Narayan]

Convair 880 airliner Cathay Pacific; 1:200 scale; diecast

Model is just under 8” long and the wing span is just above 7”. This is from some unknown Chinese model maker

The Convair 880 is an American narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller and faster, a niche that failed to create demand. Only 65 Convair 880s were produced and General Dynamics eventually withdrew from the airliner market after considering the 880 project a failure. The moniker ‘880’ was from its cruise speed of 880 feet per second. It was designed to carry 110 pax versus the ~160 to 180 in the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8. Boeing responded with the Boeing 707-720 or simply called the Boeing 720 which was a minimum change lighter shot fuselage version of the 707 and put the Convair 880 out of business. Initially the 880 had ‘sonic boom’ bulges on the trailing edge (like Tupolev airliners) that reduced drag at high transonic speeds above 500 knots (~925 kmph) but these were later removed.

The most famous Convair 880 was Elvis Presley’s personal jet named Lisa. Cathay Pacific was one of the last major airlines to use the Convair 880. Convair or General Dynamics’ withdrawal from the airliner market created enough space for the European’s to create Airbus Industrie 6 years later as a viable alternative to the American biggies Boeing & Douglas.

Douglas DC-8 Series 63 of Iberia; 1:200 scale; plastic

Model is about 11 inches long and has a wing span of around 9 inches. I had been searching for a 1:200 scale model for long but they seem to be off the market till I found this piece.

The DC-8 was Douglas’ answer to Boeing’s 707. In the 1930s to the 1950s Douglas dominated the civil airliner market like no other thanks partly to the all pervasive use of the DC-3 Dakota during WW-II. So it was only natural that they would not let Boeing dominate the upcoming jetliner market. The DC-8 first flew in May 1958 six months after the Boeing 707’s maiden flight in December 1957. 556 DC-8’s were built versus 1019 Boeing 707’s. The Boeing had the better wing. Both had the same engines. The DC-8 had greater flexibility having been built in 3 different fuselage lengths and many more weight variants than the 707. The Series 63 shown here was the longest variant at 187 feet carrying 259 pax in an all economy configuration – at the time in the 1960s the largest airliner. A DC-8 of Air Canada was dived to break the sound barrier! Starting 1982 110 DC-8s were re-engined with the new fuel efficient CFM turbofans dramatically reducing FE and noise levels and extending their useful lives. The 707 had no such upgrade programme. Today 60 years after the prototype flew there are a handful of DC-8s still in service as VIP charters and one famously with NASA.

Convair 880





Comparative scale of the Boeing 707 and Convair 880

Douglas DC-8 Series 63


The Douglas DC-8. This the DC-8-63 was 37 feet longer than the original Series 10 to 50 variants.



The 3 first generation American airliners all of which first flew in the 1957-59 period and helped USA set the lead in jet airliner dominance despite the fact that the British de Havilland Comet was the first jet airliner ever and the Russian Tupolev Tu-104 was the first successful jet airliner ever. The other two large long range airliners of the ear that followed were the British Vickers VC-10 which was the most beautiful of the lot and the Soviet Ilyushin IL-62 a few of which interestingly are still in first line service!

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Convair 880 airliner Cathay Pacific; 1:200 scale; diecast



Douglas DC-8 Series 63 of Iberia; 1:200 scale; plastic

Two more great additions to your collection of yesteryear jet airliners

I just love the older liveries , elegant and simple. The Convair 880 looks to be a pretty well detailed model considering its from a unknown Chinese brand.
Was it bought from Aliexpress ?

The DC-8 I am guessing is a Hogan and looks as good as a diecast model and is huge compared to the 707 and 880, I'm guessing it would be as big as a A330-200 probably.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Two more great additions to your collection of yesteryear jet airliners

Thanks Foxbat. Il-62, VC-10 and Tu-114 are now needed.

The DC-8 I am guessing is a Hogan and looks as good as a diecast model and is huge compared to the 707 and 880, I'm guessing it would be as big as a A330-200 probably.

Yes the DC-8 is Hogan plastic. Very neat quality. I am really liking their plastics. Following in your foot steps. The DC-8-63 was 187 feet in length. In comparison the A330-300 is 209 feet and the tri-jet DC-10 was 171 feet.

[auxsend]

What a brilliant thread tucked away here. Some serious collections abound.

Was trying to look for the following specific models :

JET AIRWAYS : B737, A330 & ATR 72
INDIGO : A320

Any pointers on where i could buy scale models of the above mentioned aircraft's would be of great help.
Did some preliminary searching on Amazon.in & Flipkart to not much luck.

Even if there are any particular stores/ sites in the Singapore, Malaysia, Australia regions where one could buy, that would work too..

Thanks in advance for any inputs on this..

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by auxsend

Was trying to look for the following specific models :

JET AIRWAYS : B737, A330 & ATR 72
INDIGO : A320

Any pointers on where i could buy scale models of the above mentioned aircraft's would be of great help.

skanchan95 and Foxbat are best positioned to answer your question. They are experts on Indian carriers :-)

Lockheed Tristar L-1011-500, PAN AM, scale 1:200, Gemini
The model is about 9 inches in length.

The L-1011-500 with active wing tip ailerons and drag reduction improvements was one of the longest ranged airliners of its time carrying a full passenger payload. Also very good looking. Air India wanted to make it a mainstay replacement for the Boeing 707's but by the time our bureaucracy got around to placing an order, in the early 1980s, Lockheed had decided to close the production line.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by auxsend

What a brilliant thread tucked away here. Some serious collections abound.

Was trying to look for the following specific models :

JET AIRWAYS : B737, A330 & ATR 72
INDIGO : A320

Jet Airways
B737-800 in 1:200 scale was made by a few manufacturers in diecast metal but not anymore. Jet's 737-8 Max is available in 1/200 plastic and is made by Hogan.

A330 : in 1/200 scale it used to be made by Flight Miniatures(plastic). Not available anymore. In 1/400 scale, it is available in diecast metal.

ATR-72: available in 1/150 scale(plastic) and was made by a very lesser known manufacturer.

Indigo A320 in 1/200 was sold exclusively onboard their A320s. They have gone out of stock and may not be available anymore.

For yoyr model needs, you may try your luck with www.DBjets.com, the guy is based in Mumbai. A very reliable guy.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

skanchan95 and Foxbat are best positioned to answer your question. They are experts on Indian carriers :-)

Lockheed Tristar L-1011-500, PAN AM, scale 1:200, Gemini
The model is about 9 inches in length.

The L-1011-500 with active wing tip ailerons and drag reduction improvements was one of the longest ranged airliners of its time carrying a full passenger payload. Also very good looking. Air India wanted to make it a mainstay replacement for the Boeing 707's but by the time our bureaucracy got around to placing an order, in the early 1980s, Lockheed had decided to close the production line.

That's a fine looking model. Congratulations.

I remember seeing pics of leased L1011s in AI colours. Looked fantastic in AI's old livery.