[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Sandesh, you have won the Oscars once again after your Tomcat. This is just such a wonderful scale model that it has me drooling.

Thank you sir. HM's Flanker is easily the best one out there, especially after I noticed several flaws in JC Wings Flanker models.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Including here comparative photos of the MiG-15 and MiG-17 which I forgot to post the first time over. Note the greater wing sweep, the larger wing and the extra length (about 1 metre) of the MiG-17

To have two different aircraft in the same minimal Air Arm markings is just fantastic!!!!

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Excellent model, now I'm confused is your Tomcat the best fighter model on the thread or this one?

I am biased towards the Tomcat.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Yet no manufacturer makes a die-cast Indigo A320

I was one told that the model manufacturer may need to have permission from the Airline before manufacturing the model in that airline's livery. As many may be aware, Indigo used to sell 1:200 scale models of its A320 onboard. Hogan used to supply an excellent looking A320 model to Indigo and Hogan did not have the permission to sell that model directly through other channels. Later Indigo switched over to cheaper A320 models made by Premier Planes & Lupa brands. Now none of these models are available for sale onboard.

A Hint of my next acquisition - My great grandfather and namesake fought in WW2 with great distinction and earned the nickname - The Fork Tailed Devil. My pilots hate my assigned name and prefer calling me a member of the large hunting cat family. Who Am I?

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

A Hint of my next acquisition - My great grandfather and namesake fought in WW2 with great distinction and earned the nickname - The Fork Tailed Devil. My pilots hate my assigned name and prefer calling me a member of the large hunting cat family. Who Am I?

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. However the official Lightning II name has proven deeply unpopular and USAF pilots have nicknamed it Panther, instead.

Great Grandfather was Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

[Foxbat]

1:400 Gulf Air Boeing 777-35ER Registration "VT-JEH"

Probably the most striking livery on a Boeing 777.










The real aircraft.


In March 2009, Gulf Air signed a 42-month lease agreement with Jet Airways for four Boeing 777-300ERs, but the aircraft were returned to Jet Airways starting in September 2009. These were on wet lease, under wet lease, an airline provides its aircraft with complete crew, maintenance and insurance to another airline. Hence the Indian Registration remained.

VT-JEH in Jet Airways livery.



This is another small model to gift to my parents, we flew on this airline back in 1992, was a horrible airline back then !

Bought this from eBay from China, was held by customs for two weeks thats probably the reason for the broken wing and engine. Managed to glue them back however the port engine is now misaligned. It was described as new however the paint has numerous imperfections all over, lets see what the seller does.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. However the official Lightning II name has proven deeply unpopular and USAF pilots have nicknamed it Panther, instead.

Great Grandfather was Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

Right on the money!!! F-35 it is.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

1:400 Gulf Air Boeing 777-35ER Registration "VT-JEH"

Pretty decent looking model. Which Brand? The Indian registration adds to the value for an Indian collector. Congratulations!!!

I have her sister ship VT-JEM in 1/200 scale in Jet Livery.

It is sad that Jet faded away. It was my favourite airline to fly with probably because they had so many flights and convenient connections from Mangalore.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Bought this from eBay from China, was held by customs for two weeks thats probably the reason for the broken wing and engine. Managed to glue them back however the port engine is now misaligned. It was described as new however the paint has numerous imperfections all over, lets see what the seller does.

The infamous Customs strikes again and I feel sorry for you. Waiting all this while and receiving a damaged model. I wish there was a way to take those jokers to task for damaging parcels from abroad. Did you find any evidence of the parcel being opened or original packing tampered? For e.g, new packing tape, crumpled tape, abnormal cuts on the box etc?

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Which Brand?

It is sad that Jet faded away. It was my favourite airline to fly with probably because they had so many flights and convenient connections from Mangalore.

The infamous Customs strikes again and I feel sorry for you. Waiting all this while and receiving a damaged model. I wish there was a way to take those jokers to task for damaging parcels from abroad. Did you find any evidence of the parcel being opened or original packing tampered? For e.g, new packing tape, crumpled tape, abnormal cuts on the box etc?

It's a JC Wings model which came without a box, its probably a rejected piece due to paint defects. The seller has agreed to send another model (this one was the last piece) as a replacement for free.

I lost my Gold membership, thousands of points and 6 upgrade vouchers due to Jet Airways going bankrupt

Yes I was tracking the shipping progress of this model daily because its rare and pretty unique and it was hard finding a Gulf Air model in this size and price.

I'm pretty sure it was opened, on the parcel tracking page on India Post there is a 2 week gap between this entry and the next one: "Retention Reason : Retained by customs for unspecified reason". The tape sealing the box is of India Post so I'm sure it was opened and examined and was not put back in the packing properly. The seller had packed the model really well with multiple layers.

In my rush to repair the model I misaligned the engine and also the wing could have been pushed in more, now there is a slight gap which is visible from close.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

It's a JC Wings model which came without a box, its probably a rejected piece due to paint defects. The seller has agreed to send another model (this one was the last piece) as a replacement for free.

Sellers on Ebay and Aliexpress are pretty good that way.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

The tape sealing the box is of India Post so I'm sure it was opened and examined and was not put back in the packing properly. The seller had packed the model really well with multiple layers.
.

The same thing happened to my Sea Harrier that I got from Aliexpress. The seller had packed it quite well. There was no need for Customs to pull the model out from the model box in the name of 'inspection'. In the process, they broke the model and damaged it, some of which looked suspiciously deliberate. Thankfully the broken parts including wheels, gear struts, tail fin and a Sidewinder hung on to the inner packing tape till it reached it me. I was lucky that I was able to put back the model together in its entirity.

Since then, all of my parcels from Aliexpress escaped the evil eyes of those jokers!!! However, its been a while since I bought a model from Aliexpress.

[skanchan95]

1:72 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II 32-05/MM7336 XIII Gruppo (13th Squadron) CACCIA (Hunting) / 32 Stormo ( Wing), Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force)
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft, designed for ground-attack and air-superiority missions.

Specifications Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
Role – Multi-role stealth fighter
First Flight – December 16, 2006
Crew – 1
Powerplant – 1 x Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100, 40,000 lbs thrust with afterburner,25,000 lbs without.
Internal Fuel Capacity - 18,250 lbs (8,278 kg)

Weights
Empty – 29,300 lbs (13,000 kg)
Maximum – 70,000 lbs (31,800 kg)

Dimensions
Length – 51.4 ft (15.7 m)
Wingspan – 35 ft (10.7 m)
Height – 14.4 ft (4.38 m)

Performance
Speed with full internal weapons load – Mach 1.6
Combat Radius with internal fuel – 590 nm (1,093 km)
Range with internal fuel – 1,200 nm (2,200 km)

Weapons (Standard Internal)
1 x 25 mm GAU-22/A cannon
2 x AIM-120C air-to-air missiles
2 x 2,000 pound GBU-31 JDAM guided bombs

6 × external pylons on wings with a capacity of 15,000 lb (6,800 kg)





The F-35 has three main models: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A (CTOL), the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B (STOVL), and the catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery, carrier-based F-35C (CATOBAR). The F-35 descends from the Lockheed Martin X-35, the design that was awarded the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program over the competing Boeing X-32. The official Lightning II name has proven deeply unpopular and USAF pilots have nicknamed it Panther, instead. The F-35A is the only model equipped with an internal cannon on the port side. The F-35B & C can carry a gunpod on the centerline station. In USAF service, the F-35A is intended to replace the F-16 and A-10.

The Italian Air Force's 13th Squadron is equipped with the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II.

On June 24, 2017 an event was held marking the 100th Anniversary of five of Italy’s most noted combat squadrons. Four of the five are equipped with the Eurofighter Typhoon while the fifth is the XIII Gruppo (13th Squadron) CACCIA (Hunting) / 32 (Stormo) Wing and Italy’s first unit equipped with the F-35A Lightning II. For the occasion F-35As MM7336/32-05 and the MM7357/32-07 were given special markings on the port side tail only. It depicts Don Quixote, the number 100 and the dates 1917-2017. These F-35As were built at Plant Cameri FACO.

Italy is the second largest JSF contributing partner after the UK. In October 2008, the Italian government outlined a requirement for 131 F-35s for the Aeronautica Militare( Air Force) and Marina Militare(Navy), consisting of 69 F-35As and 62 F-35Bs.Under this plan the Italian Navy would have received 22 F-35Bs while the Air Force would get 69 F-35A and 40 F-35B STOVL version aircraft. In 2012,Italy became the first country to announce a reduction of its overall fleet procurement, cutting its buy from 131 to 90 aircraft

One of the partners of the F-35 development, Turkey, was kicked out of the F-35 programme recently. On 17 July 2019, following the delivery of Russian S-400 air defence systems, the United States announced that Turkey would be removed from the F-35 programme. Besides the ban on training of pilots and delivery of the aircraft, the move also included removal of Turkey from the supply chain.













The F-35’s Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS), a sensor complex housed beneath the aircraft’s nose and designed as a stealthy alternative to external sensor pods. The EOTS features short-wave infrared imaging, high-definition television feed, improved range+resolution and an infrared pointer.




The canopy can be set in the open position


The cockpit detailing - a great feature of HM models.




Special markings on the port side tail. It depicts Don Quixote, the number 100 with years 1917-2017(100th Anniversary of 13th Gruppo) and a high viz Italian AF finflash.






The Internal Loadout: 2X AIM-120 AMRAAM, 2 X GBU-31 GPS guided bombs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBw_9zj_2iE

Optional External weapons [ 2 X AIM-9X, 8 X GBU-38s( bombs mounted on Twin Ejector Racks)] are available to be mounted on the wings, but I prefer the clean, stealthy look.

The F-35A is armed with a GAU-22/A, a four-barrel version of the 25 mm GAU-12 Equalizer cannon. The cannon is mounted internally with 182 rounds for the F-35A or in an external pod with 220 rounds for the F-35B and F-35C.

How the internal gun works on the F-35:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtbsaEP_SB4

With the Hogan 1:200 F-35B






F-35A 32-05/MM7336


There was an old PC flight sim from the late 1990s titled "JSF (Joint Strike Fighter)" by Eidos Interactive, which let you fly the Lockheed Martin X-35 & Boeing X-32 and it was the only flight sim that was ever developed based on the F-35 . I still have the CD but it does not work on Windows 7 or higher. I had hours of fun flying that very dark themed flight sim. So the the F-35 models hold a special place in my heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4JyXL5tQCQ

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II 32-05/MM7336 XIII Gruppo (13th Squadron) CACCIA (Hunting) / 32 Stormo ( Wing), Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force)
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft, designed for ground-attack and air-superiority missions.

What a powerful beautiful beast. Congratulations. And thank you for the videos, the armament chart and the specs. Papa Panther and Baby Panther look good together. I didn't know the unofficial name was Panther. Wonder why the pilots do not like Lightning II.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

1:400 Gulf Air Boeing 777-35ER Registration "VT-JEH"

Probably the most striking livery on a Boeing 777.
Managed to glue them back however the port engine is now misaligned. It was described as new however the paint has numerous imperfections all over, lets see what the seller does.

Congratulations Foxbat. Sad to see our irresponsible customs who are answerable to no one have damaged your purchase. Somehow I liked the old Gulf Air livery a lot better.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

What a powerful beautiful beast. Congratulations. And thank you for the videos, the armament chart and the specs. Papa Panther and Baby Panther look good together.

Thank you sir. As usual, Hobby master simply blows away the competition when it comes to attention to details. Just look at the minute detailing in the internal weapons bay.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Wonder why the pilots do not like Lightning II.

Probably because of these reasons:

For one, the name is too long. The best warplane names are short and sweet: Sabre and Viper are examples. A nice cadence can make a longer name, like Tornado or Phantom, roll more easily off the tongue. A long but mighty name like Strike Eagle can force acceptance from sheer coolness. Lightning Two has none of these qualities.

Another reason Lightning Two is so disliked is because it is a sequel name. People dislike sequels, which are often uninspiring messes piggybacking off the popularity of the original. Many outside observers would have said the same thing about the F-35 in the late 2000s, and some would still say so now. Original names fare much better: the F-22 Raptor is the first jet bearing the name Raptor and, for the sake of originality, hopefully the last for a very long time.

Fortunately, the pilots who fly any given planes ultimately get the final say. In the late 1970s, Air Force pilots flying the first F-16s became enamored of the show “Battlestar Galactica,” which featured “Viper” space fighters. The name stuck, and today nobody calls the F-16 by its real name, the Fighting Falcon.

The A-10 is another plane that was struck by a bad case sequelitis. The tank-killing jet is technically named the Thunderbolt II, after the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter of World War II fame. The official name never took off however, and the A-10 is today known as the Warthog, a name the Air Force would have never, ever officially given the plane but which is so perfectly suited to the A-10 it’s hard to imagine anything else.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...me-is-panther/

[Jeroen]

Incredible airplane the F35. I have been doing some reading up on it lately.

The F35 is receiving a lot of bad press around the western world. Mainly due to the delays, overspending etc.

The Dutch government committed to the participation of the F35 many years ago.
At the time the other candidates were the SaabJas Gripen, The Eurofighter Typhoon and the Dassaul Rafale. The Dutch chose the F35> Not a huge surprise. The last non-American fighter we had was the Hawker Hunter. Every single fighter since has been American.

The Dutch airforce will take delivery of its first F35 later this month. A Dutch popular Science Magazine had numerous articles on the F35.

More importantly, 15 of their subscribers can participate in a “Meet and Greet” at the Leeuwarden Airforce base, up in the North of the Netherlands.

Of course I enrolled. But with only 15 places changes of being amongst the chosen ones are likely to be very remote. Fingers Crossed!

[V.Narayan]

A very happy and prosperous Diwali to all those whop contribute to this thread and to all our readers. May Goddess Laxmi fill your homes with light and wealth.*

Originally Posted by skanchan95

As usual, Hobby master simply blows away the competition when it comes to attention to details. Just look at the minute detailing in the internal weapons bay.

Simply outstanding.

Probably because of these reasons:

Its amazing how much you read. Good for the rest of us

Originally Posted by Jeroen

More importantly, 15 of their subscribers can participate in a “Meet and Greet” at the Leeuwarden Airforce base, up in the North of the Netherlands.
Of course I enrolled. But with only 15 places changes of being amongst the chosen ones are likely to be very remote. Fingers Crossed!

Looking forward to your write up and photos Jeroen. If you don't get selected just gate crash. Blame it on your fan club.

*PS: May you spend some of that wealth on even more aeroplane models.

-----::-----::-----::-----

I am one of only four aircraft of foreign make to have been license produced in USA. The other three were British but I am from another country

I was the first airliner to use adhesives in my primary structures for bonding - in my wings and fuselage. The bonding required a temperature controller air conditioned manufacturing area. Because of this one point I was not selected by India for large scale license production. The thought of a large volume factory being air conditioned did not pass muster with the bureaucrats even though PC Lal (later Air Chief) had strongly recommended me. The second reason was Krishna Menon.

Even though my direct Western competitors used exactly the same engines as me I outshone them all by a mile. In fact more of me were produced than my western competitors put together!

Who am I.

If you cant guess me other hints can be provided.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

The F35 is receiving a lot of bad press around the western world. Mainly due to the delays, overspending etc.

More importantly, 15 of their subscribers can participate in a “Meet and Greet” at the Leeuwarden Airforce base, up in the North of the Netherlands.

Of course I enrolled. But with only 15 places changes of being amongst the chosen ones are likely to be very remote. Fingers Crossed!

Good luck. I pray that you get selected.

Is there some truth in the rumour that Dutch F-16AM/BMs will be up for sale once the F-35s start coming in? And a country that is known as the Mirage III/V dumpyard of the world, will be among the first one seeking to buy those F-16s.

Recently F-35s of the Royal Norwegian AF were in the news. Their F-35As, which are undergoing trials, are the only ones equipped with a brake parachutes mounted in removable pods. There have been alarmingly high number brake parachute failures upon deployment.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

A very happy and prosperous Diwali to all those whop contribute to this thread and to all our readers. May Goddess Laxmi fill your homes with light and wealth

Happy Diwali to you too sir.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

I am one of only four aircraft of foreign make to have been license produced in USA. The other three were British but I am from another country.

Have guessed it already but will keep my mouth shut. Guessed it from the reference to ACM P C Lal and the eccentric V K Krishna Menon.

Another hint: the aircraft type's hull ended up being home to 28 air crash survivors for more than 70 days - a remarkable story of survival, friendship and triumph of the human spirit against all odds.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

A very happy and prosperous Diwali to all those whop contribute to this thread and to all our readers. May Goddess Laxmi fill your homes with light and wealth.

I am one of only four aircraft of foreign make to have been license produced in USA. The other three were British but I am from another country

Happy Diwali everyone!

As for the aircraft I have no idea after a 12 hour long day at work, I'll let Skanchan have all the glory

[FrozeninTime]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

A very happy and prosperous Diwali to all those whop contribute to this thread and to all our readers. May Goddess Laxmi fill your homes with light
I am one of only four aircraft of foreign make to have been license produced in USA. The other three were British but I am from another country

Who am I.

If you cant guess me other hints can be provided.

Happy Diwali to all.
Well sir the aircraft was Fokker F27 friendship. Fairchild corporation built Fokker F 27 in US.

[V.Narayan]

Yes Guys its the Fokker Friendship F-27. Where wing design goes this aircraft was on the top. Its wing design was way better than the Avro HS.748, Handley Page Herald, Antonov An-24/26, the Japanese NAMC YS-11, the Andover {derived from the HS.748 ... this was a take a poor design and make it bigger...and you'll get a ??}, Airspeed Ambassador etc. In this list I am ignoring abject duds like the ATL-90 Accountant {yes that was its name!!}. The wing is 90% of an aircraft. A great wing can compensate up to a point for a sub-optimal engine {e.g HAL Marut} but never the other way around. My heart broke when Fokker, the till then oldest continuously surviving aircraft designer-producer, went broke in 1996. On India's North East domestic routes where hot and high has real meaning the old Indian Airlines never flew the HS.748 and bought a few F.27's. Both aircraft had almost identical all up weights and the same engines and yet the F.27 could do the hot and high which the Avro could not. A legend.