David Hingtgen

Armchair. But you sure can't swap the F100 and F110 around!

The F-14 and F-15 intakes are how they are to go fast---you'll note they are MUCH faster planes than the F-16 and especially F-18. The F-16 and F-18 don't have variable intakes due to complexity/weight---they wanted those planes to be as light as possible. Few planes have variable ramps now, it's just not worth that last "0.whatever" mach. Ramps help an engine make more power at altitude, little more. The F-16 and F-18 have "old school" simple intake designs. The F-16's is like the F-8, the F-18's is like the F-5. Better to make the plane sleeker or the engine more powerful, than to add parts to the intake, for more speed at altitude. The Tornado has had its ramps deactivated and fixed in one position for years, with little effect on top speed. Wasn't worth the maintenance cost. (much like the F-14's glove vanes) As for engines---the F-14's engines never went to anything else AFAIK. Their version of the F110 is unique. Now, many older F100 F-15 and F-16 engines do get handed down to even older ones as they're retired (-100's get -200's, -200's get -220's, etc). F110s are not very interchangeable---only the very latest F-15s can use it at all, and an F-16 is built to take either the F100 or F110, it cannot be changed without a MAJOR effort. (NASA is AFAIK the only place to ever have an F-16 change engine type---and that's because they custom-built a new intake) The Silent Eagle's CFTs can be swapped out for normal Strike Eagle CFTs. (this likely means you could technically convert an F-15E to a Silent Eagle if you really wanted to---or more likely, convert an F-15DJ) A little-commented-on feature snuck into the powerpoint is that the Silent Eagle has more chaff/flare dispensers---mounted in the tailbooms, similar to an F-16. (I wonder if the F-15I already has some there)

Umm, animated Swindle has a toy.

::mumble grumble:: GM just updated the Camaro website and published final specs for power/MPG. The base model now gets 304HP. That's SLIGHTLY more than my car. It was rated slightly LESS than my car. Very annoying. While my weight advantage should still make my car win any acceleration test against it, it is annoying to have lost the 'horsepower race'. (It also bumps it up amazingly close to the LS1 F-bodies' HP) (and it got 29MPG highway on the new test---which beats a LOT of smaller cars with far less power)

Canopy painting build-up! (you'd probably get to it before I get around to doing mine--I plan to save the canopy for last at this point and do/attach it when everything else is done)

That looks a whole lot more blue (and less grey) than the kit parts. Also seems to only be available in a spray. I just want to brush-paint a few small bits.

Lot more info in the powerpoint: http://www.slideshare.net/TheDEWLine/silen...type=powerpoint

I do wonder about the effect on V-tails for yaw stability---the F-15 originally had shorter fins with ventral fins---the ventrals were eliminated, so the verticals had to be extended. A primary goal of all planes is weight, so they always have the "minimum" structure needed for stability and control. Possibly the CFTs actually enhance yaw stability? Or if it never carries external weapons, it doesn't need as much yaw "protection" and a clean-config F-15 can get by with less effective v.stab area? Or perhaps production v-tails will be larger to cope. (if they go with all-new fins, they could really change things, make them trapezoidal etc---the ones seen today are specifically mentioned as basically being mock-up stabs)

For the RAAF many will be converted to EA-18Gs anyways, so they could just get these instead of F-35s or something---or buy just a few to supplement them. And the new Eagle is still over a year away from flying, much less in-service. (it'll still beat the F-35 though) While the RAAF Shornets are literally being built as we speak. And unlike Japan, Australia really does want more of a strike/interdiction plane, the Super Hornet's very good at that.

The Super Hornet has big square intakes too you know, and it's only just below the Typhoon etc for stealthiness---it has baffles in the intakes, and another article I just found said the production Silent Eagle with have them, as well as "coatings". (also, an F-15's intakes are not as straight as they look---you cannot see the compressors THAT easily---the F-14 is much worse--an F-15's engines are mounted much closer to each other than the intakes are---there is a decent S-curve in there, more so than the F-18 has) Supercruise----technically, yes most likely, but not usefully. An F-15 normally cruises at .9, doing 1.01 or something is kinda pointless. (lots of modern jets can BARELY supercruise when clean----the YF-23/22 can do 1.4+, that's their real point--it's not merely supercruising, it's going well beyond Mach 1 that's the real speed benefit) Finally--it is a "Silent Strike Eagle"--they can fit the 1,000lb JDAM and SDB inside, including mixing them with AMRAAM or Sidewinder in the bays at the same time. As for who's getting them---smart money's on Japan. They want the F-22, this is the next best thing. (F-35 simply is not that good in air combat from everything I've read---they won't even say it can match an early F-16) Japan wants the F-22 for pure air-to-air, the F-35 would be a very expensive inferior substitute--they don't want a cheap, multi-role plane like most nations---they want a truly kick-ass air superiority plane---there's not many options for that nowadays.

OMG! OMG OMG OMG OMG. V-tailed stealth F-15 with internal AMRAAM bays mounted in the CFTs to match the F-35's radar signature. It's real. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewl...tealthy-f-.html And the missiles swing out on rails: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/b...ctid16748936001

Yeah, but that was Cybertron-form Cyclonus---he'll look different on Earth. (probably---there's a chance he won't acquire an Earth mode)

Anyone got a good paint match for the purple-grey of the super pack plastic? I just want to paint a few parts. Question---decal 53 and 54 (for Alto at least) seem to go on the sides, then wrap around the bottom of the piece? (the piece right under the purple sensor windows). With a white background? Anyone got a screen cap or something that shows this area? (on any VF-25, I'm just trying to figure out what should be painted and how visible it is)

Surely I can't be the first person here to have found something this awesome: The "lost" 80's Saturday morning Watchmen cartoon opening: ::edit:: Nope, was posted earlier. Deserves posting again though.

OK, Future *after*. (most of my experiments have Future first, as it provides a barrier--easy to remove other layers if they get screwed up)

How are you protecting the decals? I'm not liking how "flattened Future" is coming out--inconsistent, and not that flat. The amount of flattener needed to make it really flat, makes it really white/crusty. As for the canopy--that's the closest to what I want that I've seen yet. Currently, mine's a tad more "pink" than that, but I'm not going to re-do what I have just to get a different hue. (though if I can't get the main piece to match the others, I will have to strip everything and re-do it anyways) PS---just how thin was the purple paint thinned? And you just dunked it, not with Future or anything?

Thinned with what? I tried a "very thinned paint" before but didn't work well---though it was a Testor's acrylic purple for that, not Tamiya. I'd appreciate a pic or two to see how it turned out--honestly a lot of "successful" VF-25 purple canopies don't look at all how I want mine to. I'm this close to ordering some Vallejo clear---getting the green too for my future armored Ozma, as I don't like how Tamiya green came out on Alto---too dark. (tamiya green is always streaky/uneven unless laid on heavily---and I used my shinest chrome paint to back-coat it, and it's still quite dark)

I really don't want to spend ANOTHER 10 bucks on ordering paints for the canopy, but may have to get some Vallejo then. (I think I have now spent more on red/blue/clear/purple things than I did on the kit)

Yeah, but I admit when I'm wrong. (just had to do it today on another board)

About the 4th time I've typed this: Red and blue food color makes brown Clear red and clear blue paint makes clear brown paint Most purple paints and inks don't like being mixed with Future. At all. Yes, it violates everything you've learned about colors in your whole life, but that's what happens with every brand I've tried. I even tried like 20 parts blue to 1 part red---instantly turns totally brown. Very few things actually make a "clear purple" and even fewer dry smoothly/evenly, without specks or streaks. One of my little "experiments" seems to mix better as time goes by---I've had a cup of it sitting on the shelf for weeks now. Plan to try it after the next airbrushing attempt. (my current airbrush mix works, but is so finicky I've only gotten 2 of the 3 clear parts done now---I've come so frustratingly close with the biggest piece, only to have one run/bubble/hair screw it up)

More like female and male human powermasters, who powered a large combiner Decepticon. Overlord is male despite his powermasters, much like Arcee is female, despite (sometimes) having a male headmaster.

Yeah, I was talking about the one about 3 or 4 posts earlier----I'm pretty sure I can tell Nanase and Grace apart. Hmmmn, now I'm thinking about the "limited color palette" theory. I wonder if it's to give a "consistent look" to Frontier. I'm thinking the blue accents on SMS stuff (helmets, flight suits, etc) may be the same shade as well. It's like there's only one shade of blue in the entire series--and it's a purplish-blue. (only exception being Mikhail's valk)

Hey, they actually included Grace in that group shot. Doesn't make up for the other 99% of the "entire cast except Grace" art they've made... Anyways---I just now realized her hair is the exact color of Sheryl's and Brera's outfits. Made in her self-image? Hmmmmmn.

Yeah, but clear red/green/yellow/blue are easy to do--I've even had people comment on how well I do clear blue. But clear purple is just 1000x harder for some reason. It just doesn't work/react right. I could have several Lucas built in the time I've spent on my Alto canopy.

#%^@%$!^%&! The Super Packs have transparent purple parts in them! Why the **** couldn't they do that for the canopy? Do you know how much time/effort/money I'd have saved if they'd molded the canopy parts in the same color they used for the lights(?) on the Super Packs? (and I *still* don't have one canopy piece done--the biggest one---still have to make another attempt) (mine just arrived today, via SAL) PS--as I mod, I can swear all I want. I just intentionally mask it to leave it open to interpretation.