David Hingtgen

Ooh, VFA-102 repainted their CAG *again*. What is this, scheme #4 in 2 years? At least they know how to make a nose-stripe look good on a Shornet. Interestingly---the tailcode has been moved back to the rudders... (VFA-102 was one of the first to have to move their tailcodes off the rudders) Best of all--the Diamondbacks have a diamond on the back! Haven't seen that since the very first F-4 deliveries. http://drastic.cside.com/fly/CRW_0025.jpg

Have you considered any of the battleship/cruiser-based float-equipped scout planes, both US and German? Most are 30's designs, though certainly not sleek.

Which always struck me as interesting, as both cars and planes (and ships and trains and most every other form of mechanized transport) have constant arguments about who's "best", yet semi-trucks have a very clear heirarchy of "best to worst". Excluding a few "average" companies in the middle whom you could argue would be slightly better/worse than average.

I saw the pics, didn't feel like posting. Anyways---I suspect that is an OLD photo of a prototype/sample. Details-wise, it's perfect for THAT plane. It's 160656, the 1982 CAG. (DW has a typo, that's the 82, not 92 version). Every little detail I know of for that plane is correct. VF-111 is my fave squadron, I have most of their CAG plane's BuNo's memorized. 162594, 160656, 160660, 161621.. HOWEVER: there seems to be no nose pitot. Either they forgot to put it in for the photo (The F-16's is removable), or they have a Block 75 nose or something. That'd be wrong for 90% of F-14's. Also---did you notice IT HAS A B/D's BACK END? The fairings are separate, but GE's! So they obviously plan to do an accurate F-14B, they just put the wrong ones on for that prototype photo-shoot. So---if the final actual release has the correct F-14A back end, and a nose pitot, than it will be as accurate as if I built one from a Hasegawa kit. By far the most accurate diecast model jet ever, period. But, if there's no nose pitot, and it has the back end of an F-14B---then they screwed up as big as they did with the "no pylons" F-15E. Nose pitots are VERY common on F-14's, but not all. VF-1, 2, and 124 are about the only ones you'd commonly see without them. Maybe 24, 32, 51, 142, 143. (I'm not as up on those squadrons with their very first F-14 deliveries) Finally--yes, I do think it looks kind of "fat" and/or toyistic in those photos. DW often seems to change many details between pics and release, so I'm waiting for pics of an actual released one, before I buy. But details-wise, if they get the nose pitot and engine fairing right, it'll be perfect.

Not that I'm much of a car guy, but I would like to chime in here. My all-time top 2 fave cars are the 93-97 Camaro, and the Countach Quatrovalvole. I love wedges. With low front ends and very raked windshields.

Is there any way to calculate "prestige"? If 5 years from now, 90% of our front-line fighters are F-15's and F-16's, while smaller nations have EF-2000's, Gripens, and Rafales---regardless of quantity/training, it just plain doesn't look good on the world scene. Same as a carrier battle group--a big chunk of the effectiveness is its mere presence/existence in an area. But a bunch of old F-15's? Not very "intimidating".

KOTOR 2 has a great concept/story, just lacks in execution. And level 15 is about as fast as you can possibly get a lightsaber. 14 if you try. I got real sick of "random items" real fast. I spent a while experimenting with looting bodies etc, seeing what I got, then reloading. Items varied from nothing, to double-bladed lightsabers. Yup. Looking for a purple short saber? Just keep reloading. Might get a breath mask, might get nothing, might get a yellow double-saber... Ending is "total cop-out". IMHO. Especially the "we're not QUITE mocking the players" line at the very very end of "Did you think there was some big revelation at the end? Something that would shatter your perceptions to the very core? No, there's only you". (I don't think that's a spoiler, since they're saying that there is no big spoiler in the game) Don't worry about getting spoiled much in KOTOR 2, there isn't some big secret/revelation. Or if there is a few things that might be considered as such, they're ultra-obvious. If you guess something, you're right.

Lakenheath is the closest major base to the Balkans. And the rest of the former USSR, which frankly, few of those nations are very "stable". Spangdahlem and Aviano are pretty much "F-16 staging grounds for when we can't use Turkey". Now that Bitburg's closed, it's the best bet. And most importantly, the UK likes us (at least, more than Germany and Italy at the moment). Diego Garcia--too remote for anything but a B-52. As for needing something better than an F-15/air-threat: The F-15 is old enough now that even half-assed copies of modern fighters can probably beat it. Forget China, anybody with a few hundred million can get all the Rafales or Gripens they want, and blow any USAF plane but the F-22 out of the sky with pretty good odds. And, going with Nied here---F-15's are *old*. 1973, 74, 75 builds are ALL in the desert to be scrapped due to age. 76/77/78 won't last much longer, despite being the nifty F-15A MSIP. 6 years from now, all F-15A's and half the F-15C's will be too old for anything but ANG training if that. Instead of $105million F-15K's that are obsolete for air-to-air the day they're built, get the slightly more expensive but 10x better F-22. (105 million each based on last reported price of the F-15K purchase)

I've got 2 opinions on how we should deploy F-22's, depending upon the final number. 1. 3 squadrons at Langley, 3 at Eglin. 2 full wings, nothing more. Our premiere fighter wings having the best. 2. 3 squadrons at Langley, 1 at Kadena, 1 at Lakenheath. World-wide coverage. If we should happen to have lots of F-22's, just combine the 2 options. Even 1 squadron at every non-Langley F-15C base is unlikely at this point. (since they'll probably fill up Eglin before assigning them to any but the most critical non-CONUS bases)

Air superiority is everything. No superiority, then every A-xx, B-xx, EA-xx, C-xx, KC-xx, and H-xx is going to get shot down before it gets its job done. F-xx's exist to clear the air for the bombers/attackers/recon/tankers.

If anyone's still looking for Air Superiority Blue, Humbrol #47 is close IMHO. Cut it with white or light grey if it looks too "intense". Saw it used on a Ukranian Flanker model and it looked great. Find pics of OLD F-15's, they're painted in 100% Air Superiority Blue--they are what it was created for. Testor's Flanker colors are known to be off. Basically-they look great in the bottle, but dry to a totally different color. Better than totally guessing though. Best opinion I found was the 2 lighter are "ok", with the darkest being too dark. Avoid Xtracolor Flanker colors. "Niche" Flanker paint is supposed to be right on, but impossible to find. Also, the very famous and oft-modeled Ukranian Flankers have non-standard colors. One of them is Air Superiority blue, but the other two are not your standard Flanker colors. There's a dozen companies a year that say they'll make Flanker colors, but none ever show up. Or they're ultra-hard to get. Finally: The most often quoted FS numbers for Flankers: FS35550 FS35450 FS35526 However, 35450, Air Sup Blue, is much too bright for real Flankers IMHO. I've seen 35420 listed, that may be better. (I like Ukranian Flankers, as does everyone else, and they're the most photographed--which messes up what every thinks of as "normal" Flanker paint)

F-18F is so high-alpha "tweaked" it'd beat most anything at this point in that category. And all Hornets can out-roll the Cobra. However, the YF-17 has sheer smallness on its side, and that would help its turn radius/rate. (sustained) YF-17 far and away has better power/speed. Sleek enough to supercruise on less power than the F-18A had. (It has J101's, which are prototype F404's)

The grey/red tail is exactly how their final F-14 CAG was painted. The Shornet just adds the knight. I think the grey looks lighter than VF-103's grey---I'm betting 36118 instead of 36081. Shin--actually, the Super Hornet incorporates several YF-17 features, most notably the shape of the LEX's. Basically, MDC finally "fixed" what they changed when making the F-18A from the YF-17. The Super Hornet looks (from above) like a large YF-17. I think it shows how "right" the YF-17 was originally...

Just a quick note: Black Knights repainted their CAG, now it's almost full color: http://www.myaviation.net/search/photo_sea...php?id=00264509 http://www.myaviation.net/search/photo_sea...php?id=00264510 Grey tail, red stripes, same knight as before.

The A-10's cannon is often described as a chainsaw (rather than a lawnmotor).

I love Ferris camo, especialy when it's not me doing the masking. All the schemes on that site are real, it's heavily referenced for modelers. (Though his F-14 low-vis is off, that's a "unique variation" not the standard that 90% of squadrons use) Anyways---what/how do you thin Gunze to spray? Nobody agrees, I always like to see what everybody does.

I loved the series, but always liked "The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe" least of all. Seen the movies, even a play. Never works as live-action IMHO. And even when I was like 10 I could see the religious overtones in it... I didn't know they now published them "in order". The Horse and His Boy was always my favorite.

You can get to the Langley BX?!?! Then you might be able to get some of the "special" DW F-15's. Not listed on the DW site, not available anywhere but USAF/USAFE BX's etc. Look here: http://www.modelhangar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=534 Note: while very nice, and they even make a Bitburg one (my fave base) they have 'feathered' nozzles. Tailfins are right, but nozzles aren't. PS---DW F-15's have *two* canopies--an open one, and a closed one, so there's no trying to get it to stay in place. Pick the one you want, like Corgi models. PPS--I have 2 DW F-16's, and both canopies stay shut quite nicely. Certainly not with a pilot, but when empty they're fine. Loose, but "flush".

35450 is d*mn close to the medium blue used on Flankers. Not many companies make Flanker colors (nobody makes true FS35450) but you can get Testors Model Master Enamel #2131, Flanker Medium Blue. If nothing else, buy it as a reference to mix your own. Also, RLM 78 Hellblau is supposed to be close to 35450. Honestly, the color is "sky blue", for "bright blue skies" camo. Name may change over the years/nations, but it's all the same color. PS--my list shows Gunze 74 as simply "Blue".

Pan Am was selling moon flight reservations decades ago... No actual tickets, but you could pay like $10 and "get in line" for when they became available. You got a letter, pamphlet, etc. Pan Am "Moon Flight" reservation certificates are quite the collectors item nowadays. At least Virgin actually waited until the technology was a bit further on.

Most interesting CFT pic I ever found was the 1FW Commander's plane with CFT's, and no less than 18 500lb bombs loaded up. CFT's also had the 1FW markings on them, not simply "generic" grey CFT's like you usually see on a C/D. Generally only E's get their CFT's painted for the squadron.

I pay no heed to size of kits. I've got TWO Academy Hornets. (Thank you, half-off sales) And I plan to get the Academy 1/32 F-16 once it comes out, as well as whichever company does an early Block 30 first... (unless it takes forever, then I'll just get the older Hase release) I don't think I've ever seen a Macross kit for sale by me, there's only 1 shop that even sells a decent selection of Hasegawa jets period. I live in the land of Monogram and Airfix...

F-15 stuff: 1. Finally found a good pic of an F-15C w/CFT's but no missiles, showing the pylons. Yes, all F-15 CFT's have pylons, not just the ones for Strike Eagles. http://www.airliners.net/open.file/730390/L 2. Dragon's latest diecast F-15C's have the tailfins and engines corrected, and are now very accurate. I plan to get the Langley one. They are numbers 50104 and 50106. The new F-15E has the same corrections as the C's, but it still has the pylon-less CFT's. http://www.flyingmule.com/Merchant2/mercha...t_Code=DM-50104 http://www.flyingmule.com/Merchant2/mercha...t_Code=DM-50106 (Dragon's own pics showed early uncorrected samples, but the actual released versions have the improvements--FlyingMule is about the ONLY store that takes their own pics)

Tomcat: 5,440,000 vs Hornet: 2,300,000

ATF updates: FB-22, stealth external carriage: http://www.afa.org/magazine/Jan2005/0105raptor.asp F/A-22 cut instead of F-35: http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/chan...ws/JSF01045.xml Yeah, never mind what the USAF asks for, cut what you feel like... YF-23 opened up undergoing restoration: http://airpower.callihan.cc/HTML/Spotlight/YF-23-2.htm