T.V.

Yup. Looks like a laser designator and IR targeting pod. In terms of avionics this aircraft could be in the range of the F-16 block 50 - 60, I reckon. Would probably be the first all aspect TVC plane in service, if the Indians buy it for their M-MRCA requirement. Is nice![/borat]

Hmm.. My interest is piqued. Wether it's a remake or adittion to the orginal Macross series, I don't really care so long as it is entertaining, has Valkeries, a good story and decent characters. Oh.. and nice music.

Between the legs, just like in the line art and anime.

Thx! I still haven't found the lineart I was looking for, but then again the article is 1 or 2 years old and the mag is boxed up somewhere, so it'll take some time before I'll find it. Anyway, here's an page from a more recent article. It's from Combat Aircraft, nov '06. I marked the paragraph that deals with the discussion wether or not the J-10 is a "carbon copy" or simply a reverse engineered and modified Lavi, or an original design. I've added some Lavi line art as well.

The mastubatory scene of Nina using the corner of the table was a lot less innocent than the boob 'fan'-service. Are pizza, mecha and story not enough to keep people interested?

$214!? I hope it was MISB.. The pilot I mean.. not the ticket.

A lot of the colour changes are probably simply due to enviromental lighting changes, so I'd just go with this official one.

.. with gold/copper chest window trimming and red eyes. Now who'd be the inspiritation for this character?... To bad about the blue being baby-blueish and the hands being white. It still looks okay though, and it's nothing a little enamel or acrylic paint couldn't solve.

Nevermind the whole "unification addiction" episode... *clicks pen in cap repeatedly* It's a DVD release only, and not something that's going to be aired, so I'll doubt there will be a lot changed to protect the 'innocent.'

Blackout superior! Blackout = New Soundwave.

Exactly. The Lavi is the inspiration, nothing more. The experience with the planform and avionics proofed invaluable for the J-10 programme. Without Isreali assistance I'd doubt that the chinese would've come this far. Aircraft are complex specialised machines, therefore "cut 'n paste" engineering is pretty useless when the parameters change. Principles and knowledge can be transferred to the new design, but copying and rescaling parts of the design simply doesn't suffice. The J-10 is a notably different aircraft from the Lavi. It doesn't share much of the design with the Lavi, as the J-7 and MiG-21F-13 or Mirage III/V and Nesher/Dagger/Kfir do. The Kfir C7 and latest J/F-7 variants share features with the Mirages and MiGs they were based on, but the J-10 is a totally unique design from the ground up. Just because they look similar doesn't mean that they're internally identical in some respects. A "copy" or "bootleg" infers that the design didn't start from scratch but instead was a modified existing design. With the J-10, that's not the case. It used a planform similar to the J-10, because it was relatively known aerodynamic territory. However, internally it is a completely different beast. Also, the changes to the planform and size deem it a different design completely. They had to start from scratch, just because adapting the Lavi would take more time than doing that. The Rafale isn't a bootleg Eurofighter, for example. The new Ford GT isn't a bootleg GT40 either, despite them looking nearly identical to the untrained eye. P.S. Haven't found the issue with the line art yet (was some time ago), so the scan will have to wait.

Yes, but the F-2 does share some structural parts with the F-16, unlike the Lavi and J-10. The F-2 is an extensive redesign of the F-16, while the J-10 is a new design that's based on the Lavi. I'd almost go as far as to say that the F-2 is an F-16J 'Kai'... As for the J-10 Lavi debate. Hongdu got assistance from Yakovlev with their JL-15 trainer, which 'magically' turned into an aerodynamic design resembling the Yak-130. They're still different aircraft, but they share an aerodynamic basis. The Mig-29 and Su-27 were also based on the same aerodynamic research and thus their planforms ended up being similar.

You are. The planes aren't identical in any respect. They share as much as the early '80s Rafale prototype shared with the EFA prototype. The French initially were a partner of the EFA program, but in the '80s they decided to go at it alone. Lo and behold, the Rafale has a twin engine delta canard configuration, just like the Eurofighter, but that's were the simularity ends. The J-10 benifited greatly from the aerodynamic experience the Israelis had with the Lavi, so that's why the configuration and planform is similar. However, not a single part is exchangable between the two aircraft. I have some high detail line art of the J-10 in some of my aviation magazines, so I'll scan and post it later today.

LMAO! I'm interested in this series.. too bad it isn't shown on T.V. here in the Netherlands.

The structure of both aircraft is notably dissimilar. The J-10 is more likely to be inspired by the Lavi than anything else. Isreali assistance was no doubt a great benifit to the project, but the J-10 is far from a scaled up Lavi. The early J-8 is basically a scaled up twin engined J-7, but the J-10 is a whole different beast from the Lavi. Just having different materials to work with, less refined manufacturing techniques, a different engine and a different performance requirement, meant that making the J-10 into a scaled up version of the Lavi wasn't going to yield any desirable results. Instead, they put the aerodynamic knowledge of the Lavi to use to make a suitable aircraft for their own requirements and constraints. The similarities between the J-10 and Lavi programmes are more like between the F-16 and AIDC Ching-Kuo.

It's a sure thing, just look carefully at the bot mode CG and you'll notice it. Simply to be true to the alt mode. Also, it makes the thighs look sleeker, helping the overall proportions.

You could also pull off a very G1 Megatronesque design with an A-10 as the basis. It's already grey, features a big cannon (the entire gun assembly is bigger than a VW Beetle) and lends itself pretty well for a BW Megatron type of transformation.

Actually, if you look carefully at the CG bot mode pics.. he does have 10 wheels rather than 6. The outer wheels on the rear break apart and slide over the inner wheels. Rather impossible to replicate on a leader class toy.

Did I quick search but nothing came up on the subject: The J-10 has been officially revealed by the Chinese PLAAF on the 29th of december. http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/fighter/j10news.asp

All Mig-33s (according to Airforces Monthly that's the name of the new Indian Mig-29K) will have the dual seat canopy, since it doesn't have a negative effect on drag and reduces production cost. The single seaters will have an extra fuel tank and system storage space instead of the 2nd seat and as such the weight difference between the two is marginal. Kinda like the Su-39, but with the rear canopy being preserved. So, I think, by extension, that the added flap/slat is for the entire fleet as well. I don't know if it's a slat or a double hinged flap, but I think it's a slat. The added weight is rather minimal for such a short surface area on the inboard section of the wing. I suspect a slat has a greater efficiency due to the vortex effect of the LERX, but that's just a guess. The horizontal tailplanes seem to be enlarged as well. The same goes for the intakes, but it's hard to tell.

Probably.

I thought it was going to be a new designation, but I'm not sure. I've read the AMRAAM+ designation once before... The Meteor method is the easiest way to get longer legs on the missle without increasing the size (much). Giving the missle a small rocket booster and a ramjet engine, gives the acceleration of a rocket, with the range of an air ingesting jet engine. Phoenix missles on an F-15. Blasphemy! Like David, I'm guessing that the Phoenix will simply fly in a preprogrammed fashion and will not be guided by the mother aircraft, just like the other air launched research vehicles. The F-15 simple drops it off at the correct altitude, speed and angle. In a way, it reminds me of the tack on conversion done by the Iranians on their F-14s, fitting them with modified Hawk SAMs.

Hmm.. veweee eeentawesting.

Nice job! When comparing, you need to be aware of the more pronounced perspective on the line art compared to the two models. The nose may look bigger than it actually is, and the aft fuselage (tailplanes and legs/engine bays) smaller than intended.

It's a joke (though apparently not a good one..) Mistels are the exact opposite of piggyback boosters in function and carrier/host configuration.