Hi
everyone,
here is my Italeri (ESCI) USAF F-111A Aardvark. This aircraft was developed in
the 1960's to supply the US Air Force and US Navy with a new double role
bomber/long range interceptor aircraft which would have commonality for weapons
and parts and therefore be more cost effective for the US taxpayer. The US Navy
rejected this aircraft almost from the outset and it caused a political
backlash. Due to the complexities of the new technologies adopted for it, the
set-up stage dragged on for many years before the F-111 reached its operational
maturity as the Vietnam war went through its final phase. On that occasion the
aircraft performed well, thanks to its excellent electronic equipment, which
made it one of the first all-weather attack aircraft, combined with its premium
low flying qualities while carrying a heavy bomb load.
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This was the
first 1/72 scale kit that I had built in years and I must say it was an
enjoyable experience. The kit fits together well and very little filler was
needed. My only additions to the kit were an Eduard etched brass set for the
cockpit and some very carefully cut masking tape to create the side skirts for
the sweep wings on the sides of the fuselage. As usual, the model was painted
with humbrol enamels and weathered with my usual wash of black water colour
paint. The markings came in the box and depict a USAF F-111A of 474th
Tactical Fighter Wing, 429th TFS based in Takhli, Thailand in 1972.
Once the model
was complete, I thought I'd use up some spare accessories that I had lurking in
my workshop. As I started looking at the parts and figures available, I thought
I would have a go at a small diorama depicting this aircraft being armed at it's
base in Thailand in 1972. The ground equipment came from Hasegawa's 1/72 ground
support set and the figures were a mix between the Hasegawa set and Esci's NATO
ground crew set. This was a fun build for me as it was my first attempt at
a SEA camo scheme with an airbrush, it's not a spot-on job, but I'm happy with
it all the same. I hope you like it too.
Darren
Click on
images below to see larger images
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