Ungrateful Pigs at the End of the World

[Brian da Basher]

Duty at most U.S. Air Force bases in the Alaskan Air Defense Command was typically colorless and dull, the main diversions being snowmobiling and learning that anything smaller than a .44 magnum was useless against charging polar bears.

The bleakest of these outposts was an auxiliary field of the 343rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Point Hope, known as Point Hopeless or The End of The World. The only excitement here was the occasional off-course airliner. The aircraft were at least interesting as the 343rd was equipped with the top-secret, twin-engine Lockheed F-104X Super Starfighter.





Called the "Ungrateful Pig" by its pilots because of the great skill needed to pull off tight maneuvers at high altitude, the F-104X was, however, a fast, solid gun and missile platform ideally suited to intercepting anything that might overfly the Last Frontier.





This capability would be put to the test during the darkest hours of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October, 1962.

More to follow...

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

To say the Distant Early Warning line of radar pickets was on high alert during this time would be an understatement. The airmen of the 343rd also kept an eye out and followed news from the Caribbean with grave concern. They performed their duties with firm determination to repel whatever threat might appear.

The morning of October 25th dawned cold and frosty with light snow falling at Point Hopeless. Suddenly klaxons shattered the still, frozen air and the Ungrateful Pigs of the 343rd scrambled, rocketing skyward towards unidentified bogies.





Vectored to angels 30 at a point in the Bering Sea half-way between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, the Ungrateful Pigs spotted the bogies. Moving sluggishly under apparently heavy loads, the Tupelov bombers were slow to notice they'd been seen.





More to follow...

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

The Ungrateful Pigs fired off their Sidewinders at the Red invaders. Four of the Tupelovs exploded into bits as the missiles found their mark. The rest of the bombers jinked as hard as possible in evasive maneuvers as they dove down low, the Ungrateful Pigs screaming down after them, their Gatlings peppering them mercilessly.





"Splash 10 Commie bastards!" was the excited radio call received from the flight commander.

All but two of the Tupelovs disintegrated under the onslaught. The survivors turned tail and headed back towards Soviet airspace.  The Ungrateful Pigs were ordered to break off the attack and orbit.



Eventually, another flight of the 343rd from a base near Nome took up station and the Ungrateful Pigs were ordered back to Point Hopeless.

Amid the tensions of the day, neither side admitted the action over the Bering Sea ever happened and all involved were sworn to secrecy. As U.S. Air Force records were sealed "Eyes Only" until 2022, the brave defense by the Ungrateful Pigs is known today only by scholars researching deep in the archives of the Soviet Dal'naya Aviatsiya (Long Range Aviation) after the fall of Communism.



Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

The basis for this project is a cast-off 1/72 AMT Starfighter. While the F-104 is practically a whiff right out of the box, it took me a while to figure out what to do with it. Then one day I found the nose intake from a Hasegawa Fuji T-1, and with one well-placed cut, I had a twin-engined F-104. Of course, I didn't stop there. Using pylons from a MiG-19, I was able to make wing extensions and missile rails for this bird.





The model is brush-painted by hand in Model Master acrylics and decals are from spares, the nice Alaska markings from a sheet for an F-15.



The model took me about four days from start to finish. I had blast building it and I hope more of you will decide to join the fun to be had here at The End of the World As We Know It GB!



Brian da Basher

[Tophe]

Amazing! I wish the end of the World comes and I will see it scale 1...

[John Howling Mouse]

Of course you would be the one to come up with the elegantly simple/ingenius idea of slicing off a Starfighter's nose for a 3rd intake.  [hits self on head emoticon here]

[taiidantomcat]

That is brilliant!! You have set my mind flooding with ideas  :)

Very very cool

[sotoolslinger]

Neato :)

[Buzzbomb]

Well it certainly is a nice take on the Starfighter.
it's noice !