Author Topic: Freedom Model Kits (Read 48973 times)

LemonJello · « **on:** January 21, 2014, 09:41:22 PM »

Just saw the announcement over on Aeroscale: new Taiwanese/Chinese company coming into the market and their planned first release is something quite interesting

1/48 X-47B US Navy UCAS

Link: http://www.freedommks.com/p/blog-page.html

I'll be getting one (at least) of these.

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #1 on:** January 22, 2014, 02:07:26 AM »

Yes! You have made my day!

Rickshaw · « **Reply #2 on:** January 22, 2014, 10:36:52 AM »

Interesting subject. Wrong scale though. I'm sure something could be done to make it useful though, in the one true scale of 1/72.

jcf · « **Reply #3 on:** January 22, 2014, 01:58:22 PM »

Quote from: Rickshaw on January 22, 2014, 10:36:52 AM

Interesting subject. Wrong scale though. I'm sure something could be done to make it useful though, in the one true scale of 1/72.

The Platz 1/72 X-47B has been out for some time:
http://www.internetmodeler.com/scalemodels/flaviation/Platz-1-72-X-47B.php

finsrin · « **Reply #4 on:** January 22, 2014, 03:01:18 PM »

Depending on what fuselage is being used in a 1/72 kitbash. Wings from either 1/48 or 1/72 X-47B can be attached.
Cut wings off at black line where wing is blending into center section.
First thing that pops to mind is 1/48 wings on a 1/72 CF-100. Is also Aurora 1/67 CF-100.

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #5 on:** January 22, 2014, 04:55:27 PM »

If you were going to do a scale-o-Rama build maybe you could do this or something similar:

finsrin · « **Reply #6 on:** January 22, 2014, 07:13:42 PM »

Like that suggestion. 1/48 built as 1/72 calculates to 57ft long & 93.5ft wing span.
Penetration/strike type jet.

LemonJello · « **Reply #7 on:** April 04, 2014, 04:21:20 AM »

Reported mid-April release date for the X-47B:

As seen on Aeroscale: http://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=16508

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #8 on:** April 05, 2014, 01:58:54 AM »

Goodie, goodie, goodie…. :)

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #9 on:** April 12, 2014, 04:35:29 AM »

Some details here too (click on image below):

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #10 on:** April 15, 2014, 01:19:09 PM »

To supplement Greg's post above we now have a look at the kit contents courtesy of Michael Benolkin at CyberModeler to show us what comes in the box:
Freedom Models 1:48 Scale X-47B UCAS (kit number 18001)

Click on html or thumbnail image to view article.

When this thing actually goes into squadron service with an air wing on a bird farm will the designation be AQ-47B, MQ-47B, or AQM-47B? Or a completely different designation?

ChernayaAkula · « **Reply #11 on:** April 16, 2014, 02:41:17 AM »

Quote from: Jeffry Fontaine on April 15, 2014, 01:19:09 PM

<....>
When this thing actually goes into squadron service with an air wing on a bird farm will the designation be AQ-47B, MQ-47B, or AQM-47B? Or a completely different designation?

I could be wrong, but I think the X-47B is not intended to ever get into operational service. AFAIK, it's a pure technology demonstrator. It may be developed further to compete for a USN UCAS tender, though.

"arnobiz" on ARC called it F/A-47 for his VFA-102 build, using the 1/72 Platz kit: LINK

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #12 on:** April 16, 2014, 02:49:10 AM »

If it was to enter service I think you would see the "MQ" designator used since it would be Multi-role - conducting both Surveillance and Attack roles along possibly with EW and other roles.

In fact, NG are supposedly offering a derivative of their X-47 for the USN Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program. This is to develop an aircraft carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle to provide an unmanned intelligence and strike asset to the fleet. The UCLASS will be "an autonomous aircraft capable of precision strike in a contested environment, and it is expected to grow and expand its missions so that it is capable of extended range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare, tanking, and maritime domain awareness" - therefore the MQ designator would make sense.

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #13 on:** April 16, 2014, 04:05:45 AM »

Quote from: GTX_Admin on April 16, 2014, 02:49:10 AM

If it was to enter service I think you would see the "MQ" designator used since it would be Multi-role - conducting both Surveillance and Attack roles along possibly with EW and other roles.

In fact, NG are supposedly offering a derivative of their X-47 for the USN Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program. This is to develop an aircraft carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle to provide an unmanned intelligence and strike asset to the fleet. The UCLASS will be "an autonomous aircraft capable of precision strike in a contested environment, and it is expected to grow and expand its missions so that it is capable of extended range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare, tanking, and maritime domain awareness" - therefore the MQ designator would make sense.

Fitting that platform with AESA or similar sensors to take over the AEW mission would also be an interesting role. Putting the SENSO team back in the bowels of the CIC would certainly make for a very small and hard to spot target (save for the obvious emissions from the radar).

jcf · « **Reply #14 on:** April 16, 2014, 06:06:20 AM »

A production aircraft shouldn't be a -47 anything as that number is from the X series sequence.
The current highest publicly acknowledged designation for the Q series is RQ-23A.

elmayerle · « **Reply #15 on:** April 16, 2014, 09:39:44 AM »

Considering that the X-35 begat the F-35, I'm not sure that carries as much weight anymore; pity, that.

jcf · « **Reply #16 on:** April 16, 2014, 01:44:09 PM »

Thus the use of shouldn't.

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #17 on:** June 19, 2014, 03:12:22 AM »

I have had some interesting communication from Bryan Chen Manager of Freedom Model Kits. Nothing confirmed yet but there might be an interesting development in the works...

LemonJello · « **Reply #18 on:** June 19, 2014, 04:29:52 AM »

Oh? Any other little tidbits that you can share?

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #19 on:** June 19, 2014, 05:14:42 AM »

It will be a model..of an aircraft...

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #20 on:** December 21, 2014, 04:09:14 AM »

New release announced: 1/700 FREMM Aquitaine D650:

elmayerle · « **Reply #21 on:** December 21, 2014, 08:07:24 AM »

Quote from: Jeffry Fontaine on April 16, 2014, 04:05:45 AM

Quote from: GTX_Admin on April 16, 2014, 02:49:10 AM
If it was to enter service I think you would see the "MQ" designator used since it would be Multi-role - conducting both Surveillance and Attack roles along possibly with EW and other roles.

In fact, NG are supposedly offering a derivative of their X-47 for the USN Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program. This is to develop an aircraft carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle to provide an unmanned intelligence and strike asset to the fleet. The UCLASS will be "an autonomous aircraft capable of precision strike in a contested environment, and it is expected to grow and expand its missions so that it is capable of extended range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare, tanking, and maritime domain awareness" - therefore the MQ designator would make sense.
Fitting that platform with AESA or similar sensors to take over the AEW mission would also be an interesting role. Putting the SENSO team back in the bowels of the CIC would certainly make for a very small and hard to spot target (save for the obvious emissions from the radar).

I was re-reading this thread and I have to wonder how detectable the emissions would be? Before JSTARS came along, something equivalent to that radar was supposed to be carried behind the line of battle by a stealthed aircraft for which Tacit Blue was the concept test bed. I could see something similar for a LPI air-search radar carried by a UCLASS. It would be a specialized derivative, but I can visualize what it might look like.

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #22 on:** March 29, 2015, 04:30:15 AM »

Freedom announce new 1/48 F-20:

elmayerle · « **Reply #23 on:** March 29, 2015, 01:10:34 PM »

Beautiful!! It looks like they got the final nose shape down quite well. Could be a great start for crossing with a F-5F to make a F-20B or with a F-5B to make a TF-20. Or with a mix of both to produce a 3-seat rapid communications aircraft (with tip tanks and drop tanks on all hardpoints - could be interesting to see in Special Air Wing markings).

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #24 on:** March 29, 2015, 01:34:15 PM »

It will be interesting to see how this compares to the relatively cheap and plentiful Monogram kit


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Author Topic: Freedom Model Kits (Read 48973 times)