Author Topic: Apophenia's Offerings  (Read 905903 times)

Offline Tophe

  • He sees things in double...
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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #775 on: April 15, 2013, 12:07:21 PM »
VERY interesting, thanks!

Offline Logan Hartke

  • High priest in the black arts of profiling...
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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #776 on: April 15, 2013, 12:31:46 PM »
I'll take 12 of each, thank you very much.  They already did that, though...



Cheers,

Logan

Offline ChernayaAkula

  • Was left standing in front when everyone else took one step back...
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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #777 on: April 15, 2013, 09:10:10 PM »
Wow!  :icon_surprised: Sooooo good!  :-*  :)
Cheers,
Moritz

"The appropriate response to reality is to go insane!"

Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #778 on: April 15, 2013, 10:42:29 PM »
Very cool.......

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #779 on: April 22, 2013, 07:04:26 AM »
Thanks folks! Decided to 'colourize' the Me 209 (III) after all ...

Yellow 4 was a  Me 209A-2/R1 flown by Lt Gottfried Dietze. When 7/JG.26 moved to the Luftüberlegenheit role,  this unit converted from Fw 190D-9s to Me 209As. Ironically, Dietze was killed by strafing P-51Ds while attempting to scramble in Yellow 4 at Schwerin-Sülte airfield in late March 1945.

The personal marking is of Frau Gode, mistress of the Wild Hunt. Also known as the Boar Hound Goddess or Grimhild, the witch/sorceress, Frau Gode rode with hounds to spear the wild boar.

Black 2 was a Me 209A-4/U1(N) of I/NJG 11 flown by Fw H. Rauchensteiner in early April 1945. This unit, flying from Darmstadt-Biblis, specialized in anti-Mosquito patrols -- hence the  fuselage-top FuG 350 Naxos Z installation used to detect H2S radar emissions from the target-marking Mosquitos of 5 and 8 Groups.
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #780 on: April 22, 2013, 01:39:40 PM »
Has quite a Me309 look.
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Brian da Basher

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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #781 on: April 23, 2013, 02:17:21 AM »
Has quite a Me309 look.

Concur and I bet it's not long before someone kitbashes one of these!

Nice work, apophenia!

Brian da Basher

Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #782 on: April 23, 2013, 05:46:22 AM »
WOW!!! nice.

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #783 on: April 23, 2013, 01:07:09 PM »
Has quite a Me309 look.

I was hoping it would  ;)  Here's another pair ...

Yellow 1 is a five-gunned Me 209A-1/R2 of 11/JG.53 flown by Lt Günther Landt from Kirrlach, Karlsruhe in March 1945.

'Hanna' is a brand new Me 209B-1 flown by the Gruppe Technischer Offizier (TO) of (Stab) II./JG6 from Fürth in northern Bavaria. This aircraft was destroyed on the ground on May Day, 1945.

Note the revised radiator arrangement for the Me 209B (incorporating the engine oil cooler as well as radiator). The handful of 'B series aircraft built also had relocated antenna masts for their FuG 16 ZY VHF transceivers.
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline lauhof52

  • Dutchie
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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #784 on: April 23, 2013, 02:19:21 PM »
Top!! 8)

Offline Tophe

  • He sees things in double...
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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #785 on: April 23, 2013, 06:12:50 PM »
Dear Apophenia, your inventive Messerschmitts are very beautiful, while... in several countries, we are not allowed to clap our hands for a swastika-wearing warbird... :(
But as a silhouette, I feel free to enjoy it, very inspiring! :-*

Offline dy031101

  • Yuri Fanboy and making cute stuff practical- at least that's the plan anyway
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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #786 on: April 24, 2013, 12:07:48 AM »
The Naxos Z looks...... R2D2-ish.  Neat.   :)
Forget about his bow and arrows- why wait until that sparrow has done his deed when I can just bury him right now 'cause I'm sick and tired of hearing why he wants to have his way with the cock robin!?

Offline arc3371

  • Takes no responsibility should anyone try to turn the drawings into plastic...but we will still hold him accountable for the madness that ensues!!!
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #787 on: April 24, 2013, 09:06:40 AM »
Very cool looking 209´s

Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #788 on: April 24, 2013, 11:47:17 PM »
Very cool......

Offline apophenia

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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #789 on: April 28, 2013, 10:27:41 AM »
... in several countries, we are not allowed to clap our hands for a swastika-wearing warbird... :(
But as a silhouette, I feel free to enjoy it, very inspiring! :-*

Thanks Tophe, the Me 209 fits right in. But here's a pair with a nary a swastika to be seen ... ;)

Czechoslovak Messerschmitt Me 209s

In March 1945, Skoda-Kauba Flugzeugbau was assigned production of the Me 209 to allow Messerschmitt to focus on the Me 262. Me 209 components were shipped to both Skoda-Kauba in Prague and the Otrokovice plant SE Moravia (the latter with the goal of creating a wooden Me 209 derivative). Neither program reached fruition before the fall of the Third Reich.

After the war, the Skoda plant gathered all Me 209 components in Czechoslovakia in an attempt to produce a fighter for the Czechoslovak Air Force. The difficulty for Skoda was lack of access to DB 603A engines for their fighter. The only suitable engine was the Jumo 211A and Skoda was forced to adapt the cowling from the competing Bf 109-based Avia S-199.

The CzAF tested one Skoda Sk.209 but had no intention of procuring the aircraft. Instead, this was a front for the transfer of all completed Sk.209's to the new state of Israel. Twelve Sk.209s were ordered but only nine (including Skoda's prototype) could be delivered (all in early June 1948).

In Israel, the Sk.209 'Kherev' (חרב 'Sword') fighters were issued to the Kheil HaAvir's new 101 Squadron where they would fly alongside Avia S.199s. Only three Kherev survived the 1948 war with a rather battered looking Dalet-227 (227-ד) being the only flying example. Fittingly, 101 Squadron's Kherev were replaced by Mustangs.   ;)

Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Tophe

  • He sees things in double...
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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #790 on: April 28, 2013, 12:18:06 PM »
I clap my hands loudly for the Ceskoslovak Me-209-II... :-*
Thanks! ;)

Offline perttime

  • The man has produced a Finnish Napier Heston Fighter...need we say more?
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #791 on: April 28, 2013, 03:22:50 PM »
I like the DB nose on most things...

Offline upnorth

  • Distorting a reality near you.
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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #792 on: April 28, 2013, 05:46:22 PM »
Those Czech 209s really look the business.

Too bad it was unsuccessfully pitched to the Czechoslovak air force. I'd love to have seen some in service schemes.  :)
Pickled Wings, A Blog for Preserved Aircraft:
http://pickledwings.com/

Beyond Prague, Traveling the Rest of the Czech Republic:
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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #793 on: April 29, 2013, 02:15:57 AM »
Now that is cool.......

Offline apophenia

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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #794 on: April 29, 2013, 06:28:04 AM »
Thanks folks.

Too bad it was unsuccessfully pitched to the Czechoslovak air force. I'd love to have seen some in service schemes.  :)

Thanks 'north. I reckoned that the Czechs were better off with the Mezek if the Jumo 211A was the only engine available to them. Now if they could get their hands on some Griffons ...  ;)
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline apophenia

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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #795 on: April 29, 2013, 11:35:54 AM »
Back to the Airbus Rus story ...

At an early stage, Airbus Rus and its partner Ilyushin had decided to relocate Il-76/AR76x production from the TAPO plant in Tashkent, Uzbekistan to the former Aviastar-SP plant in Russia. But Airbus Rus faced an additional challenge at Ulyanovsk ... the facility was cluttered with partially-completed Antonov An-124 components.

Having surveyed the available An-124 components, it was concluded that there were sufficient parts to complete most of three airframes with a useful supply of airframe spares. Airbus Rus put out feelers to industry only to discover that the market was limited for airlifters originating from Soviet-era parts.

In consultation with Volga-Dnepr Airlines, it was concluded that a niche market did exist for a super heavy lifter. Accordingly, the An-124-100 airframe was redesigned in cooperation with Antonov StC of the Ukraine. The resulting An-324 design had a much shortened fuselage. Combined with the standard An-124 wing and  engines, this would reduce airframe weight enough to boost the maximum payload to 160 tonnes.

All three An-324s were delivered to Volga-Dnepr which expected to use these super heavy lifters to carry loads for the oil and gas industry. However, a lucrative new market had emerged -- airlifting NATO main battle tanks to Afghanistan. As a result of that market, only one An-324 was ever painting in Volga-Dnepr's  livery. The other two operated as 'white tails' in and out of Kandahar.

[Based on a discussion about Antonovs with GTX]
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline arc3371

  • Takes no responsibility should anyone try to turn the drawings into plastic...but we will still hold him accountable for the madness that ensues!!!
Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #796 on: April 30, 2013, 08:51:31 AM »
If I could only get one in AE.....

Offline Scooterman

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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #797 on: April 30, 2013, 10:41:30 AM »
Oooooo and guess who has an idle An-124 kit.   ;)

LOVE the idea.  Well thought out.

Offline apophenia

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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #798 on: April 30, 2013, 12:57:38 PM »
Oooooo and guess who has an idle An-124 kit.   ;)

Any Leopard tanks in the same scale?  :)  Get out that razor saw  ;D
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
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Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Reply #799 on: April 30, 2013, 01:00:58 PM »
Another Arsenal scenario: this time with Canadian-produced airframes intended for the Armée de l'air ...

Two freighters carrying semi-completed VG.33 C1 fighters left from Montreal in early June 1940 bound for Cherbourg. On 15 June, the MV Erik Boye was sunk in the North Atlantic by a U-boat's torpedo. The SS Port Williams escaped attack and, on 17 June 1940, was diverted first toward Southampton, then on to Bristol.

Offloaded at Bristol, the VG.33 airframes were directed to the plant of Parnall Aircraft Ltd. Pressed to make use of these exotic but engineless airframes, Parnall's concluded that the Arsenals could be quickly made airworthy as fighter-trainers. The search for suitable engines revealed a nearby store of well-worn RAF Hawker Fury biplanes. These aged aircraft could be safely stripped of their Rolls-Royce Kestrel engines and a worthwhile fighter-trainer created.

A prototype conversion dubbed the AAC (Arsenal Aircraft of Canada) Arrow made its first test hop on 23 July 1940. This aircraft adapted the Hawker cowling and engine bearers to the VG.33 airframe and retained the twin cowl Vickers guns of the Fury. While a quick fix, this solution was not acceptable to the RAF. Wing  guns were considered essential to make an adequate armaments trainer and interest was growing in the potential use of the Arrow as a 'panic fighter' should that become necessary.

The 'production' AAC Arrow Mk.IA trainers had cowlings adapted from the Master Mk.I trainer and six wing guns. The RAF would have preferrred .303" Browning guns but these were in short supply. Instead, the Arrow Mk.IA were fitted with ex-US .30" Marlin machine guns. These surplus guns were throught adequate for training but the elderly Marlins were prone to stoppages so it is as well that Arrow never had to perform in the 'panic fighter' role.

After the Battle of Britain, AAC and Parnall's approached the RAF with a proposal for a more capable Arrow  T.Mk.II fighter-trainer. This was to have a gun armament of eight Brownings and be powered by either a refurbished Rolls-Royce Merlin or a new RR Peregrine V-12. But, by this time, the RAF had war-weary frontline fighters to choose from for training and the Arrow  T.Mk.II concept was declined.
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."