BHPian V.Narayan recently shared this with other enthusiasts:EMB 145 Netra:: AEW&CS aircraft, IAF :: 1:72 scaleWingspan ~11 inches; Length ~14 inches; Model maker Sova-M The IAF’s Airborne Early Warning & Control system aircraft based on the Embraer EMB145 airframe. 3 are in service and 6 more are hoped to be produced provided the IAF can source 6 second hand airframes. Enjoy the photos. Glad to be back on this thread with a scale model after a rather along break. Quote from BHPian skanchan95:1:72 Douglas A-4E Skyhawk, Blue 55, VF-126 “Bandits”, Bu No. 151095 US Navy Fighter Weapons School TOP GUN, NAS Miramar, CA, 1985Another masterpiece from Sandesh. Ed Heinemann the legendary designer from Douglas designed the A-4 with half the weight the US Navy had specified and yet met all criterion on payload and range and exceeded the specs on speed and acceleration. That low altitude speed and transonic acceleration is why it was selected to be the aggressor at Top Gun. Ed Heinemann’s secret was always in the wing be it the A-1 Skyraider, the Dauntless dive bomber or the A-26 Invader. For the A-4 he chose the classic slightly curvy Delta with a high tail giving it acceleration, speed and low bumps per minute flying lo-lo-lo at high speeds. Interestingly its wing planform is very very similar to the HF-24 Marut. Where excellence of design goes the A-4 was up there with the all time greats. The courage of those Argentinian pilots was beyond compare as was their track record. Effectively they were the only ones taking the war to the Royal Navy flying over icy waters in the middle of the south Atlantic winter at the absolute extremis of the aircraft’s endurance and still sinking 7 British warships. 7 is a large number. It is a reflection of not only the skill of the Argentinians but also the inefficacy of the Sea Dart SAMs and the utter lack of CIWS on all but 2 British warships (the Broadswords equipped with the Sea Wolf CIWS SAM). The best the British had were Bofors 40mm with obsolete fire control systems and the obsolete Seacat short range SAMs. A sad reflection on their ship designing. If a Falklands type of war were to happen today the UK, sadly for it, has less than a zero percent chance of recapturing those islands. Quote from BHPian Foxbat:The above model sits behind my home office in my bedroom so I see it every day, the serial number is memorized by now.Such a beautiful model with just the perfect weathering. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
