Dragons and Ducks

[mikeblaze]

I can't resist this riddle..... This is a two-aircraft project, so it will be a short thread. The clues are very loose translations of some (non-English) language. This will be a summer project, arranged around wildfire season. I wouldn't start the thread if I didn't have something to show off, but I will take guesses.

Martin and Ronald are exempt from answering, because they are already in the know.

Saavy Europeans should figure this out in short order.......

The biggest hint is that one aircraft was exported, and one was not, but they came from the same European manufacturer.

More to follow.

[bismarck]

Viggen and Draken...?

Giorgio

[Firebird]

Oh yes indeed.

[mikeblaze]

You guys are sick........ I should have named the thread "Kites and Ducks", it would have stumped you for at least another twenty seconds or so.....

Anyways, here is the first profile picture, taken a couple of months ago. I have actually had primitive models with stick-landing gear and a rough FDE in play for over a year, but this is the year of 'cleaning out the cupboard', so here they are. The Draken is a little further along than the Viggen, the Draken is about one day of modeling away from texture-mapping, and the Viggen is about three days away. Days are a relative term right now with fire season, but I will try to have these out the door sometime in the summer.

[bismarck]

Can't wait to see the camouflaged repaint of the Viggen....

Giorgio

[mikeblaze]

Here's a side profile of the Draken as of today. This is the J-35A (late Swedish model). It has the "Adam-Lange" extended rear fuselage with rear center tail wheel assembly, the IRST under the cockpit, and the long skinny blade antenna on the belly near the main wheels. The Austrian model doesn't have the IRST, so there are some sub-variants by country as well. I know the Danish Air Force used these as well, but I haven't researched pictures yet for specific features (I know they're painted the standard RDAF green). I was going to do the "Adam-Kort" early model with the short rear fuselage and no rear tail wheel, but only thirty or so were built before Adam-Lange came along, so I will see how the rest of the modeling goes first, and maybe do that variant later. Both Draken and Viggen have two-seat variants as well, so those models will also be included.

[mikeblaze]

I have to confess, in the camouflage category, the rippled 'forest' camo of the Viggen is my all-time favorite, and I can't wait to see it, also.......

P.S. it will actually be pretty easy to do, because of the angular nature, it doesn't have to be totally lined up at part seams. It's kind of like the new-age digital camo.

[Victory103]

Didn't even get a chance to try to answer. Very cool news of yet more unique fighter models. I had a freeware flyable Draken that was pretty good in FS9.

[bismarck]

Mike, I know the forum rules about requests, but I have to ask to include this in your project.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db25UWCrmB4

[RKE]

Although I never saw them in service, I did get to know one the RDAF Drakens quite well. AR-105 was donated to a local youth club in my hometown, who went and turned it into a flight simulator for use by the kids. Seeing as they decided to plant it on a rooftop, it's quite visible on Google Earth as well

http://www.stall.dk/rdaf/draken/AR105.html

[mikeblaze]

[quote="bismarck"]Mike, I know the forum rules about requests, but I have to ask to include this in your project.....=quote]



1. I have seen this video before, and it is one of the funniest things I have ever seen done with an aircraft. I don't know why they even bother with cold-weather clothing that close behind the exhaust.

2. This had to be the most bored aircraft crew on the planet, and how long did it take for their bad-conduct discharges to get processed after this got out?

3. It would take a special XML coding to make the sledders disappear as the aircraft rotated, or you would have a truly funny spotter view of this aircraft; so it probably won't make the project cut (sorry, Giorgio....).

[f4nutter]

very nice addition to the FS world Mike, cant wait to see them.

[Chrisb]

Another two aircraft I have longed for. You are like the Father Christmas of AI aircraft modelling.
We must have been such good boys and girls.

Chris

[Janeway]

Another two aircraft I have longed for. You are like the Father Christmas of AI aircraft modelling.
We must have been such good boys and girls.

Chris

Yes, indeed, I am in accord with Chris...except for one minor clarification:-
Father Christmas delivers his gifts only ONCE a year, on Christmas Eve.....
Whereas Mike delivers his AI models throughout the WHOLE year....!!

[delta_lima]

Drakens and Viggens? Swedish deltas? For real? 6 words for you Mr. Pearson:

LIKE A FAT KID ON CAKE!



dl

[mikeblaze]

In the middle of all the other project madness, I have both the Viggen and Draken about 80% modeled to single-LOD beta, they are more or less neck-and-neck, and both have basic texture-mapping done. When I get more of the details and that wonderful Viggen forest camo, I will give up some more screenshots.

[jetmax]

Drakens and Viggens? Swedish deltas? For real? 6 words for you Mr. Pearson:

LIKE A FAT KID ON CAKE!



dl

Speaking as a Fat kid.... I like cake..... and Drakens and Viggens!!

[mikeblaze]

If you look at the dimensions of my avatar picture ( I'm 5'9", but that's a really tall fire engine....), I'm kinda one of the fat kids around here, too...... I am not a cake person so much, but I do like beer....... although it doesn't mix well with repaints, from long, painful experience, lol.......

I'll try to get some screenshots of these two aircraft by Sunday or Monday. I have painted nearly every air force on the planet, but I think this is my first group of Swedish Air Force repaints.... It's about time.

[Joecoastie]

Are you sure that's a real fire engine? Real fire engines are RED.
My daughter driving . . . . we sold this truck to a department somewhere in central Texas about 2 years ago.

[mikeblaze]

I don't normally get off-topic on a thread, but the gauntlet has been thrown, so please indulge me just this once.....

This is my fire truck, there are many, but this is mine, and I get paid a career wage to drive it.........

.... and, for God's sakes, yes, all real fire trucks are red......