F-111F, 48th TFW, Lakenheath, Operation El Dorado Canyon, 1986

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgiBYDiufWU

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRLMUCtG11g

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAXVq2Rui08

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEBsC5YOQWU

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7R1_jf4zWQ

I forgot that I had these bookmarked on my you tube account. They might be helpful. Hope so.

 

[Wayne Little]

some great reference there for ya Dwight!

 

[kgambit]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgiBYDiufWU

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRLMUCtG11g

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAXVq2Rui08

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEBsC5YOQWU

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7R1_jf4zWQ

I forgot that I had these bookmarked on my you tube account. They might be helpful. Hope so.

FANTASTIC! Thanks Aaron. I loved watching those!

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

You are very welcome sir. I do hope that they helped. I was in a hurry when I posted them and could not remember if the showed the main gear wells or not.

 

[davparlr]

An underrated fearsome cold war fighter. When we were designing the B-2 cockpit in the early '80s, the AF provided an FB-111 crew, pilot and weapons systems operator, for technical support since we used a similar two man crew. I was surprised to learn that the FB-111s were assigned the high risk special weapons targets while the B-52s were stand off. In other words they were the ones going down town Moscow (of course, I didn't know what the targets really were).

An interesting side note is that later in the program, the AF changed the WSO to a pilot. This person would now be the mission commander performing the WSO tasks. The B-2 was also designed to accept a third crew station which has never been implemented and probably never will.

 

[kgambit]

Lots of detailed shots of the wheel wells from F111.net, forward bay first and then the main wheel bay. The kit parts don't quite match up with the pics in terms of where all the interior plumbing is but it's not too far off - albeit slightly understated. (I don't think there's ANY way, the finished product is going to look THAT detailed, but we'll see.) Edit: Added some exterior shots of the wheels / tires and forward bay doors.

 

[Wurger]

Very useful shots Dwight. THX for sharing.

 

[Crimea_River]

Great shots Dwight. I always find those a blessing and a curse in that they reveal areas not often seen but at the same time show what has been missed on the model that begs to be added or fixed.

 

[Airframes]

Jumpin' Jericho! It's a job for 'Lead Wire Man' and 'Plastic Rod Girl'!! Some work ahead of you there mate! Great pics BTW.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Brilliant pictures Aaron.

 

[T Bolt]

Great detail pics!

 

[kgambit]

A quick in-progress shot taken a few days ago. It's tough to see all the details (still trying to get this camera figured out) but you can see the finished tires and wheels, partially finished seats, the exhaust cones (dry fit only), the wing with interior flap surfaces painted, the masking for the piping in the main wheel bay, one of the GBU-10Es painted a VERY weathered Olive Drab, and the speed brake with its interior painted flat red and the actuator arm painted flat red lower, flat white upper with the silver oleo. I'm not going to be adding any additional wiring to the wheel bays as they are fairly accurate already and just need the electrical and hydraulic connections painted (hence the masking). Oh that one odd looking thing in the center is the ALQ-131 pod. Radomes have been painted white and are masked off so I can paint the rest of them olive drab.

 

[evangilder]

I am looking forward to seeing this one. It hits a soft spot for me because those are from my era in the USAF. I have a completed kit that I had a pro model builder do for me because I knew I could never do it justice. Here are a few shots to give you a little incentive.

Keep in mind you are goign to have to add weights to the nose if you plan on displaying it with the wings swept back.

 

[kgambit]

Keep in mind you are goign to have to add weights to the nose if you plan on displaying it with the wings swept back.

Ahhhh, thanks for the tip. I am planning on doing this one with the wings fully forward (16 degrees). With the Hasegawa kits, if you try to build them fully swept back (72 degrees) you have to trim all of the interior flap detail off. It's doable but a lot of work and since Hasegawa was nice enough to give you the flap down option, I'm going for a swept forward look!

 

[Airframes]

Lots of nice detail work there Dwight, good stuff.
Nice model Evan, brings back memories of 'your' birds low over the Northumberland coast - lost normallv !! (only kidding!)

 

[Lucky13]

Found these snooping around for 1/48 F-111 stuff.....8)

F-111F, 72-1448, 48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, Aug 1991, Wing CC's aircraft
F-111F, 70-2390, 48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, Nov 1991, Wing CC's aircraft
F-111F, 71-0884, 492 TFS/48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, 1991, Squadron CC's aircraft
F-111F, 70-2403, 493 TFS/48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, 1991, Squadron CC's aircraft
F-111F, 74-0178, 494 TFS/48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, 1992, Squadron CC's aircraft
F-111F, 70-2391, 495 TFS/48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, 1991, Squadron CC's aircraft
F-111F, 70-2364, 494 TFS/48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, 1991
F-111F, 70-2370, 494 TFS/48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, 1991
F-111F, 70-2386, 493 TFS/48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, 1984
F-111F, 70-2387, 494 TFS/48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, 1991
F-111F, 70-2413, 492 TFS/48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, 1991
F-111F, 71-0892, 494 TFS/48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, 1991
F-111F, 72-1451, 493 TFS/48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, 1991
F-111F, 72-1450, 494 TFS/48 TFW, RAF Lakenheath, 1992

 

[evangilder]

Neat find, Jan!

 

[kgambit]

Don't suppose you found those in 1/72?

 

[kgambit]

And THESE are coming out at IPMS nationals in August:

 

[Lucky13]

Need to get that AF 68013!