Masquerade!

[Spinners 15,986]

Decades ago when I was in my early teens I bought a book called "A Pictorial History of the RAF - Volume 3 1945 to 1969" and perhaps my interest in 'what if's' can be found from within those pages. Page 82 refers to the 1950 RAF display at Farnborough, where the famous Amiens Jail raid was recreated and shows a delightful picture of six clipped-wing Spitfires in full WW2 Luftwaffe markings "masquerading as Messerschmitt Bf109's" - a lovely phrase don't you think?

 

 

 

Anyway, this thread is for 'what if's' that use an aircraft to pretend to be an entirely different aircraft and probably from a different nation. This isn't just decals added to an F-14 to make an RAF Tomcat (guilty as charged!) but something entirely different like my Aero L.23 that is a Super Mystere masquerading as a fictional Cold War Czech fighter.

 

 

 

A more recent example was my Lavochkin La-13 'Fibber' using the Focke-Wulf Ta-183

 

 

 

Wrench (the original 'what if' guru of this site) has done a couple of 'masquerades' and here is his Northrop F-79 Manta

 

 

 

 

So, there you go. C'mon, give us your 'masquerades'! If you've done one before, repost it here. Give us your thoughts, give us some ideas and give us some pictures!

[Spinners 15,986]

[Spinners 15,986]

Saab J21-R masquerading as the Westland Warrior FB.3

[Wrench 9,845]

AH HA! The Admins restored a couple of the Moderator functions, and I've stickied this, as per your request Spinners!

 

Now,to find some of screenies of my other mods for the Masquerade....

 

wrench

kevin stein

[Wrench 9,845]

Found one!

 

Ar-296, Arado-built version of the B6N 'Jill', as flown from land bases or the KM Graf Zepellin (carrier)

 

wrench

kevin stein

[Spinners 15,986]

Too believable to be a what if!

[Wrench 9,845]

a lot of my 'what ifs' were WW2 time frame...

 

Kawasaki Ki-109 "Mike" and the Ki-201 'Night Dragon'

 

wrench

kevin stein

[Spinners 15,986]

From the archives, the Ryan Fireball masquerading as the Gloster Gemini fighter-bomber!

 

Long before the Gloster Aircraft Company had got Britain's first jet aircraft (the E.28/39) into the air the design team had realised that any production jet fighter would need much more thrust than the paltry 750lbs then being offered by Frank Whittle's Power Jets company. Whilst still on the test bench the early W.1 jet engine had sluggish acceleration and was optimistically considered 'marginal' for a production fighter aircraft. Furthermore, this new technology seemed to be totally unsuitable for making any kind of combat aircraft for naval use as operations from an aircraft carrier demand adequate (and near instantly available) power for takeoff and landing. Whilst George Carter looked at a twin jet-enginned aircraft (eventually to become the Meteor) he also studied a composite twin-enginned design using a conventional piston engine for flight but with a jet engine for higher speeds. The composite twin-enginned concept quickly led to the company name of Gloster Gemini.

 

Despite any official interest the company steadily moved the Gemini project forward. Denied access to the Bristol Centaurus engine Carter sized the Gemini around the 1,700 h.p. Bristol Hercules XVII radial piston engine and allowed space for the proposed Power Jets W.2B jet engine rated at 1,700lbs thrust. First flown (on piston power only) by company test pilot John Grierson on May 1st, 1943 the Gemini failed to attract the interest of the Admiralty but was studied by the Air Ministry who gave Gloster a development contract to produce interceptor-fighter and fighter-bomber versions for the RAF as the Gemini F.1 and Gemini FB.2 respectively.

 

During late 1943, the Air Ministry asked Glosters to suspend work on the FB.2 version and urgently proceed with the F.1 versions of the Meteor and Gemini to meet "an expected German aerial threat from pilotless aircraft during the Spring of 1944". Whilst Gloster did their best the Gemini soon fell behind this ridiculous schedule and in May 1944 the Air Ministry instructed Glosters to switch priority to the FB.2 version for overseas use and the invasion of Japan. Entering service in August 1945 only 140 FB.2's entered service with most sent to RAF Middle East Command before quickly being replaced by Vampires.

 

Prototype

 

 

 

[+KnightWolf45 1,147]

were did get the Fireball??

[Spinners 15,986]

were did get the Fireball??

 

The DAT site - a great resource for the more esoteric types.

[+KnightWolf45 1,147]

ok must have missed it well dat his very usable to bad

[Spinners 15,986]

AleDucat's SAIA90 masquerading as the Yak-45 'Fullback'

 

 

Ingredients;

 

AleDucats SAIA90 (check it out!)

Torno's FAA skin

MiG-23 Wing Tanks from stock

A few decals by me and stock red 'bort' numbers

 

More pictures at my 'what if' thread at What If Modelers (link below)

[Viggen 644]

Spinners, your Yak is going to need a new reporting name. The Su-34 already has that. Your lighting in the first picture looks really cool though. How'd you do that?

[Spinners 15,986]

Spinners, your Yak is going to need a new reporting name. The Su-34 already has that. Your lighting in the first picture looks really cool though. How'd you do that?

 

I'm not too hot on the modern 'glass cockpit' era so was unaware of the 'Fullback' name but I can, of course, claim it as my Yak-45 is a contemporary of the Fulcrum! The lighting is simply the aircraft lights being on (at dawn IIRC) and whatever DX10 does in SF2.

[Spinners 15,986]

The Arado Ar-234B masquerading as the Boulton-Paul Orion PR.2...

 

 

[PraetorH 166]

Looks interesting in British colours - disturbingly fitting actually...

[Spinners 15,986]

Sukhoi Su-3 'Flatfoot' - Berlin Sector, Frontovaya Aviatsiya, Soviet Air Forces, 1949

 

The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CA-15B masquerading as the Sukhoi Su-3 high-altitude fighter!

 

More photo's on my 'what if' thread (link below) last page

 

http://www.whatifmod...ic,18821.0.html

Edited April 3, 2011 by Spinners

[Spinners 15,986]

The Northrop B-49 masquerading as the prototype De Havilland Viking B.1

 

 

As always, more photographs (B.1, B.2 and B.3) are at my thread on the 'what if' modellers website - link below. Kudos and thanks to the legend that is "Wrench, The" for passing on the Viking to which I have simply added some decals.

[+allenjb42 4,234]

Nice one Spinners. Would they have still been around in '82 for the Black Buck missions?

[Spinners 15,986]

Probably not but I couldn't resist allocating '1982' to the date on the B.3 pics!

[Wrench 9,845]

(insert radio/tv advert announcer's voice)

 

"Also available, at no extra charge, in Anti-Flash White and RAF 2-Tone Camo"

 

 

spinners, don't forget the B-49s on site ... there might be some ini edits and decals you can use (A/R slipwaydoor decal)

 

wrench

kevin stein

Edited April 4, 2011 by Wrench

[Spinners 15,986]

The Hawker Hunter F.4 masquerading as the Yokosuka Ki-299 interceptor-fighter!

 

Yokosuka Ki-299 'Hunter' - Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, 1954

[+Baltika 85]

Hi Spinners,

 

Do you take requests

 

Can we have a stock SF2 Meteor masquerading as the Me-262?

 

Please

Edited April 10, 2011 by Baltika

[Spinners 15,986]

The Gloster Meteor F.8 masquerading as the Heinkel He.380 jet fighter

 

 

[+daddyairplanes 10,228]

you do know your countrymen are about to kick your arse, well maybe your ear still this Yank think it looks good. no way to make the straight wing meteor look like the swept wing Me 262 but that is a very passable second choice.