Swordsman422

The external carriage will not really pose a problem on the occasions that it is needed. When this jet needs most to be stealthy is in the precision strike role and decapitation roles, which it CAN do vice the F-22 which really cannot. The F-117 carried just 2 bombs internally and did the job very well. When the F-35 is performing the same types of strikes, it will do just fine. Plus it has decent tote in the air-to-air arena without hanging externals. And when it does need to have things on the wings, it won't need to be a VLO platform. Doing CAS, you need to bring all the ords you can so as to tie up as few platforms as possible, and there isn't much hope of being VLO against the good ole eyeball. CAS is where you will be seeing the biggest threat from MANPADS, and I think in most cases this can be managed using stand-off weapons like LGBs and WCMDs. But it will take the guys on the ground popping the bastard with the tube on his shoulder if the F-35 (or any other aircraft) needs to get close and strafe.

As for more F-22s, their role is too limited in this budgetary environment. No self-designation for LGBs, No AGMs, Limited to 2000 Lbs (vs. F/A-18E/F 17,000 Lbs). Currently limited to below 10K feet due to gremlins in the life support system. There isn't a whole lot of room for new single role tactical aircraft and the F-22s reputation isn't good right now. Sad to say that I am certain someone with a microphone (no one here. We are all above that, and this is not sarcasm) will spin this accident into an uninformed criticism of the reality that has been two decades in the making. I am just very happy that the pilot is going to be okay. I hope that this was not his fault and that he can keep doing the job he loves to do and fought hard for.

The USAF has a new member of the Martin Baker Fan Club. Thank God the pilot is okay. Unspecified trouble with the aircraft forced the ejection. http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/27/world/asia/japan-us-jet-crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Just proof that Tomcats aren't all I fly. Stock A-4Cs from VA-144 delivering some pain to Uncle Ho.

I don't hate making new decals. It just makes me want to beat my own head in. This will appear to be a shameless plug but http://combatace.com...-stock-turkeys/ There should be enough decals in there to get you by. Mostly mods of stock ones, but you can use this pack to fill in the missing spaces.

JSF_Aggie, I can't wait for the SoCal Terrain. This jet belongs there! Base paint scheme is based on a combination of the two most photographed airplanes in the movie, 160665 and 160694. Both planes wore the mid-80's experimental TPS; medium grey upper surfaces, light ghost grey lower surfaces, and canopy and anti-glare in dark ghost grey. The F-14s in the movie were also heavily spot painted and suffered from a typical issue of Navy jets during the 80's; bad dye batches in the paint which made certain areas supposedly painted the same color appear more blue or more ashen than the base coat. I decided to let 665 have the distinctive gull grey spine panel even though it was on 694. 665 also featured the retreating firebird on the starboard tail. Here, 665 is seen ready for launch beside the CAG jet. And the CAG jet. There will be 13 aircraft featured in this skin. Since only 5 BuNos are known (160665, 160681, 160685, 160694, 160695) the remaining 7 aircraft included use BuNos of famous or important F-14As. 160390, 159437, 159461, and 160403 all make cameos. The CAG bird, 161615, made some of the first strikes of OEF with VF-41.

A 13 Days, and Kevin Costner's Boston-Irish-Catholic-Nebraskan accent. "Wait a minit! Dis idna pahmishun slip! This is ya repohrt cahd! Honey, have you seen 'eez grades?!" At least Bruce Greenwood and Stephen Culp make up for it. And short as it is, the scenes with the Crusader are pretty cool. Bring it on! We've been needing this one!

Tell you what, I'll send you something this evening when I get home from work that might help with that.

The best way to improve your skills as a graphic artist is to just keep practicing. Here's kind of a public secret that doesn't hurt either. A lot of us skinners are also avid modelers and we use scans from our own decal collections in order to get the graphics we need. I am not ashamed to say that several of my decal graphics come right from the pages of my physical decal collections and are then modified in Photoshop. I would not be able to create some of the more complicated graphics otherwise. At any rate, I absolutely look forward to your efforts. That VF-11 set looks awesome! Keep it up!

Snake eyes.