39 articles · 2.1K karma · 10 friends · active 2 days, 5 hours ago
I’ve been building models since 2021 and having lots of fun trying out new techniques and ideas and sharing them here. I'm currently interested mostly in modern military aircraft and space.
When I’m not at the bench, I’m jogging, reading, doing science, or hanging with my family.
My iModeler posts can be found, usually with a bit more detail, at my blog.
The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a ground attack version of the C-130 Hercules. It was developed in the 1960’s during the Vietnam War to perform close air support operations: due to its low operating altitude of around 7000 feet (owing in [...]
Thor-Able was a two-stage, expendable launch vehicle used in the late 50’s and early 60’s for NASA/USAF satellite launches and re-entry vehicle tests. The main stage made use of the Thor intermediate range ballistic missile (one of [...]
Northrop-Grumman developed the X-47A prototype in support of the U.S. Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D), which seeks to demonstrate a carrier-based, remotely-piloted aircraft capability. Initiated as the J-UCAS [...]
The Convair XF-92A “Dart” was America’s first delta wing. As such, it was fairly terrible and widely regarded by test pilots as a flop: “It was a miserable flying beast,” observed NACA pilot Scott Crossfield. In reference to the [...]
The McDonnell-Douglas Delta II was a multi-stage, medium lift, expendable launch vehicle used from 1989 until 2018. It was used to send payloads to low Earth, geosynchronous, and heliocentric orbits, including the Kepler space telescope, [...]
The Ariane 4 was a three-stage, medium-lift expendable launch vehicle used by the European Space Agency. Designed by the French space agency CNES, it had a successful career spanning 15 years, from 1988 to 2003, during which it became a [...]
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was introduced in 1938 and saw extensive use in both theaters during WWII. It was a popular aircraft with allied militaries during the war, forming the backbone of the Desert Air Force (DAF) in North Africa. Its [...]
The Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak was the first of three planned transonic research aircraft built for the U.S. Navy and NACA. First flown in 1947 at Muroc, it was turbojet-powered with a nose inlet and short, unswept wings. The fuselage was [...]
The Aerospatiale Gazelle is a French light transport, light attack scout helicopter. It is licensed for manufacture by Westland for the British military. The two companies shared development and production work, introducing the Gazelle in [...]
Sometimes all it takes is a little international incident to remind you of what’s in your stash. On March 14, 2023, two Russian SU-27 aircraft intercepted a USAF MQ-9 patrolling in international airspace; they dumped fuel on it and [...]
