A personal Page of Science Fiction and Orange
"Defending Her Honor!"
*** URGENT URGENT URGENT ***
Orders to Draconis Combine forward base Kauvat, Apex military zone, Xebulex III.
Five In-21A Hunting Shrike aerospace fighters dispatched from Outlook base, Xebulex VII to assist in planetary defense against Lyran Commonwealth. Craft are fully loaded to assist in re-supply efforts. Offload all AA ordnance. Leave AG ordnance and prepare for ground attack against advancing Commonwealth lances. Repaint in military desert tan while offloading in progress but postpone unit and house insignia and standard operational data until after mission. Expedite.
Unit 03 is down and offloading the AA missiles is underway. As per orders, a crewmember is on hand to slap a coat of military desert tan over the bright blue Jovian scheme in the limited time allowed, hoping to help camouflage it in the upcoming battle. But the pilot does not want his ride painted. His pride in his 'nose art' (a Starship Modeler Bat Outta Hell decal) is strong and he would rather go into combat starkly silhouetted against the desert landscape than see his lady painted over by the evil groundcrew.
This is the Starship Modeler 1:48 FS-21B Shrike kit which I am converting from a bomber to a interceptor and putting it in a diorama on desert planet. The major changes are:
- Losing the bulky intake
- Adding scratchbuilt landing pads
- Rebuilding the instrument, saddle and canopy
- Filling the airbrake
- Losing the stabilizers and mounting sensor pods on the stubs
- Minor cosmetic difference to simulate a variant of the original FS-21B
These are early pics of the layout, where in general everything will go.
These are more recent pics of the layout with the groundwork underway. The sand is plaster of paris and the rock is a kool rock found at Michaels craft store. I need to add some loose sand (popcorn salt?) and do some more painting on the sand that is there.
