F-5A Libya AF Classic Airframes
Comments
66 8 May 2021, 22:10
Erik LeijdensWelcome Maciej 🙂. Have a couple of CA F-5's in stash, a Greek machine is planned too!
9 May 2021, 15:17
Maciej BellosLooking forward to the greek machine too!
About the Libyan F-5s (10 all of them), well there is a story behind them. They were purchased in 1968. After the coup d' etat by Gaddafi, Libya got embargoed by the US so he couldn't service them. Greece provided both the spare parts and the service personel (either active Air Force personel or private contractors paid by Gaddafi, not clear) for about 5 years ('69-'74) at a time when Greece itself was under embargo from the US because of the coup d' etat of '67. How did Gaddafi repay this favour to Greece? By offering the F-5s to Turkey to use them in the invasion of Cyprus... Turkey accepted the lot in '77 when it had something like 20 aircraft in flyable condition, after the US applied an arms embargo to Turkey as a result of the Turkish invasion in Cyprus.
9 May 2021, 19:27
Erik LeijdensThanks for the info Maciej! I knew they had a very short service life in the RLAF and that they were transferred to Turkey but never knew they backstabbed Greece with them! Great story 👍!
10 May 2021, 18:48
Maciej BellosWorse thing is we didn't learn from it and we supported Gaddafi through the '80s. What we got back in return eludes me. Could be oil at a reasonable price, but that's just my thought.
Great looking pit!
10 May 2021, 19:43
Erik LeijdensWelcome Patryk and Mirko!
Thanks Nathan, the resin pit is quite detailed, maybe not as much as an Aires or Eduard pit but still very nice. Only thing is the seat, the headrest is of the later wider type so I adjusted that to look more like the early type.
10 May 2021, 20:10
Clifford KeeslerI have the Kinetic F-5B, I watched your F-5A build, but I think they have discontinued that kit, which is a shame.
10 May 2021, 22:09
Erik LeijdensThanks mates.
@Clifford, I believe Kinetic re-released the F-5A kit recently! A nice kit but very segmented so it's about the same amount of work als this Classic Airframes kit. Detail is better though
11 May 2021, 05:08
JohnProject looking good so far. The F-5 is an underrated modeling subject which is too bad, because she is the village bicycle of export aviation, as nearly every country had a turn with her. Looking forward to the completed model.
30 June 2021, 21:24
Erik LeijdensThanks John! Yes the F-5, one of my favourite jets. When I was little boy <10 years, NF-5's were flying around here in Holland. Never forgot the sleek lines of the Freedom Fighter! Already did a NF-5A from Kinetic couple of years ago, great kit.
You can never have too much F-5's! Awesome aircraft, period.
16 July 2021, 21:17
Erik LeijdensPrimed it grey overall. Checking for seams and imperfections. After this a gloss black base will be added
9 August 2021, 13:57
Slavo HazuchaCheers Erik - seems you are melting different worlds here with that kit and the fresh detailing sets... Looks pretty good so far, that LG section apparently went in with just a little filling... 😉 gladly following the journey as it goes on 👍
10 August 2021, 16:44
Erik LeijdensWelcome Slavo! Yes the landing gear part fits nicely! No trimming or whatsoever 🙂 Classic Airframes did a fine job on the resin.
10 August 2021, 19:12
Erik LeijdensThanks Maciej and James! Polished it a bit with 3000grid pads, next will be a gloss black base 🙂
10 August 2021, 20:37
Erik LeijdensSprayed the Freedom Fighter with some Aluminium from AK extreme metal line. As always, the metal paint is very unforgiving.. Dust here and there and some not so smooth surfaces.
16 August 2021, 21:25
Erik LeijdensThans mates!! Applied some tone variation on a couple of panels etc. Now a post shade will be next, I'll use Gunze Smoke for that to give it a more used look. Also anti glare panel on the nose has to be sprayed as is for the inside of the tip tanks.
19 August 2021, 10:39
Erik LeijdensThanks mates. Added the anti glare panels on the nose and tip tanks and some weathering with Gunze Smoke and earth tonight.
20 August 2021, 21:20
Erik LeijdensDone with the decals on the F-5. A mix from the kit decals, Army Cast decalsheet and from the Kinetic kit out of the spares box.
26 August 2021, 20:56
Slavo HazuchaYeah those metallic panels and the decals elevate this to new levels of harmony... 🙂 Top! 👍
26 August 2021, 22:13
Erik LeijdensThanks Mates! Next up will be a gloss coat to protect the decals for the panel wash, after that a mix of 50/50 Hataka satin and matt clear coat
27 August 2021, 07:59
Erik LeijdensThanks Maciej and Flight Line Media!
@Flight Line, decals are from Armycast and I added a metal pitot tube from Master. Which is a no-brainer since the kit pitot is way too thick. For the rest straigt from the box.
27 August 2021, 09:50
Erik LeijdensThanks Thomas. This kit isn't as bad as I initially always thought. Added a panelline wash last night. Now carefully a coat of clear coat to take of the shine a bit.
29 August 2021, 08:56
Clifford KeeslerLooks great with the decals on. Agree with everyone, excellent metal finish.
30 August 2021, 01:41
Erik LeijdensPainted some canopy tapes this evening, nearing the end result now!!
7 September 2021, 20:46
Erik LeijdensThanks Neil, she is finished now. Will take some decent DSLR camera photo's soon!
8 September 2021, 05:49
tyuWhy NMF? All F-5's (including the Libyan ones) were painted:
[img1]
In primer on the assembly line so no bare metal:
[img1]
AFAIK they only were bare metal when being stripped for a fresh paint coat.
8 September 2021, 07:03
Erik LeijdensThanks for your response tyu. I hesitated for a long time whether I should go for bare metal or not. I was convinced that it should be grey. Or at least an aluminium dope or something like that. I contacted the photographer of the attached photo and asked him if he could remember if they were bare metal or grey. He replied with; "The colour is definitely not grey. As far as I can remember they were in natural metal". I also looked at F-5A's from Iran, which were delivered around the same time and they are not grey but aluminium, if it is bare metal or a dope I am not sure yet. By the way, the picture of the F-5 in the factory you posted is not an A but an E fuselage so I don't think it's necessarily comparable. Until today I still doubt what is correct but hey, at least making a bare metal model was a good exercise🙂
[img1]
[img2]
8 September 2021, 07:19
Gary VictoryFantastic build and NMF finish Erik....and not the markings you see much of. Top job Sir.
10 September 2021, 06:23
Jos JansenAnother stunning work Erik...love those Freedom Fighters from your hand...👍!
10 September 2021, 16:17
Erik LeijdensO wow! Thanks for the overwhelming amount of positive reactions Mates!! Means a lot 🙂
10 September 2021, 20:33
Slavo Hazuchalovely finale - absolutely true to original or not, the NMF makes the F-5 a real looker. Next time you should consider doing 4 of them in parallel! 👍 😉
13 September 2021, 14:15
Erik LeijdensHaha thanks Slavo! Funny man you are, 4 kits at the same time! Only proper fools will try that 🙂
13 September 2021, 18:50
Album info
Trying to tackle the CA F-5A in the livery of the Royal Libyan Air Force
