Hi everyone,

here is my Italeri (ESCI) USAF F-111A Aardvark. This aircraft was developed in the 1960's to supply the US Air Force and US Navy with a new double role bomber/long range interceptor aircraft which would have commonality for weapons and parts and therefore be more cost effective for the US taxpayer. The US Navy rejected this aircraft almost from the outset and it caused a political backlash. Due to the complexities of the new technologies adopted for it, the set-up stage dragged on for many years before the F-111 reached its operational maturity as the Vietnam war went through its final phase. On that occasion the aircraft performed well, thanks to its excellent electronic equipment, which made it one of the first all-weather attack aircraft, combined with its premium low flying qualities while carrying a heavy bomb load.

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This was the first 1/72 scale kit that I had built in years and I must say it was an enjoyable experience. The kit fits together well and very little filler was needed. My only additions to the kit were an Eduard etched brass set for the cockpit and some very carefully cut masking tape to create the side skirts for the sweep wings on the sides of the fuselage. As usual, the model was painted with humbrol enamels and weathered with my usual wash of black water colour paint. The markings came in the box and depict a USAF F-111A  of 474th Tactical Fighter Wing, 429th TFS based in Takhli, Thailand in 1972.

Once the model was complete, I thought I'd use up some spare accessories that I had lurking in my workshop. As I started looking at the parts and figures available, I thought I would have a go at a small diorama depicting this aircraft being armed at it's base in Thailand in 1972. The ground equipment came from Hasegawa's 1/72 ground support set and the figures were a mix between the Hasegawa set and Esci's NATO ground crew set. This was a fun build for me as it was my first attempt at  a SEA camo scheme with an airbrush, it's not a spot-on job, but I'm happy with it all the same. I hope you like it too.

Darren

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