The Force meets the Royal Air Force

[major_clanger]

I was in our local WH Smiths the other day and saw that they had a load of Star Wars kits in, including Revell's kit of the Snowspeeder from The Empire Strikes Back. It was only £6, and I wanted to have a simple kit to practice some painting and weathering techniques on. Well, I had a free weekend for the first time in ages, and during a recent sort-out I'd gathered together all the left-over decals from other kits I'd done. An idea started to form itself...

Snowspeeder GR.1 of 9 Squadron, RAF







It's a very easy kit to put together, and ends up about 10cm long. It says on the box it's 1:52 scale; that's hardly a common scale for model kits, and I suspect someone's just divided the size of the full-size filming prop by the size of the model. That being said, from the size of the two crew this is more like 1:72, and I suspect that the filming prop probably wasn't 'full size' or in proportion.

Pedantic nit-pickers will note that the serial is from the early 1960s (it's from a Gnat kit) and the RAF markings are of a style not used on front-line aircraft since the early 1980s. I suggest that given the subject matter we can all suspend our disbelief a little...

Finally, here she is zipping her way through the Welsh valleys on a low-level sortie:

Comments

[hano.livejournal.com]

I wonder how much utiitiy an aircraft would have on a modern battlefield. A pair of fixed forward firing laser cannons, present targetting difficulties, especially under fire and/or at speed. Unless said speeder is capable of firing while stationary and is fitted with modern fire control and stabilisation systems?
Also, I have questions as to the defensive capabilities of such an aircraft. And is a harpoon guided rope adequate for the needs of the 21st Century?
Just asking...

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

I suspect that an Urgent Operational Requirement to fit Brimstone would be implemented, together with one to add suitable sensors such as FLIR and a laser rangefinder / marked target seeker, given that not all aircrew can be relied upon to 'Use the Force'.

[hano.livejournal.com]

That has interesting implications for aircrew recruitment. Should it be a requirement that all trainee pilots have a high midichlorian count? One hesitates to speculate as to what this would mean for the standards of behaviour at Cranwell and in the average Squadron Mess...

[hano.livejournal.com]

(although the ability to recover a fighter sized aircraft from a marshy lake would undoubtedly prove useful to an ambitious engineering officer)

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

Well, the last time a candidate was recruited on the basis of exceptional midichlorian levels he proved to be arrogant and immature and pursued an inappropriate relationship to the detriment of his professional responsibilities.

Yes, Anakin Skywalker would fit right in as RAF aircrew...

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I read somewhere recently that the USAF is going to try a prototype aircraft with energy beam weapon - this article seems to support that idea

http://arstechnica.co.uk/information-technology/2015/09/air-force-fighters-will-carry-laser-cannons-cyber-weapons-by-2020/

I think 2020 is possibly a leeeetle optimistic...