[DMC]

Ready for another one? I started on a plane I?ve had my eyes on for a while. Similar to the Diamondbacks in the MASS device series, there was a Cobra plane that was made up before the rattler was designed and released. Someone elsewhere on this forum has termed it the ?Proto-Rattler, which is as good a name as any. The GI Joe field manual vol. 1 calls it the ?short range VTOL skirmisher.? If you remember, in the MASS device series, Destro leads a flight of these to the volcano, where cobra recovers the asteroid and brings it back to the helicarrier.

The proto-rattlers have a non-descript body and wings; the biggest features are wings that rotate vertically like the rattler, and wing-tip vertical stabilizers. The engines are mounted mid- wing like the rattler, and they have a chin mounted gun.

The shape of the body reminded me of the F9F Panther, a navy jet from the 50?s. I got a couple of these in 1:72 scale from hasegawa. The kit is small and uncomplicated and is easily built. One dilemma I had was that the proto-rattlers have a tail exhaust, like the F9F, but there is no engine intake for this. Therefore, I decided to leave the wing root intakes intact for this model. I struggled to find the right engines for the wings, but finally ended up canibalizing a Russian helicopter kit (which will be used in another project) for its turbines. I think they?ll fit pretty well. I plan to display one with the wings horizontal and one with them vertical, so I cut the wings accordingly. The winglets I made from an A-10 kit?s vertical stabilizers.

[DMC]

I?ve gotten the basic shape of the proto-rattler done. Now for the filling and sanding?

[Fly4v]

Loved the Panther jet since first seeing The Bridges at Toko-Ri on TV.

This is going to be a great little jet.