IT ONLY TOOK ME ABOUT 6 MONTHS…
Well, not really. I think it took longer than that since I only devote about an hour to the model every night when I am not too busy with my day Job. The Falke taught me a lot of things, mainly on painting and weathering, which is my greatest weakness. As for the electronics, it was a breeze since I’m using readily available off-the-shelf-solutions. Maybe it is just for me to prove that one does not necessarily go for micro-controllers as first choice. Still, I realized that I really enjoyed weathering and rusting the model. As far as fictional scratch-building goes, it has really whet my appetite.
TOP VIEW
This is how the Falke looked like. It is darker than I would have liked but now it allows me to weather the panels for chipping and to show that the Falke is quite worn.
BOTTOM VIEW
I wanted the bottom to be as plain as I can as to show that this is the only area the busy maintenance crew will gladly wash if they were ordered by the Captain to, ‘make ‘er nice’.
The Intake
This Falke is based on an island and sometimes, when there are no enemies, the poor Pilot has to deliver mail for the Base. This Falke has clocked more flying hours than the rest and so, it needs frequent maintenance. And one day, while gliding through a strong turbulence, one of the panels flew off…
The extreme rusting in the front shows that most of its mission were based around the sea and so, its intakes were severely affected. Plus, this Falke is not made of aluminum but lighter metal alloys…
THE THIRD-EYE
The Third-Eye is the Falke’s most powerful weapon; jamming the enemy’s radio, giving false readings to their radar and detects their positions hundreds of kilometers away. But all this comes as a cost, as the Third Eye needs a lot of power and it must not have any interference. So, the Pilot would gain a high altitude with the Falke, shuts off the engine and slowly glide downwards. At this time, small turbines will start to re-charge the batteries and maybe even power the Third-Eye. Once the Falke glides to an unsafe level, the Pilot would re-start the engine, climb back up and repeat the whole exercise again. This would take days as if they are on patrol.
Don’t worry, the Pilot’s suit has an anti-radiation layer, fresh oxygen,a good helmet to protect him and lots of chocolate bars! He will definitely still be able to have kids…
THE COCKPIT
The Falke’s upgraded cockpit has a lot of electronics meant for the Third-Eye plus other counter-measures and jamming solutions. It’s silent engine allows it to fly for long hours without refueling, thanks to its gliding action during missions. There is not much markings on the Falke and although it was rumoured to have first priority access to any Base, no Base Commanders would admit they have seen one. This Falke usually flies during dusk where visibility is poor from the ground. Sometimes, he flies during dawn too, depending if there’s any good coffee left in the Base.
The smart Pilot also keeps a map in his suit (thigh pocket) in case his GPS is not working, as usual. And testing this Falke is a very hungry task for him!
THE MINIGUN
This Falke travels light and fast thanks to its upgraded engine. Due to budget constraints, the Maintenance Engineer only has enough to upgrade the ammo drum but was not given the long-range Excimer Laser gun and missiles which the Poor Pilot so dearly wanted. But then again, this cannot be used when the Third-Eye is active.
THE ENGINE
So the poor Base Commander took pity on the poor Pilot and ordered the Falke’s engine to be upgraded. This Günther-Pæntas engine variant is capable of achieving Mach 3 (3704.4 km/h) and is much more efficient than a normal Falke engine. As long as it does not fly, that is. What is so special is that this engine is very quiet, fast and has weird paintjob, making it almost undetectable.
And so, my friends, this is the end of the whole Falke articles. I hope you have thoroughly enjoyed it and gained many insights on how simple electronic lighting can help enhance the realism of this model, why we need to take a break every now and then, plus, why salt loves moisture.
THE END
