Königlich Mantovisch Luftwaffe Takes to the Skies!

Centralia, Canada (Reuters)- A small ceremony today in this small town in southern Ontario as the first class of pilots for the new Royal Mantovian Airforce were presented with their wings. As part of ongoing efforts by NATO to aid the heroic Mantovian Defense Forces, the Royal Mantovian Airforce (KML) has been resurrected, and the World War Two British Commonwealth Air Training Program that trained so many aircrew for the fight against Nazi Germany has been reactivated in this sleepy small town north of London, Ontario. Aircrew candidates for the new KML are being sent to RCAF Centralia in Southern Ontario for Flight Training.

From there, some are sent to RCAF Trenton for training on multi-engined cargo aircraft, while the best pilots go to RCAF Bagotville in Quebec for advanced combat training on the F86 Sabre jet as Canada's contribution to the NATO mission and to keep American aid at arm's length. 

Newly winged Colonel and Crown Princess Gretchen, on her way to Bagotville said in an interview, "No longer will Tartarian bombers strike with impunity! We are all very eager to keep the skies over our beloved country free from danger. We're very grateful to our Canadian friends for their hospitality."

Meanwhile ground crew technicians have been secretly sent to Sweden for training on the SAAB J29 Tunnan. Similar in performance to the Sabre, the "Flying Barrel" was selected because of it's immediate availability, good performance, and it's Swedish origins would make the CIA funding less obvious to Soviet observers. 

Originally the KML was formed in 1922 and consisted of three Sopwith Snipes and a two-seater Fokker bomber, but was shut down when the small alpine country was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1936. The five pilots and seven mechanics were transferred to the Luftwaffe. Three were killed in the Battle of Britain. Two died during the American daylight bombing campaign. Two mechanics survived the war to return home.

Hunting for Tartarian armoured columns!

It's obviously stormy grey skies 

I had to get my electric drill out to put the holes in the bottoms to take the rod, so there's some variation in the angles.

MiGs-Eye view

I almost went with the classic, iconic F86. But the J29 is just too cute to turn down. And I found a free .stl. I guess worry about the delicate control surfaces misprinting prompted Don to print me three. Naturally all three printed fine. So I had freedom to experiment.

Since they will be mostly appearing as ground support, I painted two in a green and grey camouflage reminiscent of RAF/RCAF aircraft and only one in the classic 50s shiny aluminum. The roughness of the painted on gesso primer made the finish on the silver rougher than I would like, but the camouflage turned out fine.

I used a circle template and pencil to draw the rondels directly onto the primer and then painted around them very carefully. I put a blob of pink in the center of each to help with the yellow and then painted the blue outer ring first, then the yellow center. I suppose I should add some identifying numbers to the vertical stabilizers.

The BCATP and RCAF Centralia is a nod to my step-father who worked there as a young man, making training aids for the Flight School. The base was shut down in the mid-60s and is now a weedy municipal airfield that my air cadets go to for gliding.