Wow - Thunderbirds T-33 Jet Built From Scratch! (Sorta)
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 08:35PM 
Amazing detail on a T-33 RC jet model currently under construction by Graeme Mears
(5 pix)
The name Graeme Mears might not ring a bell with you, unless you're really into stunningly awesome scale RC models... tho if you saw my post on the Privately owned F-16 a while back you might remember the name from there. Graeme is a master at building freakishly accurate and detailed RC models that tend to win big awards. And he's got one in the works right now that's just beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel - a fabulous Lockheed T-33 model in fictitious Thunderbirds paint. Tho the Air Force aerobatic team never flew T-33's there are several real live examples with private owners that have adopted the scheme on the airplane. It's one of those real aircraft that this model will represent.
Graeme is working toward competing at the Jet World Masters event coming up later this year from July 24th thru August 6th at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton Ohio. The pictures here are just a few of the ones he has posted on his facebook page. I highly recommend you check out the page to see the other pictures of the build. Keep in mind if you don't have a FB account, you won't be able to get to the pix.
This T-33 is a 1:4.5 scale, so pretty much 1/4 scale, which works out to a 110" wingspan and 101" long. One of Graeme's biggest challenges with the model is keeping it under the 20kg (44 pound) weight limit imposed by the Jet World Masters competition. Adding so much detail, especially in moving parts, really starts to build up the weight. A recent update from him indicated that he's stripped some excess weight out and thinks he's gonna be ok.
You get a little better feel for the size of the model in this pic. I'm pretty sure the basis for the model is the T-33 kit from scale-jets.com, but to take it to hyper scale, lots of cutting and retrofitting is done. No, I mean LOTS!
A close up of the fuselage... this thing looks so real!
And how is this for detail? It all just boggles the mind to consider the amount of time and patience it takes to achieve this level of workmanship. Even the tiny switches and knobs are built to scale by making molds and casting them in lightweight materials.
Be sure to check out Graeme's Facebook page for loads more pix giving a lot more detail... and then check back to often watch the progress as he gets closer to completion.
I'm planning to make the relatively short three hour trip from my home in Indiana to Dayton Ohio right after Oshkosh this year to catch the second week of the Jet World Masters so I can see this amazing flying model in person. With the added incentive of the Air Force Museum, this is an event that anyone in the Midwest (or anyone with the means regardless of location) should seriously consider as a summer destination. The competition is sure to be amazing and the AFM always provides an amazing experience with its vast collection of historic military aircraft. Seeing all this right after a week of Oshkosh might cause some sort of avgeek overload meltdown, but it's a chance I'm willing to take... what about you?!
Reader Comments (2)
Wow it looks awesome. Where are you going to have it on display? This is pretty cool, I just started thinking I want to do some "big models" modeling and not just doing those 1/50 small plastic models.
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