The Area 88 manga is so full of exciting scenes of air-combat, that they almost beg to be depicted in scale model dioramas. However, considering the space needed and the wide variety and relative size of the aircraft involved, I’ve decided to constrain my full dioramas to a reasonable 1/700 scale.
The 1/700 Scale Projects:
My current (and ever growing) list of projects.
A Close Save
005 (v01c05) | The Crossing Point of SolitudeOn his last flight as a co-pilot, Kanzaki is tasked with proving himself worthy of his promotion to full Captain by taking the controls of the Yamato B-747-200 bound for Tokyo and flying without the aid of the auto-pilot. Feeling the strain of the difficult task, Kanzaki begins to drift off-course over the Mediterranean. However, with Shin taking his brand new F-5E Tiger II out for a shakedown flight at the same time, this sets the stage for a heart-pounding near-miss, when the B-747-200 emerges unexpectedly from the clouds – right in the path of the oncoming F-5E!
The Upside Down Bomb
Mission 016 (v02c02) | The Explosive SkyOn his return home from Paris, Saki has a chance encounter with Ryoko on a McGregor Airlines flight. However, the uneventful flight quickly becomes desperate when the Captain becomes aware that his old friend, Saki has put the entire plane in danger due to an assassination plot by the A.G.F. With the clock ticking and a bomb on the underside of the DC-10, Saki has no choice but to authorize Shin and Mickey to engage in an extremely risky maneuver – flying their Kfirs inverted to try and shoot the bomb off.
The Tragedy of Yamato Flight 31
Mission 036 (v03c07) | Prelude to CollapseWith the aid of Maxwell, Kanzaki stages a hostile takeover of Yamato Airlines. After becoming President, Yamato cuts corners on safety and begins using the low-cost Maxwell MB-14 airliner. The move has with results when Yamato Flight 31 loses both engines and crashes into Tokyo Bay, killing all 420 passengers and crew.
The Desert Aircraft Carrier
Mission 039 (v03c10) | Of Ants and a MonsterBuilt by the Italian arms dealer, Giuseppe Farina, the Desert Aircraft Carrier first appears in Chapter 031 (v03c02), The Passage to Hell, when it launches AV-8B Harriers, and later F-18 Hornets to attack the Area 85 helicopter base. Although three rows of tank treads are clearly visible, given the size of the flight deck, the carrier likely moves over a series of treads rather than simply one long chain. Powered by a nuclear reactor, the carrier has the ability to burrow into the sand, creating an effective camouflage and making it hard to spot from the air. Despite being unable to move while under the sand, it can launch missile attacks via radar. Unlike ocean-going carriers, that use sea water to cool their reactors, the desert carrier is forced to use a less efficient air-cooling mechanism. With a single flight deck, there is no on-deck parking of aircraft. Instead, the desert carrier relies on a elevator system at the end of each runway to supply (unmanned) F-18 fighter jets to the flight deck, before launching them using a catapult system similar to the one found on regular aircraft carriers. While the total number of aircraft it can hold is unknown, it is thought to be around 30 fighters. The Desert Aircraft Carrier is destroyed in Chapter 052 (v04c07), Dunes of Steel, by an all-out assault by the Area 88 forces. To construct the Desert Aircraft Carrier, I plan to use the following kits as a base:
The Grand Slam
Mission 041 (v03c12) | Grand SlamThe Grand Slam is a massive 300 tonne explosive “missile” equipped with a drill head. Designed to travel underground to its target. First seen in the weapons bay of the Desert Aircraft Carrier in Chapter 041 (v03c12), Grand Slam, the Desert Aircraft Carrier’s “secret weapon” is launched twice – first targeting the Area 88 desert base, and then targeting the Asran capital city. Using a timer, as well as other sensor mechanisms, the first Grand Slam is tricked into detonating early, resulting in (only) the partial destruction of the Area 88 desert base runway. The second one passes, via an underground river, through “O’Reilly’s Mine” – named for a former arms dealer – where it is corroded from the illegally dumped industrial waste and fails to detonate. To construct the Grand Slam, I plan to use the following kits as a base:
The Enterprise-class Aircraft carrier “88”
Mission 126 (v08c13) | Wings Laden with the PastAfter the destruction of the Area 88 mountain base, Shin comes into a massive $80 billion fortune, allowing him (somewhat improbably) to purchase (with the help of Old Man McCoy, of course) a fully-functioning Enterprise-class aircraft carrier that had been mothballed. As such, Aircraft Carrier “88” effectively becomes the fourth Area 88 base. However, as an aircraft carrier, only ship-board aircraft can be used. To construct the Aircraft Carrier “88”, I plan to use the following kit as a base:
You Sunk My Submarine!
Mission 157 (v10c04) | The Sound of Pulling the TriggerDuring the invasion of Tundaria, Project 4 launches mid-range ballistic missiles from a Lafayette-class submarine. However, it is quickly destroyed and sunk by an S-3 Viking. To construct the Project 4 Submarine, I used the following kit as a base:
The Area 88 manga is so full of exciting scenes of air-combat, that they almost beg to be depicted in scale model dioramas. However, considering the space needed and the wide variety and relative size of the aircraft involved, I’ve decided to constrain my full dioramas to a reasonable 1/700 scale.
