Mig-31 "Firefox"

fightingirish

fightingirish

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http://thinkinrussian.org/

Yes folks, i mean the movie with Clint Eastwood! :)

A brilliant site!
 
... then take a look here:

My scratchbuilt Mig-31 Firefox project, ongoing progress of tooling patterns ... from "Wbnemo1"

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=54597


... even if I think the first pictures are "off-line" !

Deino
 
Firefox variants studied for the movie
 

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One of my favorite movies....

At that time I was a kid but really amazed by the "Firefox", I also remember (back in 1984) of a really hot arcade based upon the movie and utilizing the scenes with a techique called "laser-film" (anything would mean.....).
 
Looking at the nose of the aircraft it makes you wonder what the USAF/Lockheed thought about that seeing how the movie came out six years before they revealed the F-117.
 
Strange thing is parts of the design of Firefox do make sense. Its just the whole together is clearly a piece of fantasy designed to 'look good'.
 
zen said:
Strange thing is parts of the design of Firefox do make sense. Its just the whole together is clearly a piece of fantasy designed to 'look good'.
Click to expand...

Obviously, but you have to wonder if that nose raised some eyebrows as at the time "stealth" generally meant smooth curves and rounded edges in the press.
 
Apparently the producers of Firefox wanted to use live Swedish AJ37 Viggens as the two “MiG-31 Firefox” prototypes. They were in negotiations with the Swedish air force and government but the deal fell through.

Obviously some Swedish airbase surrounded by Pine Trees and live Viggens painted in red stars flying over Nordland snow would have looked fantastic in the film. Most people wouldn’t have no idea what a Viggen was making the experience even better.
 
Abraham Gubler said:
Apparently the producers of Firefox wanted to use live Swedish AJ37 Viggens as the two “MiG-31 Firefox” prototypes. They were in negotiations with the Swedish air force and government but the deal fell through.

Obviously some Swedish airbase surrounded by Pine Trees and live Viggens painted in red stars flying over Nordland snow would have looked fantastic in the film. Most people wouldn’t have no idea what a Viggen was making the experience even better.
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Well, who wants their plane to be on the "bad" side? Could confuse possible "foreign" buyers too.
 
It is time for a remake. I am preparing a movie treatment for "Firedragon". Lucy Liu and Jet Li to star as two American agents sent to China to steal the "Firedragon" J-118XX hypersonic stealth bomber. Lots of martial arts and great opportunities for special effects.
 
Hi,

also MiG-31 Firefox.
 

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I don't know what you fellows think of the song "Painkiller" by Judas Priest, but this video clip comprises most of the Firefox flying sequences in the film created by John Dykstra's Apogee Productions. The film had cutting edge special effects in 1982 employing a new technique named "Reverse" or "negative" blue screen. If I remember correctly, then current blue screen special effects technology could not be used with black painted miniatures.

Alas, I wish that I hadn't given away my copies of American Cinematographer before a move several years ago. American Cinematographer (September 1982) stated that some of the aerial plate footage was shot over Idaho in a Learjet. Unfortunately, they did not specify which region of Idaho. I don't recall if the article mentioned where aerial plate footage was shot for the Arctic ice floe sequences. IMDb mentions that Thule Air Base, Qaanaaq, Greenland was a filming location for the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_wKcDLSTPE

"Making of Firefox" documentary that is also on the DVD version of the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bomGXsn6oQ

First appearance of the MiG-31 Firefox in the film, Maurice Jarre used synthesizers in his motion picture scores during the period.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yySrcLlSmc

Link to images of a completed 1/48 scale model Firefox by Studio 2 Models:
http://page.freett.com/stzip/mig31.htm

I really like the Japanese poster artwork for the film. The fictional NASA Dryden Flight Research Center image and data sheet gave me a chuckle. I also included the publicity photograph of the two Firefox prototypes in combat that made me believe that the Firefox had laser weapons before I saw the film in 1982.
 

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incredibly the Aircraft fly scene were made with modern Stop motion Cameras!

It is time for a remake.
Click to expand...

REMAKE A CLINT EASTWOOD MOVIE ?!

Eastwood movie are Timeless, that is Wat you get with Remake...
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRKkcTA-e9s

(sorry had no Lego version of Firefox...)

One Moment ! steal a hypersonic stealth bomber from ... China ?
oh boy is the U.S. Tech so baaad ?!
or is this a Michael Bay Movie ? ;D ;D ;D
 
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Maybe they would use one of these in the remake, Michel? ;)

Special Effects Supervisor John Dykstra said in the American Cinematographer article that although the Firefox had a convincing and dramatic design, it had the aerodynamics of a brick.

The Hind gunships shown in the Kirov-class battlecruiser sequences were flying R/C models.

The full-scale Firefox prop was constructed at Apogee Productions in Van Nuys, CA. Propane burners from hot air balloon were inside the full-scale prop for engine effects on set.
 

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Has anyone got a decent 3-view line drawing of the Firefox?

Regards,

Greg
 
GTX said:
Has anyone got a decent 3-view line drawing of the Firefox?
Click to expand...

From 'think in russian':

http://thinkinrussian.org/images/ff_desktop04.jpg

and:

http://www.thinkinrussian.org/docs/whitepaper_2005.pdf
 
the full scale "Firefox"
was build from the framework of an old radio tower !
covert with panels from plywood
for taxiing around it had a Volkswagen motor mounted internally with a chain-driven rear wheel
and 2 Propane burners from hot air balloon were inside for engine effects on set.

so build hollywood aircraft ;D
 
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sferrin said:
Looking at the nose of the aircraft it makes you wonder what the USAF/Lockheed thought about that seeing how the movie came out six years before they revealed the F-117.
Click to expand...


Funny - that's exactly what I thought about the faceting of the forward fuselage!

Regards
Pioneer
 
[/quote]Well, who wants their plane to be on the "bad" side? Could confuse possible "foreign" buyers too.[/quote]

Everyone knows that all the bad guys fly Northrop F-5E's in just about every modern movie!! ;D
Its called the MiG-21, MiG-23 oh and yes in Top Gun, its called the MiG-28

Regards
Pioneer
 
I think it somewhat ironic, that after watching the Youtube footage of Firefox, after say 10-years, and with the technology we have today. The use of rear-view CTV camera for rear view is both viable and usefull - and yet I do not know of any fighter/interceptor so-fitted with one!
I wounder why this is?
It makes perfect sense to me for assisting combat situation awareness!!
After all doesn't history clearly show that traditionally more aircraft have been shot down in air-to-air combat, without the victim even seeing the killer?

Regards
Pioneer
 
Michel Van said:
incredibly the Aircraft fly scene were made with modern Stop motion Cameras!

It is time for a remake.
Click to expand...

REMAKE A CLINT EASTWOOD MOVIE ?!

Eastwood movie are Timeless, that is Wat you get with Remake...
[flash=200,200]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRKkcTA-e9s[/flash]
(sorry had no Lego version of Firefox...)

One Moment ! steal a hypersonic stealth bomber from ... China ?
oh boy is the U.S. Tech so baaad ?!
or is this a Michael Bay Movie ? ;D ;D ;D
Click to expand...

I wonder why there is sound and dialogue from Robocop in the beginning and the end of the clip. ???

Still cool, though. :D
 
Still in theme :
other fictional aircraft :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictional_military_aircraft

and


real Mig-31

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiG-31_Foxhound
 
Images of the "MiG-31 Firefox" prop aircraft were recently posted by the San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) Archives on the Flickr Commons, as part of the Robert Kemp Collection.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/albums/72157691203954561

Here it is under construction (appears to be the color photo of the image previously posted by Triton).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/47010448852
47010448852_64be242da8.jpg


The finished article.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/47062738751
47062738751_090a9c9e5e.jpg


What appears to be a small-scale model for bluescreen chroma key footage.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/47062739691
47062739691_3dd329dd81.jpg
 
I can't believe there are not more photos of the prop in existence. I read they built a flying rc model for the movie. No pics of that either? What a shame!

That movie nearly inspired me to be a mechanical engineer but I went into physics instead.
 

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