I’d like to
thank Golly once more for setting up this challenge, and everyone who participated. These challenges keep getting more and more popular, I believe they’ve helped us grow in skill and as a community.
I would also like to offer my
(very personal) thoughts about each entry, if my peers wouldn’t mind.
Rowdy36: When I saw this entry I was amazed by how quickly it had been posted, but I was also underwhelmed, “how is this not a grippen” I thought. Seriously, the author could’ve taken a bit more time to detail it more and make some schemes/loadouts? Boy was I surprised when in the end just that happened. It matured into a handsome little crate which looks dashing with a full loadout and camo! Would love to see it kept and used further by Rowdy.
Rundrewrun99: I witnessed this plane’s conception and development firsthand in the SB discord. Drew took a bold position into a field he had little experience with and I commend him for obtaining a resolved end product, the drawing is decent, it has 3 views, ordnance loadouts and 2 schemes. The drawing is hampered by hard to use colours and lack of finesse though, which will come with practice. Drew also did a poor job of describing and defending his choice, which led to the conception that it looks like something out of a sci-fi series rather than the embodiment of real Lockheed concepts, doubtlessly fueled by the drawing’s lack of excellence (statistics would’ve helped). A bulbous canopy and thick flying surfaces could be corrected, but if it was me who did this aircraft, I’d go for a much bigger airframe, at least A-5 sized, with an internal weapons bay and canards, either fixed or deployable, to supplement the bleed air system used here to reduce landing speed and augment control. Better luck next time!
Charguizard: It’s not an F-16! Having a chintake doesn’t make it an F-16! If anything it owes much more to Rafale as you can see in the stats and functionally its more of a reverse configuration version of that, which is what it started as. Sure, eventually the upgrade path uses a similar physical configuration as the Falcon since it seemed obvious to add dorsal CFTs and a spine, but that’s convergent evolution for you.
Hood: I was amazed when this one came around, it has intricate detail and use of colour, very sensible loadouts, plausible fluff and its very original in my opinion. I only wonder how it goes so fast. This one is high on my list for candidates for a vote.
Novice: A handsome aircraft hampered by the jarring colours of the roundels and indifferent shading. Would love to see the carrier proposals for which it was intended. More schemes wouldn’t hurt either.
Blackbuck: An impressive beast, I feel it would be one of the best performing of the bunch as a carrier aircraft. Beautifully drawn, with excellent use of colour. I lean more towards all-original designs but this one is also high on my list for a vote. Please please please do a TG version being refuelled by one of your tankers.
Ilamaman2: A very attractive aircraft. Fluff is meh. Could use better shading/highlighting and just a bit more effort in panneling, and of course 3 views, a gear down view, and more schemes. So more time investment in general so this believable plane really shines.
thegrumpykestrel: Supremely attractive little aircraft! So handsome I might
steal license it for my own purposes. Also useful and practical to the core, it’d make a fine addition to any navy/expeditionary force. Really needs more schemes to be a top contender though.
RaspingLeech: Excellent side view, more modest front and top views, something is keeping this one back but I’m not sure what could be improved, the schemes are brilliant already. Definitely deserves more attention, I hope to see it on a carrier eventually.
Yuqueleden: While not the prettiest one around, it is a believable and practical aircraft with tons of schemes and loadouts. Detailing is more than sufficient. More delicate shading and use of colour could improve this one.
No es el avión más atractivo del concurso, pero se ve creíble y práctico y presenta muchos esquemas y configuraciones de armamento. El detallado es más que suficiente. El uso de sombreado y color más delicado podría mejorarlo.
Nestin: It’s a pretty little thing. I agree there’s no way it’d reach 2.5 mach but I disagree on the opinion that it’s a frankenstein job, it could work and maybe just the top view needs more effort. A front view would be nice too. Seems like good bang for buck if a multirole is what you need, but some other entries seem better as a budget interceptor. I still find it believable overall. Could use a bit more detailing. Absolutely love the schemes.
Miklania: An excellent entry, specially as a concept. The drawing could use more detailing on the flying surfaces and top view. Maybe the nose cone junction line shouldn’t be black? I also just realized I can’t figure how it rolls.
Garlicdesign: It wouldn’t be very gentlemanly if I critique the only other person that could win this challenge now, would it?
Obsydian Shade: Sufficient in every way as an entry, could still improve in many aspects. Front view is bare but front views are hard. Would have to have many more schemes, a gear down view and loadouts to compete further up.
reytuerto: This is a very pretty aircraft, also a practical offering. I can’t shake the feeling its a bit in the past though. It has a lot of potential though and it could improve a lot with better highlighting. Would love to see more schemes and loadouts too.
APDAF: I was also witness to the conception and development of this airframe on the discord. It suffers first and foremost from misuse of time, rushed to completion at the end. The whole nose section seems to point too far up, the canopy bubbles up sharply, the drawing could use more detailing and of course it’s only a side view with no extra loadouts or schemes. Also, boy, were we shocked when APDAF showed us what it looked like from above, it really needs more thought given to the wings. Regardless of the brutal critique, I commend you on a finished drawing and I hope you’re not discouraged from competing more often in the future.
pegasus206: It’s a very good drawing, with lots of intricate details (look at the forward gear door!) has a nice scheme 5 (!) views, an impressive loadout, and yet, it somehow doesn’t appeal to me. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, I just find the wing and silhouette unattractive. Is an AESA array appropriate for the service entry date? Either way, very good job with the drawing, definitely deserves more attention.
Gollevainen: I know I just said my plane isn’t an F-16, but isn’t this literally a Lavi? The drawing is superb, it has 3 views, gear down view, many schemes, it’s an excellent entry. The ordnance chart caught me completely off guard too. Congrats to Golly.
TigerHunter1945: This entry definitely deserves more attention. Its a unique aircraft, it has all the views, very nice schemes, different loadouts, the works. Big kuddos to TH! The shapes are very hard to represent though and maybe this plane deserves to be drawn in franscale to show the details better. Any questions about the feasibility of this airframe and its performance seem to rest on the location and size of the cannards, and I would encourage those interested to test it at least on the most amateur of tools like KSP or X-plane, or hell, maybe a foam R/C plane. My prediction is that the canards need to be smaller and their tips moved out of the way of the main wing.
Deskjester: Man, it took you a while to churn this one out. I want to congratulate desk on his massive research and conceptual effort, the results are well worth it. Doubtlessly one of the most brutal and better performing in the bunch, this plane takes no compromises to deliver its intended specifications. An air-breathing missile is probably all it needs to punch it to the top, and I’m willing to bet it would fit a couple of SeaDart on the big pylons, compatibility problems be damned! An excellent drawing with all the views it needs, use of colour and shading is judicious and the numerous schemes are all lovely and different. Definitely on standby to be
stolen acquired for my own purposes. Definitely deserves the top 3 placement it seems to be getting right now.
Skyder2598: Yeeees it’s a proto-Flanker but big deal, the drawing is beautiful and the markings are exquisitely delicate. A front view and more schemes would only help it. It’s also probably one of the better perfoming air-sup fighters in the bunch, would be a scary rival. More time investment would help it stand out more.
Navybrat85: A second-line concept but appropriate to its context to be sure. Needs highlighting and more delicate use of colour to stand out, and more time investment in views and schemes. For a writer, NB has done surprisingly little writing for it, though surely his wedding, children and job have deprived us of the results he surely wanted to achieve. Kudos for making it into the challenge though.
Wariterm: Wow, just wow. Extraordinarily excentric, this plane is beautiful and I want more of it. Exquisite use of colour and decent fluff help this entry overall. Please please please I beg of you do a top view at least, but don’t stop at that if you can. Is Euskadi getting aviation ships in this universe? I might want to contribute to that. Would be a high contender for my vote if all the features were fleshed out.
Kannevets: Kann, my boy, you left everything for the last moment and these are the consequences. A handsome aircraft and a good base drawing are hampered by lack of detail and any schemes at all! Time and effort is all it needs to improve.
VictorCarlie: Absolutely credible, a great drawing with excellent details and markings. More schemes is all it needs really. Very good entry overall. Would also be a scary rival.
Sareva: Sadly, this entry suffers from lack of focus and time. The drawing itself is good, Sareva doesn’t lack skill in execution. What this entry needed was to sit down, set some goals, write some numbers down, sketch, freeze the design and then use plenty of time to draw all the views and schemes as you’re able to. Too bad really, I really want you to participate more and improve your project management skills, which is what’s lacking here, surely that next drawing will be brilliant.
, in fact, the first impression when I saw Hood´s drawing was "I can´t compete against that!!! 
, there were so many good drawings!).
