by Murray Antypowich

After the government recovered the crashed saucer in Roswell, New Mexico, they learned to make use of some of the alien technology. By 1967 they had figured out how to reproduce the new metals and by 1975 had replicated the propulsion system but not the anti-gravity system. With this technology they produced the Asto Arrow, a fighter not only capable of extreme speed and maneuverabillity, but also of leaving the earth's atmosphere. The advanced material allowed for the sharp nose and thin wing design desirable in atmospheric flight; it also enabled the craft to withstand the high temps of rentry into earth's atmosphere. The advanced propulsion negated the need for big, ugly air intakes. With this new weapon at hand the USSR quickly withdrew from the cold war and the world turned to the US as the undisputed power of the world. This brought an era of peace in which nations of the world turned away from trying to defeat an unstoppable opponent. Instead, they worked with the US to reach out into the solar system by spending their annual trilions on space and human efforts, rather than war.

The Model

I looked at the idea of the Joint Stike Fighter using its lift fan drive shaft to power a laser pack and thought ''If the millitary can, why can't a dreamer"? So, in this plaine there is a second advanced propulsion unit behind the cockpit which powers the lasers. It also serves as a backup to the main engines. If the aircraft should sustain major damage to the wings or main engine, the back half of the plane can separate and the pilot can still get home using the front pod and steering thrusters for manuvering.

This project started out as an F-16 with a broken canopy that has been in the parts box for about F-16 years. I replaced the high bubble canopy with a lower, more streamlined one. I then cut the air intake off and filled in the resulting hole with sheet styrene, clipped the wings and cut the fuselauge off just behind the main wing. I then shaped the smaller wings from sheet styrene and added them to the back and belly. The thin back end didn't leave much room for the exaust so I went with the F117-style flat nozzle. The back end looked a little bare so I added a rear looking laser defence tracker.

After all was put together, I proceded with the paint - automotive bumper chrome from a spray can. If the technology to build this ship came from a chrome spacecraft, then it too must be chrome, right? It has no markings as nothing would stick to the smooth skin of this craft.

The stand is merly a shaped and sanded block of wood painted steel, with an acrilyc rod attached. The scale is 1/48 and the project took only a couple of evenings.

Image: Front view

Image: Right side

Image: Top