I was thrilled to discover that Blitzwing's jet mode is actually based on a real jet! The Mig-25 Foxbat; a jet with some...interesting quirks and history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiG-25

Some highlight's include:

"Pilots were forbidden to engage the radar on the ground, and legend held that it was powerful enough to kill rabbits near runways."

" The alcohol used for cooling the radar could also be imbibed, and ground crews have been known to drink the same, right from the plane. "

"Though the Mig-25's electronics were ridiculed in the West, many experts found it ingenious and quite practical to use vacuum tubes as, compared with transistor technology, they were less suceptible to radiation (for example, EMP) in case of nuclear warfare..."

"inaccurate intelligence analysis and several false assumptions caused a panic in the West, where it was initially believed that the MiG-25 was actually an agile air-combat fighter rather than a stand-off interceptor. In response, the United States launched an ambitious new program, which resulted in the McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagle and the General Dynamics F-16."


My love of Blitzwing just jumped an octave. Also it's worth noting that Biltwing's tank mode is based off a Mitsubushi tank. So one mode is Japanese and the other is Russian.

-LB

 

great find LB!

now find broadside's lame fighter plane mode.

 

Here ya go!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick

what?

(actually, I think Broadside is supposed to be a Tomcat...)


-LB

 

Damn, Blitzwing kills bunnies? That's pretty harsh, even for a Decepticon.

 

  I can see it now, the end sequence of the first Doom game... bunny's head on a stick, with Blitzwing walking away.

 

For a second I thought you had found a jet that actually had a tank turrent on its underside. That would be awesome.

 

heheh. good one.

 

How awesomely Russian of them.

 

Oh, you mean the Henschel 129B-3.

That's a 75mm cannon off of a Panzer IV. They called her the Tank Cracker.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henschel_Hs_129

 

not to mention the foxbat was by far one of the best, fastest, scariest things flying the skys for almost 20 years. A very hardcore plane. I never realised how much blitz looked like one, crazyness, good find.

 

"russian technology, japan technology...all made in cybertaiwan!"

movie blitz needs to be played by that cosmonaut in armageddon, last seen the VW ad and the brothers grimm.

 

Blitzwing just became one of my favorite Decepticons...

 

Factoid: In the list of the world's fastest aircraft that can take off on their own power, the MiG-25 Foxbat ranks in at no. 2, just behind the SR-71 Blackbird.

Link

For those who don't know: The X-15 was rocket-powered, and was launched from a B-52.

 

very cool!

 

That's a pretty cool jet. I thought it was just made up to fit the triple change modes. But I leave my blitzwing in tank mode all the time as I love it's tank form the best. I think it's mutally agreeable with everyone that the robot mode sucks arse? Yep, I thought so.   The arms are very ninja chop chop actiony, which would have been cool if the toy was made in the 80's. Oh wait.......

 

Nonsense!

 

We need an updated Blitzwing one of these days

 

I love his wings, there so cool!

 

Apparently the Foxbat was designed to be an Interceptor, to catch and hunt down US spy planes (ie, the SR-71).

Problem was, by the time the spyplane was detected and the Foxbat prepped and launched, the SR-71 were always gone...

Still, its one of my favourite planes, I'm surprised no one (including me) ever linked Blitzwing to it until now!.

Edit
On a seperate note, it turns out that the US was so scared of the Foxbat back in the 60's, (ie, their current fighter, the Phantom paled in comparison to the guesswork stats of the Foxbat, guesswork cuz it was the cold war after all) that they initiated new Superiority fighter programs, which culminated in the F-15 and F-16's.

So in essence, Blitzwing is the father of all the F-15 seekers... (Yes I am a geek.)