Ayo, @aleciosun got the bois lookin' FIIIRREEE!!! 😎🔥ᯓ ✈︎🔥ᯓ ✈︎🔥ᯓ ✈︎
If I spam concept art commissions, they'll overlook my writing procrastination, right?
So yeah, I wanted to see the main trine's designs and boy did the artist hit it out of the park again. I know, I know, they could've just all be the same plane like in the OG, but where's the fun in that? ;)
First, as some of you already know from my WWIIformers fic, Starscream is a Messerschmitt ME 262 "Schwalbe" {Stormbird}, the world's first operational fighter jet:
It makes sense he'd only take the alt-mode of the best there was, and being the fastest seeker, of course he's gonna want the fastest plane.
Next up: Thundercracker as a Messerschmitt Bf 109, the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter force.
Thundercracker always strikes me as the more practical, down-to-earth of the three, so I imagine he'd probably pick the plane that was most common and reliable at the time so he could easily blend in. He's not overly concerned with flashiness and style like his trine-mates.
Plus these planes were heavy-hitters when it came to dog-fights, even if they weren't the fastest, kinda like TC himself.
And last but not least, Skywarp as a Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka"
Skywarp just screamed "Stuka" for me. The look of the plane alone is a match made in heaven, especially with the gull wings, faired main gear legs, and when you see some that had the shark mouth painted on the nose.
The Junkers were dive-bombers and ground-attack aircrafts known for doing some wacky aerial maneuvers. The Stuka's design included automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings to ensure that the aircraft recovered from its attack dive even if the pilot blacked out from the high g-forces, or suffered from target fixation. That's right, pilots had a habit of BLACKING OUT in this plane and waking back up before they had time to crash, it's ridiculous, kinda like warping blindly into walls like an idiot [accusingly eyes Skywarp]
Though sturdy, accurate, and very effective against ground targets, the Stuka was vulnerable to fighter aircraft, again, kinda like Skywarp when he's left to his own devices. After all, he's not the brightest watt in the bulb.
Also these planes were huge propaganda symbols for the Germans, kinda like how Skywarp is a hopeless fanboy supporter for Megatron.
Arguably the greatest pilot in history and Stukameister Hans-Ulrich Rudel in his Junkers Ju 87G Stuka "Panzerknacker" (tank buster). Note the two BK 3.7 (Flak 18) 37mm guns hung under the wings just outboard of the landing gears. These guns had six shells each and one shot could knock out a T-34. Eastern Front, possibly Kursk, Summer 1943
A Ju-87G-1 anti-tank attack aircraft, armed with two 37mm BK 3.7 aircraft cannons, from the 10th Squadron of the 3rd Close Support Squadron (10.(Pz)/SG3) at takeoff. From May to July 1944, the 10th Squadron was based in the Romanian city of Roman. May 1944.
Junkers Ju 87G-2 Stuka preserved on display at the South Wales Aviation Museum, United Kingdom
Aircraft Note: This photo was taken prior to the aircraft being repainted in its original markings (coded RI-JK). The markings in the photo were applied for the film Battle of Britain.
