There Needs To Be A Decent Kit, That Bat-Winged Douglas, Return of the Cat, Some Navy Color, Even More Mustangs, A Jug, and A Texan in the North Country

Things We Like (With Apologies to Jack Bruce)

Today's going to be a goofy sort of day around here, so stand by! It's been a busy (and somewhat crazy) week in our part of the world and we haven't had time to scan very much material for you this time around. On the other hand, we've received quite a bit of really nice stuff lately, with a great deal of it involving blue airplanes of one sort or another, and today's as good a time as any to show that material off. (That, in translation, means we're a little bit lazy today but feel an obligation to keep our schedule going!) Here, then, is a potpourri of nifty photos for your consideration.

The Last Thing You'd Expect to See

We all have favorite airplanes, and for most of us those favorites mostly revolve around airplanes that shoot guns and drop bombs for a living. Our first entry could (and sometimes did) do those things, but they weren't its primary mission. Nope, the Vought OS2U Kingfisher was an all-around cowboy, best remembered for its role in locating and picking up downed fliers during the Second World War. The airplanes in these photos never got the chance to do anything in that war, but they were there when it started.

Anybody out there recognize this airplane? That side number is a clue; it's 1-0-1, and it's an OS2U-3 photographed in September of 1941 . Give up? She's from BB-39 USS Arizona, and was photographed being recovered during a training flight some three months before her operational career was terminated early one morning in Hawaii. Off the top of our heads we can think of only a handful of Kingfisher kits out there; from Airfix and Lindberg in 1/72nd, and Monogram in 1/48th. We think it's time for a modern kit of the type, which means it's just about time for somebody to release another P-51 model instead. There just ain't no justice!  Bill Peake Collection via Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum via Nankivil

And here's 1-0-3 getting ready to come back aboard. This photo is a companion of the one above and was also taken in September of 1941. Note that the airplane is wet just about everywhere; that's a side of floatplane operations most of us don't consider, but it was a constant in the floatplane community. There's a lot of detail visible here if you're inclined to build an OS2U.  Bill Peake Collection via Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum via Nankivil

Good Lord, It's a Ford!

Several of them, actually. The Douglas F4D-1 Skyray was one of those airplanes that could have been a world-beater with just a little more development. The "Ford" actually got that development towards the end of its life, and the ensuing F5D Skylancer was everything its younger brother wasn't. Unfortunately, the Navy already had both the F8U Crusader and F4H Phantom in the pipeline at the time and didn't need yet another fighter, relegating the F5D to one of history's many sidebars. There never were any operational Skylancers for us to show you, so you're just going to be happy with these images of the lengendary "Ford" instead. We don't think you'll mind.

The F4D-1 was hitting the Fleet in 1956, and beginning to show up at public air shows as well. 134755 is virtually devoid of markings but shows off the aircraft's clean lines in spite of that stand on the ramp behind her.  Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum via Mark Nankivil

VMF-115 was equipped with the "Ford" When Clay Jansson snapped this classic photo in 1958. There's a tremendous amount of detail shown here, particularly in the areas of the wing-fold and tailhook. One of our readers was looking for wing-fold detail a while back; Sergei, we just got this photo last week! We hope it's not too late to be of use!  Jannson via Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum via Nankivil

Here's a different view of one of 115's birds, this time with the wings deployed. These marking are pretty simple, but the red-white-and blue stripes work really well on the airframe. 134826 shows signs of use but is devoid of that Teutonic Pottery Look so beloved by some folks in the scale modeling community. A picture is worth a thousand words...  Jansson via Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum via Nankivil

To a lot of folks there's only one F4D-1 squadron worth looking at, and VF(AW)-3 is it. The squadron was operating out of North Island when this photo was taken in 1958 and that paint scheme, coupled with a moderately-famous skipper named Gene Valencia, guaranteed Instant Fame for the squadron. You can bet those markings were a big hit at airshows, although we'd personally like to see a little bit more of that C-47 in the background too!  Kasulka via Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum via Nankivil

Black Cat Moan and Other Assorted Blues

We ran a few shots of the PBY Catalina several issues back courtesy of Bobby Rocker and his remarkable collection. We'd like to add a few more to that collection today:

We don't know the unit for certain, but we definitely know the place! This PBY-5 was photographed in her full tail-striped glory while taxiing past the Enterprise in February of 1942. We mentioned it last time around but the "P-Boat" went just about everywhere and ended up doing just about everything in the process. The PBY was what some folks might call a "versatile" airplane.  Rocker Collection

The Catalina trained quite a few aircrews, as typified by this example working out of NAS Jacksonville during mid-1942. The tail stripes are gone, but the painters have more than made up for it by their presentation of that star on the bow, which is missing its insignia blue corcarde and is upside-down to boot! If you're looking for an unusual "P-Boat" to model, this could be the one!  Rocker Collection

Unless, of course, you'd rather do this one! VP-34 was extremely active with the type during the Solomons campaign, using the aircraft to good advantage during harassment operations at night. Remember that part where we said the PBY did just about everything? Remember that part about Black Cats?  Rocker Collection

So Where's the Color Pichers, Mister?

You're right---so far we've run nothing but classic B&W this week, and it honestly looks like that's a horse we're going to ride a little bit longer, but we know full-well that there's a portion of our readership that really enjoys those new-fangled color photographs. We pride ourselves on having a little something for everybody around here, so here's some color for your day. Just a little, bit, though...

OK, if you guys just have to look at color photographs, we're happy to oblige you. VA-43 operated the Grumman F11F-1 Tiger for a short while, and was aboard CV-62 when Hal Andrews took this photo on 18 February 1960. 141812 apparently spent some time with VF-21 prior to her assignment to Fighting 43, resulting in a unique (and colorful!) set of markings. That's an unforgiving ocean out there, ya'll!  Andrews via Nankivil

Here's another Token Color Picture for today---149180 was still marked as an F8U-2NE when Bill Peake immortalized her in 1963. The Crusader managed to be both better and worse than her reputation made her out to be and that whole "last of the gunfighters" moniker didn't hold up when she finally reached combat, but she was a looker, and a hot rod to boot. Vought made pretty good airplanes once upon a time. Bill Peake Collection via Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum via Nankivil

So you say you want a little more color? How about a whole lot more color? The Crusader's lines could accurately be described as sensuous, which make her a natural for exotic paint jobs. 150909 was an F-8E and was with VF-194 when she was photographed on the ramp in July of 1966. We've seen numerous interpretations of the F-8's "sit" on model airplanes; this photo give a good idea of what one that's less-than-completely-fueled-up looks like.  Jansson via Nankivil Collection

It's Been a While...

That's a double-threat sort of intro, don't you know? It's been a while since we've run any Guard P-51s, and a couple of issues since we've run anything from the remarkable collection of Jim Sullivan. It's time to make amends, so let's take a look at a couple of South Carolina P-51s!

The Air Force had a whole bunch of P-51s on strength when the war ended in 1945, and the rapid development of the turbo-jet fighter was rapidly making the type obsolete. Quite a few of them ended up in the ANG during the late-40s and early-50s, and South Carolina's 157th FS/169th FG was one of the units that was active with the type. 44-73699 was among them and was photographed at Wilmington, North Carolina, during 1949. She's a Plain Jane but you can't disguise her elegance.  Sullivan Collection

Here's another view of 699. She's still got her tailwheel doors, but that feature would go away once the P-51 got back into combat in Korea. By that point in her career she wasn't doing a whole lot of dog-fighting, and max performance wasn't really required for her new-found air-to-mud role, although that was still a couple of years in the future when this was taken. Check out the buzz number presentation on the top of her wing!  Sullivan Collection

45-11607 was an interesting bird. She's wearing rocket rails and part of the antenna mast suite most commonly identified with VLR Mustangs in use during the last few months of the war in the Pacific. She's beginning to show her age here, but we like her anyway!  Sullivan Collection

Sometimes the Glory Days Weren't All That Glamorous

We've run a whole bunch of post-War Mustang shots since this project began, and we almost always mention her involvement in that big war that was going on back in the 1940s when we do it. Our next photo shows the type at the height of her glory while flying VLR missions from the newly-acquired air strip at Iwo Jima. Iwo was cramped, dirty, and dangerous. It was also a life-saver for the crews of the 20th's B-29s, both as an emergency field and as a forward base for the escorting P-51Ds that were increasingly finding their way into the final stages of the war against Japan. This photo shows an escort mission (probably from the 45th FG) in the process of recovering after a mission to Honshu. Those guys in the foreground are all pretty much just out of high school and college, and of the age to be foolin' around and having fun instead of flying six and eight-hour combat missions. Put your cursor on the photo and enlarge it, then look at their faces. Every picture tells a story, don't it?  Rocker Collection

We Like Jugs As Much As The Next Guy

And we especially like 'em when they're from the post-War Air Force!

The year is 1952, and there are still a few F-47Ds and Ns hanging around the regular Air Force. This example is from the 469th FIS and was photographed while doing an engine run-up in June of 1952. Her effectiveness as an interceptor would have been highly questionable at that stage of the game, but she'd make quite a model all the same---we like it!  Isham Collection

A Texan Up North

The T-6 Texan (the real one, not the Brazilian turboprop that's presently serving with the USAF as a trainer under that moniker) is an immortal airplane if ever there was one. We all know about the airplane, and most of us have built at least one or two models of the type during our time as scale modelers. If you happen to be in the market for another one for your collection we'd like to offer this image---it's a beauty!

If you've looked at any photos of Navy birds from the 50s you've probably noticed more than a few marked for the Reserve component at Grosse Ile. Those guys operated a little bit of everything, including this immaculate SNJ-6. 112034 was photographed at the Detroit airshow in July of 1955, and we'll bet she made quite an impression on everyone who saw her. She appears to be overall yellow with orange reserve bands, although reader comments are invited on that one ( replicainscale@yahoo.com ) . The photograph was taken by some guy named Menard and comes to us via Doug Barbier.  Barbier Collection

Happy Snaps

We started off this edition by saying it was going to be a hodge-podge of things we like. Today's Happy Snap fits that category; it's not an air-to-air, but was taken by reader and frequent contributor Mark Nankivil at a recent air show honoring Marine aviation. It's a Thing We Like!

The HH-53 family of helos has been around since the Vietnam era, and shows no sign of going away any time soon. Mark caught this one taxiing at an airshow in St Louis a few months ago and we're glad he did; we think it's a remarkable photo and a great way to end our day.  Nankivil

The Relief Tube

It's another day and, as usual, we've got a few comments and corrections to share with you:

First off, there was that F-86D with the goofy serial presentation. We asked for correction/clarification and got it in spades. Let us begin. First, from Maddog John Kerr: Phil, serial number is correct: 52-10006. 52-9983/10176 North American F-86D-50-NA Sabre c/n 190-708/901. John Next, from a reader known to us only as Michel: According to what I have: s/n 52-10006 F86D-50NA batch of 194 c/n 190-708/901, most where converted to F-86L. Michel  Finally, here's a correction from the guy who gave us the photo, Dave Menard:  Phil, Latest blog was out of sight still again! That serial on that 4th D was 52-10006, as I have a shot of a 40th D 52-10000 so assume both a/c arrived in Japan on the same aircraft carrier. And that NH ANG L was taken on 2 May 1959 a week before signing out from my unit at Pease to head for France and NO MORE DAMNED SAC! I took it so it is not my "collection". Wore my Ike jacket with my A/2c stripes and had an AP drive me around the ramp to shoot what I wanted after clearing it with the maint officer of the unit. Those were indeed the days on no fuss, no muss. Cheers, dave Thanks to Dave, Michel, and Maddog for the help on that one. While we're still at Misawa, we've got to fess-up to botching a credit line on one of the photos. Here's the correction from Dave Menard:  Phil, Col Eichenberg took the air to air of the 4th D while Tom Brewer shot the three ground shots. Cheers, dave  For the record, Dave told us that when he sent the photos. Apologies all around!

And while we're talking about "Dogships", here's a bit of further information on one of the shots from last issue from Michel:  Might be of of interest to know, but 52-4042 ended up in Japan ,and is now on display at Hamamatsu AB as 84-8104. Michel Thanks, Michel! It's always neat to hear that one of the birds we've illustrated has survived to the present day!

Finally, here's some food for thought from one of our readers:  Phil, Just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how much I've enjoyed the great photography and content on your site. I'm currently flying HH-60G's in the Air Force, so I loved your classic Jolly Green pics a few weeks back! As a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, I really appreciate the way you constantly mention the hardships and sacrifice of the crews who have flown in to harm's way for our country over the years. Just like you and most of your other readers, I grew up on a steady diet of models and airshows. We all love that side of it, but I think modelers are sometimes guilty of getting "lost in the weeds" of slat positions and scale inches and forget that young men and women did, and continue to, fly these magnificent machines into the worst places in the world, losing their youth, heath, precious time with family and sometimes their lives in service to the nation. You bring the detail and history to your photos, but constantly remind your readers that many of these pictures were taken during terribly desperate times, and we owe a debt to those who have come before. It's refreshing and welcome.


One of these days, if I get a good enough snap of one of our birds inflight, I might pass it along for Happy Snaps! Thanks again for the great site…  Matt "Muddy" Mustain Thanks for that perspective, Matt, and Thank You for what you do.

And that's it for today. It's been a shorter issue than we'd like to have done but we're fighting buggy software again so, as we're fond of saying around here; be good to your neighbor. We'll meet again soon.
phil

A Big Model Airplane, Not Bored With Fords?, A Coastie, A Nifty Crusader, and Some Nice Form

There Was a Time When I Didn't Build the Luftwaffe

But nowadays I do, mostly because I like painting blotches on things. That may be why I enjoy doing Japanese subjects too, but I'm not going to delve too deeply into such matters, quite possibly because those matters just don't matter all that much to me. I just like airplanes that look like that. (Oh Lordy, he's at it again...)

Anyway, a while back I started a 1/32nd scale ProModeller (read Hasegawa here) Me109G-4, but built it as a G-2 instead. It's an easy conversion, consisting mostly of opening up the tailwheel well, correcting the supercharger flange, and installing a different tailwheel, although I'm not happy with the tailwheel treatment and will have to go back and replace it some day. I might actually do that too, because I really want to have a proper G-2. Meanwhile, here's a look at the model, done to represent an aircraft of 2/JG 53 near Stalingrad during the summer of 1942.

Here's what the finished model looks like. The basic kit was a revelation when it was first released ten or so years ago and has held its age well. There are a couple of mistakes in the kit, which are minor and easily correctable, and the end result is very much a Messerschmitt in appearance. Note how big the tailwheel is in this view; it's the kit's unit with the strut added from brass tubing. It's a lot more appropriate for a G-4 or later, but my other option was the tailwheel out of an ancient Hase Bf109E-Something-or-Other, which was more of a mis-shapen blob than anything else. That tailwheel will be replaced with an appropriate one from one of the new Hasegawa Bf109F-4 kits as soon as I figure which one of the kit's two tailwheels I want to use on the 109F project.

Here's the left side, which illustrates a couple of things (besides a smaller tailwheel) that you need to do to turn a very acceptable G-4 back into a G-2. There's a cutout on the flange for the supercharger scoop that needs to be extended; use .010 sheet strip cut to shape, glued into the cutout, and sanded smooth. Look at the upper side of the kit's flange and you'll see exactly where the problem is and from there on it's easy. That little white post that the radio antenna attaches to is ceramic on the real airplane and is easily duplicated by drilling a hole in the fus and putting in a piece of plastic rod (with the top rounded off) after you've painted the airframe. There should be little springs on the antenna too, but I didn't want to sacrifice a watch to get some. The shoulder harnesses are Eduard and I think they look pretty good hanging there like that.
It also helps if you add the hand-holds on the corners of the windscreen (from plastic rod with the ends flattened and bent) and the canopy latch (Eduard). That's John Beaman's The Last of the Eagles behind the model on the right side. I personally consider it to be an essential reference on the 109 series, although you might not.

This view shows one of the kit's few significant failings to advantage (?). The spinner is too blunt as given, and doesn't look "right" if you know what you're looking at. Eagle Editions (and maybe others too) make a nice replacement if you want to go that route. I just drilled out the stocker and used it as-is. That tailwheel doesn't look quite so out of place in this shot, but it's still too darned big. Such is life...

Here you can almost see into the cockpit. There's a fair amount of Eduard in there, but there's also a lot of just plain modeling. If you're careful, a painted kit instrument panel looks a whole lot better than the photo-etched one, at least in my opinion. Those windscreen hand-holds really pop out in this view, as does the un-painted stretched sprue canopy cable (which is attached from the aft canopy to the main one and not to the radio mast, which this view sure makes it look like it does---that's barely a sentence, I think, but it was the best way I could think of to describe things). The gaps in the windscreen and the canopy aren't noticeable when you're actually looking at the model, but these photos are many times bigger than life and in consequence make those miniscule gaps look like The Grand Canyon. It just ain't so! JG53 sometimes used that black exhaust mask on their birds, which negates most of the exhaust weathering I did with pastels. Then again, that was the whole purpose of the real thing's masking in the first place, wasn't it? I also started to use QuickBoost exhausts but you really can't see enough of them to make it worth while. Maybe if I ever do one with the cowling off. Also, the sharp-eyed among you may well recognize the airframe I modeled since it's been in a lot of publications lately. If you're in that group, you'll also notice the style of that number 3 is slightly off. It's what I had, it worked, it kept me from cutting a two-part stencil, and right now it's under a heavy application of DullCote so it's probably staying that way for the foreseeable future. There was a time when I would have lost sleep over something like that...

All in all it came out ok, I think. Total build time was about three weeks (scattered out over several months) and that build time includes the hour or so it took me to put the broken wing back on it. (Don't ask!) Horrido, ya'll!

More of That Funny Looking Navy Airplane

Believe it or not, we're almost done with the Douglas F4D-1 for now, but I've got another couple of photos to share with you. However you feel about the airplane, it sure looks neat!

Most of the time we see flight decks with blue skies above, and nice rolling (or maybe even smooth) seas. It was not, however, always so. This section of "Fords" from VF-101 are preparing to launch in what could only be described as poor flying (or launching, or even sailing) conditions. This shot may have originally come from a magazine and the quality's a little less than we normally prefer, but it shows a side of carrier ops we rarely see.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

I guess we had to do it, huh? Here's a photo of the all-time classic F4D scheme; 139162 is from VF(AW)-3, from their North Island period. It's a beautiful scheme, very much In Your Face, and definitely shows off the lines of the airplane to good advantage. Pretty...  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Reason to be. You may remember that the F4D-1 was intended to defend the fleet.This shot illustrates the concept, with a pair of unguided, might-hit-'em-might-not unguided rockets streaking away from a VF(AW)-3 Skyray. It looks really impressive but the kill probability is small indeed. Those rounds were launched off the inboard pylons, but also note the expended FFAR pod hanging off the outboard starboard hardpoint. Optimisim, that...  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

You didn't have to use FFARs all the time with the "Ford"; you could use Sidewinders too, as illustrated by this VF(AW)-3 bird about to be armed up with a pair of AIM-9Bs. Of course they didn't work in cloud and weren't exactly the soul of reliability in their early days, but they did manage to function most of the time and were a significant improvement on the unguided stuff. This is definitely a Plain Jane sort of scheme for this unit, and I honestly can't remember ever seeing one like this before. Modelers note the color inside the canopy framing.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Way back in our very first section on the Skyray I think I stated that they never made it to the Reserves. In the truest spirit of Never Say Never, here's a NavRes bird for your enjoyment/amusement/befuddlement. The caption on the original photo says the unit is VMF(AW)-215. I'm open to comments at replicainscale@yahoo.com . Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

This ramp is the best reason I can think of to build 50s-early 60s Navy jets. Be still my beating heart!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

The Loudest Airplane the Coast Guard Ever Flew

Well, maybe it was and maybe it wasn't, but a former boss of mine who'd spent his SEA time as a C-123 loadmaster once told me, and not in jest, that he'd taken his last flight physical while in the Air Force and had the examining doctor ask him point-blank: "Do you enjoy music?" My boss answered yes, and the doctor responded "I don't know how you possibly could; you're stone deaf!" The Provider had a way of doing that back in those halcyon days when noise attenuation wasn't of any great concern to most folks. Excessive noise or not, we've never run a photo of a C-123 on these pages so it must surely be That Time. Here's a nice one:

Noisy? Yep! Capable? Oh yeah! CAPABLE! The C-123 wasn't much to look at, but it sure got the job done. The Coast Guard had a few of them on hand way back in the 60s and 70s, this being one of them. 4529 was a C-123B assigned to Kodiak, Alaska shown here sitting for her picture at Elmendorf on April 30, 1964. You can't tell it in a black and white photo but there are large areas of day-glo on the airframe (like everything in front of that chevron on the nose, for example). She's a pugnacious little bird, isn't she?  via Mark Nankivil 

Chance Vought's MiG-Killer

That would, of course, be the legendary F8U Crusader series, often called "the last of the gunfighters" in spite of the fact that all of its air-to-air success was gained with missiles. It's another type we've never featured previously (and we'd welcome photos of the type; please submit to replicainscale@yahoo.com if you're interested in such things). That said, this one's kinda special.

We may have mentioned once before that frequent contributor Mark Nankivil's dad was a naval aviator, but if you don't remember that, here's a reminder for you. This VF-154 F8U-1 was shot by Mark's dad just prior to launch on Hornet's 1958 WesPac cruise. The wing's been raised (you can see the actuating jack at the front of the center section) and everything's hanging, although the cat shuttle has yet to be attached to the nose gear strut. She's armed with at least one AIM-9B Sidewinder and is ready to rock and roll! The grey and white Navy was a seriously good looking Navy, ya'll.  via Mark Nankivil

A Phine Phormation Photo

I don't know why I spell stuff that way but sometimes I do. It may be because of my name, or it may be because of all the Phantom humor I was exposed to in the 60s and 70s, or it could just be because I find it amusing, but like I said; I do stuff like that sometimes. The thing is, I also always try to make up for it with something special, so here's Something Special to end our photographic day:

Mark Nankivil constantly amazes me with the material he submits, and I really like this form shot. Lead is a KA-6D from VMA(AW)-224, while the other three birds are A-7Es from VA-22's "Fighting Redcocks". Note that two of the three A-7s have their probes deployed, while the KA-6 is trailing a basket.  Both types of aircraft were a revelation in their day, and the "Fruitfly" (that would be the A-7s for those of you who don't speak Navy yet) even managed a distinguished career in that other American flying service, as well as in a number of foreign air forces.  via Mark Nankivil

And That's It For Today.

Blame it on the holidays or just blame it on me, but that's all there is for this installment. We don't even have a Relief Tube this time around, which is both gratifying and somewhat scary all at the same time. Stay tuned, though, because we've got some nifty USAF stuff coming up in the near future, as well as a few other surprises in store.

One final thing. You've probably all noticed that this humble effort is made up largely of the contributions of a number of very special people. We'd like to thank them all for helping to make Replica in Scale as popular as it seems to be, and also invite you to join in the fun if you're so inclined. We're always looking for photography depicting American military aviation. Our focus is primarily 1920-something to the mid-1980s, and we'd love to see what you've got in your collections. If you're interested in contributing drop us a line at replicainscale@yahoo.com . (Don't expect to be paid for doing it, though---we don't make a penny off of this so you won't either. That's fair, I think.)

Be good to your neighbor and we'll meet again soon.
phil

Another Modular Hawk on the Bench, More Hogs, Some Mustangs, And a Couple of Spiffy Skyrays

Long Time Gone

Or, where I've been. It's New Job time again---what an odd little economy we've more or less got---and we missed last week due to the requirements thereof. Missing a week isn't my first choice, but if I don't pay the bills I can't do this blog; it's a classic case of priorities, as it were. Anyway, we're back again and, I think, with some really special stuff; let's us get started, whaddayathink?

Another Modular Hawk

There's something about the P-40 that has an appeal for most modelers, and I have to admit I'm hooked on the airplane too. For me it's mostly the early ones, most specifically the "E" models in use in the SWP back during The Bad Old Days of WW2, but I'll occasionally do an "N" to break things up a bit and, if I'm really in the mood to shake the tree, I'll build one in 1/32nd scale. That's what's happening today or, more specifically, for the past three weeks. Here's where I am as of today:

First, there was the simple act of getting the kit. I saw a release notice on one of those internet scale modeling sites and immediately put in a call to My Favorite Local Hobby Shop, the employees of which were convinced that such a marvel did not exist and that I was, in fact, chasing the 1/48th scale Hase offering of same. It took about 6 weeks before I was able to convince them that the 1/32nd scale kit really existed, and another two weeks after that to get it. Oh well, I'm stubborn, and I wanted the kit. I kept after it, and I eventually got it. There's a lesson therein.

Anyway, I got the thing, and now it's mostly together and partially painted and, as usual, it's going to be finished as an aircraft from the 49th FG; this time the 7th FS using some exceptionally nice decals made by the folks at Zotz. We're not going to to a blow-by-blow account of how to build the thing, because I figure you've already got some modeling skills to your credit, but there are a couple of things that could stand mention.

First, everything on this kit fits, which is in direct opposition to the ranting, raving, wailing, and general silliness you may have read on the internet about Hasegawa's 1/48th and 1/32nd scale Warhawks. All it takes is a little care when you're removing the parts from the sprues and cleaning them up, plus a little finesse when you're aligning things and Zip-Zap-Zoop; you've got an airframe! The Hasegawa P-40s are eminately buildable.

Second, there's not much of an aftermarket for the type. The cockpit can stand some Eduardizing, as it were, but that's mostly to get the various placards, etc, that you'll need to complete the interior. Those placards, plus a set of belts and harnesses, will finish off the almost-adequate kit cockpit very nicely. (I've only seen one release of the "N" model in 1/32nd, the Every-Schoolboy-Used-to-Have-the-Picture 1 of 15,000 bird. The only decals given with the kit are for that airplane, making the aforementioned Zotz sheet an essential.)

Third, and as to be expected with any airplane assigned to the 49th FG in the Pacific during the war, there are some questions about the markings. We'll get to those in modest detail later, but the bird I'm doing makes for the usual Interesting Study in Contradictions Regarding Airplanes of the 49th. If any of you hold original photography on the airplane, please wait until I've completely finished the model and couldn't possibly go back and un-do the damage, then scan and send those photos to replicainscale@yahoo.com . Right on!

 Here's where we are so far. Sharp-eyed readers will notice that there's a lot of work to do on that spinner before we call it Done. Masking it most assuredly was not my finest hour! The transparencies have been faired into the fuselage but not yet masked and painted, and the major paintwork (sans those transparencies) has been done. I'm not certain about the cut line where the white conspicuity markings on the emennage meet the aft fus and may alter them later, or maybe not. Colors are Testor ModelMaster enamel, with RAF Azure Blue being used for the pale blue tail stripe; it seems to be an excellent match right out of the bottle. The poorly-masked spinner is done with USN True Blue, and I've used Insignia Blue forward of that little white trim stripe on the nose, because the photos I've got all seem to show a color that's slightly darker than the surrounding area up there. That may be because the white stripe makes it appear darker, but there's no way to know for certain without a color photo of the area and we already know that nobody's going to send in a photo until after the model is done, right?

The starboard side of the airplane, offered mainly because of those dark green splotches. They were the norm on AAF aircraft of the 1942-1943 era and seem to have been a standard feature on the P-40N. They also seem to have had a well-defined pattern rather than being just a random thing. The best explanation of them that I've seen, and the one that I'd recommend to you, is a drawing in Ian Baker's excellent Aviation History Coloring Book 44; Green Splotches, White Splotches; Another Look at USAAF Camouflage 1942-1943. As with all of Mr. Baker's offerings, this one is superb and well worth its modest price. The placement of the blotches on the model were taken directly from that monograph. Note the area under the canopy; it's OD to match the surrounding fuselage. You don't want to follow Hasegawa's painting instructions back there, gang!

We'll come back to this P-40 in a later installment, when it's a little bit farther along. Meanwhile, how about some Real Airplane Pictures for a Monday?

Props Are Good, and Hogs Have Props

You see a whole lot of Chance Vought F4Us on this site, and there are reasons for it. First, and most important to me; it's my site and I happen to like the airplane. Also, frequent contributors Jim Sullivan and Doug Siegfried like the U-Bird too, and they send in some neat stuff from time to time. Finally, there are really good kits of the Corsair out there in any scale you could think of, and of almost every variant ever produced. In my world that's motivation enough to do yet another photo essay on the type so here, without further ado, are some more F4U photos for your enjoyment:

A prime example of how to load one's britches on the flight deck. An SNJ takes the wire on the FDR while an F4U-5 gets stupid overhead. The adrenalin level in those cockpits, and on the boat, must've been something else---if you look carefully you can see the LSO coming out from behind his wind screen to marvel at the festivities. I'd love to see the plat camera footage on this one!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

133843, a Marine AU-1 from an un-named unit, shows off its pylon suite; the AU could carry a lot of ordnance! Of interest is the frequently seen Non-Specular Sea Blue anti-glare treatment on the upper fuselage decking and cowling.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

The AU-1 saw considerable service in Korea during the "police action". This VMF-212 bird, "Miss Penny", is one of the more famous AUs of the period. Note the natural metal main landing gear and tail wheels, and the pylon suite. There are some oddly-shaped areas on the forward mlg doors, which could be painted a light blue but which are more likely to be silver duct tape picking up a blue sheen from the airframe. A mystery, as it were! Gotta love that arrow on the forward fuselage!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

A Korean War veteran friend of mine once called that particular place "a very cold corner of Hell". I suspect he was right. This photo shows 129362, an AU-1 of VMA-323, getting ready for a mission. The fuse extender on the 250lb GP bomb is remarkable, and could provide a neat touch to a model. The spAD in the background is probably an AD-2, although it's tough to tell from this view. The shot, most likely taken at Kimpo, portrays typical operations for the Corps during the Korean War.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Another AU-1, this time 129401 from VMA-323, sitting in a revetment. This shot reveals the exhaust pattern on a well-used Corsair, and may be of interest to modelers. Note that the squadron code ("WS") has been applied to the mlg doors as well as the usual vertical stab.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

If it goes up it will come down sooner or later! This landing falls into the "any one you can walk away from" category, and depicts an F4U-5N from VMF(N)-513 after a slight misfortune. The Corsair was a tough airplane and could take a lot of abuse, although that twisted aft fuselage would indicate that this bird became a parts source shortly after the picture was taken. A lot of profile illustrations show the squadron's -5Ns in overall black; a few of them may have worn that color but this aircraft wears the regulation Glossy Sea Blue.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Some MO Birds for the Morgan Boys

It's been a long time since I first met the Morgan Brothers, Rick and Mark, but I think they're from Missouri, or at least they have an interest in airplanes from that State. That said, here's a selection of MO NG birds from the early 50s in honor of that interest (and for our mutual enjoyment as well):

There was a time, Way Back When, when almost every American military pilot learned his craft in North American's T-6 Texan. Here's a fine study of a 110th FS/71st FG AT-6D in flight to start the ball rolling. Of special interest is the lack of national insignia on the fuselage, although the star is evident under the starboard wing. Most ANG fighter units had at least one AT-6 (later T-6) on strength for proficiency training. Neat shot!  G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil

A pair of MONG Mustangs on the prowl. The large discs on the aft fuselage appear to be in black, although dark blue could be equally valid; your guess is as good as mine! Note that the second aircraft is carrying a nose number, while lead is not. Spinners appear to be white but may also be yellow. Fred Roos via Mark Ninkivil

Here's that disc again, this time on aircraft No. 5. The mystery deepens when you look closely at the image, because the spacing of the "MO" and "NG" would barely allow a conventional national insignia to fit between them, and there's no indication that one was ever there. Sounds like an opportunity for a Relief Tube entry to me!  Fred Roos via Mark Nankivil

Taken on the ground at Lambert Field, this P-51D depicts a Missouri Guard bird early in its career. Note the pre-1947 national insignia (which appears to be greyed-out in finest WW2 ETO tradition) and the nose number. The early buzz number treatment is noteworthy; the P-51's "PF" became "FF" after the 1947 changeover to the USAF. It's really odd to see that greyed-out star on a post-War CONUS bird... G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil

PF-105 flying a little form. There's nothing other than that nose number to indicate any sort of unit affiliation, although the aircraft does appear to have a red spinner. Of interest here is the oil streaking on the cowling, so typical of an operational Mustang. G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil

And PF-106, bearing the nose number 16 and with an interesting spinner configuration; the aft portion is obviously in natural metal, while the forward part is apparently painted yellow (although it could just as easily be white). These guys were probably flying over Germany in the same kind of airplane just a few short years before! G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil

Virginia Mayo was a popular actress of the day---here PF-650 (nose number 1) pays tribute to her. The photograph has obviously seen better days, but the airplane is pristine! Sure wish those guys had put a little more color on their birds---there's just not much there once you get past that red spinner. G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil

Mustangs can crash too. This 116th FS P-51D exhibits all the classic signs of the results of a torque roll on takeoff. (A friend of mine once told me that his dad, who'd flown P-51s after the war, once informed him "you never straight arm a P-51!". Truer words were never spoken!) Then again, it may have landed long and flipped once it got to the over-run. Whatever happened, it provided a classic Bad Day for somebody!  G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil

A slightly later time frame, but once again torque roll seems to have been the culprit---look at the way the vertical stab is bent over. Everybody loves the P-51, but it's an airplane that can kill you in a heartbeat if you don't pay attention. Civil Mustang owners re-learn the lesson every year, it seems...  G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil.

Remember the Skyray?

Frequent contributor Mark Nankivil's dad was a naval aviator during the 50s and 60s. Mark's sent along a couple of really nice "FORD" images taken by his dad, and I think that offers a nice round-out for our day:

Here's an F4D-1 from VF-20 getting ready to take on a little gas. The Skyray was a tiny airplane, and a ferocious performer. It was also woefully underarmed and short-ranged to boot, making it relatively useless in anything other than the fleet defence or point-defense interceptor roll. It was also one of the most beautiful jet fighters ever designed. This photo really defines the type's good looks.  Nankivil Collection

And THE F4D scheme, an F4D-1 from VF(AW)-3 out of North Island. This has got to be one of the prettiest fighter schemes of all time, even if those AIM-9Bs comprise the type's total armament!  Thanks, Mark!  Nankivil collection

The Relief Tube

Mark Morgan has sent along a comment or two on the F-94 photos we ran a few installments back:

Phil - WHOOPS, I goofed big time and left off a couple of items. The first shot with the 2nd FIS F-94As was taken at Nellis, the photo was marked by the Nellis photo lab on the back. I assume the event was oneof the early fighter gunnery meets.



The -94C shot is Burbank, my old plant (as distinguished from Plant B-1, which was further north near the railroad tracks). That hanger in the center background is where the Skunk Works was located while I worked there, 1/87-5/89, with the office building on the far side, out of sight. I fully expect that hanger had several U-2s under construction at the time this photo was taken; the aircraft in the foreground are pre-delivery F-94Cs and T-33As. Sad to say, this entire historic old complex is now gone, bulldozed in order for Lockheed Martin to get it off the California tax rolls. Sigh.. last time I rolled through there was May of '04 while I was doing the Noble Eagle road trips, was shocked to see everything removed..MK
 
A quick note from Tom Gaj regarding the Boeing T-43; the type flew its last operational mission last Friday, 16 September, out of Randolph AFB. The honors of that last GATOR flight fell to 73-1153. And another one bites the dust...
 
And please remember, I'm always looking for photographs and hard information on American military aviation of all eras, but in particular from 1919 to 1975 or so. If you've got anything of that nature that you'd like to share, please contact me at replicainscale@yahoo.com . I don't make money off this thing so you won't either, but full credit will be given for your contributions.
 
That's it 'til next time, so be good to your neighbor. We'll talk again soon.
phil