Even More Bravos, An Oddball Fairchild, Some Deuce Data, and Kudos to Badger

Those Bravo Furies; Redux Reload

We've run quite a bit of material since beginning this project way back in February of last year, and a fair amount of what we've offered has been unique, unusual, and sometimes esoteric. A fair amount of it has also involved one version or another of North American Aviation's FJ Fury series, and today I'm going to explain why.

The blog server we use for this ongoing missive keeps all sorts of statistics for us, one of which is the popularity of particular articles. One of the big winners, time and time again, is that FJ series. We get positive feedback every single time we run photographs of the Fury, and we inevitably receive correspondence asking for more. It's a popular subject and, fortunately, we still have some photography you may not have seen, which allows us to fill those requests. So, howzabout a few more FJs today? Right? RIGHT!

In its element. This FJ-4 sits tensioned on the cat preparatory to launch, looking like it's going at Mach something or other just sitting there. We're starting out with this particular photo because we'd like to draw your attention to those gun ports. Four 20-mm cannon live in there; nominally standard fit on every FJ-3 and FJ-4 variant built. This is the way it's supposed to look. Remember that part.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Here's an excellent study of an FJ-4B after a gunnery hop. It's a neat photo for any number of reasons, providing us with an excellent view of the pilot's flight gear, the interior of the gun bay (note the gun bay cover being used as a step, just like on every other F-86 or F-86 derivative ever built), and the rocket pod hanging off that inboard station. Oh yeah, and take a look at the gun ports. The staining is typical (modelers, please don't put long arcing streaks of nastiness behind those ports!), but there's more going on than just that. It looks like the gun panel of 307 has suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, to cop a phrase from that old British guy. There's a reason those airdales are grinning!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Of course, you can avoid damaging your gun panels by the simple expedient of removing said guns and replacing the skin, as has been done to this VA-144 "Roadrunners" FJ-4B. The airplane is a relative Plain Jane, with minimal markings but is pretty nontheless. Note how scabbed-up that gasbag is, and also the "VA-144" stencil on the fin of same. Oh, and check out the Corvette in the right-hand background of the photo. What an evocative shot!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

The Corps made extensive use of the Fury too. There's not a lot of color on display here, but we get an excellent view of the white-painted flaperons and elevators, both done in conformance with BuAer instructions for the Gull Grey over Gloss White scheme. There aren't any gun ports on this one either.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

A two-ship from VMF-451 provides our parting look at the FJ-4 for today. There's not all that much to talk about here; just a couple of really pretty airplanes flown by your typical Sierra Hotel Marine aviators. It's just another day at the office...  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Just Exactly What Is That, Anyway?

Life isn't fair, ya'll, and to illustrate that point I'd like to offer up a picture of an airplane for your consideration. It's relatively obscure, as you're about to discover, and I'll bet one of the major kit manufacturers produces a super-detailed model of it in each and every one of the popular scales long before we ever see a decent FJ-Anything kit! (Whine, whine, whine...)

It's pretty, it's obscure, and it's just screaming for a kit from one of the Czech short-run companies (but not until after we get a decent FJ-3 or -4!). So, what is it, you might rightfully ask yourself. Check out the name on the hangar; it's a Great Big Clue as to the identity of this rare bird. Give up? OK then, allow us to introduce you to the Fairchild JK-1. In its most basic form it's a Fairchild 45, but the Navy bought one for VIP transport in 1936, then added two more to the collection during 1942 via acquisition of a couple of civilian-owned aircraft. It could carry up to 5 passengers not very far and not very fast, but it was pretty in that late-30s sort of way. It was evidently pretty versatile too; check out the tires and you'll discover that this example's apparently been off-roading! Those were the days...   Friddell Collection

Some Data on the Deuce, and Some Pictures Too!

In today's installment of our ongoing Convair F-102 Delta Dagger saga, we're going to get serious (out of character, I know, but sometimes we have to do it) and look at some data and drawings. First up are a couple of pages from the unclassified basic reference on the "Deuce", the Standard Aircraft Characteristics:

OK, it's crooked. I know it's crooked, and you know it's crooked too; that's the down-side of using photocopies of things given to you by People in a Hurry. We're running this view because you can just make out the launch tubes for the 2.75-in FFARs in the deployed weapons bay doors, and because it shows an old short-tail as the cover illustration.  Nice...  US Air Force

Still crooked, but it provides specified dimensions, fuel and oil tank placement, and a useful if sparsely detailed inboard profile. Bet you didn't think the engine sat that far aft, did you?  US Air Force

There's all sorts of useful stuff on this page, and it ought to give you a pretty good idea of where all those aviation writers get their basic information for their articles! Some folks have made a career out of regurgitating this sort of thing!  US Air Force

This page is kind of neat because it shows the sort of performer the F-102 actually was (and this time the copy's almost straight!). It's rare that a production aircraft actually meets its performance specs, much less exceeds them, making this a telling document. The "Deuce" was a hot rod in its day but its performance was quickly overtaken by other fighters and its direct replacement, the F-106A, could give it religion. In spite of that , the F-102 could do the job.  US Air Force

Finally, here's an idea of a typical mission profile. Those of you who enjoy computerized flight simulator air-to-air combat might be impressed by the lack of endurance evident here. You go up, you squirt the missiles at the Bad Guy, and you come back down. There wasn't much room for gas in the F-102.  US Air Force

Spiffy Drawings Department, Parts 1 and 2: If you read this part of the blog back when I first published it you may be a little confused right now, because this paragraph wasn't in it. What was there was a note that I'd found the following drawings, didn't know where I'd gotten them, and wanted somebody to please ID them for me. Marty Isham came through like the trooper he's always been, reminding me that he'd sent them on to me with a package of F-102 stuff Way Back When, and that Mike Druzilowski had penned the drawings. You might want to spend a little time here, because Mike defined some things nobody else has caught, making these the drawings to have if you're a "Deuce" kind of guy. Thanks to Mike for the drawings, and to Marty for keeping me honest!

Here's a really useful general arrangement drawing of the F-102A fitted with the Case 10 wing. Check out the varying details and the approximate date they were added to the airframe; that sort of thing could have significant bearing on the overall accuracy of your model. A great many of the "Deuce's" mods are catered to between the two Monogram/ProModeler kits, the biggest one being the wing, but some details will still require scratch-building. If you're building in 1/72nd scale, you're stuck with the Case 10 wing unless your modeling skills are of a superior nature. You might want to be aware of that so you can match your paint and markings accordingly.  Mike Druzilowski Drawing

This side-view gives us a great explanation of the details of an F-102A with the Case 20 Wing. (If that whole Case thing confuses you, just remember that the Case 10 wing is upturned at the tip, while the Case 20 wing looks very much like an F-106 wing with fences instead of a slat. You'll need to know the difference if you plan to model the F-102!  Mike Druzilowski Drawing

Now that you've got some more information on the "Deuce", how about a couple of photographs for inspiration?9

56-1150, an F-102A-65-CO, launches out of Udorn during 1969. She was from the 590th FIS at the time, and we can honestly say that the SEA camouflage doesn't do much for her lines. Don Jay

The ANG flew "Deuces" for a number of years. 56-1111 was an F-102A-60-CO assigned to South Carolina's 157th FIS. Contrast the dull paint of her SEA warpaint against the ADC Grey worn by 56-1193 behind her. Both aircraft ended up as QF-102A drones.  Jim Sullivan

56-1223 looks like any other Delta Dagger, but that 3-digit number on the nose, coupled with conspicuity markings, identifies her as a QF-102A. It was a sad end for a great interceptor.  Rick Morgan

Here's how that QF scheme looks in color. 56-1401 was built as an F-102A-75-CO and was a little battered when this photo was taken, but it really didn't matter given the mission.  Rick Morgan

Boy do I like this photo! Aside from showing a 157th FIS F-102A in the process of manning up, it provides us with excellent detail of the IR ball, and a great view of the FFAR tubes in the weapons bay doors too. That deployed  (and inert)  Falcon hanging off the centerline ain't bad either...  Jim Sullivan

Lord knows why, but I've got a fondness for the TF-102A. Must be that goofy-looking nose; I don't know. Anyway, Don Jay was passing through Hickam during 1969 or so and shot this ramp of the 199th FIS/Hawaii ANG. Check out the red-painted wing fences, a touch often found on the F-102. Pretty! Don Jay

And finally, here's yet another crooked document you might find useful; it's the SEA camouflage instructions for the F-102A as defined in the April 1967 edition of TO 1-1-4. This time it wasn't a bad photocopy that got us, but those Great Big Honking Staples the USAF assembled the thing with. And yes; I'm too lazy to de-staple it and make a proper copy, so you'll have to take what you can get. Look on it as a personal failing, I suppose, but the drawings might help you with that SEA "Deuce" model some day!

A Class Act

That phrase would adequately describe the Badger Airbrush Company, to say the least. There are a whole lot of other brands out there, and you'll hear a lot, both pro and con, about everybody's favorite brand. Me, I'm an Old Guy, and I like the stuff I've used most of my life. For the past 20 years or so the airbrush part of That Stuff has been made by Badger. I like the product.
That said, I'm not a technician and have, over the years, managed in consequence to accumulate a small pile of various airbrushes in need of a little TLC. A pair of Badgers and an Omni (formerly Thayer and Chandler, if you're old enough to remember them) were until recently the primary residents of that pile, and it was time to get them fixed, so A Plan was made and last January (the first week in January, to be exact) the first of the three, my much-loved Badger 150M, got itself boxed and delivered into the tender mercies of the USPS who, in the finest of USPS traditions, promptly turned around and lost the thing!

Jenny, my Far Better and Sometimes More Patient Half, is a girl who never gives up, and she set out to find my missing airbrush after it had been out for some three weeks with no acknowledgement of receipt from Badger. It took an honest 3-1/2 months for the thing to turn up, but turn up it did, somewhere in the wilds of Illinois. (That's where Badger is located, coincidentally, but the place it went to wasn't the place we sent it to. Go figure!) Badger finally got it a week and a half ago, turned it around in 3 days, and sent it back to me. And they didn't charge anything for the repair, either.

I tried it out for the first time yesterday, and can honestly say that it functions even better than it did when it was new. Am I impressed? You bet! And I'm getting a straight-up 150 ready to go out next, but I think I'll probably send this one up in a purple and white airplane instead of using the mail...

So why am I telling you this? Simple: Badger makes an airbrush that's as good as any and better than most, at least in my world, and they stand behind their product in a manner we just don't see in this modern age. They're a Class Act, and we thought you ought to know.

Happy Snaps

Today's entry is another photo from Don Jay's late-60s tour in sunny Thailand:

Hi Phil. Here's an F-105D of the 355TFW in ‘70. hanging on the wing of its pre-strike tanker-either Cherry or Peach track-in Thailand. By the loadout, he is heading for a ‘soft’ tgt in either Laos or MR 1 in SVN. Enjoy. dj (And I think those just might be red stars under the windscreen... pf)

Thanks as always, Don. And, lest we forget, Replica is continually looking for material, both for our "Happy Snaps" section and for articles. If you've got anything you'd like to share, please scan and forward to replicainscale@yahoo.com . You won't get rich or famous from doing it, but a lot of people will enjoy seeing your contribution.

The Relief Tube

We've got no corrections this week, not a single one, but we did receive a couple of really nice messages from our readership. One of them was an inquiry about a photograph, which I've passed on to the contributor---seems that a couple of our folks may have been in the same place at the same time. That one we don't need to share.

Another of the messages is from a reader who remembers us from those halcyon days of long ago, and who has also sent along photos of a model for us to enjoy. We get pictures of models from time to time but rarely publish them, primarily because of space. It's been a while since we've completed or published anything in that regard, so this is as good a time as any to show off someone else's work. The kit is a subject near and dear to our (read "my" here) heart; Hasegawa's excellent 1/48th Scale "Pete". We've done this sort of thing once before via an included link, but this time we're showing the photos. If you like the idea let us know and maybe we'll do it more often.

Phil, as a long time admirer of your late, lamented Replica in Scale I was PLEASED to find out you had a blog where I am happy to see you are carrying on the work of the magazine. I have just spent a happy week of spare tine reading all your blogs up to and including the most recent post. Great stuff mitt many fine memories, loved the post on Floquil with the letter from Mr. Solotar ( got that my self just can't bring myself to toss all those old, not so accurate color chips. Mix 1 oz. of Floquil Reefer White and 4 drops of Reefer Gray--indeed!). Really enjoyed your Monogram recollections, I wish they would have stayed around and fought it out with the Japanese competition. Japan has made millions of yen redoing the old Monogram kits. I still think their swept wing F-84 was the bees knees.....



Anyhoo between you and, Roy Sutherland and Tommy Thomson's blogs there is hardly any need to go anywhere else. I liked your Pete it is a nice kit enclosed are some pics of mine that I finished last year.


Thanks for all the good reading and yes as I have said before NO ONE gets to borrow my Replica in Scale mags! Best regards, Pat Donahue
 
Many thanks, Pat. It's always great to hear from the folks who remember us from The Old Days!
 

I'm not so sure about the fish, but I like the model. Then again those fish do provide a certain degree of whimsy; Whimsy is right up our alley, I think!
Anyway, all we've got left is one lonely little minute, as The Bear used to say. Be good to your neighbor, and we'll meet again soon.
phil

Stoofs Around the Boat, a VX-3 Hog, When Ignorance Isn't Bliss, Tamiya's Big Spitfire Mk VIII, Another Rough Day at the Office, An FJ Kind of Day, and a Turkey

 Down to the Sea in Stoofs

In this edition of our ongoing Stoof Extravaganza we're going to take a look at the Tracker in its intended environment; at sea. The S2F was a good airplane around the boat in any of its variations and was well-liked by those who crewed her (or at least I've been completely unable to find any former "Stoof" aircrew who didn't like her) except for the noise which was deafening in that airplane, both figuratively and literally.

Here's what it looks like when you own a whole bunch of "Stoofs" and have to find someplace to park them! At least 8 VS-25 S2Es are shown sharing the flight deck with VMF-223 Det Tango A-4s. The photo was taken aboard CV-10 Yorktown and provides us with a graphic illustration of why most jet-era naval aviators preferred larger decks. Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Ambush Three-Niner, an S-2E from VS-25, is tensioned and ready for the cat shot in this dramatic photo. She may be heading for some air-to-surface work judging from the LAU pod hanging off her starboard wing---control of the sea lanes was a secondary mission for the "Stoof" throughout her career.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Another "Stoof" waiting for the cat. 152841 is from VS-38 and is shown here as she gets ready to take the last S-2 cat shot in 1975. This photo provides a graphic illustration regarding the need for that tail bumper. There are some interesting lumps and bumps on that bird!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Providing ASW for the Fleet was the primary reason for the S2F family's existence, as graphically illustrated in this shot of a VS-25 S-2E overflying the Yorktown with 'dome and MAD boom deployed. In The Real World that airplane would be just the least little bit further away from the boat, but it still makes for a nice picture!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Here we are in the cockpit of another VS-25 S-2E, lined up on the center ball and ready to trap. It looks really easy in this photo, doesn't it? I'm told on very good authority that it sometimes isn't really that way; there's a reason those naval aviators are such good sticks.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Even the good landings can be a little sporty, as depicted by this VS-25 "Stoof" caught in the act of trapping aboard the Yorktown. There's another S2 in the racetrack; let the games begin!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

The flying's done for a while and it's time for a little R and R. USS Bennington is making a port call, with a VS-38 S2F-1 spotted next to the island. We've mentioned it before but it bears repeating; the Peacetime Navy of the 1950s and early 1960s was, by and large, a clean Navy, airplanes included. Modelers take note! Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

We're not out of "Stoofs" yet, so join us next time for another chapter in our S2F essay when we take a look at a couple of unusual Trackers, some Reserves, and maybe even a little drama. Don't touch that dial!

All Beat to Snot is What It Is

Rick Morgan sent along this photo of a VX-3 Corsair a while back and I'd been holding off running it, but today's The Day. It's a post-War bird and is a little different from the norm. Let's check it out.

VX-3 is, and pretty much always has been, a test and evaluation unit. In that role they've flown a wide variety of aircraft, and it's never been unusual to find multiple types within the unit at any given time, which makes this F4U-4 the norm rather than any sort of exception. What is exceptional is the overall condition of the airframe which is, not to put too fine a point on the matter, just all beat to pieces. There's no doubt the airplane is in excellent condition mechanically, but there can also be no doubt that bird has been used, and used hard. Anbody want to step up and build a model of that one? (If anybody does, please send a photo of the results!)  R. Morgan Collection

A Missed Opportunity

OK, ya'll, here's another of my seemingly endless There I Was stories to amuse and astound you but, if your own personal take on that sort of thing is that it's yet another boring tall tale from that Replica guy, feel free to move on. In my world it bears repeating because of the lesson learned and the opportunity missed and I think it worth sharing, but to each their own.

Way back yonder, in 1972 or so, the American Fighter Aces Association held their annual convention in San Antonio, a city in which I was resident at the time. The local IPMS group had committed to put on a display of relevant model aircraft, and I'd volunteered to work said display. How could I go wrong? Lots of aces, lots of stories, and a chance to show off some models---in 1972 it didn't get much better than that as far as hobbies went!

Anyway, there I was, standing by one of our display cases minding my own business (more or less), when these two guys walked up to the case that contained our paltry collection of Vietnam-era jets. They were both a lot younger than the WW2 and Korean War aces we'd been talking with all day, so there was no doubt they were just a couple of passers-by who held an interest in model airplanes. Still, they were interested.

They looked at the display for a minute, then the more outgoing of the two turned to me and asked "Do you have any 17s here?". 17s? OK, his dad must've been 8th AF or something during The Big One, right? "Yep, sure; there's a B-17 over there in that corner case." He grinned at me and said "No, not those old bombers. I mean MiG-17s. Do you have any models of a 17 here?" "No, I'm sorry; there's a kit available but nobody here's built one yet. There's just not enough information on the North Vietnamese air force out there, and that's what most of us would want to build."

The Outgoing Guy got an even bigger grin and said "I've seen a bunch of 'em. You could probably just paint the model silver and you'd be ok." I stood there for a minute letting his remark soak in, but obviously not letting it sink in enough since I just wasn't snapping to what he'd said about seeing NVAF MiGs. The conversation went on for another minute or so, small talk mostly, and The Quiet Guy (he being the one who hadn't said anything yet) said "Thanks for showing us the models. It's a neat display, but we've got a meeting to go to and we need to leave." I said thanks and opined that I'd been rude and hadn't introduced myself. I told them my name, and The Outgoing Guy stuck our his hand. "Randy Cunningham. My friends call me Duke". The Quiet Guy chimed in: "Willie Driscoll." Then they left.

There's a lesson to be learned here, something to do with open-mindedness, a character trait I haven't always possessed. I missed a golden opportunity to talk to the Navy's only Vietnam ace and his RIO because I was so down-and-locked about model airplanes and I never got a second chance at it, at least not with those guys. Like I said, it was A Lesson Learned, but it wasn't the only lesson I learned that day. NosirreeBob; when I'm on a roll, I'm on a roll! Let us continue.

There I was yet again, same day/same place, shaking my head and wondering if I could somehow physically manage to kick myself really hard for the opportunity I'd just blown, when an older gentleman walked up and went straight to the case that held all the representatives of the Pacific War. He stood there with his hands behind his back, obviously thinking about something as he looked at the model of an Australian Spitfire Mk V in the case. OK, I thought to myself; this guy speaks my language. Maybe he was there. I'll go say hello.

So I marched myself right on over there to say hello to the guy. He smiled and returned my greeting, his accent immediately identifying him as being a member of The Former Empire. That should have been a clue but, as usual, I was pretty clueless, presuming that he was British because of that accent (never mind the Aussie Spit he'd just been looking at). I guess I figured that I'd impress him with my worldliness (read "abysmal ignorance" here) because I asked him which part of England he was from, a question that prompted an immediate and somewhat impassioned response regarding the British, Great Britain in general, and his opinion of anything that could even remotely be tied to that distinguished group of islands. He then informed me that he was Australian and had been a P-40 and Spitfire pilot during the war. He was in a hurry to get somewhere too, but was gracious in his leaving and held out his hand. "I'm sorry, I've been quite rude. My name's John Waddy."

John Waddy. Holy cow; John Waddy. Waddy was one of the RAAF's high-scorers, in case you didn't know, and a legitimate person to look up to if your interest runs to personalities of the 2nd World War. He was also (and still is) one of my personal heros, which was probably why I suddenly lost the ability to coherently say my name in reply to his introduction. John Waddy. Holy cow...

So there you are; two really good reasons to listen instead of talk when you meet somebody new. It's a lesson I haven't fully learned even now, but it's a pretty good lesson nontheless; You can't listen when you're talking. Some day that may sink in, but somehow I doubt it...

Everybody Needs a Spitty, Right?

If you build 1/32nd scale you've probably already seen the series of late Merlin-engined Spitfires recently released by Tamiya. To this point we've seen a Mk IX, a Mk VIII and, most recently, a MK XVI, and I'm guessing there will be more to come since the kit's component breakdown easly lends itself to the accomodation of a large number of variants.

It's a good kit too, in any of its several iterations. Think of those big Tamiya Zero kits, and then think of anything good (or maybe even superlative) you've ever heard about a Tamiya kit, and it's all there in spades. Detail, fit, overall accuracy; it's all there and there's relatively little needed that's not already in the kit (although I personally found an Eduard Zoom offering for the Mk VIII to be a tremendous help in the cockpit).

Anyway, this isn't a review, or anything close to one, but it does tie into the editorial immediately preceeding this missive. I've always wanted to build an Australian Spitfire Mk VIII, but not the ubiquitous sharkmouthed MK VIII from 457 Sqdn which is, I suspect, what most folks will want to do with this model. (It's a sharkmouth, right? And, in all fairness, a sharkmouth looks really good on the Spit. I just didn't want to do one on my model.) That said, I pretty much jumped right out and got myself a Brand Spanking New Tamiya Spitfire Mk VIII as soon as they were released, and got started on it a couple of weeks ago. Here's where we are with it as of today:

It took about 2 weeks of pretty steady work to get to this point, but that's mostly because this is a kit you want to be careful with. It's expensive, of course, but it's also really good and you'll want to do it justice. As with most big Tamiya kits, there's a lot on this airframe that could be considered to be gimmickery, at least if you're like I am. All the control surfaces move, the landing gear is positionalble through the magic of optional components, and there's that now-famous series of magnets to allow the easy removal of the cowling, thus allowing us to display the amazingly well-detailed Merlin engine. On my model everything has been rendered inoperable except for the prop which will, I suppose, turn once it's added. I tend to break things with lots of working features; always have, probably always will. On the other hand, all the gun panels are separate items, and all fit flawlessly, absolutely flawlessly. The kit-supplied photo-etch is really good too, with the pilot's armor plating being particularly noteworthy. It gives a scale appearance that's just amazing when installed. One other thing; as complete as it is, the kit doesn't provide any of the cockpit wiring, electrical conduit, control cables, or placards that reside in the genuine article. Eduard has the placards and the rest is easy enough to cobble together if you want to, and you might go ahead and decide that you do indeed Want To, because the cockpit will look a little bare if you don't. And, for the record, I much-preferred the Eduard instrument panel, et al, in the cockpit. It spiffed things up a lot more than I thought it would.

Here's what the other side looks like. The decals are a mixture of kit (the fin flashes), Victory Productions (the roundels), and the decals found in Kagero's Top Colors 18/Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII, which includes a whole bunch of RAAF Spitfire markings including the ones you see here. I've only seen photos of the left side of this particular airplane and have no idea if the squadron codes really infringed on the fuselage roundel that way, but it's the only way they'll fit and it's how Kagero shows it, so it's how I did it. If it's wrong we can always look at the other side instead! For what it's worth, all the decals except Tamiya's worked flawlessly and we're waiting for everything to cure out a bit before weathering the beast. The Tamiya decals were a surprise because they were stiff and didn't really conform very well to anything---that's not the norm by any means and maybe it was just me, but this time I'm going to say it wasn't. You might want to invest in some aftermarket stickies if you're going to do an Aussie Spit; the Victory sheet ("Aces of the Empire", or something like that) provides a sharkmouthed 457 bird as well as Clive Caldwell's aircraft, while the Kagero set has ten or eleven (I forget which) different offerings including "Avagrog" as done here, "Hava Go-Jo", "Sweet as a Song", and "Hal-Far", among others. I consider both to be essential if you're going to do a Spitfire from Down Under. One other thing about those decals before we go: I still don't care for the notion of squirting floor wax on my models and usually perform the pre-decal glossing ritual using either Testor Metalizer Sealer or Testor clear laquer, but I also really thin my paint (60% or so) and tried something different this time around. The undersurfaces of the wings got the usual coat of Metalizer Sealer, but the upper surfaces were lightly polished with an old cotton tee-shirt; no polish, just the shirt. That activity produced a really nice eggshell finish and all the decals went down flawlessly with no silvering. I just may start doing that all the time.

And a view of the bottom. Preliminary weathering has begun, and I still have to add the bomb racks; the model represents A58-526 "Avagrog" from 79 Sqdn as seen at Morotai in mid-1945, when the squadron's duties consisted primarily of moving mud. That 30-gallon aux tank is a nice touch and is removable---the kit also provides a 60-gallon tank if you're so inclined, and the Morotai ships often went on ops with external tanks in place---they needed the gas. Paint is the ubiquitous (over here, anyway) Testor Model Master (RAF Ocean Grey, RAF Dark Green (faded), and RAF Medium Sea Grey, with dingy off-white for the ID bands on the leading edge of the wings, while the weathering has all been done with pastels. Those Morotai Spitfires were well maintained but looked really beat up, providing an interesting challenge in terms of weathering. I don't know if Eduard produces a "regular" photo-etch set for this family of aircraft or not, because I bought a Zoom set for the interior, but as complete as this kit is there are a couple of smaller details that are missing. You're probably sick of hearing it, but good references are a necessity, even with a Tamiya kit. You'll definitely want photo references for your exterior too; most of the Australian Spitfires operating out-of-country in 1945 were heavily weathered and duplication of same will be a challenge without them.

There's not much left to do on this one and it ought to be finished in a few more days, at which time we'll reconvene and see how it came out. Up to this point I'm really impressed with the kit. It's every bit as good as everybody says it is and sets the bar pretty high.

The SpAD Was a Tough Old Bird

Most of those old American prop planes were pretty darned tough, and could survive a tremendous amount of battle damage. That could be attributed to good design, good materials, simple systems (and not many of them), and, sometimes; luck as well. Here's an example.

There are any number of ways we could caption this photo, but I think the grins may say it all. This A-1 has just recovered with a substantial chunk of its port aileron hors de combat courtesy of the NVA. The airplane's broken, it's raining, and those guys are pretty darned happy. They've probably both been down this particular road before, in Korea and maybe in World War 2 as well. Every man a tiger...  USAF via Paul Jahant

The Fury Around the Boat

It's been a while since we've done anything with North American's FJ Fury, and there are still a whole bunch of pictures we could look at. Today's as good a day as any, so without further ado:

Steam catapults really add a mystic appearance to the flight deck, I think. This section of FJ-3Ms from VF-84 are in the process of moving up to the cat for hookup and launch. The Deck Division is scrambling, although a couple of airdales off the nose of 202 give things a business-as-usual aspect. Some of those guys are wearing cranials and ears, but more than a few aren't. Those flight decks were incredibly noisy...  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

If it launches it recovers sooner or later. Usually.  This is, dare we say it, a picture-perfect approach by one of Fighting Twenty-One's FJ-3Ms. The speedboards are out and everything's hanging as 204 prepares for what appears to be a perfect trap. Note the closed canopy.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

207 gets ready to take the wire. The landing gear is at full extension and looks somewhat odd in consequence. Those early jets weren't happy around the boat because of their distinctly disadvantageous thrust to weight ratio, compounded by the fact that the early engines were slow to spool up. The price for a missed approach or sloppy landing could be high indeed.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Sometimes you know there's going to be a problem ahead of time, which is when you rig the barrier a little further aft. The driver of this unidentified FJ-4 is having a bad day, but it could've been a whole lot worse. Some carrier accidents could best be termed horrendous, but this is more of an incident, declared in advance and worked according to procedure. Still, things were probably pretty sporty in that cockpit for a while.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

We Almost Never Run Pictures of F-14s Around Here

And that's a shame, considering what a neat airplane it was.

If any airplane picture could be considered a classic photo, this one would surely be in the running. An F-14A from VF-111 poses for his wingman while flying CAP somewhere over the Pacific. There's not much to be said here except that it's the perfect way to end a day.  Nankivil Collection

Happy Snaps

Last time around we discussed the possibility of a new section devoted to the contributions of our aviator readers called "Happy Snaps", and here's our first installment of same. If any of you are interested in contributing, here are the ground rules:

1. The photo needs to be air-to-air, preferably but not necessarily of a military airplane.
2. You had to have taken the picture yourself---nothing from official sources, etc.
3. If you didn't take it yourself, you need to have been there when it was taken.

Pretty easy, huh?  That said, here's our first official entry in the Happy Snap Department:

I don't know about you, but I think this is a pretty amazing way to lead off a new department. It's an F-5, sortof, but it's a special one. Let's let contributor Kolin Campbell explain: Here's an aircraft you may not have seen. It's the 'shaped supersonic boom demonstration' test aircraft, a modified F-5E. When NASA finished their tests, our squadron was tasked to lead the aircraft during its ferry flight to Florida, due to its avionics fit. The photo was taken near Palmdale, CA. I did not take this particular photo (I'm in the F-18D), and cannot recall who did. You can credit it to 'USN'. I have some other pictures that I took during the ferry flight, but don't have easy access to those right now. Break out your balsa wood and see if you can't carve up a model.    Kolin

Pretty cool, I think. Thanks Kolin! Anybody else have some happy snaps they'd like to share with us?

The Relief Tube

Tommy Thomason's been following our "Stoof" series, and offers a link to some interesting tests involving the type. http://thanlont.blogspot.com/2010/12/davis-barrier-one-more-time.html

And while we're talking about "Stoofs" and Tommy, here's another photo that may be of interest:

The Author as a Young Man. That's Tommy in the middle, taken in front of a VS-21 S2F-1 at Sangley Point, PI, Way Back When. Thanks for sharing, Tommy!
The whole reason we run The Relief Tube is to correct mistakes. Every once in a while I manage to drop a real clanger, as pointed out by sharp-eyed reader Grant: Thanks for your write-up on Monogram. One small point that you already know, it was the USS Pueblo Crisis in 1968 that sent the F-106s to Korea, not SS Mayaguez in 1975. Yikes! I'm embarassed over that one, having watched the whole "Pueblo" thing on TV!

Grant also had something to add regarding that last B-50 piece we did:  Interesting comments on the B-50. One aircraft that doesn't get enough attention. 46-0005 should be a B-50A. I am an ex-airborne weather equipment repairman, though the B-50 was before my time. Bernie Barris, ex ARWO is a fount of knowledge on weather aircraft. He said that the weather marked B-50As were trainers and not fitted with weather equipment, so it should be TB-50A if redesignated at all. 310 is now at the Air Force Museum and the non-standard modifications (small camera window on the nose and small scoop before the prop warning line) along with the missing AMQ-133 Psychrometer on the left nose has thrown an error into some WB-50D profiles. I believe that it flew out of Panama before being flown to the Museum and vaguely remember that it was concerned with upper atmosphere or space radiation. If you wish to discuss weather aircraft, Bernie can be reached through the AWRA Homepage. Thank you for the pleasure of reading your blogs.  Grant

And thanks to you, Grant, for both the correction and the additions to the B-50 piece, and thanks for helping to keep us honest!

And that's what I know. Thanks for dropping by, and we'll see you again real soon. Meanwhile, be good to your neighbor.
phil

A Finished Hillbilly, Still Truckin' Along With the FJ, Looking Backwards, and Another Zipper

And the Nate is Done

It shouldn't have taken this long to do it, except I didn't have a whole lot of time to finish the thing. The Bottom Line is that it's finally completed, and there are some photos below to prove it.

The kit itself is a treasure, and has held its age quite well against its more modern competition (of which there is absolutely none in 1/48th scale!). You'd never know the thing was pushing 40, and it's easy to see why Hasegawa keeps reissuing the kit. It's quite a tribute to those guys at Mania that the model is viable after so many years, and that it produces such a great replica with very little work on the part of the builder. We've already discussed most of what was done in our previous installments, but there are a couple of things worth noting before we get to the photos.

First, the canopy (either one) fits relatively poorly, but it does fit after a fashion and the gap created by its attachment is nothing a little bit of white glue can't fix. I'm not sure but I don't think anybody makes a vacuum-formed replacement for it, but with a little effort you can use the kit part with no ill effect.

Second, the upper portion of the landing gear struts (those little post thingies that stick up through the wing over the main mounts) really do look better if you cut the kit representation of same off the wings, drill an appropriate-sized hole, and insert a piece of plastic rod after the airframe is painted. The tiny bit of extra work is well worth the effort in terms of final appearance.

Third, the pitot tube is very much over-scale. The one on my model wasn't rebuilt, but it should have been. It's a lesson relearned, so to speak.

As for painting, which we'd may as well discuss, all of the colors are pretty much out-of-the-bottle. The lower surfaces are Testor IJAAF Gray-Green enamel, while the upper surface brown is Testor RAF Dark Earth. The lighter of the two greens is new Floquil Coach Green (which honestly bears no resemblence whatsoever to the real Coach Green---so much for progress!) while the darker shade is Floquil Pullman Green, which doesn't in any way resemble its honored predessesor either. I think they work together fairly well in this case, but you're more than welcome to do it another way if you don't care for the shades or tonal values. (And if you do, please send along a picture or two of your model---I'd really like to see what you're doing out there! The address is replicainscale@yahoo.com .

See, I told you it was done. The stripes aren't perfect but I can live with that, although the ones on the real airplane were a little more precise than these! The tops of the landing gear oleos are painted to match the top surfaces of the wings---that's a guess on my part but it's a logical one and that's how I did it. Feel free; etc, etc.... Weathering is minimal because the airplane in That One Famous Photo doesn't look too gnarly, or at least it doesn't to me. The base is a bamboo cutting board (appropriate, that), while the figure is from a Fine Molds Ki-10 Perry. And yes, the white glue on the radio antenna is still drying. I'm not terribly patient these days...

And a better view of those stripes. I really like the way the colors work on this one, and it's definitely something different for the JAAF shelf! Banzai, ya'll!

Still Crankin' Along With the Fury

We should've finished up with the FJ series a couple of installments ago, but the photos that Doug Siegfried sent along were just too good to ignore, so tonight we're going to take a look at the Ultimate Fury, the FJ-4, also known as the F-1E and AF-1E in the McNamara realignment of America's military aircraft designation system in 1962.

Your Humble Servant first began to care about the FJ back in 1980 or so, which was when he (that would be me) decided to put together a unit list. I sent it off to our mutual friend Rick Morgan for annotation and correction and he was was kind enough to re-do it and send it back to me. Here, with considerable apologies to Morgo, is that compilation from Way Back When, scanned in from its typed (anybody out there remember typewriters?) original. It'll be easier to read if you remember that Rick appended both previous and subsequent aircraft types to the lists.

Rick was quite a scholar even then, and these lists definitely show why his books are so darned good. You might note that I did a little editing on the sketch of the Marine emblem on the last page. If you were in the Nav or the Corps you know what the missing phrase said. If you weren't, it may not matter. I covered it over just in case there might be folks of a sensitive nature reading this thing. Oh yeah, and please note that there's no attempt whatsoever to edit the piece.

And now for a couple of pictures:

Here's a gorgeous photo of 143549, an FJ-4B from VA-144. Note the color inside the wing fold; it ain't yellow green! Modelers take note: the airplane is lightly weathered.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

GMGRU-1 hung some interesting stuff off their FJs. Note how the pylon sweeps around to conform to the aft end of this particular store. Kindof makes you wish somebody would do a decent set of 50s/early 60s-vintage tanks/stores/pods/etc., doesn't it?  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

The FJ-4 was a transition aircraft in many ways, and a lot of them ended up in utility squadrons. 139439 is shown while serving with VU-7; colors are Engine Gray, Chrome Yellow, and International Orange. It was an ignominious if colorful end to the career of a great fighter.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

VX-5 flew the Fury in several variations. Their treatment on the -4 was particularly pretty, I think, and this shot of 139549, an FJ-4B, displays it well.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

When most of us think of VF-126 we think of the late, lamented West Coast F-14 RAG, but they were the Real Deal when they were VA-126 flying the FJ-4. Love those markings!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

And another really pretty FJ-4B scheme, this one from VA-151 on display at an airshow. In reality the FJ series wasn't much of an attack aircraft, putting the lie to their assignment to attack squadrons, but then no other Navy jet of their era was much better. It could be argued that the A-4 only became viable with the advent of the MER and TER, while the A-6 represented the next generation of VA birds. Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

The Saga of Reptiles and Scales

No, this isn't another flying dinosaur thing, gang. It's a true story from Those Good Old Days when Jim and I were trying to birth the original RIS which does, I suppose make it old, but it ain't that old, ya'll! Stay with me and I'll tell you a tale.

Jim and I had met in the late 1960s, back when I was going to college and "working" at a San Antonio hobby shop. We'd talked about the mutual disappointment we felt in regard to the modeling magazines available to us, and then decided we could do better than those other guys were doing. It couldn't be that tough, could it? And no, at the end of the day it really wasn't that tough to do the magazine, although I'll admit the business end of it was a little tricky.

Anyway, we'd decided that a modeling magazine, one done our way, was in our future, so we began work on our Very First Issue. It took a lot of hard work, a lot of planning, and a substantial (to us, at least) infusion of cash, but The Big Day came and we submitted our copy to the printer (a quick-print sort of place, because it was all we could afford for that first issue) for production. What we got back wasn't bad at all, and served its purpose well in terms of launching the magazine. It was the bill that surprised us.

That first bill wasn't all that bad in monetary terms; just a few hundred bucks (we're talking early 1970s, remember?), but the printer's invoice was for a periodical called "Reptiles and Scales". It was hilarious then, and it's funny now, at least to me. It's possible that it wasn't terribly humorous to the poor soul who wrote it out, since we called the owner of said Quick-Print-Sort-of-Place and told him about it, but we thought it was a riot. It didn't take a whole lot to amuse us back then, I guess.

There's no moral to this story, and there really isn't much of a punch line either, but it caused us to refer to ourselves as "Reptiles and Scales" for years to come. It could've been worse.

A Well-Used Zipper

Don Jay sent me this F-104A a while back, but I'm just now getting around to publishing it:

This F-104C-5-LO was photographed at Edwards back in the mid-60s. The aircraft is 56-0934, and it's shown prior to being transferred to NASA as a space re-entry trainer. This is one of the few times, not counting the use of the aircraft in SEA, when a Century Series fighter appeared as heavily weathered as most modelers depict them.  via Don Jay

Better Late Than Never

Which is what we could've titled this installment since it's appearing almost a week later than it should have. Life got in the way again, ya'll! Anyway, I'll try to do better next time, so until then be good to your neighbor.

phil