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

Of Chips, Corsairs, Big Pirates, and An Odd Cat

And That's the Way It Was

You've probably all noticed by now that I encourage correspondence. I don't post comments to the blog entries as a rule because I don't particularly care for the whole forum concept (as if you haven't heard me say that before!) but I do enjoy the letters, so keep 'em coming to replicainscale@yahoo.com . One of the messages I received today, from Kent up in Idaho, asked about the original Replica in Scale and, more specifically, about the paint chips we included in our very first issue---he wanted to know if we were the first to do it, and how/why we chose to include them.

It all goes back to why we started the magazine in the first place. There were some good IPMS-affiliated American pubs around at the time, The Time being defined as late 1970, when we first decided we might do a magazine some day. That was the IPMS-related stuff but as for commercial magazines, well, things were pretty thin. There was a major American modeling pub at the time but we didn't like it at all, and everything else was either British or otherwise foreign and, with the exception of IPMS Canada's RT and a couple of the foreign pubs that we couldn't read because they weren't in English, we didn't like them either. We figured it was Time, but we wanted to do things differently. (That was pretty clumsy but I couldn't figure out how else to say it!)

With Doing It Differently as a notion we held a series of preliminary meetings to decide our course of action and made an informal list of everything we disliked about the existing modeling periodicals, along with a list of the things we liked. One of the magazines we really appreciated was a Canadian armor publication called AFV-G2, and one of the things they did was to include real paint chips in every issue. Those chips seemed like a super good idea, and we'd only be doing a quarterly (we'd planned it that way from the beginning) so it didn't seem unduly labor intensive when we were discussing it. A Plan was born!

After a fairly lengthy gestation period it finally came time to do our first issue. The two feature articles were on the OV-10 Bronco (Bob Mills) and an AFV subject, a conversion article on how to make a Marder II from a Pz II (Greg Vickers). We figured color chips would be a great thing to include with both articles. And it really did seem like a good idea at the time. It truly did.

Anyway, we planned on printing 1,000 copies of that first issue so we went out and bought enough Avery labels to produce 2,000 paint chips, as well as a couple of bottles each of Floquil SP Lettering Gray and Floquil Mud. (It's probably best that you don't ask how we arrived at those colors, just in case you were wondering about how we done it.) I drug out my trusty Binks B and started painting. And painting. And painting. I'd originally figured on one coat---a quick pass and done---but each sheet of chips required several passes to ensure that the color was consistent. It took a long time to paint those chips...

Then we had to get them into the magazine, which was deadline sensitive. That operation involved Jim and myself as well as our spouses, and it took several hours to get all those chips into their proper place in the magazine, making sure they were as neatly aligned as our mental state would allow---things began to deteriorate pretty quickly after the first few hundred chips! At the end of it all we were absolutely exhausted, but the magazine had real paint chips. (To this day I can smell the aroma of "real" Floquil paint when I look at that first issue.)

Our mutual exhaustion led to a Never Again philosophy regarding color chips, making our first issue the only one where we included them. We didn't even put them in the reprint of I-1 that we did by popular request a couple of years later. (You can tell the two apart because of the chips, or lack of them, and the rather obvious fact that the reprint says "REPRINT" on the cover.) Once bitten twice shy, etc, etc.

And that's the story of those paint chips!

How'd That Happen?

The Vought O3U-1 Corsair was one of those long-serving but often unappreciated utility biplanes used by the Navy and Marines during the 1930s. The type was pretty close to being ubiquitous and could be found anyplace that the Nav or the Corps were using air assets with the exception of Training Command and was, thanks to being a Golden Age airplane, pretty colorful too. I guess that's probably why we've yet to see a kit of the type---the airplane was really good at what it did but it just wasn't very glamorous! (Vought didn't start building glamorous airplanes until they started doing that one with the funny wings, but that's a story for another time...)  Here, then, are a couple of photos of a seriously cool but highly unglamorous airplane:

Scouting Three shows how it's done. The SU-3 never possessed an excess of power so large echelon formations such as this one must've been quite a proposition! The interval is pretty good, but you can see some gaps. Those were the days!  National Archives, Neg No. Unknown

Some days are just better than others. This VS-3 Corsair is being recovered after ditching; note the deployed flotation bags. Hoisting points were a normal component of American miliatary aircraft and allowed for both planned operations (such as hoisting the aircraft onto or off of an aircraft carrier) and crash recovery. This bird isn't too badly banged up---it was probably back in the air a week or two after this photograph was taken.  National Archives, Neg No. Unknown

Just Look At Them Bags!

Vought also did a dive bomber, the SBU-1. This example for Scouting Two has also gone for a swim and is being hoisted out of the ocean for return to the Lexington. It's really obvious that this is a next-generation airplane when compared to the SU-3; note the more robust structure and the refinements to the airframe when compared to the Corsair shown directly above it. Note also that the flotation bags now deploy from the upper wing rather than the lower wing root. This sort of thing wasn't particularly uncommon Way Back Then.   US Navy via R. Morgan

Here's what one looks like when it's not in the water. Note how clean the overall design is. If the war in the Pacific had started 5 years sooner than it did the SBU-1 would have been one of our standard dive bombers---we probably got lucky on that one. This example is from VS-41.  US Navy via Rick Morgan

Even a Blind Squirrel Finds a Nut Every Once in a While

Used book stores can be neat places, although I can honestly say that I rarely go in them anymore. The bad ones are selling a lot of junk, and mostly the shops around here fall into that category. There are a few that are pretty good, but sometimes, or maybe even usually, the good ones are expensive. Sometimes, though, you go into one of the good (expensive) ones and find That Special Book. In my world that's an occurence that generally involves somebody else but once, a very long time ago, it happened to me. Allow me to share:

The year was 1975 or 76, and I'd dropped by A Bookstore of the Pricey Variety in a bad part of San Antonio. I doubted I'd find anything or that I'd be able to buy it if I did (they were proud of their books, ya'll), but I'd decided to give it a shot anyway. It was exactly as I'd expected; rows of shelves filled with grossly overpriced books, most of which had seen far better days. There was this one book that caught my eye, though. It was dark blue and relatively large format, and the price pencilled inside the front cover was $8.50. I made a quick scan to see if it had any companions and hi-tailed it for the sales counter. I'd already paid for it when the owner came by, saw what I'd purchased, and told me it was mis-priced. I responded that it had a price in it and that I'd given that amount, plus tax, to his clerk who had in turn rung it up. I'd spent money. I had a receipt. It was mine. That owner was unhappy but really didn't have much ground to stand on in the matter, so I kept the book. That's how I ended up with a new-condition 1944 hardback volume by Consolidated Vultee entitled Instruction Manual, Airplane General and Armament, PB4Y-2 Airplane. (It's often been said that I'm a little bit crazy. That would be crazy; not stupid! I'll pounce on that sort of deal each and every time!)

It's probably time to share an image or two out of that book---I hope you enjoy them!

 Sometimes people publish incorrect dimensions for their airplanes. I don't know whether or not anybody's ever commited that particular sin with the Privateer, but here's what Consolidated Vultee thought they were. With any luck this drawing will be of use to you.

A bomb chart. I think this stuff is pretty fascinating, but you may not. If it's not to your taste just go on to something else. I won't mind.

Here's where they put the armor plate. There's not that much in there but the vitals are mostly covered and it apparently got the job done!

This shows how the Navy and Consolidated thought the armor would function.

Howzabout a Couple of Huns?

I received a request for a little more on the Hun, so here are a couple of shots of same.

Sometimes it's difficult to weather an operational airplane, because it's tough to get photos showing how one looks in its natural environment; i.e. in combat. Here's an interesting study of the undersides of an F-100D of an unidentified unit taken during the Late Unpleasantness in Southeast Asia to illustrate the point. Note how utterly filthy the undersurfaces appear, and in particular how the muzzle blast from the guns (which is generally lubricant residue with a small amount of propellent granuals thrown in for good measure) is around the gun ports rather than streaming out behind them. That's a pretty common weathering mistake and it's found on a lot of models. As a rule of thumb, don't put streaks behind your gun ports unless you have a photograph that shows it. It probably wasn't really like that!   Friddell Collection

Here's an oddball for you. The aircraft was built as an RF-100A-10-NA and was later converted to RF-100A configuration ("Slick Chick"). It served with Det 1 of the 4707th SS/7499th SG, then was transferred to the Taiwanese 4th RS in 1959. It was withdrawn from service in 1960. I'm betting this airframe led an extremely interesting life!
Unknown via Wogstad

F-100D-80-NA when she was assigned to the 614th TFS/35th TFW stationed at Phan Rang AB. She's carrying 335-gallon drop tanks and a pair of M117 750-lb HE bombs. Of particular interest is the panel around the gun blast tubes; one way to minimize the discoloration down there is to paint them black! The airplane is relatively pristine, but check out the weathering on that tank hanging off the port wing! This Hun survived the war and was converted to QF-100D configuration.   Friddell Collection

So Where's the Blue Airplanes?

Good Grief, you guys---wasn't the Corsair and Privateer stuff enough? Guess not...

Here are a couple of photos of a blue airplane for you folks who just can't get enough of those Navy fighters, but with a couple of unusual twists:

Few airplanes say "Navy" like Grumman's F6F Hellcat. Here's a fine shot of an F6F-5N of VF(N)-90 flying off the Enterprise during early 1945. By this time the Enterprise had been made a dedicated night carrier with an air group specially trained for night ops. This Hellcat's getting a little bit shopworn.  Navy via Friddell

One thing you can do with an obsolete fighter is use it for tests. Here's an F6F-5K with an XAAM-N-2 Sparrow I missile under the starboard wing during early testing of the weapon. The centerline pod contains photographic equipment for documenting launch of the missile. Note the tailwheel extended and locked tailwheel on the Hellcat drone---thanks for the correction, Tommy!  NARS 416718

Here's a closeup of the round showing pylon details. This particular series of tests (all three photos) was taken at Point Mugu on 27 January 1950. Note the extensive stencilling on the missile body.  NARS 42783

This view shows the kink in the leading edge of the pylon, and gives us a little bit of detail of the camera pod too. Take a look at the back end of the airplane; it's on a towbar and the tailwheel is slightly off the ground! Of further interest is the absolutely filthy condition of the main wheels. Did I mention these were old airplanes?  NARS 412766

That's It For a Day or Two

I guess I owe all of you an apology. I'd originally thought I'd be able to crank out two installments at a minimum this past week, and was only able to do one. Bear with me while I figure out how to straighten out my now heavily-compromised schedule and we'll get these things back on track. Until then, be good to your neighbor!
phil