Paint, Those DSES Guys, and A Few From Nanks

 

Let's Put Some Color On the Thing

Well, let's try to do that anyway! Sometimes it seems as though there's a new hobby paint out there every fifteen minutes or so, and it also seems as though there's an unpleasant side effect to that phenomena, ergo; the paint either doesn't behave like I'm used to it doing, or the specific color mixes offered by whatever new-to-me paint manufacturer show little if any resemblance to the real thing as I perceive it to be. Those are vexing things to me, maybe because of my substantial seniority on life or maybe because I've pretty much always been a dance-with-the-one-that-brung-you kind of guy. Whatever the cause, the bottom line is a certain irrational resistance to change as far as scale paint is concerned. 

Let's get one thing clear right off the bat: I have experienced a great many different paint brands and formulations over the years, beginning at an extremely young age with those little square bottles of Testors enamels, back when the price on the lid said ten cents. After that came Pactra, followed by AHM (a true lacquer that was far beyond my technical ability at the time), followed in turn but not necessarily in order by Official, Frontier Headquarters, Scale Master (I think that's what it was, anyway), Imrie-Risley, Floquil, Humbrol (the original one, not the goo that's currently sold as paint), the late and in my world greatly lamented Model Master, Mr Color, AKAN, AK of various flavors, and a few more to boot that I can't remember. All of those were either enamel or lacquer-based. I also had a brief flirtation with the water-based modeling paints beginning with Floquil's original Poly-S back when it was first introduced in the late 60s or early 70s.I have to admit that I wasn't that impressed with the water-based stuff and still am not right up to the present day. Your mileage may vary on that one but since it's entirely irrelevant to this discussion, we'll agree to shine it right on by, because it isn't the point of this ramble anyway. 

We won't stress too much over accurate colors either, because it's easy enough to mix paint once you understand color and how it works. It would be nice, of course, if the current multitude of paint manufacturers, or paint repackagers, whichever applies, would do a better job of getting things right in the first place but that too is a topic for a different day. My current beef is far more fundamental; The brands of paint I prefer to use keep going Tango Uniform on me! Floquil, the real one that was Dio-Sol based, was the first to go, but that was ok because Testors' Model Master came quick on its heels only to be discontinued by a new ownership a couple of decades later. All of those admittedly minor speedbumps to my own personal road led to a search for replacements that were both viable and available, roads that took me to a substantial personal preference for Mr Color, Tamiya Lacquer, and AKAN. Life was good, except that it wasn't, mostly because of that Great Bugaboo called "limited availability".

Of those preferred paints of mine, Mr Color has never been easy to find, primarily because so few brick and mortars will carry the stuff and it's often a mail-order-when-you-can-find-it sort of thing. I've heard it has to do with ongoing EPA or similar regulation but whatever the reason it just ain't fair because the stuff is far and away the best modeling paint I've ever used. Period. End of story. Tamiya's lacquer line is newer, at least in this country, but it's good stuff too, although its color variety is somewhat limited at the moment. AKAN is an entirely different kettle of fish since it's of Russian manufacture and only available through one American source right now, added to which is a limitation of available colors. Those are my Big Three, for whatever that's worth. I'm not recommending them, mind you, but those are the ones I personally like.

If you talk to my wife, she'll tell you that I've got enough paint on hand to last far past the day I finally shuffle off this mortal coil. She doesn't use that particular phrasing or those exact words, of course, but the bottom line in whatever wording anyone might choose to employ is that I've got a lot of paint already on hand. I just want to have a continuing supply of the stuff I prefer to use and I'm getting really tired of having to track it down when I need a resupply of some particular color (even though yes; I'm perfectly capable of mixing colors, remember? I just don't want to do that very often nowadays).

I usually end these things with some sort of a point but today there probably isn't one to share. I just want what I want, and I thought I'd express a degree of lament regarding the topic.

Does anyone have some cheese to go with that whine...

Pretending to Be a Bad Guy

Once upon a time there was a breed of Air Force unit known as the Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron, or DSES for short. Their mission was both simple and essential to the defense of the Continental United States; to simulate an enemy strike, either as a manned asset or a cruise missile of some sort, and to attempt to penetrate American radar defenses in order to reveal weak points and improve the overall system. As it happened, the Martin B-57 proved to be a viable platform with which to perform such nefarious endeavors, which is to say it was a good airplane for the mission. Thanks to the late Marty Isham and the kindness of Doug Barbier we have a few B-57s to share today, so let's get started!

Let's lead off with a shot of 55-4238, a B-57E of the 17th DSES taken on 8 July 1975 at an unknown location. There's some slight scuffing on the airplane's radome but it's otherwise immaculate in appearance, a normal situation since the evaluation mission was assigned primarily to the ANG by this time, which led to some extremely well-maintained aircraft being employed for the mission.  Isham Collection via Doug Barbier

Here's a profile shot of 4238 to compliment the 3/4 view shown immediately above. She had previous service with both the 4677th and 4758th DSES prior to being assigned to the 17th. She finished up her career with them and then went to Puerto Rico where she was donated to an education facility where it's possible she still resides, although I don't know that with any degree of certainty.   Isham Collection via Doug Barbier

The 117th DSES of the Kansas ANG was operating EB-57B 52-1526 when she put in an appearance at one of ADC's William Tell events back in 1976. She was a bit of a traveler, originally built as a B-57B and serving with the 3510th CCTW, then to the 345th TBG prior to conversion to EB-57B configuration and assignment to the 4713th DSES before finally arriving in Kansas for employment by the 117th. Subsequent service saw her going to the 134th DSES in Vermont before returning to Kansas for public display. You could say she was a girl who got around!   Isham Collection via Doug Barbier

53-3965 was assigned to the 4758th DSES when photographed on public display, unfortunately at an unknown place and date. She was originally an RB-57D-2 and served with the 4028th SRS/4080th SRW prior to assignment to the 4577th DSES and ultimately to the 4758th, with a stop at MASDC and bailment back to Martin along the way. That nose really makes her stand out among the crowd of evaluation birds, doesn't it?   Isham Collection via Doug Barbier

Here's a great study of Kansas' 17th DSES, EB-57E 55-4280, taken by Ken Buchanan while attending the 1976 iteration of William Tell. Normally well-maintained, she absolutely sparkles in this image after a round of pre-event spiffing up. She previously served with the 4677th and 4758th ECESs prior to her arrival in Kansas and was retired to MASDC in 1979.   Isham Collection via Doug Barbier

Let's end today's essay with another shot or two of a Kansas bird, EB-57E 55-4295 from the 17th DSES. Nicknamed The Antique, she spent some time with the 4677th DCES prior to her arrival with the 17th. She went to MASDC in 1979 and was ultimately scrapped. This photo was taken when she was in her prime, back on 08 July 1975.  Isham Collection via Doug Barbier

Here's a detail shot of her nose, showing to fine advantage some of the lumps and bumps commiserate with her line of work. Her by then highly appropriate nickname is barely visible on her port nose gear door.   Isham Collection via Doug Barbier

Let's end our essay with a closeup of her name as presented on the port nose gear door. In addition to The Antique, she also carried the following on that door in deference to her age and service: Member of the Antique Aircraft Club of the United States Air Force. Dare we say it was a simpler time?   Isham Collection via Doug Barbier

The DSES story encompasses quite a bit more than this handful of images, of course, and there's a possibility, however remote, that I might actually remember to run some photos of some of them at a later date, although a few have previously appeared on these pages should you want to scroll all the way to the very bottom of this page and enter either B-57 or DSES in the search function found down there. 

Many thanks to Doug Barbier for making these shots available to us!

Here Since the Beginning

Well, almost from the beginning anyway. This project had only a couple of issues under its belt when some guy named Mark Nankivil contacted me and asked if I'd like some A-7 photos. I said sure, having no idea what I was letting myself in for until the absolute flood of Corsair II images began to arrive. Since that day Mark has been a constant around here, a superb photographer, collector extraordinaire, and most importantly, friend. You've seen a great many of his images on these electronic pages over the years and it's probably time to look at several more. Don't bother looking for a common thread because there isn't one; let's just sit back and enjoy some neat old photos.

Let's start with a true old-timer, a SOC-2 BuNo 4203 of Scout Observation Service Unit Three (SOSU-3) flown by then Lt (JG) Fred Dickey out of NAS Alameda. I don't know the date and it wasn't on the information supplied with this image, but the late 1944-1946 time frame is probably a fairly safe bet given her Glossy Sea Blue paint job. If you know more, please drop me a line.   Fred Dickey via Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum, Mark Nankivil Collection

Next up we have a couple of Tee-Birds:

Ben Knowles took this shot of AT-33A 53-5141 while she was at Hill in June of 1973, when the type could still be found in fairly great abundance in the service, particularly within ANG and AFRES units. She had previous service with the 6604th ABW as a straight T-33A prior to redesignation to AT-33A and assignment to the 4330th CCTS/4554th CCTW, followed by a final stint with the 508th FG at Hill AFB. She was surplussed out shortly after this image was taken.   Ben Knowles via Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum, Mark Nankivil Collection

This is one of those when was it kind of conundrums. We know the What; a QT-33A BuNo 155919 of the NMC, and we know the Where, at Pt Mugu, but we don't know the When. She was built for the Air Force as a straight t-33A then went to the Navy as a drone and was struck off charge on 08 May, 1970. Note that she's manned in this image, which places the date at some time prior to that. Aside from the paintwork, the photo is valuable to us because it provides a look at the electronic fitment in what was formerly the rear cockpit of the airplane. This bird probably died in her element, in the air, in so many ways a fine tribute to a beautiful old stager.   Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum, Mark Nankivil Collection

Finally, here's one for the markings enthusiasts among what remains of this project's readership! RF-4C, 65- 905, was photographed by Fred Roos on 06 May 1988 at Hill AFB. That scheme is a knockout, with just enough of the right sort of color application to make her really pop. She's a beauty, and a fine way to end this photo essay.   Fred Roos via Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum, Mark Nankivil Collection

Under the Radar

This is going to be another issue without a book review for your edification and entertainment, mostly because I haven't read anything lately. There are several titles in line, though, so stay tuned!

The Relief Tube

It's a circle of sorts, don't you know. I publish something but nobody comments or corrects anything because when I do that it's infrequent and most of the responses, well; all of them actually, are of the "glad you're still alive" or "enjoyed the blog" variety and not much else. Don't get me wrong; it's my own doing for sure and I honestly do enjoy hearing from you, but there must surely be a mistake in at least one of the recent postings of this blog that requires correction. The law of averages says there has to be!

That said, if you'd like to get in touch with the project and don't fall into the following categories of humanity:

A picture pirate.

A salesman.

A recently deposed monarch looking to regain their throne and looking for money. 

A scammer.

A generally despicable person of some sort.

Then feel free to contact me. The hopefully suitably mangled email address to throw off all those categories of people I just listed above is    replicainscaleatyahoodotcom   .  You'll have to use the at sign and a period in there, but you already knew that. You did know that, right? Right?

Happy Snaps

As defined by myself for the purposes of this project a happy snap is an air-to-air photograph taken by one of our readers, and boy oh boy do I have one for you today!

Many years ago Mark Nankivil (yes, that very Mark Nankivil who contributed all those great photos I published today) sent me a photograph of his son Jack, a young man in elementary school at the time and who was busily engaged in photographing an airplane with one of his dad's DSLR rigs. That assortment of equipage he was employing was very nearly bigger than young Jack was at the time, but a course was obviously set nonetheless. I have no idea what Jack was shooting on that fateful day, but I've got a pretty fair idea of what he's doing now!

There are expressions that come to mind upon viewing this photograph. In my world they range from JUMP BACK or HAVE MERCY to several expressions that include colorful language, because that image is just darned near perfect! Subject matter (a two-ship of Beech Staggerwings; you can't beat that one!), lighting, composition; it's all there. Wow!

I have to admit that I lost, which in our electronic world means "probably deleted", all of the information Mark provided me for this shot, but I think Jack took it from yet another Staggerwing at a Beechcraft gathering earlier this year. I'm old and getting older by the minute, and I do goofy stuff like that, but that photo is well worth sharing with or without the information. 

Wow...

And that's it for today. Maybe I'll come along with another issue soon or, given my track record, maybe I won't, but in the meantime be good to your neighbor. It's the right thing to do!

phil
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A Cunundrum of Sorts, Friends Forever, It Seems Like Yesterday, Near the Beginning, One of a Kind, and Some Old Sikorskys

 It's Something to Think About

Remember Way Back When, a moment in time best defined by your own definition of such things, when building a store-bought scale model of just about anything was a relatively simple task? You know; back in those more primitive times when there was no internet to "educate" us and no cottage industry to speak of unless you were a model railroader? It was a simple world in which we all were dealing with basic and, in many cases horrible, kits, aftermarket decals, albeit few and far between, that wouldn't adhere to much of anything for very long, and enamel based paint of wildly varying quality. Back in those days a truly high-end modeler might have an airbrush, although that was far from a given, and advanced research materials often lay between the covers of a book that said "Harleyford" on the spine. A few of us shopped in the railroad part of the local brick and mortar hobby shop to buy sheet styrene and shaped rods, but for the most part the kit was the kit, and enhancement was something that lived entirely in the hands and imagination of the more adventurous modeler. 

Those days are long gone now, and our scale lives are ruled by aftermarket out the wazoo. We've got the often taken-for-granted photoetch of several varieties, and resin parts, machined metal parts, and the relatively new 3d-printed parts, which for the moment anyway seem to be the wunderkind of our modeling world. We aren't limited to available kits anymore either, since access to computers and computer programs ensures that anyone who cares to learn basic CAD skills (that particular acronym stands for Computer Aided Design, in case you didn't know) enables those of us with the talent and basic intellect to literally design and produce their own kits or aftermarket right at home. Traditional waterslide and dry transfer decals are slowly but surely being made obsolete by paint masks which once again, presuming you have the equipment and the basic ability, can be designed and produced by anyone. We're at a crossroads of a sort, because we're less and less constrained by what's available as kits and aftermarket. We can literally produce and build whatever we want to, in any scale we desire, and to any level of detail. The Future of our hobby is, quite literally, now. 

Whether or not that particular Future is a good thing for any of us remains to be seen, because the day could easily come when our hobby morphs into one of electronic research, computer downloads, CAD work, and a knowledge of 3d printing rather than coordinated motor skills. That can be a bit intimidating and maybe even scary if you don't possess said skills or a desire to work with the technology, but they're all a direction our hobby seems to have become fully immersed in. It's unsettling in a way, but every succeeding week simplifies that technology a little bit more, and the prices for the hardware required in our brave new do-it-all-yourself world are becoming more and more affordable. Those of us with a certain seniority on Life can easily remember a time when His-Air-Dec decals and Testors paint in those little square bottles was as good as it ever got, and the aforementioned Harleyford books were equally as good research-wise. Hold that as a working premise.

Our point for the day is that the hobby we're all so comfortable with has evolved towards its present state over a span of decades. The guys and girls we all admire for their mastery of the hobby as it currently exists all had to learn their skills the same way everyone else did, with the caveat that some of them were possessed of more innate talent than most of us and were more willing to go exploring the less than obvious techniques and materials that consequently made them the stars of our show. Think about it for a moment, because at the end of the day only one thing has changed and that's the advance of technology to the point where the more skilled and ambitious among us, or maybe just those more adventurous than the norm, are finally able to use a new technology to produce the kits they want to build, in the markings they want to represent, and in whatever scale they desire. The technology is empowering to say the least. 

Consider this; there are those who have taken relatively poor 1950s-vintage kits such as the Hawk F2H Banshee and used them to produce museum quality models. There are also those who have taken any of the new Kotare kit-sets of your choice (as people Over Yonder like to call what we here in the States identify as just plain old kits), and produced first-class trash can filler with them. At the end of the day it still takes skill and patience, mixed in with a bit of acquired experience, to get a good result. Do you disagree with me? OK, then; when was the last time YOU built a detailed scale model airplane out of spruce, balsa wood, and wire off of a mediocre set of "plans" to produce a great replica of something, and then painted it with dope or highly thinned household enamel?

Here's the takeaway from today's usual mindless rambling on my part: You don't have to embrace the new technology, nor do you have to even sample it, but it's not going away. At the end of the day what you do, and how you do it, is your choice. If what you're doing pleases you and gives you the results you want then it's a good way to do things, but you shouldn't be afraid to step a bit out of your comfort zone either. I think we'll call that "Growth". 

As usual, that's my story, etc etc...

Two More Gone

Nobody lives forever, but that doesn't make it one bit better when you lose someone you care about, and today we need to say a belated farewell to not one but two good friends who have recently departed from our lives.

I first met Mark Aldrich several years ago, back when he took over the stewardship of The Tailhook Association's photo archives from Doug Siegfried. It took all of five minutes for me to figure out that he was most assuredly one of the good guys; self-effacing, kind, and generous to a fault. I'm fairly certain that the word "no" was not included in his vocabulary and he was one of those guys who was always there; a go-to guy of the highest order. He proved time and time again, to others as well as myself, that no request for photography, either from "The Hook's" institutional files or his own personal ones, was beyond his ability to help.

Mark got sick a few years back, and spent the remainder of his time on the planet fighting a disease he couldn't beat. We never knew it though, not until just a year or two before he left us. He continued helping out with photography and insight until the last when many, perhaps most of us, would have turned inward. Inward wasn't Mark's way, though, and he was in the game until the end.

Bob Mills was a different sort of collector entirely. He was in the Air Force when I met him back in 1968, and he was originally slated to be on the staff of our budding print incarnation of Replica in Scale, although we lost his services immediately after we published our first issue. He was the first person I personally knew possessed of a photo collection numbering in the tens of thousands of images, and he provided an insight to collecting such things subsequently reinforced by Norm Taylor, Dave Menard, Marty Isham, Jim Sullivan, and so many others. 

The last time I saw Bob was on a photo shoot at Randolph back in the mid-80s. I had done my "real" photography the day before the event so as to miss all the kids, ice chests, and crowds that typified air shows in those days but had come back on show day because I still had some K25 available and wanted to shoot it. I was moseying along the show ramp when I ran into Bob, who was at Randolph on TDY and helping out the 12th FTW PA officer during their event. After we shook hands and spent a minute or two catching up he asked if I wanted an escort for the day. I said yes, and we were able to spend a great morning and early afternoon roaming the display area and, thanks to Bob's uniform, wings, and gold oak leaves, going into some of the places I would normally have had to have made prior arrangements to have accessed. I still treasure the memory of that day.

Life is finite, and it ends far too soon. Some people leave a bigger footprint that others when they finally cash in, and Mark and Bob were of that ilk. Their personalities couldn't have been more different but in many ways they were cut from the same cloth. They were of a special breed. They will be missed.

Doug. Bob. Jim. Marty. Dave. Norm. Ron. Maddog, and so many more. It's painful and I think it always will be, in my world anyway, but my life was enriched by their friendship and there's always that to fall back on. It's part of the plan, I think. 

Blue skies, Doug and Bob. We'll all meet again...

Vaya con Dios, Doug and Bob!

 

Defending the Continent

It seems like only yesterday, presuming you're of a particular age, but in point of fact it's been several decades since the United States was defended by purpose designed manned interceptors. This family portrait, originally from the collection of Marty Isham and shared with us by Doug Barbier, shows us what the late and highly lamented Air Defense Command once used to protect the continent. The inclusion of Nike Ajax and, to a lesser extent Hawk anti-aircraft missiles, as well as the 1958 serial number on the Voodoo, suggests a post-1958 time period, although I'd be lying if I said I knew the year.

 

There are family portraits and then there are family portraits, but boy oh boy do we like this one! The presence of buzz numbers shows how long it sometimes takes for things to change; the directive to remove them dates from the 1965 time frame, while the F-101B's  1958 serial number says that the shot had to have been taken post '58. However you want to slice it this is a fine photo and we're grateful indeed to Doug for sharing it with us.  Isham Collection via Doug Barbier

While It Was Still Small

The Vietnam War wasn't always the center of the five o'clock news in the United States. There was a time, in fact, when we barely heard about it at all and rarely knew anyone who had been over there. This photo, taken back in the relatively early days of our involvement, shows us a C-123B, probably of the 12th SOW and most likely taken in 1964, although 1962 has also been offered up as a possible year, sitting on what passes for a ramp at a yet to be developed Vietnamese air base.

Vietnam was still the home of The Silver Air Force back in those early days, as indicated by the finish on the fixed-wing aircraft in this photo. The Army would soon learn that painting its ARMY logo on the sides of its helos was a classic bad idea, but that realization was yet to come. It was still an advisory war when this image was taken.   John Kerr Collection

I wish the quality of this shot was better---it should have been since it was taken on a medium-format camera, but it beats nothing and I'll take it. Hopefully it's of interest to the readership as well!

An American Original

Everybody knows who Chappie James was, but just in case you don't...

Daniel "Chappie" James went into the Army Air Force and was winged at Tuskegee Army Air Field on 28 July 1943. He missed combat in the Second World War but was fully engaged in Korea, flying F-51Ds with the 12th FBS/18th FBW as well as F-80s later on. He later flew as Robin Old's deputy wing commander with the 8th TFW during the fracas in SEA, where he and Olds earned the proud monikers "Black Man and Robin" and several subsequent assignments as an ADC squadron commander led to his ultimate rank as a four-star leading the Air Defense Command. This image is fairly well-known but I'm running it today as an homage of sorts because Marty Isham served under General James during that worthy's tenure running ADC. Marty thought highly of Chappie James, and I do too, so running this image is the right thing to do!

If ever there was a photograph that said Fighter Pilot, then this one is it. The image was taken during Chappie's first combat tour, back in the bad old days in Korea, and the dedication, as well as the exhaustion, shows. There were giants in those days...   Image via Isham Collection and Doug Barbier

Many thanks to Doug for sharing this one with us!

How About Some Helos?

It's one of those days, I suppose. I was looking for a couple of shots of something else and stumbled on these slides, all dupes but I think the subject matter is well worth the slight degradation in image quality. The aircraft depicted might prove of use to those owning the old Revell kit of this immortal helo or the far newer but significantly fussy AMP kit, both of which are in 1/48th scale. There's also an H-19 offering in 1/72nd scale from Italeri or the long-in-the-tooth and not especially good Airfix kit from a great many years ago, should your tastes run towards that itty bitty scale! Be advised that I know virtually nothing about the aircraft in these photos except for what was on the slide mounts, which wasn't very much!

Maddog John Kerr was an absolute wizard at finding veterans who had taken photographs of airplanes while they were in the service, but he was forced by the technology available while he was collecting to have duplicate images made rather than by scanning the originals, which had the unfortunate side effect of greatly reducing the clarity of any slide so copied. This H-19B (52-7483) is a prime example of that, but it's a classic shot and well worth looking at. Bob Cutts took the original photograph on 14 July 1952; unfortunately she later crashed to destruction, on 15 July 1955, while still in Korea and serving with the 2157th ARS. I have no idea who operated her during the conflict, but it's a neat shot anyway.   Bob Cutts via John Kerr Collection

This H-19 is rather obviously an Army bird and was photographed by Vince Reynolds, although I have no idea whatsoever when that occurred (a recurring theme while describing these photos), or what the unit was. It's yet another photo from John Kerr's collection.   Vince Reynolds via John Kerr Collection

Finally, we have a fine Bob Cutts image of an HRS-1 in Korea. She was assigned to HMR-161 when Bob took the shot on 14 July, 1952, but after Korea she was transferred to the Navy's HS-4 and ditched off the coast of California on 01 September 1953 when her engine failed.  Bob Cutts via John Kerr Collection

Thanks very much to Maddog for preserving these images, and so many more. 

The Relief Tube

Not this time, since the only folks who have written to the project since I last published have been long-standing friends who mostly wanted to let me know they were happy I'd finally gotten off my lazy rear end and done something. That made me feel good in an obscure sort of way, but would do nothing to help clarify or correct anything I'd previously written which pretty much negated the use of any of them in this project. Of course, if there's something you'd like to contribute I'd be delighted to hear from you! That email address, suitably scrambled to annoy the picture pirates and all those folks who want me to gift them money or support their long-awaited return to their rightful place on the throne can contact me at   replicainscaleatyahoodotcom  . Drummers, grifters, and scoundrels need not apply!!!

And that's pretty much it for today unless I think of something later and decide to add it. Be good to your neighbor and there's an off chance we'll meet again soon!

phil

Things Change or Maybe Not, Post-War Jugs, A Couple From Norm, and You Have to Start Somewhere

Christmas Passed, Christmas Past

Here we are again, Ya'll, and another Christmas lies behind us. It's a magical season if you happen to enjoy the holiday, which I do, although I know that a tremendous number of people on our planet neither enjoy nor even celebrate it, a point of view I respect (there are a lot of holidays I don't participate in either, and even more of them that I know nothing about), but if you do happen to be a scale modeling sort of person of a certain age, and if you participate in The Christmas Thing as well, then you know that those two entities---Christmas and modeling---are irrefutably and indelibly entwined with one another. It's Christmas, which means it's time to get a model from someone as a gift!

With that gift prospect as a working premise, it must be said that I hardly ever get modeling-related things for Christmas these days. Part of it's due to aging, I suppose, since I'm much closer now to my inevitable and highly untimely demise than to the year of my birth and am therefore in theory, if not in fact, beyond caring about silly things like toys, of which plastic models are a largely perceived component thereof. It must also be said that some of it's because Christmas around here is usually celebrated on a reduced scale when compared to that of decades past, a direct response to our culture's unfortunate habit of turning a holiday of love and giving to one of unadulterated avarice,  spending, and greed. That's a digression, however; yet another Friddellian rabbit hole to be explored at a later date. For our purposes today, and to borrow and twist a bit of Shakespearean hyperbole, I have come to remember and cherish the Christmas I grew up with, not to bury it, so let's get back on track, darn it.

Dedicated readers of this project have endured and suffered through numerous descriptions of how I fell in love with the hobby of scale modeling so there's certainly no need to beat that horse again. Instead, let's acknowledge it as germane to the discussion because it ensured that I spent a great deal of my life getting something related to the hobby for Christmas every year for many, many years. Mostly those things were kits, usually of airplanes but also of ships and the occasional tank, or animal, or building or whatever---you get the picture, right? Anyway, between birthdays and Christmases I must have received every Revell gift set produced during the long and illustrious reign of the first iteration of that Southern California pioneer of our hobby, and lots of singles from other manufacturers too; Monogram's Willy Ley-inspired space vehicles come immediately to mind,  along with various Revell ship kits and Aurora Zeros and P-38s. The crowning jewels for me were the Monogram Phantom Mustang, the Chevrolet V-8 engine that later ended up in that same company's Big T kit, and the star of my particular show, Monogram's Air Power set. Nowadays most of those Christmas gifts from my childhood are collector's items to one extent or another and some, such as that Air Power set, command serious prices when you can find a decent example for sale. That childhood magic has in consequence become a warm and comfortable memory of a different time and place for many, myself included, and a thriving niche business for the collecting crowd. 

Yep, times change, and our hobby has changed with it. That Monogram Air Power kit cost less than $5.00 at full retail when I received mine on that wonderful December morning back in 1959, while the price of acquiring one is now pushing a grand, presuming you can even find one to spend that kind of money on. Newer (and far better!) kits are certainly out there but they're expensive too, and what was once a fun sort of a thing, a magical project often completed in a day or two, is now an undertaking that in theory will result in an accurate One to Whatever Your Scale Is replica of something or other but will take a lot of the fun out of things for a kid. Then there's the whole thing of It's a Decent Kit vs I Don't Want That One deal to consider. Just think of Eduard's contemporary Zero-Sen vs the early-60s Monogram A6M Zero, for example, and you'll get the point. The days of a plastic model as an easily affordable and equally easily chosen gift are largely in the past for a great many people. The cost alone makes you understand why today's kids don't ask for models for Christmas very much anymore (presuming you can tear them away from their video games to be interested in one in the first place).

Even so, I have to admit that it's often necessary for me to resist the urge to shake the present that's under the tree with my name on it to see if it rattles, partially because so doing often draws those "He's always been like that" sidelong glances from other "adults" in the room but mostly because nothing ever does rattle when I shake the box these days, and nothing has rattled there for quite a while. Phooey, right?

Times change, though, for better or for worse, and people do too. I've been an orphan since 2002, but not on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. On that night, and on that morning, everybody is present and accounted for in my world and I can almost always hear that faint rattle when I gently shake the ribbon-tied box before I open it, no matter whether there's plastic in there or not, 'cause I can hear it; it's all part of the deal. It's a Christmas smell, too, as much of one as freshly-baked cookies or a real Christmas tree in the house; that of newly molded polystyrene inside a sturdy box filled with parts and crumpled packing paper, and all of it capped with artwork to make a kid's imagination soar. It must surely be magic!

I usually try to end these things with a message, and today I'd like to offer this one for your consideration: Simple biology dictates that we all have to age. We do not, however, have to grow up, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. It's all in how you see it and choose to live it.

And that's enough of that, 'cause I'm busy right now! HEY YOU GUYS! LOOK WHAT I GOT FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR!

The Boys From Maryland

Maryland's 104th TFS was a pacesetter in its early days, its claim to fame as the first National Guard aviation unit to have its own airplanes, in 1921, and the first to attend a summer encampment back in 1922 ensuring its place as a plank holder of sorts. It evolved from the 104th Squadron to the 104th Observation squadron on 25 January, 1923 and kept that identity until the beginning of the Second World War and its assignment to active duty on 03 February, 1941. During its time as a direct AAF asset during the war it served under its own designation as a component of 59th Observation Group before being redesignated, albeit briefly, as the 517th Bombardment Squadron before becoming the 12th Anti-Submarine Squadron/15th Anti-Submarine Wing. The unit's initial lineage was disrupted on 24 September 1943 when it was disbanded and its personnel transferred to other units. Our interest in the unit, at least for today, lies in its post-War reestablishment as the 104th FS at Harbor Field, Maryland. The unit flew P-47Ds (later being redesignated as F-47Ds as a result of the creation of the United States Air Force in 1947 for some five years prior to acquiring their second post-War type, the F-51H Mustang. Thanks to the kindness of Mark Nankivil and The Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum we have a look at several of the 104th's Thunderbolts. Before we get started, however, please note that all of the airplanes we're looking at today post-date the 18 September 1947 creation date of the US Air Force, so none are carrying the national insignia in use from 1945 until that date.

F-47D-40-RA 44-90297 undergoes maintenance in one of the 104th's hangars alongside other Thunderbolts and one of the unit's Douglas Invaders and a T-6. The aircraft directly behind 297 still carries a partially scrubbed-off but fairly legible buzz number, illustrating the immediate post-War PE- designation worn by the aircraft prior to its designation shift. It also carries a two-digit number on its cowling. Scale modelers take note of the equipment on the hanger floor and the general clutter evident just about everywhere.  M Burke via Mark Nankivil and the Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum

Here's a fine study of F-47D-40-RA, 45-49115, at the gun butts on the home drome at Harbor Field having her armament bore-sighted. The stenciling under the cockpit reads "ENLIST IN THE AIR NATIONAL GUARD/104TH FIGHTER SQUADRON", an obvious effort to recruit new blood for the unit in the immediate post-War world. This airplane was damaged in 1951, shortly prior to the unit giving up its Thunderbolts for the F-51H. The unit wasn't one of the gaudy ones and rarely employed the swathes of colorful stripes and checkerboards we so often find on American military aircraft of the late 40s and 1950s; the 104th's F-47Ds were a fine example of that plain treatment.  M Burke via Mark Nankivil and the Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum

 By the time this photograph was taken the 104th had acquired their MD.N.G markings under the "enlist in the ANG" fuselage logo and had acquired a squadron emblem on the cowling as well. The F-47D's signature olive drab anti-glare panels are in fine view in this image.  M Burke via Mark Nankivil and the Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum

 Here's a period patch illustrating the colors of that nose emblem. Consider it a bonus, if you will.

This fine maintenance photo provides us with superb details of the propeller and part of the engine of an as yet unidentified 104th FS F-47D-40-NA. That maintenance stand has a distinctly home-made look about it, and the ground crew are making a definite, if highly unofficial, fashion statement. Things were different back then!   M Burke via Mark Nankivil and the Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum

This lineup of F-47Ds from the 104th was taken on April Fools Day of 1948, and is the only image in this essay I can put a definite date on. The letters NG (for National Guard, but you knew that, right?) have appeared on the vertical tails but the squadron badge and ANG recruiting logo are nowhere to be seen. 44-89851 is an F-47D-30-RE as is the aircraft to its immediate right in the photo, 44-32966. The aircraft on the far left of the image carries the number 15 on its cowling and may possibly be the mystery "Jug" in our first shot.  M Burke via Mark Nankivil and the Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum

Our final shot for the day is one that's been reproduced before and illustrates the 104th's markings during its final days with the F-47. Our first image, the one taken inside the hangar, showed natural metal F-47s but everything else in this essay has been painted in overall silver, to include this four-ship. The anti-glare treatment on the airplanes has changed from olive drab to matte black, and the squadron emblem is proudly displayed on all of the cowlings. All of the aircraft carry nose numbers (which don't correspond to the aircraft's serial numbers) and the NG logo on both the fuselage and the vertical stab, while side numbers 20 and 31 appear to have the undersides of their fuselages painted in black; note the straight presentation between the darker ventral color and the overall silver of the fuselages of those two aircraft. Note how the darker color goes with a hard and straight demarcation all the way back to the trailing edge of the rudder. If any of you know for sure what's going on here, as in are there better photographs out there, please drop me a line at replicainscaleatyahoodotcom .  45-49276 and 45-49300 both ended up in Brasil after globe-trotting post-War careers, but that's all I can tell you about the fate of the birds in this image.  M Burke via Mark Nankivil and the Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum

Thanks to Norm!

Regular readers are probably well aware of Norman Camou by now, but for those of you who don't know he's an old-timer as far as this project is concerned, and has been helping out with it for several years now by finding unique and interesting aviation-related topics on YouTube as well as other web sites. With that as an introduction, he's at it again, first with a visual tome on painting aircraft:

https://youtu.be/ypO2Obz7KnQ?si=8uTXoT0KXFD9MfOi

and again with this look at what once was in the South Pacific back in The Bad Old Days. (Yes, I know the second one isn't a YouTube offering. Just roll with it, ok?

https://southpacificwwiimuseum.com/santo-bases/

Thanks as always to Norm for finding these treasures and sharing them with us!

Learnin' to Fly

The Navy did it with early T-34s and the Air Force followed with lightly militarized Cessna 175s, a Cessna 172 derivative designated T-41 Mescalero. It wasn't a normal thing to find one in the wild so was delighted when I caught this one taxiing at the late, great Bergstrom AFB on 02 August 1980.

T-41A 55-5228/N5228F taxis past at Bergstrom during a typically brassy South Texas afternoon, possibly providing a treat for the pilot candidate being evaluated that day. The type operated out of Hondo Municipal Airport in Texas (the former Hondo AFB) among other locations. There's no way of telling where her nugget pilot ended up after he moved on from the Mescalero to The Real Deal, but I'd like to think he or she went on to do good things with the Air Force. (Readers please note that the serial number given would more likely seem to belong on a T-33. Please drop me a line if any of you can provide clarification of this!)   Phillip Friddell

 

Under the Radar

 World Class Diamondbacks, a Pictorial History of Strike Fighter Squadron 102 (VFA-102), US Navy Squadron Histories - No. 306HB, Romano, Angelo, Ginter Books, 2020, 288 pp, illustrated, Hardbound

As things happen this is a tough review to write, not because of any difficulty with the subject---the book is superb in every way---but because I'm personally acquainted with both the author and the publisher. The work stands very firmly on its own merit and is, quite frankly, a must-have if your interests run towards its subject matter, but it's always tough reviewing a product done by friends.

With that said, the 288 pages of this particular edition are pretty much the ne plus ultra of aviation unit histories. The book begins with the establishment of VF-102 on 01 May 1952, after which we're off and running. Establishments, disestablishments, Air Task Group and Air Wing assignments until the book's cutoff point with its 2020 Indio-Pacific cruise aboard the Ronald Reagan; they're all there, and every change, cruise, or deployment is heavily documented both by meticulously researched text and an appropriate selection of photography and graphic illustrations to back everything up, while the photography, mostly garnered from the author's personal collection, is both unique and graphically informative. The list of contributing photographers reads like a Who's Who of American naval aviation photography, and is a class act in every regard.

The book is available in both soft and hardbound format and is well laid out, professionally produced, easy to follow, and could be the poster child for the proper way to write and publish a unit history. As previously mentioned, I know both the author and the publisher, as well as many of the contributors to this project, but there's no personal bias in that regard. The book stands firmly on its own merits and is well worth a place in any library of American naval aviation. Recommended. 

The Relief Tube

By all rights I should have heard from someone by now offering a correction or addition to the past couple of issues, but to this point (which is to say right now this minute, while I'm typing this) nobody has contacted me with anything other than best wishes for getting myself back in the saddle again. I'd like to think that means I'm doing a great job of getting everything right the first time around, but the honest truth is that the project is pretty much starting over again from the beginning, in a manner of speaking, so it's highly likely that very few people are reading it yet. (See, Phillip? I TOLD you this would happen if you didn't keep up a regular schedule!) Things will change as we go along.

Anyway, if you should happen to come up with something that needs correcting I'm here, ready and willing to do it. That address, as always, is  replicainscaleatyahoodotcom  . Spammers need not apply!

Happy Snaps

Well, not this time. It's not that I don't have air to air imagery that I could share, but it's all from the same two or three individuals and I'm hoping to expand that pool a bit, which is my opportunity to ask our former or active-duty military readers if you've got any photography you'd like to share. This isn't a for-profit, or even non-profit site, so remuneration (that means "payment") isn't in the game, but full credit will be given and any images used will be suitably watermarked to keep The Picture Pirates from absconding with them and using them for their own nefarious purposes! The addy for that (one of my grandkids says "addy" means address, which may mean I'm finally moving into the 21st Century, although probably not) is the same for everything else around here:  replicainscaleatyahoodotcom . 

And that's it for this issue. Be good to your neighbor and we'll meet again soon!

phil

 

An Unpopular Way?, A 'Pup on a Hun, and Some Silver Martins, and White Whistles

 

A Different Way to Do It

Let's discuss a universal, and for the most part entirely absurd, truth today. Our initial premise is this: Somebody releases a new kit of a subject you happen to be fond of---for argument's sake let's say it's the latest annual release of yet another Me109G-Something or Other. It's there, from brand new tooling or maybe in our budding 3d age from brand new CAD data and 3d printing, and it's a marvel. Let's also presume that all the hype regarding its release is spot on for a change, and the kit is a true work of art in every way. It's a beauty, a one in a million girl (with apologies to The Toobs).

So there's the new kit and, in front of our very eyes, marching right in step to a strident drumbeat , are all the criticisms, both real and imagined, that show up every time a new kit is announced. Some are valid, of course, since nothing is ever entirely perfect, but some are also significant groupings of horse poot put out there by well-intentioned folks who either did poor research before writing or, worse still, parroted someone else who failed to do their homework. 

I digress, however. I do that a lot---just ask my wife---but the point is there's a new whiz-bang kit of something out there and it's actually as good as the internet says it is. What follows next is predictable; an outpouring of offers for the sale or outright gift of all the suddenly inferior kits of that particular subject that came before because they're now woefully obsolete and no longer worth building or even owning, even though they were the bombdiggity yesterday. Of course now they aren't, , not with that brand new latest and greatest iteration out there, so be there or be square and get that new kit NOW, and dump any of your older ones on some unsuspecting soul who won't know the difference!

Here's the deal, folks. The new kit of our hypothetical 109 probably really IS the ne plus ultra of its type, but all that really means is that it's the best one out there for the moment. You can rest assured something will be released (next year or even day after tomorrow if it's a 109 of any flavor) that will top that new one and transform the former champ into yet another also-ran, and on and on it goes. 

Think about this for just a moment. Any model airplane kit that's been released during the past twenty or so years probably has aftermarket available for it if you look hard enough, and a percentage of said aftermarket will actually be worth having. Unless they're of a highly collectable nature most kits lose their sale, or resale, value as they age out, and the aftermarket does the same unless it's of the brand spanking new 3d-printed variety, and even that will see its value diminish as it's inevitably replaced by newer and "better" offerings. It's the nature of things.

But Wait! Hmmm... Do I really want to get rid of my barely-one-year-old kit that's just been rendered obsolete in some self-appointed expert's mind, or do I want to build it since I've already got it, plus some or all of the aftermarket available for it? Or maybe I'm on a budget and can't afford the new whiz-bang model, but I can afford the old one languishing in the retail outlets or on the consignment shelves of many hobby shops. Sure; I can do that, and there's eBay too; not always a friendly place to be sure but definitely the home of affordable kits and accessories if the modeler knows what they're looking at. Let's go back to our imaginary Me109 for a moment for an example. Hasegawa's myriad of F, G, and K offerings in 1/48th scale have been around since the late 1990s and aftermarket, plus decals, abound for them. They're basic kits by today's standards but they're also easily correctable and I routinely see them on consignment shelves for under twenty bucks. Aftermarket for them is equally inexpensive these days, as are decals. The kits are workable, and getting hold of one, along with all the requisite candy we now find necessary any time we build anything, won't break the bank. The same research and modeling skills are required no matter how new or expensive a kit might be.

Here's a suggestion then, based on what I think is a valid conclusion. Do your own research, and make it fairly thorough. Do the math involved, particularly if you already have that now-unwanted older kit sitting on the shelf in your hobby room. Factor in some used aftermarket if you think you need it, and maybe look for decals that have moved into the unloved and unwanted pile in your local hobby shop. Do some planning. Hone your modeling skills. BUILD THAT OLD KIT. If you don't believe it's a viable thing, just go onto some of those internet modeling sites that feature showcase departments for completed models, and take a look at what people are doing with older and, in some cases, positively ancient, kits. Don't tell me those guys are better modelers that you are either, because even though they may actually be a step or two beyond your own personal capabilities, they had to learn somewhere. Not one of them started out in the hobby at the very top of the heap.

Feel free to take that advice with however many grains of salt you find necessary. I've just finished my third new Eduard P-40E and have just started a Hasegawa kit of the same airplane to go with them. The older Hasegawa offering will take a bit more work to achieve a really good model but it's entirely doable. Besides, there are far more productive things to do than pine away for new kits I don't have, or lament over the older ones I actually own. Translation: I'm going to go enjoy my hobby. How about you?

There May Be Better Pictures Out There

But I'm having trouble finding them---me and a whole bunch of other people too! Yep, that dedicated Type X launcher for the Bullpup air-to-mud missile seems to be made of pixie dust, given the absolute paucity of images of the darned thing. Today I had a stroke of luck come my way, though; I was going through some thumb drives in search of something having absolutely nothing at all to do with either the Hun or the AGM-12, and I stumbled across this shot shared with me by Don Jay several years ago. 

 

So how about that! It's an air show shot, obviously, but it's also an image of F-100D-90-NA, s/n 56-3218, and she's carrying that elusive Type X launcher with a Bullpup A hanging off it!The slanted guidance antenna for the missile is nowhere to be seen, or at least I'm not seeing it, which makes me wonder if the A&E folks didn't just stick the launcher and a round on the airplane for purposes of the display or maybe removed the antenna for perceived security reasons, but that part of the thing is irrelevant in my world, because I found a shot of a real live Type X launcher on an airplane! Speaking of that, the airplane is from the 50th TFW at Hahn, which I presume you knew, although I'm not certain of the date; I strongly suspect the photo was taken sometime between 1965 and 1967-ish. That's a guess, but I'll stick with it until somebody comes up with a definitive one. 

For what it's worth, -3218 isn't included in the Bullpup-capable aircraft list I ran in that Hun article a couple of years ago, but Doug Barbier, who compiled said list, was up front in saying it was based on observation rather than any sort of official document. Maybe the jet actually was 'Pup capable or maybe it wasn't, but there's no guidance antenna visible to prove it either way. If you know better give me a holler at replicainscaleatyahoodotcom and I'll share the information.   NARA via Don Jay Collection

Does Anybody Besides Me Miss The Dog Whistle?

The Cessna T-37 family of jet trainers was one of those families that was a constant for those of us of a certain age. From 1956 (the year the first Tweet, as its high-pitched shrieking whistle caused it to be nicknamed, among other monikers, was delivered to the Air Force) until its final withdrawal from service in 2009, the mighty Dog Whistle trained untold thousands of American and foreign aviators. The type was so ubiquitous that many of my airplane-chasing friends wouldn't even look as one taxied past or flew overhead, but I always did, and I often photographed them as well. Here then is a small selection of white (they came in other flavors as well) T-37Bs for your perusal. 

56-3577 was a plank-holder in the world of the Tweet, being originally constructed as a T-37A and later converted to T-37B standard. She was serving with the 47th FTW at Laughlin when I found her back on 22 March, 1986, and took this photo. Notice the tiny "XL" up on the fin tip; it's a play on "excel", and the guys in the 47th took it seriously. She went to the boneyard in 2004.   Phillip Friddell

Built as a B-model, 67-14756 belonged to the 96th FTS out of Williams AFB, Arizona, when I found her on the ramp at Randolph on 19 January, 1985. Several of the ATC bases of that era used distinctive identifiers on their airplanes, as demonstrated by the name "Willie" on 56's fin fillet. This one evaded being turned into pots and pans and ended up in Columbia.   Phillip Friddell

In 1987 the 12th FTW at Randolph began painting their T-37s and T-38s in a really spiffy dark blue and white schemes, but everything was still in boring old white when I photographed 67-22248 on Kelly's transient ramp. The guys at Randolph began putting an RA tailcode on their birds when they started painting them in colors other than white, but this guy was still in the older "normal" scheme back on 17 May, 1986. It's a pretty airplane, tail code or not!   Phillip Friddell 

Let's close this essay with a sight we don't get to see anymore; Laughlin's 47th FTW T-37Bs all lined up on their ramp and basking in the Texas sun. The "Tigers" name on the vertical stab fillet and red fin tip tells us the airplane belonged to the 85th FTS. I shot this lineup on 22 March, 1986.   Phillip Friddell

I can't speak for anyone else, of course, but I sure miss those days!

They Came Early to the Party

Martin's B-57 jumped into the fracas in Southeast Asia very early in the game, with RB-66E Patricia Lynn reconnaissance aircraft from Det 1 of the 33rd Tactical Group beginning operations in theater on 07 May 1963. Actual combat operations involving aerial bombardment began during August of 1964, when the 3th and 134th Bombardment Squadrons began conducting missions. These photos, once again provided by Don Jay,  are from a bit later and illustrate a couple of B-57Bs from the 8th BS during operations out of Da Nang.

Here's a fine USAF image of a B-57B-MA, 53-3879, while serving with the 8th TBS/2nd AD and operating during a brief stay at Da Nang. It's worth noting that she's in well-worn natural metal, and those bombs she's carrying on her wing stations are a mix of 500 and 750-lb GP weapons. Given her lack of camouflage and general appearance, plus the fact that the Air Force thinks she was assigned to the 2nd Air Division at this time, leads me to believe those pylon-mounted bombs are from the WW2 AN/M family of weapons rather than anything beginning with an M. Her bomb bay is probably full of weapons from the same family but we can't see in there so that one has to be part of the Who Knows tree of knowledge! The airplane got around a bit, initially deploying with the 8th BS, then transferred to the VNAF, back to the USAF, and then returned to the land of the big BX where she was sent to DM (in 1969) and ultimately scrapped in 1971. A sad end to a proud warrior...   NARA via Don Jay Collection

Here's another view of -3879 as she taxis past at Da Nang. This pair of images should make it possible to construct a fine model of an early SEA-based B-57B for those so inclined. I have no idea when these shots were taken so you're on your own in that regard.  NARA via Don Jay Collection

 

Let's end this brief essay with a shot of 53-3879 running up and preparing to launch on a mission along with 53-3903, another B-57B-MA, , quite possibly on the same day (although I don't know what that day, or year for that matter, might be). There's a bit of confusion regarding -3903's unit at this time and I'm not going to guess it; if any of you know please drop me a line so I can correct the caption!   NARA via Don Jay Collection

Under the Radar

How long has it been since we've had a look at a book around here? I honestly don't remember, and yes; I could look back and find out, but that takes us back to that part where I'm lazy so let's just say it's been a while and leave it at that. It's been too long in any event, so here's a book you might want to take a look at if your thing is ANG Phantoms:

 

The Modeler's Guide to Aircraft Finish and Markings #006, U.S. ANG Phantoms, The F-4D/E In Service With the New Jersey Air National Guard 1980-1991, Don Linn with Barry Roop, 145 pp, Softbound, Double Ugly Books and Decals, 2024

This volume is number six in a series of similar titles and is a pictorial history of the F-4 during its decade of service with the 141st TFS of the NJ ANG. The book is exactly what its title claims it to be, an overview of camouflage and markings for the airplanes of one particular unit from initial receipt until leaving the airplane. There's virtually no text per se to be found anywhere in the book; let's get that out of the way right off the bat. Having said that, there's no shortage of information to be found within its covers either, since all of the information you might normally expect to find living within a more normal format as employed by most tomes of this nature is found in the highly detailed captions appended to each photograph instead. It's an efficient way to do that sort of thing if the goal is a book on camouflage and markings and it makes understanding each photograph easy, as well as making it easy to relate each image in context with all the others. 

The book is subtitled as a modeller's guide to the airplane's camouflage and markings while in service with the NJ ANG so readers shouldn't expect a detailed technical or day-by-day operational history of the airplane. What they should expect, and receive in full measure, is an excellent assortment of photographs, all in well-reproduced color, of the mighty F-4 in all phases of its appearance with the unit. Camouflage, official markings and personal artwork are all beautifully illustrated in this book, making it a literal tour de force for the enthusiast.

The subject matter may be a bit too esoteric or highly focused for some enthusiasts but the book is well worth having should your interests lie in the Guard, the F-4, or both. Highly recommended.

Happy Snaps

It's been just about forever since I've run a photo in this section, mostly since it's been just about forever since I've done a blog, at least if you don't count the ones from the past three weeks or so. Anyway, it's been too stinkin' long, which means It's Officially Time. FINALLY!

The year is 1990, January 23rd to be exact, and the place is best defined as somewhere over the Caribbean. Rick Morgan took this fine image of an F/A-18A from VFA-15 out of a VAQ-139 EA-6B that day, with his usually-stellar results. Some people come to photography naturally, while a great many more have to work hard at it. Rick is one of the naturals, as is proven once again by this shot!   Rick Morgan

The Relief Tube

Long-time contributor and friend Norm Camou passed along some of his memories of the early days of our hobby, back when he discovered scale modeling, and they're worth sharing: 

Hello Phil. Read the latest RIS about first models built.  Dad gave me the Revell Missouri with black rubber glue. 1956? Pushed into base pool (after hours) and it turned turtle and sank. Learned about ballast real quick.  Next model I remember is the Atlas Mercury kit seen... Built it and set up in hallway (1964)? Fired spring loaded toy missiles at it, rebuilding ‘till it wouldn’t come together anymore...

Oh gosh; how many times did I have a model ship capsize on me after it was done---I guess I wasn't my mom's brightest kid! I never did figure out that ballast thing---thanks very much for sharing your memories with us, Norm!

So how about it, folks? Does anyone else have a memory of their early days in the hobby they'd like to share? It would be fun to hear it and I'm definitely interested. If you'd like to share, well; you know the address!

That's it for this installment, then. Let's all cross our fingers that it signifies the beginning of an ongoing thing, but in the meantime be good to your neighbor and let's just presume we'll meet again soon!

phil