Misawa Memories, Mystery Meat, Stranger in a Strange Land, and That Big Warhawk

Long Ago and Far Away

Or at least it seems that way sometimes. My dad was career Air Force and was assigned to the 39th Air Division at Misawa AB, Japan, in October of 1962. Coincidentally, or maybe not, since the USAF of the 50s and 60s was pretty much a family affair where everybody's paths crossed everybody else's sooner or later, a young airman named Dave Menard had been assigned to that very same base just a few months earlier. I was in high school at the time and spent my leisure hours messing around with motorcycles, while Dave, even then, was photographing and collecting pictures of airplanes. The following images are from his collection and depict some of the aircraft from Misawa in the early and mid-50s. They give us a fascinating glimpse into how it was in The Silver Air Force, at least in PACAF, during those magical days.

A lot of folks don't know it, but the P-61 Black Widow lasted far longer in PACAF than in the other USAF commands. This tantalizing shot was taken on the ramp at Misawa in the early 1950s. The name "My Joan" appears to be in yellow, or possibly white, but the insignia red serial number of the aircraft is invisible against the overall Jet (that's what the Air Force called that gloss black) of the airframe. The unit is not known, and reader comments are invited!  Menard Collection

Here's another shot of "My Joan". That tower and hangar were there when Dave arrived in early '62, and were still there when I left in late '65. As for the airplane; we just don't know much about it!  Menard Collection

The 49th FG was associated with Misawa for a number of years, and operated several types of aircraft from that base during their tenure there. F-80C-10-LO 49-0557 sits on a typically snowy Misawa ramp prior to her assignment to Korea, where she crashed to destruction during a training flight in January, 1951. Although there are no markings to show it, she was assigned to the 7th FBS at the time.  Menard Collection

"Lady Hades", another ship from the 7th FBS, poses for her portrait. That serial number can make you crazy if you don't know what you're looking at; 44-85262 was built as a P-80A-5-LO, then reconfigured to F-80C-11-LO standard prior to assignment to the 49th. Pretty confusing at first, huh? She's almost a Plain Jane except for that nose flash and the name. The 7th started out being called the "Bunyaps" (after a mythical Australian creature), later changed to the more familiar "Screaming Demons". Me, I prefer "Bunyap". It's a P-40 thing, I guess...   Menard Collection

There was a time when you could paint a name on an airplane without it becoming the object of a congressional, or at least a command, investigation. Here's a really spiffy example of same: "Sassy Lass", another P-80A rebuilt to "C" standard sitting on the ramp at Misawa. Do you think that pilot's proud of his bird?   Menard Collection

Sittin' on the ramp in Northern Honshu. This unidentified F-80C is probably from the 9th FBS but it's hard to tell from this angle, tail stripe notwithstanding. Those underwing tanks are a treat, and something that's infrequently modeled. Check out the paintwork on the generator sitting behind the starboard wing!  Menard Collection

49-0550, a 9th FBS F-80C, sits on the ramp prior to preflight and launch. This may well be the same aircraft depicted in the shot immediately above, but it's hard to tell. The photo provides a far better view of the pylon tanks.  This one went down at Pyongyang, Korea in May of 1951.  Menard Collection

This red-trimmed "Flying Knights" F-80C is about ten kinds of pretty, although the name "Stinky" does make you wonder (it does fit in with the skunk's head nose art immediately below the name). We'll probably never know for certain, but it makes for a classy airplane all the same. This is yet another P-80A-5-LO upgraded to F-80C standard, in this case as an F-80C-11-LO. Menard Collection

"Ali-Baba II", 56-8315, a P-80A-5-LO rebuilt to F-80C standard, shows off its 7th FBS livery for the camera. Note the thin black cheat line on the blue nose flash and gear door. How about that Eisenhower jacket on the Amn 3C standing in front of the airplane?   Menard Collection

Me, I could look at PACAF F-80s all day long, but it's just barely possible that some of you have had enough for one day. Just in case that's true, let's change the water a little bit and see what the 49th's straight-winged F-84s looked like during the Misawa period:

Given the paint job, I'd have to guess this to be the 49th FBW commanding officer's aircraft. 51-1327 was an F-84G-25-RE and was posed getting ready to launch when this shot was taken. Note the boarding ladder and APU by the nose, and the RATO bottles positioned aft. This was shot at Misawa, where the F-84s of the 49th performed an air-defense mission, but 1327 appears to be carrying a pair of 500-lb GP bombs. It must be time for a trip to the bombing range!   Menard Collection

Getting there is half the fun! These Forty-niners from the 9th FBS are passing gas over the mountains of Northern Honshu during an excercise---note the 250-lb GP bomb on the pylon under 240. Of particular interest is the dark anodic finish to the aft fuselage of that airplane. Makes you wish for a color picture, doesn't it?  Menard Collection

If it's color you want, it's color you'll get! Unfortunately, it's not a color shot of that 9th FBS bird above, but it's still interesting. Here's 52-3197, an F-84G-25-RE of the 8th FBS sitting on the ramp. Check out the refuelling probes on the wing tanks; the one on the port wing is in natural metal, while that on the starboard wing is yellow. The underwing pylons are yellow as well, and the name "Cynthia II" adds class to the shot. (That ramp full of 8th TFW "Huns" in the background ain't too shabby either!)  Menard Collection

Let's go to the air show! Armed Forces Day in Japan used to be pretty much like Armed Forces Day any place else where the Air Force had a facility. In this shot we see a Japanese father and his young son in the process of checking out a "Blacksheep" F-84G. Those were the days!   Menard Collection

Comin' home. An 8th FBS F-84G recovers at Misawa, date unknown. Gotta love those silver airplanes! Menard Collection

Now then, you've seen the Shooting Stars, and you've seen the Thunderjets. What more can there be? Well, since it's almost closing time for this particular segment, why don't we show a couple of 49th FG birds you probably didn't expect to see? Here then, without further ado:

Yep, it's fuzzy. Sometimes slides can be like that. Whatever this picture may lack in clarity, it certainly makes up for in interest. When's the last time you saw a 7th FS F-86 with a big honkin' name on the nose? "Fantasy" poses for the camera, a little bit the worse for wear but providing a tantalizing look at a really pretty airplane. Focus. FOCUS!   Menard Collection

"Tuck it in, Two!" Formation shots are always neat, and this one's especially pretty. "Portland Rose", an F-86F-30-NA Sabre of the 7th FBS, lies alongside the photographer's ship in this gorgeous air-to-air shot. These aircraft are clean; no tanks or pylons. Oh, that silver Air Force!  Menard Collection

So you want 7th FBS Sabres in close formation, eh? Far be it for me to deny you that simple pleasure. These guys are dragging along their gas bags, but it just don't get much prettier, does it?   Menard Collection

Feet wet and they aren't even in the Navy! Here's a parting shot of the 49ers for you; "Maria", a 7th FBS F-86F, climbs out on a training hop. Do you think that pilot's enjoying his day?  Menard Collection

OK, OK, that's enough of the post-War 49th for tonight. Thanks to Dave Menard for sharing these marvelous images with us. Wow!

Every Now and Then You Just Lose Track of Things

Which is exactly what happened here. I received these T-Bird shots way back when I first started this project, and I downloaded the pictures for use (thank goodness!). Then I accidentally deleted the original file, thus losing the original contributor's name. I think, and I stress think (not that I ever do very much of that) that the shots came from Don Jay, or maybe Mark Nankivil, but I'm honestly not sure which! They've been on my list of photos to run for months now but I never did because I couldn't credit them. It's finally time. If they're yours, please e-mail me at replicainscale@yahoo.com and I'll put a credit line on them. Please! (And a unit ID wouldn't hurt either!)

If it's gotta be a mystery, at least it's a pretty one! Here's 56-3679, an Alaskan Air Command T-33A, sitting on the ramp at Elmendorf in all her natural metal and Conspicuity Red splendor. That red panel on the nose gear doors is particularly tasty...  Unknown, but hopefully not for long!

And a view of 56-3681 from the same unit. Note that this aircraft is in Aircraft Grey with the usual arctic conspicuity markings. The gas bags are a little the worse for wear, but otherwise it's a Clean Machine.  Unknown, but hopefully not for long!

Remember those names on the 49th FG birds? Well, thing got a whole lot more subdued in that regard as the 50s passed into history. -3681 is carrying nose art, but you'd never know it without taking a really close look. Snoopy just shows up everywhere, doesn't he? I bet we'd know the story behind those kill markings if I hadn't dumped the original file!  Unknown, but hopefully not for long!

And more kills! Repeat after me: Don't dump files. Don't dump files. Don't dump files...   Unknown, but hopefully not for long!

Holy Cow, Ya'll; It's a Rooski!

Texas is a big place, and you just never know what you might find if you keep your eyes open. Here's an example of that:

In the town of Forney, Texas, east of Dallas on US Highway 80, is this MiG-17, parked just off the westbound frontage/service road in front of DeRidder Antiques. According to the employee on duty, the airplane was purchased from a museum in the Netherlands "about 15 years ago." The wings were removed and the disassembled aircraft was placed in a standard 40-foot container for shipment to the US. The owner is not really interested in selling it, according to the employee. These photos were shot on September 18, 2010 by yours truly...  Note the stanchions placed to guard the starboard wingtip from further damage.  Mike

Protecting a wing tip, Texas style. That lamp post provides a really nice touch!  Mike McMurtrey

The view from the road. That "home furnishings" sign on the building in the background puts an interesting spin on things, don't you think?  Mike McMurtrey

And here's where it lives. That "Southpark" school bus in the background is just about ten kinds of choice. Don't mess with Texas, ya'll!  Mike McMurtrey

Bunyap From a Different Day

A few pictures ago we looked at some 7th FS F-80s, F-84s, and F-86s. Here's another 7th FS 49er to end the day with; the 1/32nd scale Hasegawa P-40N-5 that's on my work bench right now. We've made some progress:

"Daddy Please"/"Milk Wagon Express" is zipping right along, albeit far more slowly than I'd like. Here's the starboard side more-or-less showing how it'll look if it ever gets done. That spinner should, I repeat should, have been easy to paint, but once again I managed to snatch defeat straight from the jaws of Victory. That happens when you rush things, and I rushed things on that spinner. The situation is easy to salvage, though, and that'll be my next chore for this project. There's a little more canopy painting to do, and some seam-sealing (I use white glue for that sort of thing; on this model it'll mostly be done on the landing gear knuckles), then the airframe will be done. The big Hase Warhawks really look the part, don't they? 

And the Other Side. The N-model had tell-tales sticking out of the wings to show that the mains were down and locked, and I need to drill a couple of holes so I can add those. There's the usual touch-up to be done, and weathering, and so on and so forth, and blah blah blah (as Jimi was wont to say in concert), but we're getting close. Remember last time around when I said this airplane had the usual 49th FG oddities about it? This is as good a time as any to talk about 'em. First, this was two different airplanes at two different times, Side Number 10 and then later on, Side Number 00. When it was #10 it had a white spinner; those blue areas were added when it became 00. And that blue around the intake lip is peculiar too; the pin stripe on the nose is definitely in all the photos of this ship, as either 10 or 00, and the area in front of it appears to be darker than the OD/Neutral Gray around it, which leads me to believe it was dark blue. I could be wrong, and this is most assuredly an Educated Guess on my part, but I'm sufficiently convinced of the notion to paint the airplane that way. Feel free to not do it on your model if you so desire. And if you can prove, not conjecturize but actually prove, that it was one way or another, please get in touch with me! Lordy, I like P-40s!

And that's what I know. Be good to your neighbor and we'll meet again soon!
phil

What Came Before, Return of The Relief Tube, A Couple of Shooting Stars, Another V-Thing, A Connie, Yet Another Zipper, Yet Another Spad, and a Request

When We Were Kids

I've been working on a P-40 these days. It's a Big 'Un---the 1/32nd scale Hasegawa P-40N---and this morning (it's Sunday right now, although it won't be when this finally publishes) I was adding some of the larger pieces to it prior to painting when it struck me that some things never change. There's the obvious, of course; I'm pushing the age when I can begin drawing Social Security, and I'm still building plastic model airplanes. That probably means I've never really managed to grow up which is, in my world, A Very Good Thing.

Not growing up isn't what this is about, though, but more about how we all got here, or more specifically how us Boomers got here. That, of course, ties us to that Aurora P-40, although an Aurora P-40 wasn't my first kit and, truth be known, we aren't really going to talk about that particular assemblage of plastic. We are going to talk about models for a minute, though.

First thing in my very own plastic world was an un-named (although I strongly suspect it was a primordial Airfix kit) plastic-bagged Messerschmitt Bf109-more-or-less-F-or-G that my mom bought for me in Blair's Supermarket in Canton, Georgia back during the mid-50s. It was molded in black plastic and it was pretty small, perfectly suited for a 5-year-old. It also turned purple anyplace a small child might apply an overabundance of cement, which meant that mine was mostly purple---purple and black make for neat camouflage if you're of the right mind set, you know. It got built, got played with, and ultimately got destroyed by the aforementioned playing, but it was a start; a Beginning, as it were.

After that one of my teenage cousins (Jerry Smith) built a Revell F-94 for me and then, after his return from a remote tour at Chitose, my dad managed to successfully struggle through the viscitudes (I think that's a real word) of assembling a Revell H-19 that he let me have. That was it. I was hooked.

All the birthdays and Christmases to follow were filled with polystyrene, and I'll bet that I built almost everything that Revell, Aurora, Hawk, Comet, and Monogram had to offer during those years including---you guessed it---a bunch of Aurora P-40s. None of 'em looked like much by the time I was finished with them, but they got me firmly interested in plastic modeling and now, some 56 years later, I'm still hooked. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I still build to the same standard as I did way back then, but that's how it goes and, in all likelihood, constitutes a story for another day. The point is, I still get a kick out of the hobby.

That takes us (finally!) to the point of this ramble. I've loved plastic modeling from the time I saw my very first built kit at my cousin Jerry's house way back in the 50s, and I still love it. It's been a life-long hobby that's educated me every step of the way and taught me patience, motor skills, and a desire to learn everything I can about the stuff I'm interested in. It hasn't been a bad ride, all in all, and I'm figuring there are still quite a few years to go before age/creeping senility/whatever cause me to stop doing it. It's been a great little hobby for me, and I hope you've enjoyed your time with it as well. We could all do a whole lot worse.

Well, Why Not?

Way back when we first came together with this thing I mentioned that I needed to reinstate a section from the original Replica in Scale called "The Relief Tube" but that I wasn't going to because some other pub (electronic or print; I really can't remember) had cribbed it. A recent e-mail from friend and Replica co-founder Jim Wogstad went a long way towards changing my mind about that particular thing, so here, right now, on these very pages (or electrons, or whatever you want to call it), is a re-birth of sorts. Yep, you guessed it; it's the Return of the Relief Tube. As before, it's going to be a place for corrections, additions, and stuff that just doesn't fit anyplace else. For me it's a Welcome Back sort of deal. You'll find the kickoff edition appearing at some point real soon. It's the Right Thing to Do.

I Really Want a State-of-the-Art Kit!

We've got the Lockheed F-80 in two different scales now, and in quarter-scale too if you count the old Monogram kit. The Monogram offering is a good one, but is definitely showing its age and I'm thinking it's time for somebody to pony up and give us a decent 1/48th kit of same. Here are a couple of photos to show why:

Here's a teaser from the 49th TFW for you, probably from the 8th TFS and most likely taken at Taegu (K-2) during the Late Korean Unpleasantness. The C-47A (43-48003) is probably from the 21st TCS/374th TCD. USAF via AMC History Office via M. Morgan

The Navy operated the F-80 as the TO-1, although they used it as a trainer rather than a first-line fighter. Here's 33841 (AF 47-1388, actually an F-80C) to illustrate the type. Mark Morgan sent both of these photos and provided the information attached; this bird is probably from the Naval Reserve Component at Moffet Field, although it could also have been taken at NAS Whidbey or Sand Point as well.  USAF via AMC History Office via M. Morgan

So how about it, somebody! Please give us a kit!

The Return of the V-Thing

Just when you thought it was safe to come out, John Kerr sent us another V-prefixed NAVRES bird from the late 1940s:

A "Beast" by any other name. Here's a NAVRES Curtiss SBW-4E of an unknown New York unit and yep, it's carrying a V-prefixed BuNo (V60166). Note the weathering on the national insignia; the rest of the airplane appears to be pristine! Naval Aviation Museum via Kerr.


That Douglas Tulsa Shot Revisited.

If you're following this thing with any degree of regularity, you probably remember that ramp shot from Douglas Tulsa that I ran a few installments ago. You remember, it was the one with the "Connie" in it. Mark Morgan checked his archives and came up with a far better shot of the airplane, so let's have a look:

(Re) the Douglas/Tulsa ramp shot, I'm 99.99% sure that Connie in the background was one of the three JC-121Cs: 51-3841 (ex-RC-121C/TC-121C), 54-0160 or 54-0178. See the attached; amazingly enough, I pulled this photo out of the AMC archives. Didn't have a date or location listed but I'd say it's an airshow at a reserve base, what with the C-119s in the background; the only marking on the back was "US Army." Apparently the Army and Air Force used the three birds for airborne electronics test. AMC via M. Morgan

You May Well Be Sick of Them, But I Can Never Get Enough of the Zipper

That said, here are two more photos of same, taken by Stephen Miller and forwarded by Don Jay. Enjoy!

Stephen Miller's caption pretty much says it all. I like this shot because it shows the F-104's leading edge covers in place, something you rarely see on photographs. Miller via Jay

And a JF-104A for your consideration. Note the "Snoopy" cartoon above the "U.S. Air Force" legend, and the striped pitot boom. There appears to be a yaw van attached to that boom---the Devil's in the details! Miller via Jay

Sometimes Something Reminds You of a Time and a Place

That's how it was for Don Jay after we ran those VNAF spAD photos last time. He sent a shot along for us to look and, and provided a better caption than I could've to boot:

Phil, Enjoyed the last article and liked seeing the VNAF A-1. Here is one that I took flying out of NKP-it belongs to the 602SOS. Our friend Jim Sullivan made a model of this. I like this photo especially as it shows the wear and tear of the a/c. Note the pilot has the sliding hatch moved back-only thing missing is his scarf in the breeze! dj Note the application of the aircraft name on the nose, and the weapons load of Mk 82s and rocket pods. The centerline fuel tank is overall 34079 with a black tip. Don Gay


The Relief Tube, The Very First One

By now it must be abundantly clear that I get by with a little help from my friends, which results in some really cool photography to grace these electronic pages. You'll notice the same names appearing beneath the photos I've been running, and you need to know I'm always looking for more material. That leads us to a crass request for you to share any photos you might have if they fit into what passes for a format around here. If you're interested, please scan the material and e-mail it to replicainscale@yahoo.com . I'm a lot more interested in original photography than anything else, and will give an appropriate credit line for any photo published. (And no; I don't buy photography. This blog is 100% a labor of love and there's no money involved. I don't make any so you don't get to either! Seems fair to me...

Friend and author Frank Emmett is looking for photographs of 58th FG aircraft during WW2 and Korea for use in a book he's preparing. I've seen the manuscript and can attest that it's going to be the history on the group when it's done. Frank's asked me for pictures, but I really don't have anything. If you do, and if you'd like to help The Cause, please forward them to me at the usual address and I'll send 'em on to Frank. All photos will be properly credited, etc., etc.

And a Final Word on that "Nate" piece. David Aiken sent this along, and it helps clarify the undersurface color of the model to a great extent:

Aloha Y'All,


According to the Japanese maintenance/erection manual via JACAR (shown below) the "official color" of the Nakajima Type 97 Fighter was:

「機体の外面は灰緑色塗料を塗施す」 or

"Fuselage exterior paint coating is gray-green"

灰緑色 = Hairyokushoku = ash-green color, hence "gray-green."

The second attachment is the Hess-Ives paint mix document found by K. Owaki a few years back showing the Japanese Army aircraft colors. Using the original numbers given these RGB values were posted in 2006 at:

http://japaneseaircraft.multiply.com/photos/album/50/IJA_Colors

AFTER posting, we began the comparison to other "knowns". Nick Millman and Ken Glass determined that some of the colors were flawed...due that the Hess-Ives Color System RGB notation used by the Japanese Army/Navy had changed since World War II. Cheers,

David Aiken, a Director: Pearl Harbor History Associates, Inc. http://www.pearlharbor-history.org/

Meanwhile, Hubert Pieitzmeier, of F-104 web sight fame, has provided the following correction to one of the myriad "Zipper" photo captions we've run lately: Regarding "This Zipper's a Tub", The 69th TFTS operated the TF-104G while training German pilots to fly the "Zipper". This one's AF61-3076 in all her BiCi glory. Of interest are the white-painted upper wings and the similarly-painted underwing tanks. Don Jay  Hubert's correction is as follows:  It is SUU-21 practice bomb dispenser. The TF-104G had to carry it on a pylon (as on the centerline for the F-104G) because of the wiring.

And that's what I know. Be good to your neighbor and I'll try real hard to publish again in a week or so!
phil