Messages

4081

Combat Warplanes / Re: Vought F6U Pirate

« on: October 09, 2011, 03:08:46 PM »

I talked to a Vought retiree (these are the people restoring the airplane) in 2007 and he told me they were missing some major components at that time. The thinking was that they'd have to fabricate new items from scratch at that time. Incidentally, this is the second production Pirate and is Bu.No. 122479.

Here's a link to more F6U info: http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/F6U-1.html Scroll down to 122479 and you can link to a photo of what the airplane looked like when it was saved by the New England Aviation Museum.

4082

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Bf-109 Group Build-All Variants

« on: October 08, 2011, 04:05:11 PM »

I've had my eye on the "sawtooth" wing scheme for a long time. From what I gather that was pioneered by reconnaissance units and was later used on some "normal" Bf-109s. There are a few photos of the airplane I'm replicating but only the right wing pattern is shown. The left wing is probably not accurate but more of a representation.

4083

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Fujimi 1/48 Spitfire Mk. Vb- built as a IIb- COMPLETED

« on: October 08, 2011, 03:44:38 PM »

 

4084

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Bf-109 Group Build-All Variants

« on: October 08, 2011, 06:16:28 AM »

I sprayed the 75 and then did the mottling on the sides tonight, mostly in shade 74. Once this cures it'll be on to clearcoating, decals, and final flat overspray.

 

4085

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Group Build> F-84

« on: October 08, 2011, 06:13:13 AM »

Fuselage halves painted, cockpit, exhaust nozzle, and nose gear well are attached to the right half:

After that it took little time to get to this point:

4086

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Group Build> F-84

« on: October 07, 2011, 12:21:59 PM »

It seems that Republic started painting the cockpits grey at the factory in 1952 or '53. Before that they were the interior green. However, early airplanes that were sent through maintenance depot inspections seem to have had their interiors redone in the grey before being acquired by the NATO nations. At least that is what I can figure out from the research I've been doing. It isn't a hard fix in my case but another example of finding out new things almost too late to fix my mistakes.

4087

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Group Build> F-84

« on: October 07, 2011, 04:10:58 AM »

Well, after doing more research, I repainted the *&^$)@ cockpit in grey rather than the interior green of thirty years ago. Perhaps I'll now make some progress on this thing.

4088

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Bf-109 Group Build-All Variants

« on: October 06, 2011, 03:54:34 AM »

Grey 75 is applied. Once this is completely dry it will be time for the 74. Kinda boring right now, but all three are a little different. All will be clearer at the end....

4089

Combat Warplanes / Re: Pioneer Village, Minden Nebraska

« on: October 05, 2011, 11:58:38 PM »

Let me know if you're able to come over and I'll try to come up and meet you!

4090

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Bf-109 Group Build-All Variants

« on: October 05, 2011, 12:14:54 PM »

Like in the real workshop mate

The real workshop didn't have to push heaps of tools and other junk out of the way, though! I am one of the world's worst at keeping the top of my desk clean and orderly. Even if I do a "clean/straighten" it always ends up looking like a salvage yard in a few minutes.

4091

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Bf-109 Group Build-All Variants

« on: October 05, 2011, 05:01:01 AM »

Tonight I had just enough time to spray the lower surfaces with RLM 76 on all three of these.

4092

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Group Build> F-84

« on: October 05, 2011, 04:59:22 AM »

The old cockpit was test-fitted to the new fuselage and the intake splitter duct/nose gear well got its coat of aluminum. No more time today......

4093

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Group Build> F-84

« on: October 03, 2011, 12:15:39 AM »

My skills have gone in the other direction, Sall. I painted the instrument panel in my photo back in the early eighties and now I need glasses to see detail!!!! 

4094

Aircraft Modeling / Re: HOW TO: Natural Metal Finishes

« on: October 02, 2011, 06:02:11 PM »

Another quick masking-with-foil example: This is the spinner for a Romanian Bf-109 I'm currently working on. First painted the white, then masked that 1/3rd, then the yellow tip and masked it, then the black.

4095

Combat Warplanes / Re: 2AF Training Airfields Mini-Tour

« on: October 02, 2011, 04:56:26 PM »

Continuing with the aerial tour of 2AF airfields, here is Fairmont. This was also the home to several B-24 and B-29 units. The 393rd Bomb Squadron of the 16th Group was taken from here and reassigned to Wendover AAF to form the tactical unit of the 509th Composite Group. Fairmont, like Harvard, is now a State-run airport with four of the five hangars still in use and some of the original runway/taxiway system.

Next is Bruning AAF. This is (to me at least) a very interesting station and illustrates how wasteful war is in terms of material. The field was built and a couple of B-24 units trained here. The 449th actually finished their training here and then went to the MTO. Not too long after, the AAF decided that the runways were of such poor quality that bombers should not operate here and the field was reassigned to train P-47 pilots. In December of 1944, after less than two years of service, the field was inactivated and never used by the Air Forces again. It became a State airfield for a time and now is used as a feedlot for cattle. A short stretch of 17/35 was still useable a number of years ago but has now been inactivated.

The final field on this "tour" is Herington, Kansas. Herington was a very, very important staging/processing station for B-24s and B-29s. About 2/3rds of all B-29s and crews that went to the Pacific were processed through Herington. An interesting side note is that the Lady Be Good Liberator and her crew both processed through here. If any of y'all have ever watched Hogan's Heroes on T.V., John Banner (Sgt. Schultz) was a sergeant in Signal Suppy at Herington.