Topics

31

Combat Warplanes / Russian space shuttle

« on: April 04, 2016, 06:07:49 PM »

Hi,

Nico Braas has posted some photographs of the American Space Shuttle "Enterprise". I think it should be interesting to show its russian counterpart "Бура́н" (Buran in English).
Here is "Buran" on the back of An-225 Mrya. The combination was shot during the 1989 Paris Ais Show.










Jicéhem

32

Let Let Let Announcment / Messerschmitt Bf 109

« on: February 02, 2016, 12:22:12 PM »

Hello everybody,

The English edition of my book (co-author C. J. Ehrengardt) will be available from 26 February 2016 onwards.


Cheers,

Jicehem

33

Aircraft Modeling / Republic P-47D-25-RE Thunderbolt in French colors.

« on: November 17, 2015, 12:53:30 PM »

Hello everybody

Here is my last finished model. This is the very old Monogram kit (issued in 1967 !) of the P-47D-25 Thunderbolt. This kit is inaccurate on some points but it's possible to correct them.
The nose is too long and the aft fuselage is too... short ! The wings in connexion with the cockpit are luckily correctly located.
The work consisted to shorten the nose by 1,5 mm and to lengthen the fuselage by 2 mm. The second point to improve is the real shape of the engine cowling which is too conical due to actual molding technics. The third point is the shape of leading edge section which is round in place of being triangular. Finally I had to relocate the machine-guns which are, in front view, horizontally laid.
When I did the modifications (beginning in 2000) I didn't take pictures but drew some schemes...
Improvement of the engine cowling and new fixing of the engine:


Actual build:


New build:


Improvement of the leading edge (the black portion is to be filed):


The "new" fuselage:


The finished model represents the plane of Sous-lieutenant guillaume who was shot down by flak on November 20, 1944 above Colmar and taken POW. The unit was GC II/5 "La Fayette". The French cocades painted simply on USAAF's stars indicate a plane from the Naples depot :




















Jicehem

34

Aircraft Modeling / Yakovlev Yak 9P, Amodel, 1/72

« on: November 10, 2015, 10:34:06 AM »

Hello,

Here is my latest finished build, the yak 9P from Amodel in 1/72 scale. This is a pretty kit, well tooled abd of high quality (I've been told it's not a constant feature by Amodel ?..)
I finished it in North-Korean livery to be included in my "Korean War collection". I know nothing about the unit it belonged to... The decal sheet proposes 6 different liveries : two Russian, one Bulgarian, one Polish and two North-Korean. That has been for me the opportunity to learn that, after WW2, the very early Hungarian markings had the same arrangement than North-Korea ones but with a green circle instead of blue.








To be noted are the fuel gauges dials on the wing uppersurfaces:












Jicehem

35

Aircraft Modeling / Republic P-47D-28-RE Thunderbolt, GC 2/5 La Fayette. Hasegawa kit.

« on: November 03, 2015, 05:52:52 PM »

Hello

I present you a model which languished for a very, very long time on my shelves, awaiting markings. Recently, I found the model of P-47D-30 of Revell which proposes a French livery for one... French P-47D-28-RE, thus unsuitable for the version D-30. I thought at once of applying this finish to my languishing model...
At the time that I built this kit I had to put the airscrew to the good diameter (Hasegawa's one is for a P-47D-21... and is consequently too small.)


I added the jacks of the extra landing gear doors for the wheel wells. The sleeves of the machine gun tubes are in pieces of hypodermic needles.
Markings are those of GC 2/5 La Fayette. The badge is the one of SPA 167, the Stork with high wings, said " Stork of Guynemer " which had adopted it in homage to Hispano-Suiza for the engines equipping Spad VIIs.














Jicehem

36

Aircraft Modeling / Republic P-47D-30-RE Thunderbolt, Revell 1/72

« on: November 03, 2015, 02:04:54 PM »

Hello everybody

Here is my last build, an (officially) F-47D-30-RE Thunderbolt of the French Armée de l'air, in 1956 in Algeria and belonging to Escadron de chasse (Fighter squadron) EC 1/20 "Aurès-Némentcha".
The kit is Revell's model suffering from two major defects : the engine is fixed too low in connexion of the fuselage center line and a too deep fuselage with the result that the extra fuel tank under the belly is almost level with the ground ! I attempted to correct by positionning the engine 2 mm higher, by sanding the belley bu about the same value (after having filled the bottom of putty to avoid getting a hole), by lengthening the landing gear legs by 1 1/2 mm. The markings come from an extra decal sheet (Berna Deacals). Hand brush painting with humbrol Metalcote "Polished aluminium" buffed with aluminium powder.

In spite of this work, the fuel tank stays too much near the ground.



















Jicehem
 

37

Aircraft Modeling / Messerschmitt Bf 109 H V1, Otaki+Revell, 1/48

« on: October 15, 2015, 12:20:13 PM »

Hello,

This kit is the result of search on a very mysterious bird: the Bf 109 H the prototype of which this kit represents.
That was originally one of the 50 standard Bf 109 G-3 (WNr 16281 with Skz SP+EB) on which a DB 628 V engine has been mounted. To counteract the increase of engine power, the fin and rudder assembly had been enlarged.
Some tell that it was part of the Me 209 H programm but its official designation is Bf 109 H V1. I personally suppose that it was also called Bf 109 V49.
The build is a mix of two kits: Revell's 1/48 G-10 mainly for fuselage and Otaki's G-6 for the wings. The engine cowlings and spinner have been scratch-built as were the vertical surfaces. After having been drawn in 1/48 scale on a white paper, markings have been photocopied on transparent decal.
Camouflage is that of a standard Bf 109 G-3 in RLM 74, 75 and 76 colors.
1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

Jicehem

38

Aircraft Modeling / Grumman F-14A Tomcat (Airfix 1/72)

« on: October 14, 2015, 03:35:11 PM »

Hello

No. 1 has built a 1/144 scaled F-14D Tomcat.
Here is the old Airfix's one issued in 1976. Mine was finished in November 1977. The markings are from the box. There were other markings for a plane of the "Wolfpack" unit.


















Jicehem

39

Aircraft Modeling / Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat, Hawk kit in 1/48 scale.

« on: October 14, 2015, 03:27:21 PM »

Hello

The Hawk kit of the F8F-2 Bearcat modified into an F8F-1b (modified engine cowlings and fin) of the French Armée de l'Air in Indo-China in 1952-1953. This is a recon plane with cameras contained in a modified fuel tank slung under the belly. The unit is EROM 80 (EROM = Escadrille de reconnaissance outre-mer or Overseas Recon Flight).






A characteristic posture of the Bearcat after landing (due to the too powerful engine):


The model with the unit insigna which was given me by a former member of EROM 80.


Jicehem
 

40

Aircraft Modeling / Grumman F7F-3 Tigercat, Monogram, 1/72, 1967.

« on: October 14, 2015, 03:11:43 PM »

Hello,

here is the very old kit by Monogram (1967) of the Grumman F7F-3. It wears the markings of a plane having just rolled out the manufacturing plant with the last three digits of the BuNo painted on the engine cowlings. This is consequently a brand new specimen without stains. This is my second kit built before 1977...










Jicehem

41

Aircraft Modeling / Gloster Meteor F. 8 , Xtrakit, 1/72 Corean War

« on: October 14, 2015, 03:05:04 PM »

Hello

The Xtrakit's Glosyer Meteor F. 8 in 1/72 scale. It represents an Australian plne engaged in the Corean War.
















Jicehem

42

Aircraft Modeling / Gloster Gladiator Mk I, Free French. Frog 1/72

« on: October 14, 2015, 01:20:39 PM »

Hello,

The only one Gloster Gladiator used by the Free French Air Force for training.
This is the very old Frog kit. It is necessary to modify the wheels to render them more real. The final result is not very good certainly due to the "metalic livery" and the bad rendering of the rigging...








Jicehem

43

Miscellaneous Subjects / Ford Thunderbird 1956, Monogram kit, 1/24

« on: October 14, 2015, 01:10:15 PM »

Hello

Originally a plastic kit, this reissue is made of different materials : white metal for the body and the other parts in plastic. This model was a gift of my children for my birthday in 1978.
This car has been always for me a "dream" particularly when I was a teenager and had been full of wonder when I saw a real one for the first time in Marseilles... It was exposed beside another "dream car", a Facel Vega. That "Thunderbird" was red and the "Vega" was metallic grey.
















Jicehem

 

44

Miscellaneous Subjects / Chrysler Turbine Car, Jo Han kit, 1/25

« on: October 13, 2015, 05:11:23 PM »

Hello,

A very old kit of one of some turbine cars made in USA. This one was from Chrysler. 55 were produced and tested by privileged customers. After the test was finished those cars were to be rendered Chrysler and destroyed. It is said that 9 specimens are still existing including 3 in operating condition.
The kit was issued in the late 1950s and I remember well the box on the shelves when I was still a teenager...
















Jicehem

45

Aircraft Modeling / Curtiss XP-55 Ascender, MPM, 1/72, 1992

« on: October 13, 2015, 04:54:17 PM »

Hello,

An experimental plane which was a part of "non conventional aircraft" programm comprising P-54, P-55, P-56. None was retained for mass production because it was considered it was better to keep what was already produced, such as P-47 and P-51.
The MPM kit issued in 1992 has some inaccuracies which demand to be corrected... It is not easy to build.


















Jicehem