Author: Iron Modeler

Rememberance

(Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day set side to remember those who made the supreme sacrifice in service of the nation.)

Today we remember. We remember the Patriots who died in Lexington and Concord, at Cowpens and Trenton. We remember you.

We remember those brave Americans, who, in the early years, defended Washington DC from the British. We remember you.

We remember those brothers, Billy Yank and Johnny Reb, who fought each other at Gettysburg, Antietam, Atlanta, and The Wilderness in that most bloody Civil War. We remember you.

We remember the sailors who perished when the battleship Maine eploded in Havana Harbor. We remember the Rough Riders and American soldiers who died at Kettle Hill, San Juan Hill, and the Philippines. We remember you.

We remember the Doughboys and airmen who fought–and died–in and over the trenches of the Western Front to make the world safe for Democracy in the War to End All Wars. We remember you.

We remember the Americans who laid down their lives at places with names like Kasserine, Salerno, Sicily, Normandy, Bastogne, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Lae, Tinian, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa to rid the world of tyranny. We remember you.

Ane we also remember the Americans who fought at Chosin, and Seoul, Da Nang, Khe Sanh, Hue, and Saigon to check the spread of futher oppression under Communism. We remember you.

And let us not forget those Americans who liberated Grenada and Panama; expelled Saddam Hussein's troops from Kuwait, and later Iraq; and who have shown Afghans what freedom from oppression and terror can be. We remember you.

We remember all of you, since, if we forget, your sacrifice will have been in vain. And we will never forget.

Be good to one another. I bid you Peace.

May 30, 2011
A motorsports fan’s weekend

Memorial Day weekend in the United States is many things–primarily, it is set aside so that we might remember those men and women who died serving the nation. And, yes, I will have a post on Monday to address that.

But another thing Memorial Day is famous for is the racing action from around the world. This is one of the few weekends where you can find me on the couch in front of the TV watching motor racing events.

First of the day is a stop in Monte Carlo to watch the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. The race there is steeped in history, from the time it first ran, to the early Formula One days. Drivers like Juan Fangio and Graham Hill would go on to win the race multiple times. One chap, Paul Hawkins, would wind up in the harbor after a shunt put him off course. The event was recreated on film for the James Garner movie "Grand Prix". Auto racing fans, if you have never seen this movie, you must–no excuses! (And "Le Mans" is also a must-see, as is "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby", as it does a better job of showcasing NASCAR than "Days of Thunder" ever hoped to!) The circuit in Monte Carlo is one of the tightest and twistiest on the Grand Prix schedule, so tight that were it to present to the FIA to host a race as a new facility, it would probably not be sanctioned. The fountain hairpin, the tunnel, the straight next to the harbor–all of these add an element of beauty to the race.

Next up is the Indianapolis 500. This year is the 100th Anniversary of the first long race held at the Speedway (but not the 100th Indy 500–there were no races in 1917, 1918, and from 1942-1945 due to the World Wars. Since 1996, the race has been a shadow of what it once was due to the split between the factions of North American open-wheel racing. 1996 saw the debut of Tony George's Indy Racing League, a racing series he started that saw cost control as their primary goal. Before that, Indy was a place where innovation shined. Smokey Yunick developed two memorable cars for the Indy 500: The Reverse Torque Special, a Watson powered by an Offenhauser engine he reworked to rotate in the opposite direction; and the Hurst Floor Shifter Special (or The Capsule Car), a car designed where the driver sat offset in a small driver's pod. In 1962, Smokey added a wing on the car to provide extra downforce to keep the car planted to the track. The wing was initially banned by the sanctioning body (USAC), but was later allowed.

This year, like last year, will see four women start the race. Unlike last year, I believe that all four have a shot at winning–even of they are long shots to do so. Also, there is a female team owner in Sarah Fisher–and I believe were she not pregnant, she'd be racing, too. In a way, she is–the racing team that bears her name hired Ed Carpenter–Tony George's stepson) to drive, and Ed is quite a good driver in his own right. The girls in the race include media darling Danica Patrick, driving the ever-present Go Daddy car; second year starters Ana Beatriz and Simona De Silvestro, and rookie Pippa Mann. Danica didn't qualify until the second day, but starts 26th. Simona, who burned her hands during a practice crash, will start her backup car 24th, Pippa starts 31st, and Ana starts 32nd.

And, then comes the longest race on the NASCAR calendar, the Coca-Cola 600. This race separates the manly men form the men–a car that lasts 500 miles may not last those last 100. Starting in the afternoon, the track changes as the day moves into evening, and then into darkness. Crew Chiefs and drivers need to be one step ahead on the set-up of the cars, and they need to make the right changes to keep pace with the changing track. The race is demanding–many drivers wind up dehydrated after this one's over.

Of course, I do miss the day when drivers could "Do the Double"–qualify for and run the Indy 500 that morning, hop a jet for Charlotte and suit up to run the Coke 600. When the races were held on different days, it made the task easier. Drivers who have done the double include Bobby and Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough, Lee Roy Yarbrough, John Andretti, Tony Stewart, and Robby Gordon. John, Tony, and Robby all did it in the "modern" era when the races were held on the same day. Tony Stewart is the only one of them to complete all 1,100 miles of racing on the same day, he did this in 2001. A start time change to the Indy 500 prevented drivers from doing the double for a few years, but this year, the Indy 500 start time was moved back, making it possible again to run both races, should one choose to do so. No drivers will attempt it this year, but who know if someone will step forward next year…

And, of course, the next big motorsports event–at least for me–will be in a few weeks (11/12 June), when the ACO hosts the 79th 24 Heures du Mans at le Circuit de la Sarthe. I'm sure I'll have something to post about that as the time nears, so stay tuned.

Be good to one another. I bid you Peace.

May 28, 2011
Zero-Eight Zulu

In 1935, The Douglas Aircraft Company flew the first DC-3, and in doing so, started a revolution in commercial air travel. The DC-3 was fast, roomy, and, above all, safer than all others before it. The fact that there are still DC-3's (and the military versions) still flying in their original, as-built conditions speaks volumes about the airplane. An icon? Oh, yeah…

By 1938, though, the airlines were looking for a larger version of the DC-3. One prototype, the DC-4E, was built for United Airlines (you see, kids, the airlines were driving the market–they'd tell the manufacturers what they wanted, and the manufacturers would build it). With additional interest from the other major carriers, Douglas went ahead and built the -4E. It was larger, faster, and more advanced than the -3 was. In fact, it was a bit too far advanced, and the project was abandoned in favor of a similar, yet smaller design–this would become the DC-4.

The DC-4 (in military clothes, it was the C-54) first flew in 1938. Powered by four Pratt and Whitney R-2000 and could cruise at 225 knots at about 21,000 feet. It was quickly drafted into World War Two service, and the first C-54 flew in 1942. Notable because of her service during the Berlin Airlift, the airplane soon faded into obscurity after the war–the military was phasing the older transports out in favor of ones with greater lifting capacity, and the airlines wanted bigger airplanes that could fly farther, higher, and faster. The USAF, USN, and the armed forces of several other nations kept the C-54's gainfully employed for many years after the war, the last ones being retired in the late 1970's/early 1980's.

Post-war, Aviation Traders converted 21 airframes to the ATL-98 Carvair. Anyone who has seen the James Bond movie "Goldfinger" has seen a Carvair–that's the airplane that flew Goldfinger, OddJob, and Mr. Goldfinger's Phaeton and golf clubs back to Europe. You can't miss a Carvair–that bulbous nose is a dead giveaway…

Our particular airframe was built where all C-54's were built–Douglas' Orchard Park facility, where O'Hare International Airport now sits. Taken up by the Army Air Force, she saw service for several years before being reassigned to the U. S. Navy as an RC-54V, Navy Bureau Number (BuNo) 45614. The RC-54V, by the way, was used as a mapping aircraft. She was transferred to the U. S. Coast Guard at some point, as well, according to one report I've read. I can find no history that suggested that she flew in WWII (unlikely) or in the Berlin Airlift (probable, since pretty much all airlift assets of the U.S. military were on call for such duty), or Korea (maybe, although she was probably performing mapping duties for the Navy at that time). The interesting part of this airplane's history–for me, at least–is after she retired from the military.

My first acquaintance with Douglas C-54G-10-DO, Constructor's Number 36067, USAAF Serial Number 45-0614, civil registration N708Z, came around 1990 or 1991, when the company I worked for bought her from Aero Union in Chico, California to replace the C-54A-10-DC we recently had to retire (and that one would have been N74183, C/N 10314, USAAF S/N 42-72209. She later wound up in the Flying Leatherneck Museum at MCAS El Toro with a fake BuNo of 90392.). Zero-Eight Zulu had previously kicked around a bit–she had been owned by Southern Aero Traders and sat at Opa-Locka (just north of Miami, FL) for a while, then Aero Union had her and used her as a fire tanker. If you knew where to look, you could see where the fire suppressant tank was installed on her belly.

When we got her, it was evident that the paint scheme she wore was previously painted over–there was evidence of a darker paint around the rivet heads and in some of the lap joints. Also, in the cockpit, there were a lot of phony placards painted in "Russian". Well, if you look, hard enough, there was also a fake "Russian" registration, too: CCCP-56397. And then I started to dig and ask questions–I suppose to a few of my colleagues I was off my rocker, since I was one of the few people there who actually liked working on the "pigs". I loved the history behind these airplanes. They had character; they had been places and done things, more so than any other airplane I've worked on before or since.

So, as Paul Harvey would say, the story picks up in the late 1980's. Apparently, our airplane was a movie star. Well, maybe a stunt double. See, the fake "Russian" disguise was leftover "makeup" from when our airplane appeared in the forgettable 1989 flick "The Experts". The plot was that two hip Americans, Travis and Wendell, get kidnapped by the KGB, sent to a Russian town that is modeled on American society, and tasked (unknown to them) with bringing the place into the present–as it was when they got there, it was right out of "Leave it to Beaver" and "Father Knows Best". Well, sooner or later, our heroes get wise to the deal and try to get away. One of their assistants is a Russian Air Force pilot, and his airplane is their ticket out. The flying sequences were done by a C-118B (and I suspect another airplane that found employment with us), but when everything was "in the can", they found they needed some shots from inside the airplane. Since the C-118 was not available, they turned to the next best thing–yep, the C-54. Paint it dark, sprinkle a few cryptic placards around, and *voila*, we've got us the inside of a Russian transport! The paint job lasted longer than the movie did in the theaters, I fear.

That was probably the highlight of Zero-Eight Zulu's career. She served us well until 1994, when she blew a jug on the number two engine during a landing. Our cargo contracts were winding down, the old propliners were getting harder and harder to find parts for–especially anything with R-2000's–and she just sat. I left the company around that time, but I know her avionics were removed and installed on a Volpar Turboliner (a conversion of the venerable Beech 18/C-45 with Garrett/AiResearch TPE-331 turboprop powerplants replacing the R-985's–another interesting airplane I might tell you about someday), and rumor was she was going to be broken up.

Sometime shortly after the Turn of the Century, she got a reprieve. I learned she was being repaired and possibly restored as a Warbird. Later still, I heard she would be earning her keep in Alaska. And that, boys and girls, is where she is now–flying for Brooks Air Fuel out of Fairbanks, AK. They really tarted her up, too–she now wears a quite attractive livery reminiscent of the United Airlines of old.

It does my heart good to see these old airplanes flying. Especially airplanes like the DC-4, since they aren't found that often. More DC-3's are still active than DC-4's…

I have been hoping for years than someone would produce a good kit of the DC-4/C-54 in something larger than 1/144 scale. Minicraft graced us with a 1/144 scale version several years ago, and it is a beautiful kit. But I have also wanted to build one on 1/72 scale, and right now the pickings are slim. Rareplanes did a vac-form a long time ago, and they are difficult to find and expensive once you do find one. Mach 2 produced a kit of a "DC-4", but like all Mach 2 kits, there is a lot to be desired. So, I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'll be converting a Heller DC-6 kit one of these days…

(Apologies for the links–I could not, for the life of me, find my photos of the old girl. If the links fail, you can spend an afternoon or two on Airliners.net, just search under "N708Z".)

Thanks for reading. be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.

May 24, 2011
Under the weather…

I haven't forgotten you, not at all–I'm currently fighting a nasty head cold that's kept me out of action for a few days. I should be back in the saddle in a day or two…

In the meantime, here's something from my childhood. I recall this event simply because I look at where it happened then, and look at the area now, and am thankful it did hapen then:

A Lockheed Super Constellation crashed not too far from where we lived. It was an open field back then, but today it is home to a rather large shopping center. The official report said that the airplane ran out of fuel, but here's a report that adds why it ran out. That's why standardized systems and procedures have become more and more common in the industry, boys and girls…

And here's a story of someone who flew on her when she was one of Eastern's Great Silver Fleet.

A sad end to a proud ship. If I can find the materials I have collected (i.e., if it isn't on the hard drive from my old PC that gloriously exploded for the emporer a few years ago), I'll have another story of another one shortly…

Until next time, I'll be pushing the Tylenol and Sudafed. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.

May 23, 2011
Busy, Busy World

(With apologies to Richard Scarry.) My brother and I had a copy of "Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy World" when we were kids, and I must have read that book a few thousand times. My wife also had a copy that she fund when we visited her parents a year or so ago…I do love the way he drew cats!

I had intentions of posting a few more RDUCON photos, but I haven't had the time–or, frankly, energy–to tweak them and get them posted. While we aren't exactly bustin' at the seams at the job, I have had some things to keep me busy, and with the slow period, we've all been trying to catch up with personal things (doctor and dentist appointments, personal leave, etc.) and, believe it or not, keep the shop equipment up and running. I spent almost a week with a paint brush and Safety Yellow paint working while we rehabbed some newly acquired ground support equipment for the shop. A good deal of it had been through two floods in Cincinnati, and it showed. Picking rust, priming, and painting was the order of the day…

Add to that, last week I attended a half-day battery seminar. And, during our clean up sessions, we located three Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) aircraft batteries, two of which were still in good shape. So, yesterday I discharged them and I spent this morning tearing one down to its component parts (cells, case, thermistor strips, shims, etc., etc.) and washing all of it. Tomorrow, I'll be re-assembling it and tumbling the hardware to clean it. Once the first battery is back together, I'll do the same for the other. After that, I have two days chock-full of fun–main charge, top charge, capacity check, and a possible deep-cycle. Repeat. Locate any bad parts and cells, repair, and repeat.

And, during this fun-fest, the state held a mock disaster drill next door. So, we got to watch the dog-and-pony show roll into town yesterday as they set up their circus tents and command posts and media centers and such, and got to watch today as the "victims" were airlifted in (actually, they were waiting on the C-17 in the hangar next door–after the airplane stopped, they walked across the ramp into the airplane, were "injured" or "killed", and toted back off the airplane on litters and body bags), their "injuries" evaluated, and were sent via ambulance or helicopter to the local trauma centers. A few hours later, the airplane flew off. I left work early today to tend to some personal business, but I'm told they repeated the process a few hours later.

Meanwhile, I'm still mulling over just how I plan to attack the A-10A paint job–I did a little repair work where the seams popped open, and I re-attached the parts that came off. Some of the seams needed to be re-filled and sanded, so that got done a few nights ago. I took some time this evening to continue dressing the seams with some 1800 and 2400 grit polishing pads, too. A quick re-mask of the clear parts, and I'll be ready to try again…

Meanwhile, a few comments on my "Thundering Jets" post of a few days ago: about the same time that I posted that article, Phil Friddell posted a piece on Monogram Models on his Replica In Scale blog. I agree with Phil–Monogram was the best in the business back during their heyday. The cockpit and other detailing was crisp, sharp, and accurate–careful painting was the only "detail set" you needed. Sure, the panel lines were of the raised variety–and we didn't care. We were used to them being that way on every kit–Monogram's were usually more petite than the others. One thing that I don't like is that these days, the Revell reissues of Monogram's classics are molded in a different plastic. Monogram used to have a semi-hard, very shiny plastic that took paint well and could be polished very easily when it had to be (buffable metallics, anyone?). Back in the day, an article in FineScale Modeler answered the question–Monogram added a larger proportion of clear styrene beads to their mix than the other manufacturers did, yielding that shiny plastic. These days, the Chinese companies that are molding the kits seem to add more vinyl to the mix, making the plastic softer. And, for whatever reason, the fit is not as good as it once was. The A-10A I'm working on is a Revell reissue, and while Monogram's original was no Nobel Prize for Well-Fitting Model Kits recipient, the Revell reissue seemed to fit even worse. These days, I'd rather buy an original Monogram issue of a kit second-hand than a Revell reissue. Still, though, Revell-Monogram kits are still a very good product for the money. And, if you are interested in 1/48th scale B-29's, F-102's and F-106's 9and many others), you go Monogram or you do scratchbuild.

Be good to one another. I bid you Peace.

May 18, 2011
More RDUCON photos…

The next group of photos has been folded, spindled, and mutilated, so without further ado…

Back in my days at National Jets in Ft. Lauderdale, HM-14's MH-53E's were a familiar sight. Ever year they would run exercises off of our ramp. This is the Academy 1/48 scale kit.

This is one of Revell's classics–the Nike Hercules missile.

A 1/72 scale Aviation USK SM-84. That paint scheme is difficult in 1/48th scale, 1/72 scale has to be downright mind-bending!

A largely re-worked Heller 1/72 scale SAAB J-29 Tunnan.

A close up of the detail parts the builder made for the Tunnan.

I'll have one last installment tomorrow, mostly concerning ships, cars, and armor.

Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.

May 16, 2011
Show Report: RDUCON 2011

Yesterday, we took a trip to Raleigh, NC for the IPMS/USA Region 12 Regional Contest. First, a few pictures. I have more, they just need to be tweaked before I post them. I'll put them up in a few batches.

An interesting chess set, based on the North African campaign of World War II. That's my thumb, I put it there to give you an idea of the size of the pieces.

One of my fellow IPMS/ Mid-Carolina Swamp Fox Modelers built this one, and took home a Second Place trophy. Well done…

This is a 1/72 scale Eduard "Strip Down" kit of the Piper L-4 Cub–it is largely made up of photoetched brass, and is maybe four inches in length.

One of the more interesting dioramas, this is a 1/700 scale ramp scene. Again, my thumb's there for scale…

Here's a close up of one of the hangars in that 1/700 scale ramp.

Here's a nicely done 1/48 scale Mirage III in Spanish colors.

During the show, I got to look at a lot of models–of memory serves, there were 425 models on the tables. For a Regional, that's a little on the low side of normal–I suppose two factors were at work, the price of gasoline and the fact that Wonderfest was being held in Louisville. There was also a smaller South Carolina Modeler's Association show going on in Simpsonville, SC. To give you an idea of just how crazy gas prices are, they are usually around a dime cheaper in SC, so I filled up just outside the Rock Hill area for $3.89 a gallon. On the return trip, we filled up for $3.75 in Dunn, NC. Prices in the Charlotte and Raleigh areas were fairly consistent at about $3.75, give or take a few cents.

The vendor's area was on the small side, but there were deals to be had. A member of the host Chapter had passed away, and the club was having an estate sale to help the family. One of the fixtures at shows throughout the area, "Hollywood" Mike Dunn was there with some new, some old, and some out of the ordinary. MidTenn Hobbies was there with a small selection of product, and the rest seemed to be folks selling off SIDNA. I managed to get a few kits to fill holes in my Italian Campaign armor collection (a Dragon Hornisse assault gun and an Academy M-10 Tank Destroyer, both in 1/35 scale), as well as an Academy 1/72 F-89J kit that will probably get knocked together here as soon as I can catch up. My wife managed to find not one, but two Revell Goodyear Blimp kits–one is missing the lighted sign sheets, but they're easy to do. She also picked up a 1969 issue of Revell's 1/32 scale F4F Wildcat kit for me as a nostalgia piece.

All in all, we had a good time–actually, I don't think I've ever been at a model show where we didn't manage to have a good time. Some were better than others, and this one ranks up towards the top. The trip up saw some moments–just because it is the Richard Childress Freeway doesn't mean that it is where he auditions drivers. By the way some cats were zipping in and out, you would think otherwise. Once clear of Kannapolis, things opened up. On the return trip, we circled around to I-95 and revisited the tail end of our trip home from the 2008 Virginia Beach IPMS Convention, complete with a visit to the gas station across from the hotel we stayed at on the trip and with snarky comments about South Carolina's tourist attraction trap, South of the Border. I remember going there as a kid when we would make the summer drive from Ft. Lauderdale to New Jersey, and the place looks somehow slimier than it did. Of course, back then you'd start seeing signs somewhere around Brunswick, GA and they'd become more frequent as you approached Dillon. Also, back in the day, the highway ran under a large Pedro figure that straddled the road…

And, we capped it off with a trip to Moe's and Cold Stone Creamery (Joey Bag of Donuts combo–chicken and black beans–and a Gotta Have It Chocolate Devotion, if you must know)…our first choice of Copper River Grill was being invaded by the Prom crowd last night.

(MINI-RANT MODE = ON)

As an aside, you guys out there going to Prom (or parents of young men attending their Prom)–wash your hair (a haircut wouldn't be out of the question, either!), get some good socks (and wear them!), get a shave, brush your teeth, take a shower (and use soap, please, and deodorant afterwards!) and wear some nice shoes instead of your beat-to-shit Chuck Taylors or (horror of horrors) flip-flops. Oh, yeah, leave the itchy woolen caps at the house, too–number one, it is mid-May and the mercury is settling out at 90 degrees during the day; and number two, they look disgusting (as in "when was the last time you washed that thing?"). I was amazed at the number of guys I saw who looked like Shaggy from Scooby Doo in a rented tux, when their dates were looking very pretty, indeed. Oh, and if you do dress like a slob in a tux, don't wonder what happened when your dates ditch you for someone who knows about good hygiene.

A lot of that can also be said about the model contest attendees. While things have improved, there are still some modelers who are not acquainted with the wonders of what soap can do, both for the body and the wardrobe. If you want to stink like old cigarettes, sweat, and stale beer, fine, but don't be surprised when people give you a wide berth because of your BO…

(RANT MODE = OFF)

Sorry, I went off on a tangent for a while…

I should have more pictures ready for you in the next post. Until then, be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.

May 15, 2011
There are modelers, and then there are modelers…

I have an affinity for the Douglas Propliners. I've worked on DC-3's, DC-4's and DC-6's, but the Grand Dame of the Douglas Propliner line is the DC-7C. For ages, there was no decent kit of the Seven Seas, then the Welsh Models vac-form kit came out. Now, in 1/144 scale you have two decent ones to choose from: F-RSIN and Roden. Each of them has their pros and cons, but they are a might easier to build than a vac-form.

In 1/72 scale, though, we've been pretty much shut out for the DC-7 (and largely, still the DC-4). Heller, though, released a fairly nice DC-6 kit in the 1980's, and can be converted. And convert is exactly what Eugenio is doing here, in this thread: taking the Heller DC-6 and making an Alitalia DC-7C. Eugenio is a fine modeler, and his knowledge and connections helped me get the Getti Tonanti F-84 completed in an authentic paint scheme.

I hope you find Eugenio's work as spectacular as I do.

A short post for tonight. I hope to have some show photos to post next time…

Be good to one another. I bid you Peace.

May 13, 2011
The best laid plans…

I've been on a bit of a roll at the workbench lately, and I was trying to make progress through the backlog. Well, the two 1/72 scale airplanes got finished. I am making good progress on the StuG, and have even started to think about squirting some primer on that Monogram 1996 NASCAR Monte Carlo. But I decided to concentrate my efforts on one of those "Not for me" projects–Monogram's 1/48 scale A-10A. I've told you that I plan to paint it as one of the two 18TFS A-10's from Eilson AFB, AK that was painted in arctic camouflage for Cool Snow Hog in 1982. Basically, what was done was that the airplane "repaint" was merely taking white paint and covering the areas that were originally FS34102 in the Euro 1 scheme. Easy enough, right? Well…

White paint and I have a love/hate relationship. My first attempt was to first shoot the white and carefully cut in the other two colors (FS34092 and 36081). I should have known I was in for a long haul when I started with the green. Merrily spraying away, it wasn't until I was about done that I came to the realization that I was spraying green the areas that should have been gray. Oh, bother. Well, no biggie–just overspray the green with gray. Easy enough. Back for more green paint. I got most of the areas done fairly well, but there's always the issue of overspray…

In 1:1 scale, the T.O. tells you that you can have between 6" and 9" of overspray, which equates to about 1/8" in 1/48 scale. But you're overspraying onto white, and you're dealing with full scale overspray. It just doesn't look right. Here's a few photos of the actual airplane:

_{DOD Photo. See how the white has some fairly large margins? Also note that the original Euro 1 scheme was a bit worn…}

_{DOD Photo. Now, from a distance. See how sharp those paint margins look?}

I wanted to get something in scale, and I can usually do that with the airbrush. And I was darn close. But a critical examination of the paint job yielded some sketchy results. There were some areas of "dry paint"–you know, those areas that look like sandpaper. There were a few areas of heavy paint–not heavy enough to run, but they were definitely thicker than adjacent areas. And there were the areas that were going to require touch up in any case. So, I cleaned the airbrush, set everything aside, and stopped for the night.

The next evening, I took another look. It didn't seem so bad, so I took a worn piece of 600 wet or dry and knocked down the fuzz and thinned out the heavy areas. After a quick wipe down to remove the sanding dust, I re-shot the white areas, and moved on to the green patches. Once again, areas of rough paint popped up, like magic. Well, that was what told me no matter what I tried, the best results weren't going to happen unless I took the model back to the original plastic surface.

If you have never stripped a model, there are several ways to do it. My favorite method is to use Castrol's Super Clean degreaser, the stuff in the purple jug. (I believe that it is no longer a Castrol product, though–Amazon shows it as being available from Midway, but I don't know if it is the same stuff. Shame if it isn't…) A trip to the garage, and an hour or so later (and some scrubbing with a toothbrush), I had all but a few stubborn areas stripped clean. Those few traces of paint will come off with some light persuasion from the tip of the good old #11 blade. Of course, the stripping operations also caused the Canopy Glue to soften, so the canopy is now separate again. And during the scrubbing, I managed to crack the port wing root seam. And the main struts were dislodged.

So, I now have a relatively fresh canvas. But I have to re-work some stuff before I'm ready for a re-try. But that's probably a good thing, since I'll be able to think alternative plans through before I start squirting paint again.

Why the issues? Well, part of it is the way the 1:1 A-10 is assembled. There are a lot of nooks, crannies, and 90 degree angles. Airbrushing creates turbulence in those areas, and the paint mist swirls around before settling, semi-dry, on the surface. That's what causes the rough paint. White, too, is an issue. I laid down three or four thin coats of white, and got fairly good coverage. But the roughness gets magnified under additional paint coats, which is why the more white (and later, green) I laid on, the worse it got. The key here, I think, is to add Future to the mix (I shoot acrylics, and Future added to the mix allows the paint to flow out better) and either lower my pressure or thin the paint some more. You can bet, too, that I'll put in some extra practice sessions before I go back to painting the model. Also, I'm seriously thinking of doing what the guys in Alaska did and cover the FS34102 areas with white rather that trying to substitute white for the 34102–I'll paint the full Euro 1 scheme, including the FS34102, and then carefully spray those areas white. I may have to come up with some soft masks, but that's not a big deal. And that might just be the ticket…

The other alternative is to use Tamiya's Superfine White primer from the spray can and go from there. I can clean up goofs with a towel and some Isopropyl without bothering the white base coat. I do like Tamiya's primer, but I'd like to try and avoid it in this case, since touch ups would have to be done with the airbrush and the primer white and other whites aren't exactly the same whites…

The moral of the story? When I teach airbrushing, I tell students that there isn't a whole lot you can do that can't be undone in some way, shape, or form. This is simply reinforcing those thoughts. I also tell them patience is key, and it certainly has been so far with this project. I could build another kit–but Monogram's A-10 wasn't the best fitting kit when it was new, and the later issues that have been molded in China and sold under the Revell labels aren't as crisp and sharp as the originals. There's more vinyl to the mix, I'm sure, since Monogram's semi-hard and shiny plastic has given way to semi-matte, softish plastic in the newer Revell issues of Monogram's classic kits. Buildable? Sure, they're buildable. But you might want to try and get one of the original issues of these kits, since the plastic is better, the parts are crisper, and the fit issues haven't been magnified. But that's another story for another time.

Plus, I am not prepared to admit defeat. I have only trashed three models in my "serious" modeling career–a 90% complete Hasegawa 1/200 scale 737-200 that got broken in transit from my college apartment to the house when it slipped under a desk and was crushed; a Hasegawa 1/48 scale Learjet 35 that corkscrewed into the ground when it slipped out of the wire I had hooked in the main gear attachment points to allow the paint to dry, splitting–nay, tearing, quite roughly I might add–the fuselage seam from tip of the radome to the engine pylon area; and a Monogram 1/48 scale F-84F for reasons that I cannot recall, as I recounted in my Thundering Jets post. I will work through problems if they are correctable, I will save models if I can, and I can save this one.

And, before you ask, no, I didn't take any pictures. You'd think that now I have a nice point and shoot that does decent pictures for the web, I'd be able to take a few snaps as I built. You'd think so, at least…

I'll do better in the future…

Be good to one another–and be patient. It does pay off in the end, I promise. I bid you Peace.

May 11, 2011
Thundering Jets
Most of you are familiar with the U. S. Air Force's Thunderbirds and the U. S. Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration teams. You might have even seen the Canadian Forces' Snowbirds, too. The Italians, rich in aviation history themselves, have their own demonstration team, the Frecci Tricolori, and they fly a spectacular routine with as many as ten jets in the air at once. Before them, though, there were several "official" teams in Italy. Cavallino Rampante, Diavalo Rossi, Tigre Bianchi, Lancieri Nero, and the subject of this post, Getti Tonanti preceded the Frecce Tricolori.

Getti Tonanti (literally translated it means Thundering Jets) was the 5^o Aerobrigata's demonstration team. Founded in 1953 and based at Rimini, they flew Republic F-84G Thunderjets under the team name Guizzo before they changed their name to fit their mounts. In 1959 they re-equipped with the Republic F-84F Thunderstreak. They flew as part of the opening ceremonies at the Rome Olympics in 1960; their airplanes for the 1959-1960 season were decorated with various trim colors and all of them wore the Olympic Rings on the vertical tail surfaces. Getti Tonanti were the last "independent" demonstration squadron; in 1961 the Aeronautica Militaire formed Frecci Tricolori as the Official Italian Air Force demonstration squadron (313. Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico;Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale (PAN) Frecce Tricolori), and based them at Rivolto.

Monogram's 1/48 F-84F Thunderstreak

Back when this kit was originally issued in 1984, I attempted to build one. I say “attempted” because I never finished it—the reason or reasons why are fuzzy and lost to the sands of time.

Since then, I settled on 1/72 scale for most of my post-war jet models. I have the Italeri and Airfix kits of the Thunderstreak in the stash, but when one of the Monogram kits came up for auction at the annual IPMS/Flight 19 Holiday party, I bid $5 and won the kit. I have since purchased another (a Monogram/Germany release in sliver plastic), plus the Kinetic kit, and will probably spring for the upcoming Italeri version, too. I don’t know why….

One of the things that seem to put a lot of modelers off on the older Monogram kits is the raised scribing. To me it is really no big deal, as I will either build the kit and leave the panel lines alone, or re-scribe. Since I wanted a Thunderstreak in bare metal, I thought it best to re-scribe the panel lines. So, I grabbed my roll of Dymo label tape, my scriber, and some sandpaper and set to work. I use a sewing needle chucked into a #1 handle for my scriber—break a sewing needle in half, chuck the broken end of the pointy end into the knife handle or a pin vise. Break the eye itself in half, and then push that part into a pencil eraser so that the eye end sticks out like a “Y”. Now you have a scribing tool and a super glue applicator. I use the smallest needles I can find—a whole package of them usually runs about a dollar (US) at Walmart.

I used the German release of this kit, since silver gray plastic is A) softer and 2) retains a ghost of the panel detail when the raised lines are sanded off. I sanded the panel lines off of one wing top, and then laid a length of Dymo tape along the ghost of the panel lines. A few runs along the tape with the scribing needle, a quick set-sand with 600-grit sandpaper, and then I moved on to the next area. Two keys to this operation—go slowly and make a few light passes as opposed to one heavy pass. You can always deepen a line rather easily—it is much more difficult to fill a line that is too deep. While I was sanding, I removed the raised refueling receptacle door from the top of the wing and scribed an outline of the same. I was careful around all of the raised vents and bumps so as not to remove them. Once the model had been scribed, I gave it a wash. Any lines that were clogged with sanding dust got a scrubbing with a toothbrush to clean out the dust. If you run the needle along the lines to clean them out, use a light touch since you don’t want to create more burrs that will need to be sanded down again.

I scribed one fuselage half and then mated it to the other half. I then marked where the lines would pass over the fuselage seam. This ensures that the panel lines will match up from one side to the other.

With the scribing complete, I built the kit per the instructions. I won’t bore you with “I started at step one and glued part 1 to part 2”, etc. I built the model with no embellishments. The only area that gave me fits was the wing root on both sides—the right one was a little better than the left, but both were pretty bad. I set the angles and locked the wings in with super glue. Once the glue set, I packed the seams with scrap plastic and added more super glue. I sanded the seams, which revealed more gaps. I used Tamiya putty on the seam, and it was a disaster. I applied a thin layer of putty, set the model aside for two or three days, and then tried to smooth the putty out. For whatever reason, the putty reacted with the plastic and caused a great many air bubbles. I’ve been using Squadron putty for years, and while I’ve had it generate some small bubbles, they were nowhere near as huge as the ones the Tamiya putty left. Furthermore, the plastic remained softened for several weeks after the putty was applied. I don’t know why this happened, but after leaving the model to sit for a few weeks, I was able to proceed. The rest of the small gaps were filled with gel-type super glue, allowed to set up for about five minutes and then sanded smooth. In retrospect, that’s probably what I should have done on the wing roots…

I hadn’t decided on a final scheme for this model until it was well under way. I was originally torn between a Pennsylvania Air National Guard airplane and an active duty USAF plane. I went digging through my decal stash and found MicroScale sheet 48-112. It has markings for one French airplane depicted during the 1956 Suez crisis and one airplane in the colors of Italy’s “Getti Tonanti” demonstration team during 1959/1960. Since I wasn’t sure that the Monogram kit’s configuration was correct for the Suez airplane (all of the photos I have show the small tail bumper and small suck-in doors, i.e., a Block 20 or earlier from what I've been able to discover through research), and since the Italian airplane had some splashes of color, I decided to go that way. Boy, that was another can of worms…

MicroScale’s sheet gives you the Olympic rings in black, along with the Squadriglia and Aerobrigata markings, serials, and roundels. The painting instructions are typical early MicroScale in that they are vague and incomplete. The serials on the decal sheet weren’t representative of any one airplane. The painting guide shows the overall bare metal with the tri-color wing and the spine, intake, and tail bumper painted in the various colors for the team (red, yellow, orange, white, black, pale green, and pink were the actual colors, the decal instructions show the orange option) but don’t tell you that the underside of the wing and horizontal stab have a dart design in the same color. The underside of the wingtips is red regardless of which airplane color used. So, here’s what I did…

The model was primed with Tamiya Fine White Primer from the aerosol can. This stuff is beautiful—it lays down smooth and thin. Once that was dry, I buffed it with an old handkerchief to remove any dust that may have become embedded. Then I applied my own acrylic mix for Bare Metal—5 parts paint, 2 parts Future, and 10 parts Isopropyl Alcohol. This is a very thin paint, almost a tinting color. Airbrush this on in light coats and let the paint set up between coats. This stuff will run in a heartbeat, so pay attention! The first few passes won’t look like much, but as you add thin coats, the silver will start to shine. Once the base coat is applied, allow it to dry for an hour or so. In the meantime, tint your silver with some blue or black. When the base is dry, mask the panels you want to appear darker and apply the tinted sliver. Remove the masking and let the model dry overnight. Since there is a large proportion of gloss added to the mix, you shouldn’t need to clear coat the bare metal areas. You can mask and add other colors (trim colors, anti-glare panels, dielectric areas, etc.) as required. If you use flat paints, those will need their usual gloss coat (I use Future) before decals—you can coat the entire model using an airbrush with no problems if you wish, or you can apply Future with a Q-Tip to the affected areas. Don’t worry—it works, trust me.

I mixed Tamiya’s Sky with some Tamiya Park Green for the pale green trim color. I used straight Park Green for the green on the upper wings. Testor’s Acryl Insignia Red was used for the red areas on the upper wing and underside of the wingtips. I used Tamiya Tape for all masking. I originally goofed and, based on a photo of a museum airplane, painted the underside of the wing white. No big deal, as I wanted a white base for the pale green areas and tri-color wing tops anyway. I simply masked as needed, applied the appropriate color, and re-shot the bare metal where needed over the white primer.

There was some question as to the fitting of pylons—most photos show the inners installed all the time, and the outers were only rarely used on these airplanes. Having relegated the pylons to the spares box when I decided to do a demo airplane (and having lost track of just which spare parts depository they landed in!), I simply omitted them—the model still looks god, so no harm done.

I masked the around the wheel wells and gear doors and painted the interior color using Tamiya’s Yellow-Green, which would have been correct according to a friend who maintained F-84’s in the USAF.

The decals, old as they were, went down with no issues. I cobbled up correct serials from the scrap decal box. I refined the leading edge color separation with thin strips of MicroScale's red decal film. The various other colors (anti-glare panel, antenna dielectric areas, etc.) were masked and painted using Acryl, Tamiya, and ProModeler acrylic paints.

Final assembly was done per the kit instructions. I broke one of the main struts at the mount, so I drilled and pinned it with brass rod material. I had sanded the position lights off of the wing tips, so I added them back by drilling a small hole where the lamp was, inserting short lengths of stretched sprue (painted the relevant color) and built up a lens using Pacer's RC 56 Canopy Glue. (And, true to form, I broke one of the stabs off while maneuvering the model during the photo shoot. And, to add insult to injury, I broke the other main strut while bringing the model home from the club meeting. Sometimes…)

Pictures? Oh, yeah…

_{That cockpit is all Monogram–I added nothing but careful painting. They were the masters of cockpit detail in the day! You can also see a bit of the re-scribing work that was done. The panel lines on the Thunderjet are relatively simple and made a good candidate for your first total re-scribing job.}

_{A veiw of the belly of the beast.}

_{A port side view. The team name was to port, the Aerobrigata emblem was to starboard. Microscale got both a bit off, size-wise, but they work nonetheless.}

_{And here you see proof–the Huntress Diana emblem of 5^o Aerobrigata.}

_{And an overhead–well, more or less–view of the completed model. It is a colorful addition to a display case, no doubt about that!}

On my next bare metal finish, I will try Hawkeye Models’ Talon acrylic. It wasn’t available when I built and painted the model. I would also forgo the tinted silver and make the panel differentiation before the bare metal by masking some panels and using Tamiya’s gray aerosol primer for those. Since this mix goes on so thin, you can use the underlying primer to do your panel tinting…

Another “Next time, I’d…”: I would definitely use Harold Offield’s AMS Resin parts on my next 1/48 F-84F. He has detail/correction sets to correctly depict most any F-84F from either the Heller/FM or the Revell-Monogram/Kinetic kits, including cockpits, seats, and a corrected aft fuselage/tailpipe for the Monogram kit. He even offers a backdate kit with the smaller tail bumper and suck-in doors for any 1/48 F-84F kit. Nice.

I’ll leave the accuracy issues for last. When this kit came out, it was heralded as the more accurate of the two 1/48 F-84F kits then available (Heller being the other). It seems that only recently have some “issues” been brought to light. I’ll state them here and let you decide what is good enough for you…
1. The aft fuselage on the Revell kit is wrongly shaped. It would appear that Monogram took the splice all the way to the tailpipe, which leads to an oval opening around the tailpipe. This should be round. AMS Resins’ set fixes this.
2. The tail is wrong on the _______ kit. Well, sort of. What I’m seeing is two different issues—Monogram’s kit has a taller tail, which seems to be in line with photos of late-Block F-84F’s. Heller’s kit has the shorter, earlier tail. Monogram’s tail may be swept a little on the shallow side, while Heller’s may be swept too much. Either way, it doesn’t bother me as much as it bothers die-hard F-84F fans. I’ve seen one model “corrected”, and the work is well within the means of most modelers. If it makes you feel good….
3. The speed brakes—what a can of worms. Monogram’s kit existed for 20-some years before people started citing the location and size of Monogram’s speed brakes as being wrong and holding Kinetic kit up as the “proper” example. If I read my references correctly, I’m willing to say that this falls in the same boat as the tail—for the late-Block F-84F’s, Monogram’s brakes look to me to be correct. Another take on this issue is that Monogram and Kinetic both got the length of the actual brake wrong (they're too long) and that Monogram has the aft end of the well positioned correctly, and Kinetic has the forward end positioned correctly. Whatever error seems so small to me that I’m willing to live with it regardless. Unlike the tail, this will require far too much work for far too little improvement. I’m going to let sleeping dogs lie on this one. Again, if it makes you feel good, do it. Me, I’m not that masochistic.
4. A note to those of you with the Kinetic kit (This doesn’t apply to the Monogram or Heller kits, because they both got this part correct): Kinetic’s intake shape isn’t correct—the correct shape should be an oval with straight vertical sides. Kinetic’s intake is a pointed oval (like an American football). I plan on casting a copy of my remaining Monogram kit’s intake to use with the Kinetic kit I have—unless Harold at AMS beats me to it.
For those of you not willing to re-scribe a Monogram kit and see the Kinetic kit as an easier alternative, I partly agree. Outside of the intake shape issue I mentioned, Kinetic’s kit isn’t bad—unless you want to do a bare metal scheme. It will take some priming and sanding to eliminate the pebbled texture on the plastic, but once done should be easy going. I'd probably hit the parts, on the sprue, with a coat of sandable primer (automotive supply houses and some auto parts stores stock it, it is made by Dupli-Color), let that dry, then give the parts a wet sanding. Repeat as required. Then, I'd assemble the model…

You 1/72 scale builders out there have a few options as well. I've already mentioned the Airfix and Italeri kits of the Thunderstreak. Neither is particularly good, but you can combine the two into a fairly nice model. Or, PJ Productions does a resin kit that has seen some very good reviews since it was released. Tauro Models have done the decals in 1/72 scale, so with a little work you should be set. Tauro has also done some of the other teams as well.

Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.
May 8, 2011