Category: History time

Not much to share…except an old article and build

I think I'm still in a rut from the long hours and days. A sort of writer's block has set in–it isn't that I don't know what I want to write, it is just that when I get to actually doing it, I am not satisfied with the results. So, I'll continue to write drafts and tweak them.

In the meantime, here's an article I wrote soon after I relocated to SC in 2001. Apologies for the quality of the photos, they were taken with equipment from that vintage, and technology has increased a hundred-fold in that time.

Condor Legion Stuka: Building Special Hobby’s 1/48 Ju-87A

Mention the word “Stuka” to the casual student of World War II, and they’ll probably know that you are referring to the Ju-87 dive bomber. Many people do not realize that the Ju-87 received its baptism of fire in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, and many more do not realize that the aircraft was nearing obsolescence by the outbreak of the Second World War.

The work on what would become the Ju-87 was started in late 1933. Under the leadership of Dipl. Ing. Hermann Pohlmann, what emerged from the drawing boards was a twin-tailed, gull-winged aircraft with a fixed, spatted landing gear. A wooden mock-up was ready for RLM inspection in late 1934, and the Ju-87V-1 prototype took to the air in September 1935. Powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine, the V-1 displayed relatively good flight characteristics, the exception being an engine overheating problem. An enlarged chin radiator was fitted, and flight testing continued until January 1936, when the aircraft crashed. The cause was soon traced to the lack of an underwing dive brake, and additional studies cast suspicion on the twin-tailed arrangement.

The Ju-87V-2 emerged with a redesigned tail section and a Jumo 210 powerplant. The flight testing continued through the Ju-87V-4 airframe–it was the V-4 that introduced underwing dive brakes and an automatic pull-out system that would recover the aircraft in the event the pilot blacked out during the bomb run. From the V-4, the cowling was redesigned, the tail surfaces squared off, and a more powerful version of the Jumo 210 installed. It was the resulting airframe that went into production as the Ju-87A.

After the factory flight testing was concluded, three Ju-87A-1 airframes were delivered to Kampfgruppe K.88 of the Legion Condor in Spain. Seeing combat for the first time in February 1938, the aircraft went on to acquit itself well in the skies over Spain. Combat aircrews were rotated frequently so as to gain as much experience as was possible. The legend of the Stuka was being born.

Special Hobby’s kit was one that was much anticipated, and what you get is quite impressive. The plastic parts are nicely molded with little flash. The surface details are quite nice–perhaps a bit too restrained, as even a light sanding erases some panel lines. Of course, it is probably more desirable to have to rescribe lost detail than it is to fill trenches . . .

The resin parts are well cast, with no molding flash at all. A curious addition is a set of resin wheels–the plastic parts for the wheel spats have wheels and tires molded on them, and the instructions make no mention of the resin wheels. I was quite happy to have them, as they do look more realistic than the “half-wheels” molded into the spats do. However, why, after providing such well done resin parts, does the builder have to do so much scratchbuilding in the cockpit? More anon . . .

The decals were well printed and in register. They allow the builder to model a machine from St.G 163 in Spain or an aircraft from Schlachtgeschwader 102 during the winter of 1943/1944. Since I have an interest in the machines of the Spanish Civil War, you can guess which option I chose . . .

When I start a limited-run kit like this, I usually begin by cutting the major parts from the sprue and taping the majority of the airframe parts together to see how everything fits. I used a #13 saw blade in my hobby knife handle–this is especially useful in limited run kits where the sprue tends to be rather beefy. A hobby knife can be used, but there are some places where this is somewhat akin to cutting down every tree in the forest with a herring . . .

The first thing I noticed was the thickness of the trailing edges of the wings. Easily remedied, I simply laid the parts flat on a sheet of sandpaper and rubbed them down slowly, a la a vac-form kit. Work slowly. You will be rewarded for your patience. I also rubbed the fuselage halves down slightly to get a good mating surface to the fuselage halves. Test-fit the wing and fuselage together–I found a slight mismatch at the wing root stub on the fuselage that I dealt with by doing a bit of light sanding. The horizontal stabs looked quite nice, and after truing up the root and tip ends to get as tight a fit as possible, I set them aside for later. Test-fit and sand, test-fit and sand some more . . .

The resin cockpit sidewalls and floor are quite nice. I removed the pour stubs from the sidewalls by scoring repeatedly with a new #11 blade, then gently snapping the stub off. A few swipes with a sanding stick, and that is done. Rather than building up the cockpit as a tub (follow the instructions? Hah!), I decided to epoxy the sidewalls to the insides of the fuselage halves and fit the floor from below once the fuselage was together. This actually worked out quite well, as I was able to get the sidewalls lined up with the cockpit sill and get the floor to fit tightly with little fuss. I did have to remove a bit of the pour stub from the floor underside so the wing would fit properly. I use a #13 blade for this as well. It works quite nicely. Once the cockpit parts were cleaned up and test-fitted, I went about the process of scratchbuilding the parts that Special Hobby didn’t provide. These include the roll-over structure behind the pilot, the rear gun elevation gear, and the pilot’s crash pad at the instrument panel. Consulting references, I noted that what Special Hobby shows you and what the actual roll-over structure looked like were two very different things. The actual structure consists of a roll bar and several vertical bars, looking somewhat like a prison cell door! I replicated this by first cutting the roll bar from .060" styrene card, attaching this to a suitably modified (by cutting the upper works off) Hasegawa Stuka bulkhead, then adding the vertical bars using stretched sprue. I also used stretched sprue for the gun elevation gear, using the plans as a reference. I couldn’t get a really good photo of the actual assembly, and from the few photos that I did have, it appears that the kit plans are as close as I was going to get. I did remember to build the elevation gear in such a manner as to allow me the luxury of installing the cockpit floor from underneath without having to fish various parts in through the cockpit opening.

As for the painting instructions, I found through research that Special Hobby’s call for a mix of RLM 02 and RLM 66 wasn’t correct. Instead, the cockpit was completely painted in RLM 02, including the instrument panel. I like to use acrylic paints, so I mixed up some PollyScale RLM 02 and sprayed away–I also sprayed the area around the radiator. Don’t forget the rudder pedals! After the paint had dried, I weathered the cockpit slightly with a dusting of pastels and a dark wash. For the wash, I used a bit of Burnt Sienna oil paint over a coat of Future. The Future acts as a barrier between the PollyScale acrylic and the linseed oil of the oil paint. When the wash was dry, I overcoated with clear flat (I like PollyScale’s, but Gunze Sanyo’s works well, too) and then applied the pastels. I picked out some of the details with paint, and highlighted some areas that would see some wear with a Prismacolor silver pencil. If you haven’t tried this, it is easy–simply graze the raised detail with the pencil, and apply a sealer coat of clear gloss of flat. The pencil affords great control over where the chipping will be located. The instrument bezels were picked out in PollyScale’s RLM 66 (a nice scale black shade) and when dry, a drop of Future was placed in each instrument face to simulate a glass lens. The machine gun was first painted with flat black and when the black was dry, I used the polishing cloth that comes with the SnJ Spray Metal kits to apply the metallic highlights. If you don’t have an SnJ kit, get a small square of flannel and some artists’ aluminum powder. Dip the flannel into the powder and rub the flannel on a sheet of paper until it leaves a black smudge. Then use the flannel to rub down the part–enough powder remains on the cloth to impart a dull metallic luster to the weapon. Neat trick, huh? You can also use the same trick to highlight cooling fin detail on a radial engine, but that’s another story for another time . . .

With the major parts cleaned up and the cockpit nearly complete, I turned my attention to the wheel spats. As molded, they have half-wheels molded integrally to the spats. This may be cheap to do, but it is most unrealistic. Seeing as the kit provides resin wheels / tires, I went the extra mile and removed the molded in ones. Cut them off with a sprue nipper, then using a knife, files, and sandpaper, work on the inside of the spats until the resin items will fit properly inside. It took a lot of sanding and test-fitting, but the end result was more than worth it. I added a sheet plastic shelf inside so the wheels would have something positive to locate to, but if you are industrious, you could build up gear struts and actually remove the lower part of the spats, as this area tended to collect mud and was often removed in service. I chickened out and left well enough alone. I assembled the spats (I left the resin wheels off until later–what, d’ya think I’d go to all that work just to have to carefully paint the wheels after they’ve been installed?) And set them aside to dry.

Before we begin assembly, a word on glues and cements. I am old-fashioned and like to use good old solvent cement for most of my building. I like Ambroid’s ProWeld, but Tenax is also good. When I do need an alternate, I’ll use Bob Smith Industries’ super glues and epoxies. I also like to use white (PVA) glue for a lot of chores as well–for that, I find Pacer Technologies’ Formula 560 Canopy glue is good, but good old-fashioned Elmer’s works too . . .

Now came the time to begin some assembly. First, though, you’ll want to paint the resin radiator–I used the flat black and SnJ cloth trick here, then test-fit the resin radiator into the fuselage halves. You may have to sand a bit to eliminate gaps–any small gaps can be dealt with quite easily with a bit of white (PVA) glue. I’m telling you this so you won’t forget to install the radiator–it doesn’t quite want to go in there after the fuselage is closed up, so do it now!

The first thing I did was to temporarily tack-glue the horizontal stabs to their root stubs. I drilled through the fuselage from the inside until I had drilled into the stabs. I later added wire pins to help reinforce the stab-to fuselage joints–it is easier to do the drilling now, though. Since you have already trued up the mating edges, the fuselage halves should go together quite nicely–if you want to make some alignment tabs, by all means do so. I didn’t, and had no problems with the assembly. I did add some .060" styrene card ribs for the wing roots, though–anything that will help align the wing halves at this point will be a tremendous time saver later. Since the wing roots are hollow, you won’t be able to use the wire pin trick here, so the styrene ribs help to reinforce the joint. The fuselage went together with no problems, and I needed only a small amount of filler to even up the seam. I tend to use Gunze’s Mr. Surfacer 500 more and more for filling small seams–I like the fact that you can apply it, let it dry a bit, then wipe the excess off with a cloth and some Isopropyl alcohol. Sure beats sanding seams . . .

Next, add the cockpit floor. Carefully install it from below–the sidewalls should rest on top of the floor part, so be warned. I had to use a length of rod to carefully ease the sidewalls into position. Once the floor is in place, finish adding the stretched sprue details that you need to add.

Fit the outer wing panel halves, adjusting and sanding where necessary to get a decent fit. Once they look good, glue them together. Now comes the fun part–offer up the lower wing center section to the fuselage. Once you are convinced that it fits well, glue it in place. Allow the glue to set, then fit the outer wing panels to the stub. I had several problem areas–the area around the stubs for the spats had huge gaps, and one side of the center section was flat where the other was curved. I started by attaching the wing leading edges–I had to add some strip to pack out one side to the proper thickness. When the leading edges were cured, I applied cement to the wing roots and let that cure. Once all that was cured, I persuaded the trailing edges to line up, tack glued with super glue, then cemented the joint with liquid cement. Once the wings had set, I added the wheel spats, taking care to ensure that the model sat level.

There were a few gaps that needed attention–if I could get away with just some Mr. Surfacer, I did. Otherwise, I used Milliput for large gaps and Squadron’s White putty for the smaller gaps. Once the putties had dried, I sanded everything to shape. I re-scribed the panel lines that were lost in the sanding process using a sewing needle chucked into a hobby knife handle–I find that I have better control with this scriber than any of the “wonder tools” marketed, and if I break the tip it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, just get a new needle. I used Dymo brand plastic label tape as a straightedge. Since it is self-adhesive, I find I don’t often have to go back and fix that many scribing mistakes. Just stick it to the model, and carefully re-scribe the missing detail.

So, you now have a Stuka with a wing, but no horizontal stabs. That part is easy–I superglued short lengths of brass wire into the holes I drilled into the stabs to act as locating pins and tack-glued the stabs in place with ProWeld. Once I was sure that everything was lined up properly, I added a wee bit more ProWeld to the joint and left everything alone overnight to completely set. After I attended to the root seams, I added the end plates to the stabs. They fit fairly well, and a light sanding took care of any mismatches. Let’s tackle that canopy next–don’t run and hide! It isn’t as difficult as some make it out to be!

Vacuum-formed canopies tend to strike fear into the hearts of otherwise brave and robust men. I have tried a few techniques through the years, and I have found the following method works best for me. First, if the canopy is a bit on the flimsy side, pack it with Play-Doh or modeling clay and pop it into the freezer for a few minutes. The clay helps keep the canopy rigid while cutting it from the backing sheet. If the canopy is a bit more robust, skip this step. Next, use some masking tape to set the outline of the canopy. Check your model and references carefully–you can adjust the tape as needed. Now, using a brand new (and I mean brand-spanking new!) #11 blade, lightly score the outline of the canopy. Check to make sure all is in order–a light score line won’t matter much, but once you start to actually cut the part out it will! Continue to lightly score around the canopy. If your canopy separates from the backing sheet after 20 runs with the knife blade, you’ve done it properly. Don’t rush this step–if you do, you will be doing two things: courting disaster and trying to find a spare canopy.

Canopy preparation doesn’t stop there–now, test fit it to the fuselage. Use your sanding sticks to refine the shape of the canopy until it fits properly. It took perhaps an hour to get the canopy on the model cut out and fitted. If you desire, you may dip the canopy in Future (or whatever brand name that acrylic floor finish goes by in your particular location) and set it aside to dry. Once it has cured, attach the canopy to the model–I like the Canopy Glue (or Elmer’s), but if you feel the urge to use super glue, go for it. Once all was secure, I masked the canopy–I like Parafilm M simply because I can leave it on the canopy for a while with no worry of leaving adhesive residue. Cleaning that up can be a pain in the arse, especially when you use acrylics . . .

I cleaned up the rest of the parts–dive brakes, bracing struts, flaps, flap hinges, and the like. The small resin scoops and gun port were attached to the model with diluted white glue, while the rest of the parts were left off the model until after paint. I left the exhaust stubs on the pour sprue. I managed to break one of the dive brakes while detaching it from the pour sprue, so I repaired it with a length of plastic strip.

Time for paint–I seldom use a purpose-made primer, depending instead on the light underside color to serve that purpose. I began painting by shooting a coat of PollyScale Reefer White on the wingtips (don’t forget the ailerons!) and rudder. Once dry, I masked the white and shot the underside of the model with PollyScale RLM 65–once again, don’t forget the underside of the flaps/ailerons, horizontal stab braces, flap hinges, bomb displacement gear and landing gear braces. I also used this color to prime the seams where I did a lot of sanding. All was in order, so the next color to go on the model was RLM 02 around the canopy area. Since I didn’t go to the trouble of opening the canopy hatches, this is the easy method of painting the “inner frames.” I let these two colors dry overnight. The next day, I masked the lower surfaces of the model. I added the upper surface camouflage with PollyScale RLM 61, 62, and 63. I used drafting tape to create the hard edges of the scheme. When painting the upper surfaces of the flaps, I first painted the wings, then held the flap in position with a pair of tweezers, and extended the line to the flap. I then masked and painted the flap. After all the painting was done, I unmasked the model, did any touch up work, and left it to dry overnight.

The next step was the clear coat. I don’t know why so many folks have trouble using Future as a gloss coat for decals–here’s how I do it. First, thin the Future 50-50 with Isopropyl Alcohol and apply at least one mist coat to the model. I use an Aztek 470 with a white (acrylic) tip at 15psi. Allow the mist coats to set up for a minute or so, then apply a medium wet coat. Let that set up for five minutes, then apply a few wet coats. The Future should be hand slick (dry to the touch) in 15 minutes. The surface won’t be super glossy, but it will be glossy enough for decals. Allow the Future to cure for at least an hour, overnight is better.

I used the kit decals, and having read all the horror stories about Propagteam decals, I was ready for a fight. Actually, the decals went on quite well, I only had to use the spit trick on a few of the more stubborn ones. A little diluted Solvaset snuggled them right down. I usually split the task of applying decals into four sessions–one night for the tops, one for the bottoms, and one each for port and starboard sides. Why? Well, I like to let gravity work for me to help pull the decals down tight. A solvent helps, but I have found that when done this way, some decals don’t need any solvent at all . . .

Once all the decals are applied, make sure to wash off all the residue left from the decal glue and solvent. I use a paper towel that has been moistened with warm water. Now the fun begins . . .

I commenced final assembly by first attaching the bracing struts for the horizontal stabs and gear spats. I used diluted Canopy Glue for this task. The dive brakes and bomb displacement gear came next, again stuck on with the diluted Canopy Glue. The spinner was separated, the blades (painted RLM 70) were added, and the spinner re-assembled. It was attached to the model with a touch of super glue (to tack it in place) followed by more diluted Canopy Glue. The flap hinges were attached in a similar manner. The flaps and ailerons were carefully added–I had to make sure that the parts lined up both mechanically and color-wise. When I was sure things were in the right place, I applied super glue to the hinges, tacked the flaps in place, then applied diluted Canopy Glue. When they had set, I added the balance weights and actuator arms. The tailwheel was added next, and when dry, the tire was painted with Testor’s Aircraft Interior Black. The main wheels were painted at the same time as the inner canopy glazing, and the tires were painted along with the tailwheel tire. The main wheels were glued into the spats, taking care to align them correctly.

The pitot tube was added to the wing and the pitot head was scratchbuilt with some stretched sprue. The dual antennas were added to the canopy. I painted the exhaust stubs with a dark metallic rusty brown, cut them from the pour stubs, and added them to the model. A wise man would have added a strip of styrene to the inside of the fuselage to act as a backer, but nobody ever accused me of being a wise man . . .

I painted the inside of the landing light cutout on the wing, then applied the final coat of clear flat. I kept it light, wanting more of a semi-gloss sheen to the model. Now, I’m normally a weathered, but I kept it to a bare minimum on this model, electing to add faint exhaust streaks and little else. I’m depicting this aircraft as it just arrived in Spain, so it would be relatively new/fresh. Had I wanted to go all out with the weathering, I could have depicted it as it appeared after a few weeks in service–they did tend to get dirty and muddy in Spain very quickly. Perhaps next time I will do an oil wash and fade the paint a bit, add some mud inside the spats . . .

I then added the bracing bar in the radiator and the landing light lens–for the latter, I simply applied a piece of clear, self-adhesive shipping tape. Sure beats cutting and trimming and fitting the kit-supplied vac-form lens.

Finally, I dusted the underside of the spats with some brownish pastel dust, stripped the canopy masks, and called this one done. Seeing as the “big boys” are unlikely to release this variant of the Stuka in 1/48 scale, this is the best game in town. It isn’t a difficult build, it just takes a bit of modeling work to get a decent representation of the early Stuka. I didn’t count the hours I worked on the model, but if I were to estimate, I’d say perhaps 30-40 hours would be close.

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

August 31, 2011
Happy Fourth of July–remember what we’re celebrating, though…

Today is America's Independence Day, the day celebrated as the day we declared our independence from Mother England.

I've seen posts today all over the Interwebs proclaiming thanks to the troops, and remember the fallen warriors, but those causes, worthy as they are, aren't what today is about. So, today's post will be a bit of a history lesson.

Today is not primarily "Thank the Troops for Serving" day–that day comes on 11 November every year, and has been since 26 May 1954 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law a bill that made 11 November a day to remember veterans from all wars, not just World War I as it had been up to that point (remember when it was called Armistice Day?).

Today is also not the primary day to "Remember the Fallen Troops", the day set aside to celebrate that comes on the last Monday of May every year and is called Memorial Day. It, too, was originally set aside to remember troops from just one war–the American Civil War, and it was known as Decoration Day. After World War I, it was expanded to remember the fallen troops of all wars, and by 1971 it was moved to the last Monday in May.

No, today is the day where we celebrate the adoption of our Declaration of Independence. If you follow history, the Second Continental Congress voted for Independence from England on 2 July 1776. On 4 July 1776, the Founding Fathers approved the text of the Declaration of Independence. So, what did we say to the King of England and the rest of the world? Only this:

*******************

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:

Column 1
Georgia:
   Button Gwinnett
   Lyman Hall
   George Walton

Column 2
North Carolina:
   William Hooper
   Joseph Hewes
   John Penn
South Carolina:
   Edward Rutledge
   Thomas Heyward, Jr.
   Thomas Lynch, Jr.
   Arthur Middleton

Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Column 4
Pennsylvania:
   Robert Morris
   Benjamin Rush
   Benjamin Franklin
   John Morton
   George Clymer
   James Smith
   George Taylor
   James Wilson
   George Ross
Delaware:
   Caesar Rodney
   George Read
   Thomas McKean

Column 5
New York:
   William Floyd
   Philip Livingston
   Francis Lewis
   Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
   Richard Stockton
   John Witherspoon
   Francis Hopkinson
   John Hart
   Abraham Clark

Column 6
New Hampshire:
   Josiah Bartlett
   William Whipple
Massachusetts:
   Samuel Adams
   John Adams
   Robert Treat Paine
   Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
   Stephen Hopkins
   William Ellery
Connecticut:
   Roger Sherman
   Samuel Huntington
   William Williams
   Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
   Matthew Thornton

**************************

Enjoy your Fourth of July celebrations. Be safe, be happy, and be thankful you live in a country where you have the opportunity to do all those things and more. Thank the troops for serving and remember the fallen, by all means, but remember that those causes have their own dedicated days, too…

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

July 4, 2011
A Catalina Story

Any fan of World War Two warbirds knows the Consolidated PBY Catalina/Canso–the ungainly-looking, high wing flying boat/amphibian patrol aircraft. Well, I made the acquaintance of a few of these aircraft in my career, the first of which was a Boeing-Canada built PBY-5A Canso that the company I worked for acquired back in 1989 or 1990. She wasn't much to look at–after the war, she had been modified to what was known as 28-5ACF and was to have been used as a freight hauler or firebomber. During that change, she had her waist gun blisters replaced with cargo doors, and she had the later "clipper" nose fitted that eliminated the gun turret and window–these modifications removed a lot of the character that made a PBY a PBY. But I got to do a little avionics work on her, and other than reminding yourself that there are lots of places to bang your shins or whack your head in this old girl (and there are two kinds of people who work around flying boats–those that have knocked their head or shins on something, and those who will!), it was more or less a joy. Yes, there was oil all around, too–any radial-engined airplane will have a film of oil covering most of the airplane after too long, and this PBY was no exception.

Doing some research, it seems that my first PBY was a bit of a celebrity. She was born as Construction Number 22022 and went to the Royal Canadian Air Force as RCAF9793 sometime in 1943. After the war, she kicked around a bit–she carried, at one time or another, the following registrations: YV-P-APE, OB-LDM-349, HK-996X, HP-289, HR-236, N6108, and TG-BIV. I knew her as November Five Four Zero Four Juliet.

One of her claims-to-fame? She was used by Southern Air Transport for a while, and while under their employ she served as a communications relay aircraft during the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion. To top that, she was also supposedly used in the Pearl Harbor attack movie "Tora Tora Tora!". To put the cherry on top of her career, she was used for a time by oceanographer Jacques Cousteau…

(Do a Google search on "N5404J" and you will get dozens of hits. Really. I could post the information here, but I've been working one of those weeks of half-days–seven days, twelve hour shifts. I'm feeling a bit lazy this Sunday…)

Zero-Four Juliet stayed with us for a year or so. I'm not sure what we did to the airplane up until 1990, but there came a time where the maintenance guys went to work doing some sheet metal work. They were adding seat rails and a passenger floor to the airplane. They were also re-routing all of the overhead fluid lines–we were told that she was to be ferried to New Zealand, where she would haul passengers, and you can't have volatile liquids (read: 100 Low Lead Aviation Gasoline, aka 100LL AVGAS). As it turned out, she was actually going to be brought to New Zealand to be used as a flying museum. Unfortunately, it would not come to pass–at least, not for Zero Four Juliet. The airplane left our facility sometime in late 1993. I heard little about her until a friend told me that she crashed in January 1994 while en route from Hilo, HI to Papeete in French Polynesia. She sank in the Pacific. Fortunately, the occupants were rescued.

A post from The Warbird Information Exchange, which came from The Catalina Group of New Zealand's website:

The History of “NJ”, Catalina N5404J

N5404J, serial number 22022, was built by Boeing of Canada and had the RCAF Serial 9793. It was originally a Canso A (PBY-5A) but at the war's end was modified in Costa Rica to 28-5ACF status. Its blister windows and nose turret were removed, the former replaced with flush hatches; the latter with a "clipper" nose. Registrations have included: YV-P-APE, OB-LDM-349, HK-996X, HP-289, HR-236, N6108, TG-BIV, N5404J.

It took part in the ill-fated "Bay of Pigs" operation in Cuba during which, while circling the invasion area and operating with the code name "Swan Island", its mission was to act as a communications relay aircraft. It was also used in making of the film Tora, Tora, Tora, flying in pre-war US Navy colours both as 24-P-4 and 24-P9 representing PBYs from VP-24 based on Ford Island, Pearl Harbour. It was hired at one time by renown marine biologist Jacques Cousteau on one of his ventures (Jacques Cousteau’s son, Philippe was killed in PBY-6A Catalina N101CS –"Flying Calypso" in a water landing accident).

N5404J's last registered owner was The Catalina Company (NZ) Ltd under which the registration ZK-PBY was reserved but never taken up as the aircraft forced landed and sank in mid-Pacific early on January 14, 1994 during a ferry flight to New Zealand. For the whole fascinating story order a copy of Catalina Dreaming from this site today!

My second encounter with a Catalina happened about the same time–it was the airplane now known as N4NC, and maybe I'll tell you about it (and other hangar stories) some time…for as Zero Four Juliet was a workhorse, Four November Charlie was a flying yacht.

There was yet another Catalina I knew, too–N7179Y, a PBY-6A–and (as of September of 2009) she resides in the restoration facility of the Minnesota Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. She was flipped on her back during a storm some 12 years ago. It is a shame, too–Seven Niner Yankee lived through Hurricane Andrew in 1991 with nary a scratch. It appears as if they will combine the best parts from Seven Niner Yankee and another PBY-6A. I haven't been able to dig up anything more current…

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As I hinted at above, work has been more than hectic these past three weeks. I haven't had much time to do anything, so forgive me on the lack of updates lately.

Thanks for reading, and, as always, I bid you Peace.

June 26, 2011
67 Years ago today: 6 June 1944

By June, 1944, the European Allies had been at war with the Axis powers for five years. The war had seen the most of Western Europe occupied by the Nazi forces of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. America was relatively new to this war–like the one before it, America was kept largely out of it due to pressures at home and the fact that America was separated by an ocean from war-torn Europe. When the United States did get involved, they did so slowly–first in the joint invasion of North Africa, then Sicily and Italy. The United States, however, was set on invading Hitler's "Fortress Europe" head on, from the French Coast. Britain, having been at this game for a while (and having experienced the carnage at Dieppe), was content to continue nibbling at the edges–first North Africa, then Italy, maybe the south of France, then Greece–the "death from a thousand cuts" approach, if you will. It wasn't until 1943 that it was agreed that once Sicily was liberated that plans would be made to invade France.

The Allies amassed one of the largest task forces in history. The invasion was no small affair, either–39 divisions either landed on the Normandy beaches or parachuted into Northern France. 12,000 planes made up the aerial assault alone. There were some 7,000 vessels involved in the amphibious landings. It was also a fairly unsure bet. The invasion was set for 5 June, but bad weather caused the postponement of the landings until 6 June, based on weather reports that came from a Royal Navy ship in the mid-Atlantic–weather reports the enemy could not get.

Before the initial assaults, General Eisenhower gave the following address to his troops:

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"Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened, he will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."

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An mp3 of the actual address can be found here.

As the men landed and move inland, the Germans were caught off guard. Many of the High Command believed that the invasion would come in clear weather and at the Pas de Calais–the narrowest part of the English Channel. The Luftwaffe was nowhere to be found–although Josef "Pips" Priller did make a flight over the beach, it was a token appearance. Rommel had gone to visit his wife; 6 June was her birthday. Hitler himself had deluded himself into believing that the invasion was months off–and in the months leading up to the invasion, did the Allies a favor by assuming complete command over all of his troops in the field. The Field Marshals would "command", but their orders came straight from Hitler.

They also believed that the invasion would be led by General Patton, not General Montgomery, General Bradley, and Eisenhower. Patton, though, was in the doghouse at the time due to the slapping incidents on Sicily. Patton did play a role in Operation Overlord, though–he commanded a "ghost army" in England. The Nazi spies were told to keep tabs on Patton, so they did–and reported back that he had many armored and infantry divisions in training. In reality, the armor was inflatable!

In the end, we all know how things turned out. But there's one thing that is lost on a lot of people, both young and not so young–the men Eisenhower was addressing were for the most part kids–17, 18 year old kids who had the eyes of the world upon them. Many of them would not get home until the end of the war, many more would not get home at all. There would be a bitter year of fighting ahead of them, and there were times that victory was uncertain. It would do us all well to remember what the men of the Allied Expeditionary Forces did 67 years ago.

Be good to one another. I bid you Peace.

June 6, 2011
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
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
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
Budding historians–If you ever have a chance…

We travelled a few hours up the road today to Mooresville, NC to the Memory Lane Museum to see the 5th Annual "Legends Helping Legends" event. They've been doing this to help out some of the race drivers from back in the day that have fallen on hard times with medical issues and the like–this year, the proceeds went to Harold Elliot, who had a stroke recently. If you don't know who Harold is, you've not been a NASCAR fan for very long–he built engines for the likes of Junior Johnson and Rusty Wallace. His engines took Darrell Waltrip to his 1981 Winston Cup Championship and Rusty Wallace to his Cup Championship in 1989.

In attendance today were drivers Ned Jarrett, Rex White, Donnie Allison, Harry Gant, Jim Vandiver, Jabe Thomas, Gene Hobby, Grey Smith, Brownie King, Lloyd Dane, Paul "Little Bud" Moore, and Elliot Forbes-Robinson; long-time Charlotte Observer reporter Tom Higgins; engine builders Waddell Wilson and Lou La Rosa; mechanics Paul Lewis, Slick Owens, and Don Johnson; and Mitze Moody, widow of Ralph Moody (the "Moody" part of "Holman/Moody"–if you ran Fords in the 1950s through the late 1960s, you ran HM equipment, period.), among others. Speaking with each of them was an absolute hoot–more on that later.

The thing that struck me was that these folks aren't getting any younger. Little Bud and EFR were perhaps the youngest of the group. These folks, like many war veterans, have stories to tell–historically important stories, and once they're gone, the stories are gone, too. If I were able, I would have sat down with guys like Grey Smith, Lloyd Dane, Brownie Smith, Jabe Robinson and talk racing for a while. The spotlight all too often gets placed (and deservedly so, I'll add) guys like Gentleman Ned, Harry Gant, or Waddell Wilson while the guys who ran in other series or parts of the country (Lloyd Dane ran on the West coast in the 1950s and '60s) and are largely unknown or become footnotes to history.

(A parallel to that for war veterans–Most people think World War Two consisted of Pearl Harbor, Midway, Normandy, and the Hiroshima attack. The "Island-Hopping" campaign in the Pacific and the Mediterranean Theater are relatively unknown. In World War I, the Western Front gets all the press, while Italy and the Middle East get ignored. And so on…)

So, if you have a chance to attend one of these events, do it. Go, talk to these guys. Most of them like telling stories as much as we love to hear them.

Some anecdotes:

Grey Smith–a Friday night short track and modified driver–had a selection of photos of the various machines he ran, you picked one and he signed it. I chose a photo of him cleaning the car after a heat race. He said "I liked to keep the equipment clean. Racing was fun, and you liked to give the fans a show–but I wanted them to know who was putting on the show, too." He went on to tell us that he would go to the track on Friday morning, run the heats and the features, then tow the car home (no hauler), then clean the car, tear down the motor, get a list of parts he needed to get, repair, or otherwise prepare, and he might get to sleep by Tuesday night. He was his crew, engine builder, chassis man, you name it.

Elliot Forbes-Robinson was very nice–he spoke with us for a little while, remarking how much he was enjoying himself. As a road racer/sports car guy, I guess he doesn't often attend the events with the NASCAR oval track guys. He was very much a gentleman. I've been a fan of his for a long time, more so now.

And, my favorite quote of the day–I told Ned Jarrett that we really missed listening to him call races these days (he was a booth commentator for years before the big TV deal in 2001). He replied, "Well, thanks. I enjoyed calling them but I let the young guys do that these days."

The museum itself has a nice collection, including the 1968 Ford Torino driven by A.J Foyt, Richard Petty's 1969 Ford Torino Talladega, a few of Rusty Wallace's machines, Bill Elliott's 1982 Thunderbird, and a whole lot more. The museum is about a mile west of I-77, Exit 36. If you're in Charlotte, stop on in.

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

March 26, 2011
Spring is here…

Back when I was a kid living in Florida, the arrival of spring went largely unnoticed. Face it, when winter temperatures rarely duck below 40 degrees, there isn't that much difference between seasons. You knew it was Spring when you woke up at 6AM to temperatures in the mid-80's (and humidity to match). And sure, we lived in Ft. Lauderdale, so there was that big college crowd. But as a kid, what did I know from Spring Break? All we knew was that the beach was crowded with a bunch of semi-conscious and half drunk college kids, and a new batch arrived every week, and that went on for about a month and a half.

Then I went to college in Daytona Beach.

Now, Embry-Riddle didn't do a Spring Break as such when I attended, but those of us who were wise would find a way to have our own version of Spring Break. One year, I had my schedule planned out so that I was done with classes by 2PM every day. That year saw an amazing stretch of clear, sunny days (from mid-January to nearly April), so that meant I was at the beach no later than 3PM every day…it didn't always work out that way every year, and after a while it got old, but it was fun while it lasted…

Back in those days, Daytona Beach was a sleepy little Central Florida town most of the year. Mid-January brought the race fans for the sports car race, the stock car races, and the motorcycle races. The motorcycle races coincided with Bike Week, one of the largest East Coast gatherings of bikers. As soon as Bike Week ended (usually early February), the college students began arriving, a new batch every Sunday, until late March or early April. Towards the end of the college students' run of the town, families started arriving for their own Spring Break. The town started to go back to normal until late May, when the summer crowd moved in. And, in late August, the sidewalks were rolled up, the banners welcoming this week's tourist groups came down, and the town went back to sleep for the winter…

I recall my first Spring Break in Daytona Beach. My roommates in college at the time were from Panama and the Dominican Republic, and they wanted to see what it was all about. So off to the beach we headed. 1983 was probably the start of the real big Spring Break festivities in Daytona, and you could tell. It was a combination circus/party/trade show. Want to test-drive a brand-new Dodge Shelby Daytona? There you go–sign up and do it. Free samples of the latest alcoholic beverage? Are you 18? Okay, then, here you go. Tobacco? Same deal–you had to be over 18, and they'd give you free samples. Posters were everywhere, as was a whole bunch of other SWAG (as in Stuff We All Get)–painter's caps emblazoned with the logo of a local bar, sun visors, mugs, hats, you name it. MTV was there, alerting everyone to their existence–they launched barely a year and a half earlier. The movie production companies were there, too, advertising the next year's releases–that was about the time that the movie "Spring Break" was opening in theaters (25 March 1983–the movie was shot on Ft. Lauderdale, and if you look, you'll see "Cobra Wrestling" t-shirts being waved in one of the bar scenes). Yes, I did manage to get one of the movie posters…don't know what happened to it.

There were the free concerts, too–Daytona Beach has a bandshell and numerous pool decks, an they got put to good use. Some of the acts I got to see? A Flock of Seagulls, The English Beat, The Fixx, Starship, Cheap Trick, Southside Johnny, Four-In-Legion, and Vixen. (In addition, Embry-Riddle hosted free concerts featuring the likes of Missing Persons and Foghat). Chances are, if they were popular, you could catch them in concert during Spring Break for free.

Every year, Spring Break would bring something different. In the mid-80's, the City Fathers in Ft. Lauderdale began to pass laws that, while not outright bans on Spring Break festivities, put a huge damper on the things that were going to be permitted–this after residents got fed up with the damage done by 'Breakers. Of course, the city forgot that those two months or so of less-than-societal behaviour put a lot of money into the city's bank account. Oh, well–their loss was Daytona Beach's gain.

In 1986, MTV began live broadcasts from Daytona Beach. With MTV, Spring Break in Daytona Beach became a big deal. As the years passed, more people came to town, things got rowdier, and similar to events in Ft. Lauderdale, students died when too much liquor met up with 12th floor balconies overlooking pools. You know that Redneck joke, "Hey, hold my beer and watch this?" It was happening more and more frequently. As the popularity grew, the events drew more traffic, and some partiers died in traffic accidents. By the mid-1990's, Daytona Beach followed Ft. Lauderdale's lead and passed city ordinances that pretty much put the kibosh on Spring Break. No matter–new venues like Panama City Beach and South Padre Island, Texas were all too happy to take in the yearly masses of revellers.

These days, Spring Break is still alive and well. 'Breakers are returning to Ft. Lauderdale and Daytona Beach, although not in the same numbers. Most students, attracted by low "all-in-one" pricing, low airfares, and liberal drinking laws, are heading to the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Mexican beaches to do their partying.

But I can say, "I was there when…"

Oh, and an interesting footnote–for as rowdy as they are portrayed in films and TV, the bikers were actually more polite, more courteous, and friendlier than 99% of the Breakers. They left the place cleaner, they weren't drunk in public (well, not that often), and they actually exercised self-control. I guess that's one reason the city welcomes the bikers year after year.

If you are heading out for Spring Break, enjoy yourself, but be smart. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.

March 21, 2011