Real Warbirds : Fact or Fiction ?

The P-51 wing is puttied, sanded and painted.

Their B-24 isn't original. Did you notice that the interior data plates are in Hindi?

It was ex-RAF in India, destroyed by the British at Independence, rebuilt by the IAF and served into the sixties.

Aside from dimensions, outline shapes, etc., modern warbirds are not a good reference source for actual serving line birds. The owner/operators spent a fortune on them and maintain them far more pristine than a serving line bird. They are seldom restored to exact color specs as built, although that is improving more nowadays compared to the early days of Warbirds on the air show circuits.

Not to mention the service life. A WWII combat aircraft often had a very short lifespan due to attrition or obsolescence. Only rear area aircraft, trainers, and transports would be the types likely to see an extended service time span. 

And as far as those panel lines go, I would love to see the kit companies replicate the overlapping skin panels with raised rivets common on so many aircraft types. 

stikpusher

And as far as those panel lines go, I would love to see the kit companies replicate the overlapping skin panels with raised rivets common on so many aircraft types. Add

I miss my Dad, but I sure don't miss that big gut.

LOL! That's a good picture of you two. I hear you on loosing the gut. I'm not too far out but I've been loosing weight now for a couple of months and it sure feels great.

Tanker - Builder

Attention all model plane builders .

 Be careful with your panel lines !   

 

  Now , that said  , Please let me see less Panel lining in models at shows . In that size you wouldn't see them . Of course the molder is going to do it to make the surface look interesting . Get your model . Go to a show and then build .You would be surprised how wrinkled and worn some of even the most modern look !

 

I see some panel lines here... more than 10 feet away...

And a mad man jumping out of a perfectly good airplane ;)

After some of the rides they give you, you WANT OUT....

Oh Yeah ;

 That is sure the truth . Now on those panel lines . It would be in 1/72 , 1/48 a mess of colors in a small area . I don't think in 1/72 you would even have room for all those ! I am not against lines .I just don't like seeing beautifully done models looking like my Truckers Road Map Book !

Oboy :

 That is certainly the plane I saw . You are right about her History too . I was fascinated in the fact she survived all that . She sure sounded good on her take -Off yesterday . Day before she had a Propeller overun warning come on at full throttle .

 Flight cancelled till problem fixed . It was and she flew beautifully . I do know that Collings completely dissassembles and rebuilds these planes where necessary . I don't have a problem with that . We in the old " Confederate Air Force  "( Commorative Air Force , Now ) Always had problems finding parts that were useable .

 I spent a lot of time at Davis - Monthan in the boneyard . So it took us twice as long to get flight certified . That's okay though . The fact that someone is trying  to historically restore and operate , Aircraft , Cars and Armor , is enough . 

Hey !

 When I do my C-130 , do I have to have the guy hanging on for dear life that far back from the door ?

Question ;

 Is that a wheel cover system I see on a D.C.-3 or C-47 ?

Tanker - Builder

Question ;

 Is that a wheel cover system I see on a D.C.-3 or C-47 ?

 

That sure does look like some sort of retractable ”spat” for the landing gear on that Goonie Bird. Good catch. 

First flight of the day. I got to be the R.O. or at least sit in his seat for take off.

TB, tend to agree with you on what is built and shown....In my 4 years in the AF, aircraft and equipment was well taken care of, fresh paint jobs when needed or re-deployed.  They were kept clean, not only because of crewchief pride, but to detect leaks, etc early on, and be easier to work on.  Besides, why pack a hundred pounds of dirt, grease, etc., at 50 knots slower speed and more fuel consumption than the rest of the flight?

Yes during up-tempo ops, things might slide a little, but not for long.

Vey few clean every day use builds end up on the tables at shows, in either aircraft or armor.  Judging has gone to the dirtier it is the better.  Aircraft look like they have spent the last 25 years at D/M, and that's the cleanest of them.

Builders for shows know what the judges want and build and weather to that standard regardless of what real world conditions are.  If you build clean, and want the ribbon, probalbly not going to happen.

Tanker - Builder

Attention all model plane builders .

 Now , Did you know ? there were no handholds inside the Bombers ? Yep , grab wrong and you have a handful of flight control cables . Here's the kicker . Paint was about four or five different shades of Zinc Chromate where it wasn't worn off . The tops of both the Ball turrets and the back of the nose turret( B-24 ) were aluminum in color . The Guns and my goodness they were the real thing without the ability to shoot . Black with aluminum handles and Bullets everywhere .

I started building a WW2 bomber just this past weekend. I grabbed a small bottle of zinc chromate green, and it looks almost flat yellow. Closer to mustard or the old Afrika Korps paint we used to use on all tanks.

Anyway, I've always thought it was closer to a green. I used it but am not quite happy with it. It was a Testors small bottle, the ones that originally were a dime but now are a buck and change.

Rob, that square bottle of Testors Zinc Chromate is actually the yellow shade. Which is different from Green Zinc Chromate or Interior Green. That yellow stuff is used in areas like engine and gun bays, wheel wells, and other non cockpit internal areas. You can turn it into interior green by adding a little flat black.

Thanks, I'll just use a darker shade of green or leave it well enough alone. It's a 1/72 scale Monogram B-25 kit I am building for the bomber group build. Not too concerned about accuracy, just trying to build some non-standard stuff (for me), to get passed an armor modeling rut.

The Yellow Zinc Chromate is perfectly fine on most areas of the B-52 like the flaps, wheel wells and bomb bay. The cockpit interior should be Dark Gull Gray. 

B-25. Boy, Rob, that's like getting into armor with the Monogram M48.

GMorrison

B-25. Boy, Rob, that's like getting into armor with the Monogram M48.

 

Oops... I went dyslexic there... B-25 interior dull dark green in the crew areas and bomb bay...

as far as the B-25 to M48 comparison... the B-25 kits are a good 20 years more modern than their M48.

True, 1978 is 20 years younger than 1958. And I'm 20 years younger than Robert Redford. 

Some more panel lines on a real aircraft. This particular airframe was actually fairly new and survived its first combat sortie. Unlike the other five aircraft in the flight. Interesting how on the light gray lowers the panel lines are fairly well visible, while on the blue gray uppers they are not.

stikpusher

 

 

Tanker - Builder

Attention all model plane builders .

 Be careful with your panel lines !   

 

  Now , that said  , Please let me see less Panel lining in models at shows . In that size you wouldn't see them . Of course the molder is going to do it to make the surface look interesting . Get your model . Go to a show and then build .You would be surprised how wrinkled and worn some of even the most modern look !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I see some panel lines here... more than 10 feet away...

 

WOW, Stik!! That's a nice diorama! What scale is it? 

Devil Dawg

 

 

stikpusher

 

 

Tanker - Builder

Attention all model plane builders .

 Be careful with your panel lines !   

 

  Now , that said  , Please let me see less Panel lining in models at shows . In that size you wouldn't see them . Of course the molder is going to do it to make the surface look interesting . Get your model . Go to a show and then build .You would be surprised how wrinkled and worn some of even the most modern look !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I see some panel lines here... more than 10 feet away...

 

 

 

 

WOW, Stik!! That's a nice diorama! What scale is it? 

 

Box Scale... this kit...

But it says 1/144 right on the box....

Goes with the BUFF that other guy is building.

Tanker - Builder

Much of the Plexi was fatigue and solar starred . It was , I was told , All original except a few pieces needed for safety . i.e. Cockpit windshields .

...........and exactly why I don't polish my canopies and such.  It doesn't look right.  Interesting tread.