lol sometimes. Ive got the book about him at home. Fascinating read.

I just finished Scramble, by Norman Gelb.  He gives quite a bit of coverage on Cobber.  It's been a while since I read it, but I think Fighter Boys, by Patrick Bishop also has a lot on him, including his death.  He was stunting, wasn't he?  Flying upside down and low over the field or something?

Yes, the kiwi motif on the Spit -- how did I forget that???

He was buzzing the airfield before flying back to england. Interesting note. the aircraft he was flying was an older Hurricane Mk.1 with a wooden 2 blade prop. He did his beatup, zooming in front of his mates at 20 feet. He then came back and did 3 successive flick rolls. He performed his 3rd flick roll at 200ft, stalled the aircraft, tried to correct, clipped a wingtip on the ground and pancaked it. There are reports he was thrown 60 feet from the aircraft.

The result of a tired, worn out pilot wanting to leave his mates with something to smile about.

Yikes!  I just got a used copy of Osprey's Hurrican aces, and Cobber figures prominently in the book.  Was thinking of building one of his planes.  

Maybe you should start a group build for Kiwi subjects?  I really enjoyed your Airfix group build.

Kiwi GB? Like the idea but I did Alan Deere's Spit a few years ago for the Spitfire GB. I do have decals for a NZ F4U in my stash though...

Very nice looking Spitfire, Gamera.  What is the scale and maker?

Thanks! It's just the Tamiya 1/48th scale Spitfire Mk I with Sky brand decals. Great kit, one of the best fitting models I've ever built.

Cliff

I built one of Deere's Spitfires years ago, too, but it was 1/72.  I'm not sure if it was the Airfix or the Hasegawa offering.  Great pilot.

USS Wisconsin, BB-64, was begun in 1941 and commissioned in 1944.  She joined Adm. Halsey's 3rd Fleet in December, 1944, and promptly was caught in the typhoon that savaged the fleet later that month.

She participated in operations around the Philippines, providing escort for the fast carriers of Task Force 38.

Next assigned to Adm. Spruance's 5th Fleet, Wisky sailed with Task Force 58 and participated in actions off the Japanese coast, and the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Wisky survived yet another typhoon in June, 1945, and spent that summer cruising the Japanese coast, bombarding various installations and industries.

She sailed into Tokyo Bay as part of the allied occupation forces, three days after the Japanese surrendered on the deck of her big sister, USS Missouri (BB-63).

Wisky's later career involved service in the Korean War.  She was brought out of mothballs in the late 1980's as part of President Reagan's plan to strengthen the Navy, and she served in the Gulf War of 1991.  She was decommissioned in September of that year.  She is currently a museum ship, and you can visit her in Norfolk, Virginia.  I think it is Trumpeter that makes a late configuration USS Wisconsin, if one wants to build that.

My contribution to the group build shows Wisky in her WWII incarnation.  Unlike the rest of her sisters in the Iowa class, Wisconsin only carried on type of camouflage scheme during WWII--Measure 22, which consisted of 5-N Navy Blue applied to the hull, up to the point of the lowest level of the main deck.  The upper part of the ship was 5-H Haze Gray.  All horizontal surfaces were painted in 20-B Deck Blue.

Wisky would be virtually indistinguishable from her older sisters without a hull number.  Fujimi provided none, so I cobbled fore and aft hull numbers from leftovers in Trumpeter's "New Orlean" kit.  The US ensign comes from the Fujimi kit, and the modest rigging is stretched sprue.  The Kingfisher observation planes are decaled with those that came with the Trumpeter set.

I used White Ensign Colourcoat paint thoughout the build for these colors.

 I will have to put further pictures in a separate posting, since photobucket has just become balky and uncooperative.

Thanks for looking.

So that's pretty much it for USS Wisconsin here.  I've enjoyed the group build, Ms OWL and all the other participants and their contributions.  I'll check in from time to time to keep up with you all's progress.

I appreciate the opportunity to be here.  Thanks for looking.

Fair winds and following seas.

Hey CMK02, fantastic job there!!! I toured her back in Nov when I visited Virginia Beach- beautiful ship and you definably did her justice!!! 

Maybe i could do an ANZAC GB. include the aussies. They had some striking paint schemes too. And some interesting stories.

Iowa class broadside.

Nice job, love the kingfishers. So tiny.

Thanks, Gamera.  I appreciate your comment.  I'd like to get out to tour her one day.  I haven't been in Virginia Beach in years, since I lived in North Carolina.

CallSignOWL

checkmateking02

Ah, but you already have the skills, young Jedi.  Look at the work you do with those detailed cockpits!

awww, thanks!

and great work everyone. I've been in a bit of a hiatus because of work, family and getting ready for my senior year at UNL.  (I'm gonna be graduating in less than a year and I still have NO IDEA of what Im going to do afterwards! (panic!!))

Hopefully Ill get settled in nicely, and get building a bit for relaxation

Plenty of time yet. I am out of the Army in Oct and only setteled on what i want to do when i get out about 6 months ago.

Totally stunning check, love it. I have really enjopyed watching this come together.

How did you find those white ensign paints. I have some for my U-Boats, but have not use them yet.

Thanks, Bish.

I really like WEM paints.  I normally use Testors MM, but found Colourcoats when I decided to dabble in ships.  MM had no Navy colors; it appears they are releasing some soon.

Now I've gotten ahold of a number of their RAF colo(u)rs for BoB RAF planes.  I like the variety of undersurfaces colo(u)rs very much.  Their "Eau-de-Nil" and "Sky Type S" are very appealing.

They seem to handle very nicely for both airbrush and handbrushing touch-ups.  I thin about 1/2 paint and 1/2 lacquer thinner, for airbrushing.  When I need to brush touch-up, I use mineral spirits, which might be known as "white spirits" in the UK.

They aren't easy to come by in the US--only a couple of places seem to have them, so from time to time  have ordered direct from WEM's website.

So what are you going to do when you get out?  Keep on modeling, I'm sure!

Great photo, Mikey.  And thanks for the comments.

Here's a youtube video of Wisky firing off the 16 inch guns for the last time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfEB8TSu1Pw

Pretty impressive.

And a longer video showing loading, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ATYPrZnSQ

Nivce to hear. I am used to Xtracolour enamels, i thin them with their own thinner. Never used white spirits for thinner enamel paint, usually just cleaning brushes. I will test that one.

Hopefully some sort of security work, try and make some money for a change. I will deffinatly keep modelling. It might be a bit redused for a couple of years, but by the end of it, i should have a nice big model room all of my own.

That sounds good.  Maybe go to work for MI5 or MI6?  Get a "00?"

I haven't used the mineral spirits for airbrushing or anything that has to be masked, cuz I don't know if it's "hot" enough to grab the plastic.

cm02 - great ship you have built there, it reminded me of when ages ago I had built the mighty Mo.  Something looked different though in the finished pics, when I realized you had painted the wooden decks.  Was this a wartime measure?

regards,

Jack

Hi, Jack.  Long time no see!  Thanks for commenting.

During WWII it wasn't standard procedure to leave the decks in natural wood color.  Almost all the Navy's camouflage measures call for Deck Blue on all horizontal surfaces.  Even canvas tarps, etc., were ordered dyed to match that shade of paint.

Here's the place to go, to find out everything about Navy camouflage.

www.shipcamouflage.com/camouflage_database.htm

checkmateking02

That sounds good.  Maybe go to work for MI5 or MI6?  Get a "00?"

I haven't used the mineral spirits for airbrushing or anything that has to be masked, cuz I don't know if it's "hot" enough to grab the plastic.

O ye, i could just see me in a suit sipping Martini's.

checkmateking02

Hi, Jack.  Long time no see!  Thanks for commenting.

During WWII it wasn't standard procedure to leave the decks in natural wood color.  Almost all the Navy's camouflage measures call for Deck Blue on all horizontal surfaces.  Even canvas tarps, etc., were ordered dyed to match that shade of paint.

Here's the place to go, to find out everything about Navy camouflage.

www.shipcamouflage.com/camouflage_database.htm

Right on, thanks for that link - I have learned something new.

regards,

Jack

Bish

O ye, i could just see me in a suit sipping Martini's.

Shaken, not stirred.

jgeratic1

checkmateking02

Hi, Jack.  Long time no see!  Thanks for commenting.

During WWII it wasn't standard procedure to leave the decks in natural wood color.  Almost all the Navy's camouflage measures call for Deck Blue on all horizontal surfaces.  Even canvas tarps, etc., were ordered dyed to match that shade of paint.

Here's the place to go, to find out everything about Navy camouflage.

www.shipcamouflage.com/camouflage_database.htm

Right on, thanks for that link - I have learned something new.

regards,

Jack