Lindberg JN-4 Jenny

This thing is going to be awesome I am excited to see what comes of it.

I would like to see how this turns out.  The molds must be from the 1950s or 60s.

I have that kit in my stash. I want to build it in memory of my dad who was a mechanic in WWI stationed in Florida, working on Jennys. He flew them all the time. I think the maintenance personnel working on aircraft had a responsibility to take them up after having worked on them. He also told my brother and me that he landed (crash landed ) in a tree once.

I'll be following your build with the greatest of interest. I have some aftermarket items, the Engines and Things engine and Lone Star Models cockpit but I now would like to get the Tom's Modelworks WWI spoked wheels you mentioned.

I'm all in on your build!

A great start, Don.  I have a soft-spot for the old kits ( in my head, I'm sure).   

Gary

I’m interested in how this builds up.

Your friend, Toshi

That is a great OLD kit. It dates to the late 50s if I recall correctly. I did a few of those kits in Army Air Corp as well as Navy and Marines. The rigging is a bit of a nightmare and the kit cockpit is non exsistant so scratchbuilding a cockpit will be necessary, unless there is an aftermarket cockpit. I always wanted to do the float plane version but never got to it. Keep posting your progress.  

rangerj

That is a great OLD kit. It dates to the late 50s if I recall correctly. I did a few of those kits in Army Air Corp as well as Navy and Marines. The rigging is a bit of a nightmare and the kit cockpit is non exsistant so scratchbuilding a cockpit will be necessary, unless there is an aftermarket cockpit. I always wanted to do the float plane version but never got to it. Keep posting your progress.  

 

I had inticipated doing more scratch work in the cockpit, but the kit had more detailt than I thought. I did have to add the framing along the fuselage sides, and modify the seats to make them taller.  The rudder bars were too thick, so I built scratch ones instead. 

I also build sailing ship models, so the rigging doesn't bother me- even on the Jenny (and a couple of DH-2 kits I did a couple of years ago) it is a lot less work than rigging a two or three masted ship.

Need some help, guys!  I am going to paint and mark the plane as the one in the NASM.  I need to get a good image of that mule squadron emblem on the fuselage. I thought if I can find out what squadron that is, I can do a search on that squadron.  But all I can find is merely the description of what model Jennie it is.  Anyone know more about that particular aircraft other than what a google search reveals?

Or, if anyone has photographed the plane, especially that rear fuselage area, maybe you have a better image than what a google image search of NASM J-4 Jenny reveals.  I need a shot pretty close to square-on relative to the fuselage side, and not too many obscurations.

Only small item I can add is that there's a forum entry I found (single source) where the writer said that the aircraft came from Hazelhurst Field.

If I'm looking at the same JN-4D then I don't think it's a mule, Don.  Looks like a dog or something like that with 5 tails and 5 toes on each foot.

I didn't realize JN-4's were in the Mule squadron. Knowing nothing about that squadron I googled both the museum and mule squadron and was only able to come up with the emblem of a kicking mule on Nieuports so I don't imagine that's the emblem you're for which you're searching but here's the link anyway:

https://us95th.org/?page_id=43

There are a couple of good pictures at www.rcgroups.com. You can go there direct or get there via search Curtiss JN-4 Jenny - RCGroups. I did a few ships with full rigging, like the Constitution and the America by Revel, many years ago. I did them for a friend and have not had the ambition to do that again.

I like the 1930s vintage biplanes aka the yellow wings era aircraft. With the advent of modern molds and such I bought a few WW1 aircraft e.g. Spad, SE5 Fokker D7, etc. I did all of the old Aurora bipes ages AGO and would like to do a few of the more modern kits. Way back when I did the Aurora kit all of the rigging was done with stretched sprue. Now I use the very fine winding wire out of a small electric motor. I hang a weight on the wire to make it straight and then use it to rig the aircraft. I have not tried the PE rigging "wire" yet. Any commonts on this method would be appreciated.

Best wishes on your build and I look forward to it. I liked that old Lindberg kit. 

jeaton01

If I'm looking at the same JN-4D then I don't think it's a mule, Don.  Looks like a dog or something like that with 5 tails and 5 toes on each foot.

 

Thanks, John.  That is a pretty good shot.  Nice and square on.  Not many pixels, but I'll see how good the interpolation algorithms are in my graphics program!

rangerj

There are a couple of good pictures at www.rcgroups.com. You can go there direct or get there via search Curtiss JN-4 Jenny - RCGroups. I did a few ships with full rigging, like the Constitution and the America by Revel, many years ago. I did them for a friend and have not had the ambition to do that again.

I like the 1930s vintage biplanes aka the yellow wings era aircraft. With the advent of modern molds and such I bought a few WW1 aircraft e.g. Spad, SE5 Fokker D7, etc. I did all of the old Aurora bipes ages AGO and would like to do a few of the more modern kits. Way back when I did the Aurora kit all of the rigging was done with stretched sprue. Now I use the very fine winding wire out of a small electric motor. I hang a weight on the wire to make it straight and then use it to rig the aircraft. I have not tried the PE rigging "wire" yet. Any commonts on this method would be appreciated.

Best wishes on your build and I look forward to it. I liked that old Lindberg kit. 

 

I couldn't find them.  Which forum were they in?

I don't use wire for rigging.  Have a friend that does.  To hard to cut wire to the exact length.  If it is included in kit, or aftermarket, fine, but if I am scratching the rigging, I can't seem to get it right.  So I use monofilament thread (regular stranded thread on 1:32).

I'm glad that old kit has finely found a home with you.  I'm sure you'll do it proud.

Here is the Smithsonian site:

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/curtiss-jn-4d-jenny

Nice group of pictures, but no information on the emblem.   Since it was acquired directly from the Army in 1918, it probably is a training squadron emblem.  Is it possible that it is not a horse or mule, but some kind of devil?  I seem to recall something vaguely...

Here's a picture of where this aircraft came from.  Could be a picture of the squadron.

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/dayton-wright-dh-4-family-photograph

This is an interesting photo as it shows the colors of the underwing.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffdm/3019014960/

Of course, color accuracy is limited by lighting and camera settings, but my opinion currently is that the wings, top and bottom, are the same color as that brownish stripe on the fuselage.  I mixed up a color from Testors flat brown and British crimson, but afterwareds decided I could have used Testors rust without the work of mixing!

Don,

What a nice old ship!! I always thought the Lindberg kits was better than the Aurora one.

Don Stauffer

Of course, color accuracy is limited by lighting and camera settings, but my opinion currently is that the wings, top and bottom, are the same color as that brownish stripe on the fuselage.  I mixed up a color from Testors flat brown and British crimson, but afterwareds decided I could have used Testors rust without the work of mixing!

 

Not sure "rust" is the proper color, but it's hard to tell from photos.  

Meanwhile, here's a bit of success.  Apparently, the aircraft was from the 46th Aero Squadron, and an article on a reproduction of it has some nice pics of the emblem.

http://earlyaero.com/a-look-at-the-restoration-of-curtiss-jn-4d-sn-386-feature/

Hope these will be of some use.

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/curtiss-jn-4hg-hisso-jenny-military-usa-army-air-service-units-46th-aero-squadron

Gary

GAF

 

 

Don Stauffer

Of course, color accuracy is limited by lighting and camera settings, but my opinion currently is that the wings, top and bottom, are the same color as that brownish stripe on the fuselage.  I mixed up a color from Testors flat brown and British crimson, but afterwareds decided I could have used Testors rust without the work of mixing!

 

 

 

Not sure "rust" is the proper color, but it's hard to tell from photos.  

Meanwhile, here's a bit of success.  Apparently, the aircraft was from the 46th Aero Squadron, and an article on a reproduction of it has some nice pics of the emblem.

http://earlyaero.com/a-look-at-the-restoration-of-curtiss-jn-4d-sn-386-feature/

Hope these will be of some use.

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/curtiss-jn-4hg-hisso-jenny-military-usa-army-air-service-units-46th-aero-squadron

Gary

 

Thanks, Gary.  Those references will definitely help!

Got some progress.  Got major assemblies painted and decaled.  Still have to flat coat decals, and do some touchup.  The kit decals were in bad shape, disintegrating, so I copied them onto inkjet (white) paper.  So, I have to paint the edges (the white coating on the decal paper shows slightly around the decals.  Have to carefully paint the brown around the wing decals.

The homemade decals for the fuselage worked fine.  That last image from above worked out fine to make the squadron emblem.  The kit decals had all the digits I needed to make the plane number- I copied the sheet and re-arranged the digits and printed copies to clear decal paper, at same time I printed the squadron emblems.  No touchup needed on those, they went down great.  I use decal paper from Micro Mark.

Need to do final assembly now, doing the gear will take some sort of alignment jig to get model to sit straight.  And building those wire wheels is always a big job. I wish Tom's (or another supplier) would supply tires with their wire wheel kits- the wheels and tires with this kit were one piece, so no way to sandwich wheel spokes between tire halves.  had to scratch new tire halves.\

Wow, that looks fantastic!  Making my own decals is just something that I’ve not attempted at yet.  Someday soon I’ll look into that.  I do have a question; “Is this decal processing difficult to make?”  Thank you in advance.

Your friend, Toshi

Don, this is looking great. And your perseverence in getting the squadron logo right really paid off. It's exciting to see it all come together.

cheers

-J

Looking really good Don. How did you scratch the new tire halves? Just curious since I may have to do the same.

Hey Don,

This is looking very good so far. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Hey Don, your perseverance is paying off in spades.  That bird is looking great!  Love that you got the squadron insignia on. 

Making your own decals still kind of blows my mind.  What a huge advance for plastiholics!

Toshi

Wow, that looks fantastic!  Making my own decals is just something that I’ve not attempted at yet.  Someday soon I’ll look into that.  I do have a question; “Is this decal processing difficult to make?”  Thank you in advance.

Your friend, Toshi

 

By processing I meant the work with the graphics software to  re-arrange the numbers. I use my graphics program, Paint Shop Pro, on my computer.  There are a number of graphics programs out there that can do the job.  You need to be able to select a number (I use a rectangular selection tool), copy, and paste it to a different (empty) spot on the image (or to a new image).  I select each character I need for the new number, copying and pasting to the new number.  Any graphics program that allows that is fine. It does take awhile to learn to do those operations, but since one of my other hobbies is photography, and I have had image editing programs for over twenty years now, it has become second nature to me.  I think an hour did the squadron emblem and the registration number.  Probably more than half of that time was the squadron emblem- that took some fancier operations.

1943Mike

Looking really good Don. How did you scratch the new tire halves? Just curious since I may have to do the same.