Before They Were Aces-The First Aircraft of the Aces

Colonel-

Here's what I have been able to come up with so far.

A rendering of P-38J "Scat II".

A photo of Major (?) Robin Olds, in a P-51, more or less during WW2.

A photo of Olds with a P-38.

My model that I picked up at Ace Hardware during their "fits in a bag, it's 20% off" sale.

I'm going to start her tonight. It looks to be mostly a build, then paint type of deal.

Satch that looks GREAT!!!! Been wanting to do Pappy's P-40!!! Read Blacksheep One book awhile back and thought it would be a good build. Got to see Pappy himself at the '85 Reno Air Races, unfortunately didn't get an autograph though.

Satch, the P-40 looks great.  The camo looks terrific.  The combination of a cell phone photo and my eyesight make it look like a soft edge camo.  I'm anxious to see it all dolled up in HD mode.

Don, Like Hans mentioned, this has been fun.  Go for another build!  I mentioned a week ago that I stumbled on Red Norley's "Red Dog" P47-C, which I'm nearing completion.  If you didn't know I've always been a Don Gentile fan and built his Eagle Squadron Spitfire.  Since starting Norley's P47, I came across Gentile's markings for "Donnie Boy", his P47 ride before becoming an ace in "Shangri La". If I can get a move on, I'll try to build "Donnie Boy" for this GB also..   We can't let Hans have all the fun!  Rick

Boyington's AVG P-40 is done.  Please excuse the poor Iphone pics but I left my camera in NY.  Build was straight out of the box with EagleCal decals.

Thanks, Wabash.  Thinking about doing a second for this GB.  Gotta do a little research and see what looks interesting.

Don 

...And a beaut that Ginger is!  Rick

Hans,

I'm not  on the list with Kearby's Fiery Ginger. 

Don

NOTE TO THIS GB'S MEMBERS:

CHeck the roster on Page One and make sure I still have your info right... If it ain't ,tell me ASAP..

Great job!  Told ya reasearch was fun..

Go for that first bomb on your badge......

BTW, I ordered the transfers to get the numbers and name on "Old Crow"..

Hans, I stumbled on to another"Before he was an Ace" aircraft.  I wanted to do a P47 Razorback and just so happened to do Louis "Red" Norley's RED DOG.  I posted the engine on your Gismology thread a couple weeks ago.  After a little research this morning, I found that he scored 2 1/3 kills in his Thunderbolt before transitioning to P51's and finishing with 11 1/2 kills.  So if its OK I'll do his P47C in a Hasegawa kit.   Rick

Here's what I did.  I added 3 "mission marks" using the paintbrush in MS Paint.

This badge would signify 4 builds, the first being badge, each "bomb" an addtional kit...

Not a bad idea... Everyone could use their Paint Program to add their own personal "Kill" marks to the Badge...

You could add kill markings on the bottom right corner of the Gabby picture.

BTW, those that have reached what they feel is 90% complete or better, feel free to add the Build Badge to your signature...

I'm going to finish the diorama build-log in the Dirorama Forum.

Also, if any of want to start on another one, go ahead.. There's no limit and I'll come up with a "device" (like an Oak Leaf or something) to show that you've completed two or more builds.. OR, if anyone wants suggest something else to denote that accomplishment, sound off... Maybe a different background color on the original badge or something..

Well done on the Spitfire! 

Personally, I'm a stretched-sprue guy, so my antenna wires are usually made from that inexhaustable material...  The wires are insulated, so any dark color is ok..  Also, since I ain't had a haircut in 5 years, I can use one from my head as well.. CA readily sticks and holds it better than it does with styrene...

Good work, it has the well used look.  I use E Z Line for the antennas, it will draw tight without too much tension.  Had the same trouble with fishing line.

I've done about all the damage I can do to Gentile's Spitfire.  I finally got up the nerve to attach the antenna wire.  I think this is the first one I've ever done.  I used fishing line, but in the future I'm going to locate some lycra thread.  I'd like to get a tighter look.   I took these shots out of my attic/workshop window sitting on an old display base I had sitting around.

I picked up a Tamiya, British utility car a few weeks ago, and put it together this week.  It is a typical easy Tamiya build.  It is a little sparce on the interior, but I intended it for decoration in these photos of the Spitfire.  I set up a flight preparation shot and then a shot of Gentile himself climbing in or out of the truck, I'm not sure.

Oh, what the heck.  I've also got a picture of a pilot (in USAAF garb) posing with the nose art.

Wow, I leave town for a few days and there's a flurry of activity.  Thanks to all that suggested figures for the P-47 "wing" man.  I'll look into them and see what I can do.

Hey Satch, great job on the P-40.  I hate drilling those fiddly bits like exhausts, etc.  When I'm forced to, I take a pin and punch a small hole in the center to give the drill bit something to bite on.  Then, it's just a matter of drilling straight and true which also isn't the easiest thing in the world to do, at least for me.  But as Hans said, it needed to be done.  good job.  I never knew that one could find commercial masks for camo like this.  Really cool. 

The top views of the P-40 always remine me of Jimmy Durante... what a schnozz!!!

Don

Hans von Hammer

Well on the way... Drilling those stacks is a necessary evil, I'll agree, but ya gotta do it... They're just too obvious...  Yer braver than I am by putting those antennae wires in place before you're almost finished... If I did that, I'd be reattaching them over & over...

On a sie note, I wonder how many pilots ever got clothes-lined by 'em on a night scramble...

Ah Hans, your eyes must be going.  That last picture was of the reference book for the scheme.  No wires yet.  Over all I'm happy with the masks.  I painted the green and peeled them off and reattached them to the vinyl mat.   I think I will be able to reuse them for the Academy P-40C.  Yes this is the Monogram B model.

The brown is a little too dark so I will be toning it down with pastels.  As far as updates, you'll have to wait another week or so.  I'm off to work again.

Hans von Hammer

On a sie note, I wonder how many pilots ever got clothes-lined by 'em on a night scramble...

Hans my guess ( for what it's worth) would be a suprising number of pilots and ground crew found those wires at an inoppertune time.

Well on the way... Drilling those stacks is a necessary evil, I'll agree, but ya gotta do it... They're just too obvious...  Yer braver than I am by putting those antennae wires in place before you're almost finished... If I did that, I'd be reatteching them over & over...

On a sie note, I wonder how many pilots ever got clothes-lined by 'em on a night scramble...

Satch_ip Lookin good !! Those exhaust tubes are hard to drill out and get the drill centered. You did lots better than I did I tell ya, had to cheat and use my exacto knife and even mine up a bit. Your camo looks really good too so hurry up I wanna see more of your build.

 Thats the Revell P-40B/C right ?

Boyington's AVG P-40 is comming along.  I found some nifty vinyl paint masks from Gator at the San Antonio show this weekend.  They had the P-40 as well as both A and B Spitfire schemes.  Kinda pricy at $10 per but I was in a buying frenzy. 

Attempted to drill out the solid Monogram exhaust stacks.

Really basic kit but fits well and is accurate.  Not everything has to be super detailed.

The masks

The reference American Volunteer Group Colours and Markings by Terrill Clements.

Well i'm off to the cold garage to lay down the Green.

Satch

After JEaton's comment, I've been looking for a 1/48 prone figure to mount on the wing.  No luck.  If anyone has suggestions, let me know.

Don

If you have a set lying around, the figures in the Monogram B-17, B-24, and P-61 have a couple of good candidates.... He doesn't have to be lying down either, plenty of them rode the wing sitting... But, the "Crawling" P-61 mech can be turned into a prone figure fairly easily, and the B-17/B-24 mech that's sitting, holding a wrench in his right hand will do as well..

..I will bet you've been to NTC a couple or three times at least..

I asked ealier about that, might notta clicked because I said Fort Erwin.. Oh hell, yes I know the NTC well...  Now I now exactly what it's gotta look like...  Scratch the muddy brown look, for sure...

Lots of great work guys!!!! Didn't know Gabby Gabreski flew a Spit at one time. Learn something new everyday. Well Done chaps!!!

Hans, having spent all that time you did in the Army, I will bet you've been to NTC a couple or three times at least. The terrain and topography from the California coastal mountains until Utah, is pretty much all like that. Tonopah will fall in that general description.

HVH I've been out of town for a while but I'd like to do Scat 3 if it's not too late.

Go for it...

bondoman

JEaton said;

Don, Fiery Ginger came together very well.  I'd like to see the pilot a bit higher in the cockpit when taxiing the airplane, but it looks fine as is.  Nice wear and tear.

Well, as you know, the bane of the Crew Chief was the Jug, because he had to lie on the starboard wing, one hand around a gun barrel (oh stop it) and the other waving like mad to the pilot until they got to the takeoff point. Then jump in the truck. I'm told by very reliable sources that this was universal torture.

When F-in-Law got out of Beaufighters, his pilot who'd been betting his life on Don for 4 years got a -47 and asked him to come along. "not 'nless there's a backseat in that ugly POS".

2 months later Atwater died in a landing accident.

I've got a Republic prop job in the stash waiting for the time to do her right. Hint: R4360.

HVH I've been out of town for a while but I'd like to do Scat 3 if it's not too late.

I found a diorama of this over at a UK site.   There are several more photos there too.  http://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=106545&page=1

Hans von Hammer

Regarding the diorama base... I'm at a crossroads here.. The one that's pictured is just a bit of plaster that's painted brown, but I like the effect that the tracks made with the shiny parts.. Those were quite by accident, but it got me thinking.. So many dios are done on nice, neat grass strips, concrete, or PSP'd runways &  hardstands, how about a muddy airstrip?  Keeping in mind that this takes place at Tonopah Army Airfield in the early fall of 1943, I imagine that Anderson at least ONCE must have landed on an auxilialry strip nearby that got the occasional rainstorm...

I'm not familiar with the terrain there though, so I don't know if it's more like the Mojave near Fort Irwin or if there's even a chance for mud... If you have any ideas, sound off..

I don't believe Nevada gets monsoons like Arizona does in July, but afternoon thunder storms are not unusual during the late summer thoughout most of Nevada, so I'm sure you could find some mud to land in at some point. 

If you have ever been to the great basin it is all pretty similar whether its Nevada, Southern Idaho, or Eastern Washington, lots of sage brush, pinyon juniper, grass and jackrabbits.