Mighty 8th GB 1-Nov-2010 - 31-Oct-2011

GSD

My wife's father was Murdoch Cunningham, the pilot of the Flying Scot/Vicious Virgie.  He passed away in 1985.  From some of the pictures we have you have done a nice job at reconstructing his plane.  Why the model of his plane? Or were you making models of all the Blue Nosed Bastards? 

Michael Donovan

Bish

We had 3 of the Bodney P-51's built for this GB, was it OWL who built the one you mention. Its the only one i can't see the nose art of.

I think she may have built that as they were the markings she had, thats my guess anyway.

Thanks for dropping in and hopefully OWL will pick up on your post.

Thanks for the complement! I liked the combo of a bluenose with full invasion stripes. The plane didnt really have any nose art other than the names. I had a decals sheet with the markings for  Bodney p-51s, and decided to use them for this GB. There really wasn't more reason  than that, but Im glad you liked it.

We had 3 of the Bodney P-51's built for this GB, was it OWL who built the one you mention. Its the only one i can't see the nose art of.

I think he may have built that as they were the markings he had, thats my guess anyway.

Sorry to hear that your father-in-law has passed away. My aim for this GB was for it to be a tribute to all the Americans who served in the 8th as much as to the art of model building. I certainly don't envy him being based there. Its pretty remote even now, and the accomadation on the camp is much the same as it was back in the 40's. But i bet it wasn't as comfortable back then.

Thanks for dropping in and hopefully OWL will pick up on your post.

My wife's father was Murdoch Cunningham, the pilot of the Flying Scot/Vicious Virgie.  He passed away in 1985.  From some of the pictures we have you have done a nice job at reconstructing his plane.  Why the model of his plane? Or were you making models of all the Blue Nosed Bastards? 

I hope life finds you well.

Cheers,

Michael Donovan

Helo, no worries. You finish when you finish. We will keep the candle burning for you until you do.

Thanks, John.

Have you seen this website, from the pilot--Clarence "Bud" Anderson?  NIce rendition of "Sing, Sing, Sing."

http://www.cebudanderson.com/

Keep at it and post pictures.

It appears that I'm the one dragging the chain and not finishing yet . I certainly feel quite embarrased...

Check you did and excellent job on your B-17 build : Well done Sir

Bish , I started lookig around the net for the history on my P-51D 'Old Crow' but I have only found a limited amount of info , that is 357th Fighter Group , late 1944 .

Something else that has me a little confused is this pic from the "little friends web site ...

The underwing tanks look a bit different to the ones Tamiya supplied , I was thinking of swapping them with some from the Academy kit .

Anyway , like Check has done , I was hopping for an New Years eve finish too ; but sadly that's not going to happen ..... "My sincere apoligies"

I'll keep going , better late than never I suppose .

                          John .

I just happened to be on at the right time lol.

thanks for those photos. I admit my B-17 referance isn't very big. I say not big, off the top of my head its the two Osprey books of the B-17's of the 8th AAF. I couldn't find any decent pics showing the exhaust staining. Its very subtle isn't it, not as heavy as it seems to have been on B-24's. You have got that spot on. It shouldn't be to hard for me to add it.

It is Super rabbit, i can't recall what company makes the decals now. I am at home at the moment and hannants don't list them now. I need to do some research on it before i build it, not makeing the same mistake i did with the F. From the decvals sheet instructions, it has staggered windows and off the top of my head, i think it does show the single large pain waiste window. But i will check elswhere. Thanks for the tip on the squadron windows, i will make a note of that.

I do feel very lucky haveing all this history so close. There are 3 former B-17 bases within about 20 mins drive. he whole area is littered with them. I really must make the effort next summer to visit some of them.

My pleasure, and thanks for makeing such a big contribution.

Gosh, Bish, you were quick.  If all Her Majesty's soldiers are that fast, Britain's enemies need watch out.

Here are references I used for the exhaust staining.  First, about the only one I could find of the undersurfaces.

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The next two are top views.

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In doing some research, I ran across an opinion that the exhaust stains ended where those eight squarish ducts began--because these ducts vented the wing, they (supposedly) blew the engine exhaust away and prevented staining at the trailing edge of the wing.  I think the above photos show that the engine exhaust could and did extend to the trailing edge, at least sometimes.  There is an overhead photo of "Knock Out Dropper" where the exhausts seem not to have stained beyond the eight ducts, however.

You're fortunate to have all this 8th AAF stuff so close.  These are places I'd like to see, if I ever make it to Blighty.

The kit is the 1:72 offering from Airfix (reboxed from Academy)

I added the Squadron waist windows by first positioning them and taping them down, then I ran a line of superglue (CA) at the top and the bottom, from the outside.  (Photos show these windows where installed from the outside of the fuselage--which makes every earlier time I've used them on kits:  wrong.)  Then I sanded that smooth.  I used diluted white glue to fill in the sides of the windows.  It can be nerve wracking to install these, since the tendency of the CA is to be drawn into the window by capilllary action; too much, and it will overrun the clear parts of the windows.

Squadron makes a set of windows including the three-piece waist positions specifically for the old Academy kits--but they are way too small for the fuselage openings.  Be sure to use the Hasegawa-designated windows from Squadron.  They are big enough to work.

Is that "Rabbit" or "Super Rabbit?"  Hasegawa put out a G with "Super Rabbit" markings.  I haven't built it yet, but you maybe should be sure to check sources.  I'm not sure, but if it is "Super Rabbit," that might be late enough in the war to have the single window waist position.  I was surprised when I found a starboard aft photo of "Fever Beaver," whose markings are contained in the Airfix release.  She carried staggered waist positions and the one piece waist windows.  I have one more Airfix Fort left, and when I build it, will probably do this craft.

As for the front page, the two earlier Forts I did were both from the 91st BG, based at Bassingbourn. 

Thanks for your kind comments.  Again, it was a great group build.

OPPS, missed your last post. Lovely close ups of the nose.

Well, not sure i have been as attentive as i should have been, partly my fault and partly work. I am thinking ahead to hosting another GB, but not till 2013 when i am out of the army and can give more time to hosting. Until then, thanks for takeing part check. And look forward to seeing more of your work on the forums.

Lovely job you have done on this. One thing i didn't add to mine was the exhaust staining, as i couldn't find any pics of it. I wasn't sure if it would stain underneath given the angle of the exhausts. Seeing yours gives me a good idea of where it should go. I like what you have done with the control services as well. Overall, a great job.

And love the history as well. I have seen the sign's for the 100th museum, its about 30 mins from where i live. It is on my to visit list, maybe take a drive out next summer.

I seem to have missed this off the front page, which kit is this again. And another question, how was the squadron window to add. I have the academy 17G with AM marking for an NMF 100th BG aircraft, Rabbit run i think its called. I need to add waiste windows to that as well, and i think they are the same ones you ahve added. Need to check the decal sheet next week.

Thanks for all the effort check, and everyone else. I will add the 17 to the front oage once i get the kit details. And sorry for not getting round to a build review. I will do one tomorrow to wrap up the year.

"Sal's" artwork was a little unusual since it was painted on canvas and glued to the plane, rather than being directly applied to the fuselage.  I wonder how it didn't blow off in the slipstream?

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The view from starboard aft shows the location of the "E" on this side.  I stumbled on this in a photo of right waist gunner Sgt. Willian Wright, posed outside his gun position.  While further back on the port side, on the starboard side it was located between the crew entry door and the waist window.

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The last photos are two close-ups of the nose area.

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The PYN-up decals went on without a bit of trouble--something I don't often have happen.  They are really excellent decals.  I used white decal stock, colored with a silver permanent marker, and used them to frame the metal around the windows.  "Sal" apparently had some battle damage here.

Some sources also claim that "Sal" had NMF engine cowlings on all four engines.  I couldn't verify that from photos available on the web, so I painted them all OD.  De-icer boots were supposed to be worn, so I used Floquil RR paint--grimy black or weathered black, I don't remember now.  The decal instructions also said that "Sal's" de-icer on the vertical stabilizer was worn off--so I painted that way, but did not find any photo evidence to support it in the one picture I located showing the tail area.

"Our Gal Sal" was apparently named after a similarly nomenclatured film starring Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature.  You can see a clip here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j7YMTMMV6g .  The movie has not apparently made it to DVD yet.

That's it. 

Bish, thanks for making this group build available.  It has been a lot of fun, and now I have three more completed Fortresses in the collection.  You've always been a gracious and attentive host.

The rest of the photos will be just a circuit around the model, from port aft.

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I used Floquil medium green on the vertical stabilizer, since photos often show this in a different color than the rest of the plane--plus it adds some interest.  Somewhere I read that this was because that part was subcontracted.

Noteworthy also is the placement of the aircraft letter "E," which is offset toward the rudder.

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A somewhat fuzzy photo of the real "Sal" from port aft led me to think that she was equipped with the enclosed, three-window waist positions, so I used Squadron's vacu-formed part here.  Also interesting is the placement of the fuselage aircraft letter "E," since it is located in a different position on the starboard side.

Below are two views of the port nose.  "Sal" carried her artwork on the starboard side, unlike many Fortresses.  From other photos, this seems to have been typical of the 100th Bomb Group.

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Once again, I'll do a separate posting to prevent this one from becoming too long and cumbersome.

First is an overhead photo.  I used an elderly bottle of Floquil military paint, ANA 613, for the OD, and PYN-up decals for markings.  The OD turned out quite a bit darker than I wanted.

I ran a dark, dark brown pinwash into the panel lines, and applied engine exhaust stains with pastels I obtained from my artistic daughter.  I pounded them to powder with a hammer, and applied with a cheap brush.

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The underside was also Floquil neutral gray, with Model Master neutral gray on the control surfaces.  I don't know if these faded so much, since photos aren't so easy to find but it provides some contrast.

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Once again, I'll start another posting to prevent picture overload.

Finally, before the end of the year, I managed to finish this project, "Our Gal Sal," a B-17G from the 100th Bomb Group.

First, a little history of the station.

Thorpe Abbotts

The airfield was originally constructed during 1942 and early 1943 as a satellite base for RAF Horsham.  As the US 8^th AAF arrived in Britain, both were turned over to the Americans, and Thorpe Abbotts, Station 139,  became home to the 100^th Bomb Group and all its squadrons:  349, 350, 351 (“Sal’s” squadron) and 418.  The group arrived on 9 June, 1943 and remained there until December, 1945, when the base was returned to the RAF, and used until April 1956.  From 15 June, 1942 till 10 April, 1945, the 100^th Bomb Group flew 306 missions from there.

Interestingly, for those with a paranormal inclination, shortly after bombing missions commenced to Berlin, group personnel began reporting the presence of an apparition, dressed in full flight gear, who could pass through walls. Some of the airmen began taking carbines to bed with them for protection against “Eddie the Ghost.”  Eventually, the base commander issued orders forbidding conversations about “Eddie,” under penalty of court martial.  Infrequent sightings of “Eddie” are said to continue  to this day.

Currently, Thorpe Abbotts Station 139 has been largely returned to agricultural usage.  The tower survives and houses a museum to the “Bloody 100^th.”

Thorpe Abbotts is the name of a nearby village, located in the county of Norfolk.

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The 100th Bomb Group flew its first mission on 25 June, 1943 and its last on 20 April, 1945.  The group racked up 306 missions in total during the war--of which "Our Gal Sal" participated in 235.

Her original crew was led by 2nd Lt. Robert J. Schoens.  Lt. Schoens completed 24 missions with "Sal."

By the time of "Sal's" sixtieth mission, she her crew was commanded by 2nd Lt. Ronald Cumming.  The markings on my "Sal" model show her having completed mission 60, according to the decal sheet information.  This mission, Villacoublay airfield,  took place on 11 August, 1944.

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"Sal's" 61st mission, when she might have been displaying her 60 mission symbols, was on 14 August, 1944, to Ludwigshaven.  Her crew was then commanded by 2nd Lt. Donald N. Ellison. 

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To keep from overloading one post with pictures, I'll continue with another one.  Thanks for looking.

Nice to see your still at it Helo. Looking forward to some pics.

I finally got around to re-airbrushing the top and underside of the wings on my P-51D , where I removed the botched wing decal white strip .

I'll try decalling again first thing tomorrow .

                    John .

Bish

Sorry to hear youv'e not been well Helo. hope its nothing to serious and youyr feeling better. As for the P-512, feel free to carry on posting pics on here, even after the end of Nov. I am sure Checkmate will like the company. I will just add them to the round up as and when.

Yeah, it'll be mighty lonely being "tail-end Charlie."  Stick around, Helo.

Sorry to hear youv'e not been well Helo. hope its nothing to serious and youyr feeling better. As for the P-512, feel free to carry on posting pics on here, even after the end of Nov. I am sure Checkmate will like the company. I will just add them to the round up as and when.

My appoligies Bish , for not finishing my 1/72 P-51D "Old Crow"

I haven't been well the past week or so and I don't think I'll finish before the end of the November .

Thank's for having me on board and hosting the GB , all the finished models on page 1 are awesome .

All the best .

               John .

That rear gun position has turned out very nice indeed check. never though of coating tissue in super glue. Nice job.

Its been a pleasure haveing you on board, and even though the GB is officially over, but i don't think anyone will complain if it keeps going with the on going builds.

Thanks for hosting this group build, Bish.  It's been fun--plus clearing out the backlog on kits.  Don't know when I'd have gotten to the Fortresses, if I hadn't been motivated by this.

It's pretty obvious I won't be finished with "Our Gal Sal" by the end of the build, but I'll keep at her.  Have made some progress.

I mentioned earlier that the entire sprue with the Boeing-installed tail turrent pieces was missing (guns and backing plate).  Fortunately, the clear fuselage sides of the turret where there, so I improvised.

I glued some plastic card stock in the back, then stuffed the opening with tissue.  Once I had that poked into reasonable shape, I soaked it with thin superglue.  After it dried, I drilled out two holes for the machine gun barrels (which were in the kit, intended for the Cheyenne turret).  I've never drilled kleenex before.

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I painted the clear parts with a dark green to represent the interior colour, and everything is about ready to put neutral gray (grey?) on the undersurfaces, hopefully before the weekend is out.

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I think by the time it's painted with OD, and maybe given a wash of something, it will look acceptable.

Thanks again for the GB!

Lovely looking build bob. And its been a pleasure to see some amazing models in this GB.

I will do a round up thread in the aircraqft forum next weekend. Any that get finished after that will be added as and when.

Very fine looking Mustang, Bob.  Nice going on the NMF.

Hey all-

Here are the finished (at least I'm calling it finished) P-51D.  Again, it's the 1/48 Monogram kit-not a bad kit.  Next time I'll know what areas to focus a bit more time and attention.

Bish-again, thanks for hosting a great GB.  Look forward to building with you folks again.

Cheers

Thiught i better bump this up from page 3 so those still building don't think i have forgotten about it.

Well will deffinatly be keeping an eye on that build.

I have the Super Rabbit decal sheet, using that as the base for the group markings, then customizing decals for The Latest Rumor.  She was an impressive ship, flew 126 missions over 17 months in the 8th AF, a lot of history, markings and wear and tear that I can hopefully capture accurately.  Here she is below, with my father-in-law, Jack Ford, as her tail gunner top row far left.

OK, Bish, I'll take it from the website, and save you some trouble.  Thanks for pointing it out.

lewbud. No worries. Interesting what you say about the Academy B. I have been after a 72nd P-51B kit but not sure which one to go for. Nice to here it getting a thumbs up.

As of now, the GB is officially closed. I will wait a month to allow any kits under way to be finished off, then i will do a GB rounded up. We should be all done by then.

If i have this right, lewbud, Helo, checkmateking and i think bobbaily are currently building. If i have missed anyone out please let me now.