First Annual USAF Vietnam Group Build

Speaking of scratch building....

One of the big things that will have to be scratch built is what I'll call the "Talon compartment". A little background first...

There were two of us ECM techs for the 4 C-130s and the 4 C-123s. We were officially assigned to 1st Flight Detachment but the 90th SOS inherited all the maintenance responsibilities when the 15th SOS left, so we worked for them. The 90th had its own techs for the Black Crow system, FLIR, LLLTV and special coms systems. We took care of the TRIM 7 and TRIM 9 systems plus the RHAW equipment, except the scopes on the consoles.  We didn't have a "need to know" to enter the Talon compartment. But they gave us a tour just once. I'm basing my layout of the compartment on that one quick glimpse and it's a fuzzy recollection.

As I remember it, there were two rows of consoles inside the cargo bay just behind the flight deck. There was a bulkhead separating the Talon compartment from the rest of the cargo area with a doorway in the center. The doorway was covered by a curtain. We began our tour through this door.

As you entered, there were two consoles, one on either side. I'm pretty sure one was for the special coms operator and one was for the EWO. I don't remember which one was which but I'm going to go with coms on the left (looking forward) and EWO on the right.

There was a walkway between the two consoles and that led to the FLIR/LLLTV and Black Crow consoles. These were situated along the forward cargo bulkhead just behind the flight deck. They were side by side to the right of the access door from the flight deck and forward hatch.

The original Talon aircraft were eventually upgraded to the Talon I. The pictures below show a Talon I aircraft with a single equipment console just behind the flight deck bulkhead. Apparently, they were able to consolidate the four original consoles into one by the time they did the upgrade. More about the consoles later.

Cheers,

Russ

Thanks for the great information Russ!  You know how I just eat this stuff up!   

Ken

YW, bud . I'm on shaky ground here but I'm going with my gut feeling...ahh...memory .

Russ

Hi Everyone,

I painted the mechanical up latch.  I also painted the tail hook since I had the paint in the airbrush already.  I used Model Master Metalizer buffing Titanium.  I like to let it dry overnight before I buff it.  Here they are:

So I will be buffing tomorrow.  I have to work tomorrow as well, so I am not going to get as much done at the workbench as I had originally hoped.

Ken

Hi Everyone!

Great news!  Anyone who knows me knows how much I love the Voodoo.  (You can probably tell by my avatar.)  I just discovered that Kitty Hawk has announced plans to build all versions of the Voodoo in 1/48 scale!!  Here is a link to a first look:

http://www.hyperscale.com/2013/reviews/kits/kittyhawkpreview_5.htm 

Happy, happy!!  Joy, joy!!

Ken

Man, that looks nice, Ken! And they are going to market the whole family? How many versions are there?

Great news, bud!

Russ

Striker8241

Man, that looks nice, Ken! And they are going to market the whole family? How many versions are there?

Great news, bud!

Russ

According to Rowan Baylis from Aeroscale, "The F-101A pictured here is set to be just one of a whole family of Voodoo kits".

That is all the information out right now.

There were several versions made of the Voodoo but the major versions were:

F-101A / RF-101G: F-101A released 5/2/1957 and withdrawn starting 1966.  It was fitted with 4 20mm M39 cannons in the nose.  The F-101A was powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney J57-P-13 turbojets.  A total of 77 were built.  29 survivors converted to RF-101G with a modified nose (cannons removed) to house a camera and served in the Air National Guard through 1972.

RF-101A: Entered service May 1957.  Long nose variant to house up to six cameras. A total of 35 were built.  Same airframe as the F-101A.

F-101C / RF-101H: Improved F-101A, had a 500 lb. heavier structure to allow 7.33-g maneuvers and revised fuel system to increase time in afterburner.  Released later in 1957.  A total of 47 were produced.  Also withdrawn starting in 1966 with 32 being converted to RF-101H with a modified nose to house a camera and served in the Air National Guard through 1972.

RF-101C:  Entered service in 1958 using the same airframe as the F-101C.  Long nose variant to house up to six cameras.  A total of 166 were built.  Nicknamed the "Long Bird", it was the only version to see combat.  Used during the Cuban Missile Crisis and entered into the Vietnam conflict in October 1961.  It served in Vietnam until November 1970.  Continued service in USAF through 1979.

F-101B / CF-101B: Entered service 1/5/1959.  It had a 2 man cockpit, and the forward fuselage was larger and more rounded to house the Hughes MG-13 fire control radar.  Instead of the 4 M39 cannons the earlier versions had, the F-101B carried 4 AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles on a rotating pallet in the fuselage weapons bay.  The F-101B used a pair of more powerful engines, the Pratt & Whitney J57-P-55, which had much longer afterburners than the J57-P-13s, and they were allowed to extend out the fuselage by almost 8 ft.  There were a total of 479 F-101Bs manufactured.  The Canadian version of the F-101B was designated the CF-101B.

F-101F / CF-101F: Basically a F-101B with dual controls used as a trainer.  A total of 79 were built.  The Canadian version was designated CF-101F.

RF-101B: Twenty two CF-101Bs that were returned to the USAF and converted to RF-101Bs.  The radar was removed in the nose and a camera was adapted.  Also the weapons bay was removed and replaced by a camera package.  In service from early 1970s through 1975.

Ken

Wow, good information, Ken! Thanks!  

Russ

Hi Everyone,

Well since I worked yesterday I had to squeeze my regular weekend chores into one day today and I am just now getting done.  I am wore out.

I did have a chance to score a few nice lithographs on eBay though!  Here is what I got:

Pretty happy with the lot.  Now I will have to buy frames for them!

Ken

Wow! Nice scores, Ken!  I especially like the one with the B-52s . C5 is cool too. Does anybody make a 1/72 scale C-5 model?

Russ

Striker8241

Wow! Nice scores, Ken!  I especially like the one with the B-52s . C5 is cool too. Does anybody make a 1/72 scale C-5 model?

Russ

Actually Russ, yes, Anigrand Craftswork makes a resin 1/72 kit of the C-5B:

http://anigrand.com/AA9001_C-5B.htm 

It is a bit pricy at $328 plus $52 shipping but it is a HUGE kit.  When completed it measures 41 inches long with a wingspan of 37 inches!

I do have this in my stash.  When I build this the only place I could put it when finished would be suspended from my ceiling!

Ken

Looks pretty plain for that price.

Striker8241

Looks pretty plain for that price.

Here is a better view of the kit:

http://www.hyperscale.com/2010/reviews/kits/anigrandaa9001reviewpb_1.htm 

You can also get it at a better price on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-72-Anigrand-LOCKHEED-C-5-B-GALAXY-Transport-/400485197447?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item5d3ec72687 

$325 + $20 for shipping.

Ken

Thanks for the information, Ken. I wasn't thinking about buying one - I was just curious if there was one marketed. Man, that could easily take a year to build if you detailed it .

Russ

Striker8241

Thanks for the information, Ken. I wasn't thinking about buying one - I was just curious if there was one marketed. Man, that could easily take a year to build if you detailed it .

Russ

Yes, and it would definitely fill up your workbench!   

Ken

Hi Everyone,

I finally had some time to spend at the workbench tonight.  I buffed the Metalizer that I had painted earlier on the mechanical up latch and tail hook.  Here is how they turned out:

Not near as shiny as your F-4D Marty, but that is all I can get out of it.  I think they must have used Turtle Wax on that F-4D!

Next I will start back on the front wheel bay and add the wash to bring out the detail.

Ken

Cool, Ken! Definitely looks metallic. What do you use to buff such small parts?

Russ

Striker8241

Cool, Ken! Definitely looks metallic. What do you use to buff such small parts?

Russ

Hi Russ,

On the larger areas I use a Q-Tip, and for the smaller areas I use a Microbrush:

These come in three different sizes; regular, fine, and the one shown here, super fine.  They are meant to be used for applying glue or paint but they work pretty good for buffing in tight places too!

You can get them in most hobby stores, Amazon.com, eBay, etc.

Ken

Good info, Ken! Thanks!

Russ

Striker:  That is some great info and images on the Talon.  I'm doing a first time scratch of an EW station in an A-3 right now, but I'm guessing my pitiful first time efforts will pale compared to yours.

Ken,  I saw that announcement on the Kitty Hawk 101 a couple of weeks ago, and it convinced me to pull the trigger on some decals I ran across a month or so ago.  I'm betting that you might be interested too:  

http://www.canuckmodels.com/

Check out the Voodoo Special Schemes.  I had purchased the Revellogram 416 Lynx One boxing and so had an interest in that version, but the others on the sheets are pretty awesome too.  I'm really digging Lark One. 

I need to get some shots of the EF 101B  CAF # 58-0300 (All Black). I found out it is part of the museum at my local airport.(MSP) I'm there about every week, but never have taken the time to stop in and see the sights!

And my bad news is that my Verlinden ordnance came in for my F-100.  Anybody going to object to me putting 1/72 snake-eyes on a 1/48 bird?  What is the difference of 22 between friends???

OOPS!  

MAgather

Striker:  That is some great info and images on the Talon.  I'm doing a first time scratch of an EW station in an A-3 right now, but I'm guessing my pitiful first time efforts will pale compared to yours.

Ken,  I saw that announcement on the Kitty Hawk 101 a couple of weeks ago, and it convinced me to pull the trigger on some decals I ran across a month or so ago.  I'm betting that you might be interested too:  

http://www.canuckmodels.com/

Check out the Voodoo Special Schemes.  I had purchased the Revellogram 416 Lynx One boxing and so had an interest in that version, but the others on the sheets are pretty awesome too.  I'm really digging Lark One. 

I need to get some shots of the EF 101B  CAF # 58-0300 (All Black). I found out it is part of the museum at my local airport.(MSP) I'm there about every week, but never have taken the time to stop in and see the sights!

Hi Marty,

Yes, the Canadians had some very colorful Voodoos.  I have seen an all black one before, it looked really cool!

Here is the RF-101C that I intend to do:

It was in the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron that went by the name "The Cotton Pickers".  It was the squadron that my Dad was in while we were stationed at Kadena AFB, Okinawa.

And here is the F-101F that I want to do:

It is from the 98th FIS while assigned at Suffolk County AFB New York.  It is another squadron my Dad was assigned to. 

Ken

Good looking Voodoo's. Was your father a pilot?

And oh by the way, super nice work on the tail hook.

That D was sure purdy. The Pilot - Maj Ed Cherry was involved with the group that founded the airpark. So I'm sure he had an extra incentive to make her look really good.  He actually reunited with the Vietnamese pilot he shot down a few years ago i nVietnam, wrote a book My Enemy, My Friend.  Then they got together for the dedication of the aircraft, and he got to sit in the aircraft that shot him down. 

MAgather

Striker:  That is some great info and images on the Talon.  I'm doing a first time scratch of an EW station in an A-3 right now, but I'm guessing my pitiful first time efforts will pale compared to yours.

~

Thanks, Marty. Don't bet on it, bud   I'm looking forward to seeing that A-3.

Russ

MAgather

Good looking Voodoo's. Was your father a pilot?

And oh by the way, super nice work on the tail hook.

That D was sure purdy. The Pilot - Maj Ed Cherry was involved with the group that founded the airpark. So I'm sure he had an extra incentive to make her look really good.  He actually reunited with the Vietnamese pilot he shot down a few years ago i nVietnam, wrote a book My Enemy, My Friend.  Then they got together for the dedication of the aircraft, and he got to sit in the aircraft that shot him down. 

Cool story Marty!  I like hearing stories like that.  I will have to look that book up.

And thank you for the compliments!  My Dad was a crew chief in both those squadrons. He later went to school to become a flight engineer on the C-141A and eventually the C-5A.

Ken

Marty,

You had a link to a video of the A-3. Did you take it out ? That's a great video BTW. Haven't heard the whine of those engines in a long time. I worked on the B-66 in Thailand and it was very similar to the A-3.

Cheers,

Russ

Striker8241

Marty,

You had a link to a video of the A-3. Did you take it out ? That's a great video BTW. Haven't heard the whine of those engines in a long time. I worked on the B-66 in Thailand and it was very similar to the A-3.

Cheers,

Russ

I didn't know you also worked on the B-66 Russ!  Very cool!  Another aircraft I can pick your brain about!

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Tonight I worked on putting the wash on the front wheel bay.  The first go around the gray was too light.  So I did it again with the next darker shade I had on the shelf (which was Flat Gull Gray) which was about perfect.  Those Aires wheel bays are so detailed!  I spent the entire evening wiping the excess wash off and I am still not done.  I will finish tomorrow.

Ken

Ahh well, I don't know this plane really well, Ken. I spent most of my time repairing receiver systems in the shop. Most of our equipment was in racks installed in the bomb bay. We had three models at Takhli: B, C and E as I recall. The C models were used to monitor and analyze enemy radar and communications signals. This was the one bristling with antennas. The other two carried mostly jamming equipment.

Cheers,

Russ

I'd like to enter with my AD-6 Able Dog, using the Douglas Skyraider A1-H, USAF 56th SOW.