Aircraft-Baa, Baa, Blacksheep Group Build May 1, 2005 to Sept 1, 2005

Speaking of Robert McClurg, I was able to finangle (sp) some autographs off Evilbay that included him, Bill Heier, Bruce Matheson and Harry Johnson at the 2002 Celebrate Freedom Festival. The program should make a nice set piece to go with the kits when I actually do finish them! ;-p Calvin

I doubt Pappy would have made it in a peace time Corps, but like you said, he was the perfect man for the job at the time.

Thanks for the research Oscar. There is a Mythos around the Black Sheep, much like the AVG Flying Tigers. At the time, we needed heros & we got them.

Regards, Rick

Further research:
BuNo 17883, an F4U-1A, in December 1943, also flown by Bob McClurg
Pappy got 1 Zeke for his 25th kill on 12/27/43 in this bird.

In "On Boyingon's WIng" By Lt Col Robert McClurg, The script looks like Lucy Belle, not Lulu Belle.Bruce Gamble also confirms "Lucy Belle". By the way some of the kill flags are on backward! The famous picture was taken "hundreds" of miles from the front on the island of Espiritu Santo 11/26/43. 20 victory flags 14 VMF 214 and 6 AVG.
Most documented Corsairs flown while Boyington was in command were F4U-1,FG-1 or F4U-1A
F4U-1 02723 was lost 1/3/44 with Capt Ashmun (MIA). This was the same battle were Boyington was shot down and captured (Bu 17915)
Some a/c had the taping around the main tank.
On page 429 of Bruce Gamble's "The Black Sheep" he gives a table ov the operational losses with Bu #'s
Pappy's final tally? No one will ever know for sure between 23 and 28 is a good guess. Official USMC oringinally gave him 28, but is being reviewed.
There are 4 well documented and researched books about the BlackSheep.
1. "The Black Sheep" Bruce Gamble
2. "Black Sheep One" Bruce Gamble
3. "Once They were Eagles" Frank E. Walton
4. "On Boyington's Wing" Robert McClurg.
Then of course is "Baa Baa Black Sheep" by Pappy. A good read, but not the most historically accurate.
One should read all these books to get a feeling of the life of the men of VMF 214.
VMF-214 lives on today as a Harrier Squadron. I shared a ride to a hotel after an airshow with 2 current pilots. Pappy would be as proud of them today as he was in WWII. For all his faults, Pappy was a hero, and to a man his former men would follow him today.

Hopefully my crates of belongings from Japan will get here b4 the end of the month so I can start. Got the decals & AM stuff ordered and waiting.May have to order some other supplies, though (paint 'n such). - Calvin

For those of you building a birdcage Corsair for the Black Sheep. There was a "Spirit of '76" I think John Bolt, or McClurg flew it. I'll try to post a pic when I get home. I know of no decals for this kit, but these birds had very simple markings, basically the Bu numbers and the generic stencils. Good luck to all. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone's work!

bert i believe the markings in the box are the "86".



joe

Joe, I ordered the Tamiya 1/48 F4U-1A kit. If it has the "86" decals, I'll be laughing but I really wanted to use AM decals for this project. Maybe I'll have to piece together markings from the spares box and my collection of number/letter sheets.

bert which kit did you order again? some of them have the "86" decals as an option.


i wouldnt make any decisions till you see what is in the box.



joe

I checked several sources as well & while there are a lot of Corsair decals available, Not very many with specific VMF-214 aircraft. Found several for VF-17 though .

Regards, Rick

Gentlemen, I have some not so great news to report. The decals I ordered from Eagle Strike have turned out to be sold out. Just when I thought all was right with the world. ( The kit, however, is on the way.) I'll try one more time to find something, anything at my LHS but it's really looking like I'll have to widthdraw from this GB.

I was at the last full reunion of the Black Sheep in Indianapolis. The Gathering of Corsairs. Bruce Gamble spoke, and said that Boyington never flew 86. We are lucky we know which U-bird he was in when he was shot down. They just did not keep good records. Get Bruce's books he did years of research and knows as much as the men who were there. He puts to rest some pretty big myths about Boyington and the Black Sheep, but also portrays them as the heroes they are.

Thanks Joe.

Regards, Rick

rick #86 is in. although a publicity bird it does fit in on the intent of the build.


joe

Oscardeuce, Thanks for the feedback. I've done a little more research as well & am quite sure #86 was an F4U-1A. At the time, Maj. Boyington was the CO of VMF-214, but VMF-214 had no aircraft assigned so they flew whatever was available. Whether Boyington actually flew #86 in combat or if it was set up for publicity purposes only, I haven't found a good answer. In any case, #86 is the only aircraft I have decals for that was supposedly a VMF-214 bird. I'm not going to try & track down other markings or kits at this stage, so I'll leave it up to Joe as to whether #86 qualifies for this GB.

Joe, if you are following this discussion, I need a ruling on #86. If it doesn't meet your intent, I'll have to withdraw, so let me know .

Regards, Rick

From the same site,
Corsair Numbers
For what it's worth, it is known that Pappy Boyington flew the following Corsairs:
BuNo 18086, an F4U-1A, in November 1943, or he at least sat in it for the photos
BuNo 17740, an F4U-1A, in December 1943, used in "baseball" photo session
BuNo 17883, an F4U-1A, in December 1943, also flown by Bob McClurg
BuNo 17915, an F4U-1A, January 3, 1944, lost on Boyington's last mission
What was their ultimate disposition? Number 915 definitely wound up at the bottom of St. George's Channel; the others were almost certainly scrapped. Only a handful of Corsairs survived.
I'm going to try to do 915, but I have the decals for the famous "86"

http://www.acepilots.com/usmc_boyington3.html
In The Black Sheep, Bruce Gamble describes a typical scene at VMF-214's flight line, before a mission in the pre-dawn hours:

Those scheduled for flights piled onto a vehicle--often a sagging, overloaded jeep, perhaps a larger weapons carrier--for a ride down to the flight line. The pilots did not have preassigned Corsairs. No one, including Boyington, had a personal airplane. Instead the jeep rolled down the line past the revetments, where an enlisted plane captain waiting by each Corsair signaled either "thumbs up" or "thumbs down." In the dark he used a hooded flashlight. If the signal was affirmative, a pilot jumped from the jeep and climbed in; if the plane was grounded, the jeep simply rolled to the next plane in line.
Bruce Matheson later remarked on the informalities. "Off you'd go with no idea what the tail numbers were, whose squadron [the aircraft] belonged to, nothing. They were just airplanes, there to be flown. Looking back on it, the absence of record-keeping was unbelievable. We kept our own log books. There were no Yellow Sheets. There was no such thing as writing down anything, when you came back from a hop, which had to do with maintenance. When you came back, some young kid naked to the waist would bring you in, put chocks under it and say, "What about it?" You'd say, "It's okay," or "fix the radio," and walk away from it."

rick you are right. my understanding is that the "86" aircraft was a publicity a/c. the birds of the blacksheep were -a's, but you are also right that the -a's and the 'd's were distinguished by the weapon pylons. the -a's didnt have them. with that being said the "86" was to my understanding still considered to be a bird of the blacksheep squadron.


steve you are most welcome to join.


joe

Boyington never flew "Lulu Belle"/"Lucy Belle. Those were just publicty photos. I think that bird was from another squadron and just happened to be there. If I remember correctly VMF 214 really did not have "squadron" aircraft. The pilots flew what ever would fly that day. I've never seen enough of the aircraft to tell the exact model. I'll check my references. I have Bruce Gamble's 2 books on the Black Sheep. They are by far the best and most researched treatment of the squadron. McClurg's "On Boyington's Wing" os also an invaluable read. I think about 10 of Boyington's Black Sheep Survive today.

I would like to join this build. I have an Academy F4U-1D on hand. I still need to explore the aftermarket world for other goodies (PE, decals, etc.).

Need a little help guys. When this GB was announced, I had a Tamiya 1/48 F4U-1D kit & an Eagle Strike decal sheet with markings for Boyington's white 86 "Lulubelle" which was referenced as a 1D on the sheet. But, with the start of this GB getting closer, I started doing some research & find other references which state that white 86 was actually a F4U-1A. The major differences between the A & D were the addition of two underwing pylons, for drop tanks or ordinance, & the addition of underwing rocket stubs allowing 4 rockets per wing on the D. I haven't been able to find any pics that would allow me to verify one or the other, but I am inclined to think that the aircraft was an A, not a D. The kit can be built as an A by simply leaving off the 2 underwing pylons & the rocket stubs, and the decal markings seem to be correct regardless. If anyone has any definitive info on this aircraft, I'd sure appreciate the feedback.

Regards, Rick

jabbe i feel for you. my wife will look at my orders, when they total over a hundred she knows where i am ordering from.


joe

QUOTE: Originally posted by fightnjoe http://squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=TD72025 here you go. from squadron. joe

ok, so, I was going to buy these wheels, but there's a $10 minimum order! I'll have to search for something I need, but the girlfriend is not going to be happy.

I just need to get a few more aftermarket items and I will be ready to go.

QUOTE: Originally posted by fightnjoe ok everyone there is approximately one month till this kicks off. joe

All kit, aftermarket detail sets & decals in place & ready to go. Just watching the calendar for the kick-off date.

Regards, Rick

I think I got a good deal on the 1/32 Trumpeter F4U-1D on Ebay. $32+10 s/h. There were still a few.

Well, I've got the decals and the kit ordered. So, assuming I get what I ordered, I'll be ready.

ok everyone there is approximately one month till this kicks off.



just a reminder.


joe

glad i could help.



joe

Awesome! Thanks. I suppose you just have to know where to look.

Thanks again,

Joshua