Battle of Midway Aircraft Group Build

OK-- she's done! But first a history lesson...

I have modeled this one after the ride of Lt. Richard "Dick" Best- who commanded VB-6 during the Battle of Midway. Despite a nearly disasterous instance of miscommunication, they succeeded in under 10 minutes in destroying 4 of Japan's biggest carriers and overturning the balance of power in the Pacific dramatically.

Air Group Commander Wade McCluskey had been a fighter group commander up until just before Midway--and was unaware of dive bomber doctrine. Standard practice called for McClusky to take the lead squadron (VS-6) across the fleet to the far carrier of the two he had decided to attack and allow the second squadron (VB-6) simultaneously to strike the near carrier. Instead, McClusky dived on the first carrier he saw, which was Kaga.

He had ordered Best to take the far carrier Akagi over the radio before his dive, but Best did not receive the messages...one of many radio problems that day. So McCluskey dove on Kaga, nearly missing Best who was about to start his dive....so Best switched his dive to Akagi and scored a hit. He also went out later in the day on the attack on Hiryu.

This was his aircraft:

Jeeves awesome build buddy, love the weathering

Tom thanks for the walkaroundthe undercarriage is very interesting.......
BTW if we Aussies make a start on this around the world GB soon it should be summer by the time it gets to you
So are we doing the hobbycraft / idea 109G, and if so what colour scheme

Jeeves Looks fantastic mate
Well done!

Jeeves Great build mate. The weathering looks just right.

Jules The hobbycraft kits sounds like a good idea. What's that kit look like BTW? How's the detail level? As for the scheme, anything would be fine. I suppose it's really up to what the person who does the painting thinks they are capable of. Those 109's had some crazy schemes.

Tom Thanks for that walkaround. I've been looking for a good walkaround of a zero, that'll help me heaps.

Tom-thanks for the link. One never knows when the need will arise to build another Dauntless.....

Great looking build Jeeves

Thad

Jeeves-great job. Weathering is impressive.

Thanks guys... now I just need to work on my pic taking skills

looked good to me Mike!!!

To the parties interested in doing the round the world thing... maybe let whoever gets it paint it in a valid scheme for that aircraft... since I wont get to mask the canopy can whoever sends it to me put a spare of whatever type in the box and let me mask it? haha... ok the fever is getting to me... I think another brilliant idea would be to include a little something from where you live for the next person... now for all you down under this may seem a bit silly... hmmm wait... how about instead of forwarding the model with the bit of memoribilia to the next person, send the model on and send something BACK to the person who sent it to you!! Ok sounds like Jules has the kit... so he would get something back from either Texas or Canada (whomever is last)... Daniel gets it next let's say.. he sends a NSW footie sticker back to Jules ... and so on... it could be like a round robin thing... one person gets the kit, the person before gets a postcard or whatever... if it's to complicated let me know but I think it sounds fun!!!

or better yet, postcard arent expensive to mail.. we could send one to all the other members of our team so we see what it looks like where we live!!!

I could even send a postcard of the Texas Jackalope! It's a rabbit that grows horns like deer almost...

Is that thing real mate?!!! If it is, it's the craziest thing I've seen in a while.

Your idea sounds good too. I like the postcard one the best....

If we're gonna start this thing soon, does someone want to start the GB thread up? We'll get Jules to post some pics of the kit up so we can see what we're in for. If we start it in a few weeks, it should get to Tom and Dave in about 3 or 4 months.

This round the world thing will be great!!!

You guys do realise the thread will involve ALOT of rambling between postage stops!!!!

Now all we have to do is nominate who will do what.

I say we also make a wooden box lined with foam for freight purposes, whatcha reckon?

I agree that we'll need something solid to post the thing in. The last person to get it will be responsible for installing all the small finishing details, so it won't need to be anything too fancy. Just something to protect it from knocks and shocks while in transit.

As for nominating jobs for people, here's a list so you can choose what you want:

-Cockpit
-Assembly
-Filling & sanding
-painting
-Decalling
-Weathering (includes flat coating?)
-Finishing (includes detail painting and final assembly)

How's that look? Did I miss anything? I'd like to do the cockpit, but if anyone else wants to, they can. And, seeing as though it's Jules kit, maybe he can do the finishing and the keeps it at the end.

Got my SBD a/b with future last night so maybe in a few days I will have a finished bird.

Hey Tom Over here in East Texas we have a big infestation of Jackalopes. The only thing that keeps them from staying under the house are the paint fumes from the model room.:)

thad

Thad

Daniel - one thing about Texas is that it is big... and our stories are just as big... (from what I understand one thing we here have in common with you Ausses! Maybe thats why we get along so well?) it's a stuffed rabbit with antlers glued on... but it does make for a good legend here!!

Thad - have you ever been bit by a Jackalope? I've heard those things can turn on you in a second! We only have the Eastern Timber Jackalopes here, they're a bit smaller than the ones out your way.

As far as the round the world GB, has anyone gotten in touch with Karl from over int he BoB GB? Would love to see him in on this as well.. would add another continent it traveled to.

As far as who does what, I don't want to do the weathering really, just getting my hand into that.. I could handle cockpit, final assembly or decaling quite well... if I had to I would do the weathering, just know so many here that do it so much better! And as Jules has the kit he could start it and finish it, that way he gets to keep it...

The only thing I would worry about the wooden box is the shipping charges, it's about $29 US for 5.5 lbs. as long as we kept it around there it should be ok! What about one of those plastic containers? the snap tite lid type? I know they sell them as big as a coffin here down to small enough for a book of matches to fit in.

Tom I still have a bad limp from the last run in I had with them.

Thad

Jeeves: Great build on a great aircraft. Way to go

As for the round the world build thing the one thing I would mention is the painter and the decal guy have to get together on the scheme for obvious reasons. I had mentioned I would like to do the decaling but I'm open to other suggestions. Whatever makes logical sense in the mailing order. No sense in it crossing the pacific or atlantic more than it needs to, wouldn't want more chatter than is neccessary now would we . The post card thing sounds great Tom.

I forgot you had mentioned that, I guess then I'll do weathering and send it to Jules from there... who wants to take charge on this one and make it official?

---edit---

Kremps wanted in on this, but she is on holiday in Bucharest resting after a tour of Transylvania at the moment; and feels the package wouldn't arrive in time before her departure for Prague.

I suppose I will take charge and post the thread right now. It is now official. Now you all have a new place to ramble and talk about Kremps.

got it Daniel, and you have your first post!!! I;ll try to email Karl and see how he feels about it.. if not Osher might be a good person to ask!

OK we are definatly gonna have to do some major yakking to sort this out

BTW i like the box idea, lucky i'm a little handy so i'll knock one up out of pine

You'll need a carbon fibre box to get the thing to the end in one piece mate. It'd also be lighter to save postage costs. How are you with composite fibres?!!! Maybe a plastic one would be better......

In the past I have used (with success) a decent cardboard box lined with styrofoam and packed with cotton batting. I think thats what its called, you know the light fluffy stuff - the stuff Kremps sticks in her... ah never mind. All the fiddly breakable parts like pitot tube and stuff won't be put on until the very last so packing really shouldn't be an issue.

sounds like a plan!!! I think that would be sufficient to hold it as long as Kremps doesn't get ahold of it! We could keep the pitot tubes etc in zip lock bags once they come off the sprue..

sounds like a plan fellas the stuff i have sent from Melbourne always comes in a tightly packed cardboard box and i've never had any broken bits...........

Jules - I get my stuff from Canada like that without probs... and my dad orders whole pallets of stuff from Pakistan and Greece and wherever all the time and it always comes out ok... (even got a case of soda without one burst in the whole box!)

Oh yeah - here's my zero being futured, still not satisfied witht he green tint (which is greener than the pic shows) but plan to get the Hasegawa A6M2 or the 1/32 Tamiya one (not the $400.00 US Tamiya one though) in the meantime I will find what I feel is a better shade... I need to reread that j-aircraft article on the paint because it gave the RLM color they felt it was based on.

anyway here it is:

Looks very nice Tom. I'm very dissapointed though mate, you're going off topic.....This is the discussion group for planning the around the world GB, and you go and show pics of a Zero used at Midway.......

I don't know what got hold of me... I should know if it doesn't have to do with Kremps or the Round the world GB then it is verbotten here... I'll try to do better haha

Looks like she is coming together nicely Tom

Thad

Thanks Thad! Hopefully I don't mess this one up like I just did to my Stuka... (spilled Microsol on the decal sheet)

It's looking mighty fine Tom
And sorry to hear about the Microsol mishap, you may have to tell "kremps" no monkey buisness in the model room, y'know just to avoid any more mishaps