Strategic Air Command GroupBulid

yardbird78 wrote:

That reminds me of a "war story" from Gulf War One.  A nearby college has a Marine ROTC unit that specializes in anti-tank activities.  They were notified of activation for the coming war and one of their members suddenly decided that he was a concientious objector and couldn't bring himself to kill his fellow religious devotees.  He had just "converted" to that religion the day before.  He refused to report with his unit when they deployed to an east coast Marine base.  A few days later about 0200, several Marines woke him up at his off campus apartment and "escorted" him to the appropriate base.  When the media asked a Marine general about the "kidnapping", the general said that it most definately was not a kidnapping.  He said that a Marine was having difficulty in accomplishing his reporting and several of his fellow Marines, "assisted him in overcoming his difficulty!" Darwin, O.F.

lol! If i didn't know better, i woulda sworn you were talking about a Puerto Rican First Sergeant i once had! It sounds like something he would say!

TwelveAlpha wrote:

You know, I dont know without looking. It just stuck in my head that when I bought it, I figured out that it ought to hold about 100-120 pics depending on size. So thats whats still stuck in my head. You could be right though. Its a couple of years old, but it works fine. So far I've got SR71 tail art, U2 especially wheels, exhaust, B47, and C54 nose and tail markings. I'm going to spend some time on the voodoo too . . . I think I'd do one of them if I could find a good kit. Wish trumpeter made one.

Awesome! Have a great time! And they got Planes of Fame out here not far away in Chino. Pretty much most of what they have is WWII planes, but if i ever get any time off, i may have to pass on the favor!

Oh, and i am certainly looking forward to see you do the voodoo that you do so well! (ok, so i plagerized there a little bitlol)

Well, batting average here. The U2, almost inaccessible, and the photos I tried, black. Sorry.

SR71 didnt have a lot of art but decent pics

C54 . . . if they have it, its somewhere getting worked on. Not on display.

B47, or aardvark, or voodoo . . . then you got the hookup today. A really nice B17 engine pic in the mix.

Its been a long time since I was there and I forgot that the displays are more or less a continual work in progress. Some came out of the boneyard and went on display. Others are restored. Some, like the B17, are being restored slowly where they sit on display. The upshot of the unrestored is getting to see the original, unmuddied with colors and markings, even if theres rust, debris, and bird doo doo.

http://community.webshots.com/user/TwelveAlpha

Theres the SAC shots from today. If you happen to be a diesel nut, look at the Borg file too.

TwelveAlpha wrote:

Well, batting average here. The U2, almost inaccessible, and the photos I tried, black. Sorry.

No worries. It seems that's how it is, and when i have tried for photo opportunities in the past, the U-2s weren't very accessible for me either. I appreciate the effort though!

cdclukey wrote:

Heh-heh! I still tell my wife I outrank her because I had more TIS and TIG (we're both listed as buck sergeants) but you can imagine it does a whole lot of good. One friend told me, "I don't care if you were chief of staff when she made buck, if you think you're in charge you've lost your mind."

Yeah, sadly enough my wife still pulls rank on me at home. Sometimes it can be fun () and others it drives me nuts, and some days the only thing i can say is "yes, dear!"

lol! Yeah, i'm whooped!

DesertRat wrote:

yardbird78 wrote:  DesertRat wrote:  bondoman wrote: My friend Jim, an able Airman in a past life, is considering doing the new C-124. I'll prompt him to join this group. Bondoman Yeah, definately get him on board! And if you need any help, i gotta roll of duct tape and some rope ya can borrow! Hey, that's called "kidnapping"!  But, I guess it's OK if the police aren't looking.  Well, we got him but he keeps whining about the hancuffs, so I may have to build the C-124 myself! Darwin, O.F.  I choose to look at it as an aggressive form of recruitment

bondoman wrote:

DesertRat wrote:  yardbird78 wrote:  DesertRat wrote:  bondoman wrote: My friend Jim, an able Airman in a past life, is considering doing the new C-124. I'll prompt him to join this group. Bondoman Yeah, definately get him on board! And if you need any help, i gotta roll of duct tape and some rope ya can borrow! Hey, that's called "kidnapping"!  But, I guess it's OK if the police aren't looking.  Well, we got him but he keeps whining about the hancuffs, so I may have to build the C-124 myself! Darwin, O.F.  I choose to look at it as an aggressive form of recruitment

(pointing and laughing) hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

Thanks to DesertRat, I've got a chance here to post a little intelligent thinking, rare for me...

I'm going to build two airplanes for the GB. The first will be a C-54 Skymaster. Basically, I'm a 1/72 airliner guy who does military (mostly) in between commercial kits as he finds them. Some time back I picked up the Heller DC-6, which I thought went together really well, and just looked  like a real airplane, and did a United Mainliner with aftermarket decals.

Then, fastforward through military stuff, I bought another one, which came from eBay with (unadvertised) a set of engines, windows, and noradome nose parts, plus very aggressive chopping diagrams, to make a DC-4/C-54. Made by "Mullet Models", never heard of..

(insert redneck joke here but I'm not going there)

Goes to the shelf. But, why but for God's grace I found (really) this forum and I'm really happy to be corresponding with you all.

This airplane will be built by just butchering  the DC-6, substituting the Mullet stuff, plus some props from the box under the bench, and an all metal finish, using USAF decals from the old stuff binder. Any good color scheme ideas or decal sources are welcome news!

Here is the B-man's shop:

I'm sorry it's such a mess. No, really.

My real interest is reading, in addition to modeling. So, any model I do usually involves a lot of time on the www (isn't this cool) researching specific aircraft.

Airplane the second:

An F-82. Like I say, I'm not a single seater type, or single engine, and yes the F-101 mostly is two crew, I know. I need a nightfighter for the wall. Is that within SAC? If not, an arctic scheme out of Elmendorf sounds good.

Sorry for the blather. And I've got to go back to the shop to feed Airman Jim.

Bondoman

In the shop:

C-47 98% needs all the finicky little antennas and whiskers.

C-46 50 % waiting for the modeller to get off the damn web and paint it.

C-054 0%

F-82 much later, like September.

C-124 I hope he's still breathing till his card goes through.

DesertRat wrote:

bondoman wrote:  DesertRat wrote:  yardbird78 wrote:  DesertRat wrote:  bondoman wrote: My friend Jim, an able Airman in a past life, is considering doing the new C-124. I'll prompt him to join this group. Bondoman Yeah, definately get him on board! And if you need any help, i gotta roll of duct tape and some rope ya can borrow! Hey, that's called "kidnapping"!  But, I guess it's OK if the police aren't looking.  Well, we got him but he keeps whining about the hancuffs, so I may have to build the C-124 myself! Darwin, O.F.  I choose to look at it as an aggressive form of recruitment   (pointing and laughing) hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

Airman Jim tried to take a shortcut from the bars at Blythedale back to the AFB through a newly ( just then) restricted area. He walked into a clean, well lighted hangar with a black airplane with straight wings, and a lot of Air Police pointing 45's at his head, he thinks he remembers...

His Mama got back her weekly letter to him, stamped "AIRMAN INCARCERATED". She read this as she walked to the incinerator..

Bondoman,

You have been sniffing too much glue and paint lately.  You are almost as mixed up and spaced out as I am.  SAC supposedly played around with the F-82 as a long range escort for their bombers back in the early days of the command, (when Curt LeMay thought that he ran the entire Air Force from Offutt).  BTW, nice bunch of SAC airplanes on the back wall of your shop.

Darwin, O.F. 

yardbird78 wrote:

Bondoman, You have been sniffing too much glue and paint lately.  You are almost as mixed up and spaced out as I am.  SAC supposedly played around with the F-82 as a long range escort for their bombers back in the early days of the command, (when Curt LeMay thought that he ran the entire Air Force from Offutt).  BTW, nice bunch of SAC airplanes on the back wall of your shop. Darwin, O.F.

Thanks, I managed to turn the B-58 right side up, too. Research about SAC F-82s brought up the 27th Fighter Escort Wing at Bergstrom AFB and the 27th Fighter Wing at Kearney AFB, at least according to Wikipedia. I don't pretend to understand the organizational chart for all of this, but it sounds as though the F-82H's sent up to Alaska were not part of SAC? Also, does anyone have or have an idea how I could get Microscale sheet 72-0183?

Bondoman

Plenty of SR-71 Tail art at this web site

http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/tail001.html

ALAN.

A-12/ U-2/SR-71

ajsr71u2 wrote:

Plenty of SR-71 Tail art at this web site http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/tail001.html ALAN.

Alan,

Thanks for posting that site about the SR tail art.  I did not about that one and it is fantastic.

Darwin, O.F. 

bondoman wrote:

Thanks to DesertRat, I've got a chance here to post a little intelligent thinking, rare for me...

I'm glad i could help! Now that ya got the pictures up and the badges, you are definately good to go!

It's a really nice collection of aircraft ya got mounted in your workshop! Really digging it! I've never in my life see anyone mount them to the walls like that though. Is there something unique you do to mount them on the hooks without causing damage?

It's a really nice collection of aircraft ya got mounted in your workshop! Really digging it! I've never in my life see anyone mount them to the walls like that though. Is there something unique you do to mount them on the hooks without causing damage?

Glad you checked it out, its worked really well for me with those monsters you see up there. I take a 2 foot or so piece of 15 lb test and tie the ends together with a NON slipping knot. Then I loop it over the rear of the aircraft and pull it back under the tail planes. leaves about a 9" or so loop that the plane can hang from, which I put over the hook in the pegboard. Or under, and up over the planes if there is a radio antenna up top. So when I want to get one down and run around the back yard making BLPpppppp-ing noises I can. I had to drill a little hole in the base of the fins of the Hustler and the Vulcan and add a little hook to the loop of line, but no big deal to me compared to I would never have the space for these to sit flat.

It also puts no weight on the landing gear, which is really a good deal. After this GB I'm going to have to move things around.

I did a bunch of research today trying to track down SAC C-54's. It seems as though of the 1000 or so built, SAC themselves only had about 10. They were assigned to Air Transport Unit wing, but I believe not a part of MATS and its various cousins, so not those markings. Sounds like another plain silver bird, with minimal markings from the scrap box. Any further info or contradiction is welcome.

Thanks again, D-Rat. I checked on the Airman and he's getting enough air to stay alive through the holes in that peg board. 

Bondoman

ajsr71u2 wrote:

Plenty of SR-71 Tail art at this web site   http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/tail001.html   ALAN. A-12/ U-2/SR-71

Outstanding! I'd welcome any knowledge about building an A-12. I've got a couple of articles, and a 1/72 Hasegawa SR-71 salted away but haven't gotten started yet, and won't for this GB.

lol! Well, i'm glad he's ok. I suppose his family might have a problem with you if he didn't survive his "apprenticeship"!

   That is an ingenious idea, i have to say. Like i said, i've never heard of any one doing it this way at all! I may have to remember that with some of my larger builds....

    Living in an apartment, space is kinda a premium for me. Now with my re entering the hobby after a loooooooooong break, i put some glass shelves up in my home office where i can stash my builds. Shelf space isn't really the problem for me, but rather the size of the models. My preference has always been 1/48. But with some of the bigger planes i have, i really doubt some would even fit up on the shelves.

   Now look at what ya got me doing!!!!!!!! You made me think! (Ouch! This hurts!)

Hi

 KIWI RESIN MODELS do both a 1/48th and 1/72nd scale coversion set for the A-12. OXCART.

I have the 1/48 set

New front with cockpit tub, ejector seat and two peice tail.  Refuelling receptical is also included and in the right location.  The nose profile is a little to flat on the top like the SR-71, where as the A-12 Is a bit humped due to the fusalage was tubular with the chines added after. 

Spoke to Dave at KIWI and the 1/72nd version was to far down the develpment line to correct this.9 I have not seen this set)

Dont know if you have seen the ROADRUNNERS INTERNATIONALE web site. This is a web site by the people who were at Groom Lake testing the U-2 / A-12 / YF12.

ALAN

Member ROADRUNNERS INTERNATIONALE, DRAGON LADY ASSOCIATION. 4080th SRW.

The Kiwi resin conversion sets are pretty nice, but at $35 for the 1/72 and $55 for the 1/48, they are a bit expensive.  I have the smaller one and the top and bottom nose cone are badly warped, barely useable.

Darwin, O.F.

Bondoman, Your C-45 looks very good.  And I like the wall of models you got.

Im finding more info on the Blackbird #976, she was the first SR-71 to be flown in operational missions on March 21,1968 in Viet Nam.  And she was the last Blackbird to be flown to a museum, she touched down at WPAFB in Dayton Ohio on Wednesday, March 27, 1990.  I just might need to find some good pictures of her (#976) tall artwork, and make some decals.  To put on my Blackbird.

http://www.habu.org/sr-71/17976.html 

I have some Voodoo photos on my web site that are from the McClellan museum, here:

http://yolo.net/~jeaton/century/101/101.htm

There are two pictures of 976 on this web site.

 http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/tail001.html

FeldMarSchall Model wrote:

Bondoman, Your C-45 looks very good.  And I like the wall of models you got. Im finding more info on the Blackbird #976, she was the first SR-71 to be flown in operational missions on March 21,1968 in Viet Nam.  And she was the last Blackbird to be flown to a museum, she touched down at WPAFB in Dayton Ohio on Wednesday, March 27, 1990.  I just might need to find some good pictures of her (#976) tall artwork, and make some decals.  To put on my Blackbird. http://www.habu.org/sr-71/17976.html

FMSM- as the obersturmbahnfurher or whatever of this GB, I submit to you a C-054, a F-82 , if time permits a C-45 which is in the stash, and an October surprise.

The gathering group of lockheed know its is great-ajsr, yardbird, D-rat, yourselfness and the newest. I put aside any notion of the A-12 for the future. my Loughead collextion is TWA L-749 NC91209, BOAC L-749 G-ALAM "Belfast", IAF C-130 4x-FTB "First into Entebbe" and an unbuilt Lodestar.

She's getting new props from a $ 0.99 bag of bits from eBay.

In the spirit of full disclosure, Airman Jim was released to his people.

Yours truly, with my father

Bondoman, sure thing.  A Douglas C-54 Skymaster and a F-82 will be added.

Ajsr71u2, Thanks for the site.  Nice pictures of tail artwork.

First off Bondoman, i gotta comment on the C-130 ya got on the shelf. That's an impressive build (not to mention size). Despite the markings from a different country, when i look at it, sometimes i can almost see that dreaded green light just a-glowing in the left and right troop doors! Smooth!

    On Airman Jim, awww i think ya let him off too soon, and i think ya blew it! After all, someone has to sweep and mop in and around the bench! Hopefully his loved ones paid a pretty decent ransom. If so, I've got some Arizona Beachfront property i'd like to sell ya!

   And the last picture with you and Dad, i think i've seen those planes before! If they're the two that usually tour the states, i remember seeing then on display out at Brackett Airfield not too far from here. Really great to see restored aircraft. I am a little confused though. The B-17G in the background. Do my eyes decieve me? Or is it in desert tan? And is that even right? Looks like a new paint job from here, as i look at it

You know, its funny about the B-17, I had not noticed that before. These two plus the B-25 way back in the photo belong to the Collings Foundation which has a good website w/info. Very good time going for a ride in the B-24- I guess it is more fun when it is voluntary and peaceful. That particular airframe was ex-Indian airforce; built from bits and pieces chopped up by the Brits when they left India in 1948.

Airman Jim is back in his house but he has become interested in this GB, and promises to keep the shop clean and lit and heated. He built a very nice Memphis Belle in 1/72 last year when his family and mine went to a beach house on Fathers day, his first aircraft model. He actually is a good source of info from his many years in USAF as an electronics guy on BUFFs and then the Tennessee ANG, where he flew in C-124s and C-130s. His plan is to buy the Anigrand C-124 and make me build it, so we will see.

I finished the C-47 this week, the C-46 will be next and then clear the table for the C-54. It involves chopping 3/4" out of the forward fuselage of the DC-6 and 1 1/4" out behind the wings, plus cutting out all of the rectangular windows and replacing them with ovals. I hope to have pictures up by the end of next week. I'm interested in any ideas abt decals and color schemes.

Bondoman

Ok I have some updates, the scale sizes for all aircraft are now 1/200 up to 1/32. 

Heres a list of what everyones doing, let me know if I mist your aircraft.

NorthAmerican F-82 TwinMustang, Bondoman 1/72 F-82 Twin Mustand

Douglas C-54 Skymaster, Bondoman 1/72 C-54 Skymaster

Lockheed U-2R, DesertRat 1/48 U-2R

Republic F-84 ThunderJet, Yardbird78 1/48 F-84F Thunderstreak

Boeing E-4 A/B Flying Command Post, R-CMan73 1/72 E-3 Heller/ mph34 1/72 E-3A AWACS

Rockwell B-1, Usaf Ssgt 1/48 B-1

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress R-CMan73 1/72 B-52

Convair B-36 Peacmaker Wirraway, 1/72 B-36 Peacmaker

Boeing B-47 Stratojet, FMModel 1/72 B-47E

Lockheed SR-71 BlackBird, FMModel 1/48 Blackbird 

Again if I mist your name of aircraft or scale let me know, and if your finished with yours.