Fleet Air Arm Group Build

Aaron, Thank you so much for all the great shots from the airshow!!!!! I downloaded quite a few of the close-ups for future ref. Was amazed at some of the stuff there! Glacier Girl being one of them! Also somebody caught my eye in one of your pics! Can anyone identify the person second from the right with the jacket over his shoulder?

He is an icon in the Warbird movement, and why Glacier Girl was there!

Darren.  CAG Sir.

Aaron Hasegawa 48th scale F-16N

CAG just 4 you B-day boy!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tOTSoJ83YDs

Happy Birthday Darren from Dee and I !!!!! We got all dressed up for the occassion!

 10 year old photo but I wanted to illustrate that the Army birth control glasses didn't work....

Darren!!!!

DARREN! And best wishes for many more... it sure beats the alternative!

Gent's- I've discovered a new pastime!: modeling at the bench!

New project goes up Friday in the battle of Britain GB.

Cheers, Darren!

Mmmmm... Did someone say CAKE!!!

Darren, hope it's a good one!!!

DARREN!!!!!!!! Where's the cake? WOOOHHOOOO!!!!!!

ATTENTION ON DECK!!!

Gentlemen,

A few years back on this day in history a man was born.  Destined to become a great man, inspirational to a select group of folks to lead them across stormy seas.  A talented modeler, a great friend, and a wonderful father.  Yes, you know who I am talking about...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARREN!!!

I was out shopping last night for a suitable gift for the CAG, and while roaming the deck pondering this, I stumbled onto the perfect gift:

What could be better than a beautiful woman with an F/A-18C?

Here's to you CAG, hope your day is a special one!

TANGO 1 wrote:

A quick WIP update from me........ I have now painted the Grey/White scheme on the Crusader and work still continues on my F-4E.......

Well, I`ll be! I`ve followed this thread from afar, and I think this is the first "build" pics I`ve ever seen!!   (jk)...............Harv

OMG! Watsonville Fly-in!!!!!! Went there twice! Once when I was in the 4th grade in '78 I think it was. Saw a Ford Tri-motor, A couple of Pembrokes I believe they were, A VIP A-26, and a privately owned FH-1 Phantom, B-23 Dragon. Wonder if that bird is still flying? That's to name a few. Then went back in '82 maybe with the CAP. I had to pull guard duty at the emergency gate on the other side of the field and not much sooner had I shut the car door, I heard a buzz and was looking around like 'what the heck is ........VVVVVRRRRRROOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! A Mustang buzzing the field! I was almost on the deck in my dress blues lemme tell ya! The Emergency gate was less than 200' from the runway! Then a Sea Fury did the same! Awesome!!!!!

Aaron, Thanks for the pics!!!!! Will have a look 2nite!

sfcmac wrote:

Thought I had drank some tainted coffee or something? R & R ? you guys been looking at the album? Civil Air Patrol? Hmmmmm

Well Aaron, no one is saying you DIDN'T drink tainted coffee! But it's a good thing. Nothing like a psychedelic trip first thing in the morning......

   I actually didn't see the CAP Cessna picture (somehow missed that one) but I'm not surprised! Among other things, that membership card was a free pass to all the airshows I could stand! Actually as a Cadet in the California Wing, I'd worked at alot of them too (nonpaid, of course). The biggest arshow we worked was Watsonville Fly Ins during Memorial Day weekends. Not nearly as grand as this one, but it was exciting nonetheless. They focused more on warbirds, aerobatics teams, and reeeeeeeally antique airplanes!

   Come to think of it, seeing CAP cadets working guard duty at the Planes of Fame Airshow as a small child was my first experience with them. It's what originally got me to thinking about joining in the first place...

 Wow so the Navy F-16's were real!?! Thought I had drank some tainted coffee or something? Best not to mention this to the CAG me thinks....... That and their snazzy camo pattern may prove irrestible to him and that blue boogie juice he uses! 

 Actually his work is looking rather cool, if he trust the judgement of a halucinating salor that see's mirages and mermaids!

 Speaking of sailors seeing pink elephants , Frank those Corsairs look like they are gonna be the hottest thing since the Barbie twins! Been chewing on the doublemint gum to cover the rum fumes?

Ain't seen Bondo since he took on the smexy new look? Wife must be keeping him under guard.

Nam! You got that puter operating yet! I need my fix!

R & R ? you guys been looking at the album? Civil Air Patrol? Hmmmmm

simpilot34 wrote:

Anyways wht I was going to say is that we used our Civil Air Patrol ID cards and got on the NAS to at least check out the flight line.

Ahhh, yes! I remember all the cool places that my CAP ID had gotten me into. The closest place was March AFB of course, and there wasn't too much to see there. But I got to see all over Coronado NB for Encampment (where the Seals trained), the "Top Secret" Laboratories at Edwards AFB, as well as see some of the Missle Silos at Vandenburg. For a teenaged kid, those were some really good times!

I'm serious..... one of these days I'm gonna honor my CAP roots with a GB...

Yes, Rog that is correct about the F-16's. They are the baddies in mock ACM. Designation would be F-16N. Reports I've read are that they are a bit lighter and higher performance than normal F-16's already phenominal perfomance. When I went to the Reno Air Races in '85, my friend I went with had Grands that lived in Falon, NV. He had been telling me about the planes he would see and what they would do behind the nearby mountains. Wouldn't you know it!!!!! The only time I got to go there and it's a non-flying weekend!!!! Anyways wht I was going to say is that we used our Civil Air Patrol ID cards and got on the NAS to at least check out the flight line. General carrier naval aircraft, very nice to see but, you know, the norm. Then we both saw strangers in the lot. They were F-21's! What are F-21's you ask? They are a few Kfirs that the Navy bought for aggressor training. They look great I must say!!!

More PICS!!!!

BILL!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw ya changed up the avatar there! Boy, it sure suits you well!!!!!!

The only F-16s owned by the Navy that I know of are the agressor aircraft from their Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). And given the GWOT and OIF happening, the desert camo kinda fits.

Regis, that is my final answer!

http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn135/sfcmac65/AirShow/?start=20

Gentlemen! I fianlly was successful in adding the other pictures from yesterday. There are now more than double what was there yesterday and include some really more better (Texas Grammer)  pictures of some pretty cool Aircraft. A-10, F-4, I dunno a bunch.

 Of odd intrest to me and possibly you was off the beaten trail in a secure non- airshow area was a pair of F-16's . While that is not unusual for an ANG base the fact that they were in Desert Camo schemes with a big black Navy on the side was odd I thought. Didn't know the Navy had F-16's at all.  They were a good distance off so are tiny even at zoom and best quality but I shall try and isolate them so you can see what I am halucinating about!

Please take some spare moments to browse the new pics and remember they are able to be used any way you see fit!  Go FAA!!!!

 And for those of us who appreciate a nice rear end!

Ok here is the F-16 mentioned above. Anyone ever see one like this? Navy?

http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn135/sfcmac65/AirShow/?start=0

My excited 12 year old took this. Turn up your sound! the explosins were muffled sadly but if you can get past the jerky movement of an excited child it is worth looking at!

http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn135/sfcmac65/AirShow/?action=view&current=WoH299.flv

Ahhh yes. Ingenuity at it's finest!

Nice rig! And practical, no doubt. I think I could only handle painting one bird at a time, myself. But I'll definately be happy to see some paint on them, Frank!

I worked on the Corsairs today, and managed to get a bit done.  The fuselage seams are mostly finsihed, and one of them has the panel lines rescribed.  Just have to rescribe the circular fuel hatch detail on the nose on that one and she is ready for her wings. 

As I am building two at once, a proper paint stand had to be constructed for this special project.  The other would not do, as it could only accomodate one at a time.  This one was painstakingly constructed over the period of 5 minutes, with rum breaks figured in too.  It is staggered so that they will both fit with the wings attached.  Aaron, this pic's for you!

Thanks guys!  I have really enjoyed posting here over the last couple of years, and am looking forward to the next 1k!  This is the best dang GB around, thanks to all of you!  Cheers!

Darren- Cracking work on those kits mate!  WHat did you use to mask the camo demarcation ont he Gunfighter?  It looks absolutely perfect!  No matter how hard I try, those stragith lines to mask always give me fits.  Yours is perfectly stright!

Love the colors on the Phantom, you must have added a bit of white to the green?  It has that proper faded appearance about it.  Well done!  The dog's bollocks to be certain.   Seeing this build reminded me of the low level flyby one of those made at EAA this year.  Never heard or saw it coming, but man did we ever hear it as it passed!  A few feet off the deck, full power and smoking like the Dickens!  Not the best photo, but I mangaged to take a pic as she pulled away:

Aaron- Outstanding photos!  Well done sailor, you have earned an extra mug o' rum!  I shall notify Suzanne that you are to be given extra rations tonight!

Thanks for the comments on the photos fellows, I was really tired and will try to organize them better given some more time. Have to go to work now but I think a lot didn't show up?

lewbud wrote:

DesertRat wrote:  TANGO 1 wrote:  DesertRat wrote: Darren,    Both the Crusader and the Phantom are looking great! I'm especially loving the camo pttern on the F-4. One ignorant question, if I may....    What is that purple stuff on the -4? It looks like something I'm not familiar with nor have ever used before Thanks Roger, the purple stuff is latex mask, you just paint it on out of the bottle and leave it to dry over night. Then you just spray straight over it the next morning. Really?!?!? Sounds like an even better option than silly putty might be. Does it usually leave any kinda residue? And is that stuff available to us silly colonists? Roger, Look for MicroMask next time you're in a LHS.  It's made by the folks who make MicroSol & MicroSet.  If they don't carry it, look in the RC car section as they use liquid latex to mask the clear lexan bodies.

Awesome! I'll do exactly that! Thanks

DesertRat wrote:

TANGO 1 wrote:  DesertRat wrote: Darren,    Both the Crusader and the Phantom are looking great! I'm especially loving the camo pttern on the F-4. One ignorant question, if I may....    What is that purple stuff on the -4? It looks like something I'm not familiar with nor have ever used before Thanks Roger, the purple stuff is latex mask, you just paint it on out of the bottle and leave it to dry over night. Then you just spray straight over it the next morning. Really?!?!? Sounds like an even better option than silly putty might be. Does it usually leave any kinda residue? And is that stuff available to us silly colonists?

Roger,

Look for MicroMask next time you're in a LHS.  It's made by the folks who make MicroSol & MicroSet.  If they don't carry it, look in the RC car section as they use liquid latex to mask the clear lexan bodies.

wyoroy wrote:

FYI guys, when you get your gift you will know who sent it by the postmark.  Please keep this info to yourself until Christmas day.  I still have the mailing list for the group if anyone needs it.  Darren has be known to send out some very cool cards.... He sent this last year, you the man Darren

Aye! I'll be a-keepin my bloomin' mouth shut

Beautiful artwork! I didn't kow they made cards like that! Most cards have cartoon reindeers, wreaths and bells on em. But I think those are so much better- A mans christmas card!

TANGO 1 wrote:

DesertRat wrote: Darren,    Both the Crusader and the Phantom are looking great! I'm especially loving the camo pttern on the F-4. One ignorant question, if I may....    What is that purple stuff on the -4? It looks like something I'm not familiar with nor have ever used before   Thanks Roger, the purple stuff is latex mask, you just paint it on out of the bottle and leave it to dry over night. Then you just spray straight over it the next morning.

Really?!?!? Sounds like an even better option than silly putty might be. Does it usually leave any kinda residue? And is that stuff available to us silly colonists?

Aaron,

Thanks for the pics, looks like you had a great time.  I've got to get to Midland for the big CAF show, will have to take lots of batteries and possibly a couple extra memory cards.  Maybe next year.