US Army Air Corps GB - Deadline extended again to June 30, 2009

I am indeed CAF, and I was a member of the Hawkeye State Squadron for awhile, right after the T-28 got to Ankeny in like '97 or 98...  I'm with the Great Plains Wing now, over in Council Bluffs, but I don't get to many meetings...   

IPMS is no, but I plan on joining one, just don't know much about 'em... The Hawkeye Modeler's club is the website I found. Seems to me there used to be one in Ames, but it must have folded after Hobbytown USA closed up... Only guy I can recall from IPMS is Mike Seek.. Heard of him?

John,

Welcome aboard!  Looking forward to seeing your progress.

 Wow I like the Stearman Viper!  The colors look familiar!

IL2 I like the P-40! Is the nose the only real external give away for an F model? I have Some P-40 that came with a resin tail. I think it is an AMT kit.

Thank's for the Goose comments and tolerating my trespass

Hey, Viper... Off-topic a bit, but you ain't the DSM cop that got hung up on the RR tracks chasin' down a motorcycle a few years ago and it was on COPS, are ya? 

Just yankin' yer chain..

 Wanted to say, "howdy, neighbor" since I'm just up the road from ya in Ames.

Nice stuff going on here guys. Great Goose, Aaron.

IL2: nice job on the seam fill. THe pics always help to explain the method. Looks like you nailed it.

viper_mp wrote:

Windhawk, shoot me an email or PM and I can give you the info.  I dont want to post it, as I'm sure it violates the advertising rules.  But i can assure you they ARE for sale.  Well, haven't started the P-36A yet, as I have been clearing off some of the other WIP's on the bench.  I did however just finish this little beauty.  Its an MPM 1:72 kit.  This is a USAAC Fairchild PT-19 Cornell.  And yes, that is the real thing in the background.  It was also recently finished up.  [my OTHER hobby]   The Real one [they decided to go white numbers, instead of yellow].  Built in Jan 1943. Finally Finished after a 3.5 year total restoration. More info and pics can be found at Iowa Aviation Heritage Museum

Aggieman wrote:

Aaron, nice work on the Goose.  Are you wanting to enter it into this GB (or does it not fit the GB requirements in terms of when you started)?

Ah pretty sure I started too early. By a month ( Some Time in August) Like to say it was just a weeks work but no. I saw an add in a Squadron mail out for Wheeler Field markings 1941 and made it for the Pearl Harbor GB. Just thought it was an odd thing for the Army to use flying boats and wanted to inspire you all being the the nasty  Army Sergeant that I am! 

Final touch-ups and hung her up!

My son says it kinda stands out.

Great work so far fellows I'll be watching!

Aaron, nice work on the Goose.  Are you wanting to enter it into this GB (or does it not fit the GB requirements in terms of when you started)?

Windhawk,  good work on that P-40 surgery.  Looking forward to your progress.

Rob - Nice work on that Fairchild, actually both those Fairchilds!

Windhawk, shoot me an email or PM and I can give you the info.  I dont want to post it, as I'm sure it violates the advertising rules.  But i can assure you they ARE for sale. 

Well, haven't started the P-36A yet, as I have been clearing off some of the other WIP's on the bench.  I did however just finish this little beauty.  Its an MPM 1:72 kit.  This is a USAAC Fairchild PT-19 Cornell.  And yes, that is the real thing in the background.  It was also recently finished up.  [my OTHER hobby]

The Real one [they decided to go white numbers, instead of yellow].  Built in Jan 1943. Finally Finished after a 3.5 year total restoration. More info and pics can be found at Iowa Aviation Heritage Museum

That's crazy about that AMTech stash!  I would be interested in the contact info for that gentleman.  I had to bid for my P-40F kit on eBayUK.

Awesome work on the Goose!  I got to ride shotgun in one of those about 2 months ago in Canada.  Flying off water and everything.  It was amazing, and now I HAVE to build one.  That czech master kit looks sweet.  Great work on her.

And I'm looking forward to seeing a C-45!  That's a real beauty of an airplane.

--

Here are more photos of my build.  The resin nose was a very nice fit and was easy to install.  The panel lines (width / depth) are an exact match for those in the styrene parts.  That's pretty neat. 

I took some photos of the seam-filling method.  Most of you guys are probably quite adept at this method, but I remember photos like these were gold when I was still trying to figure this stuff out.  Maybe they will be helpfull for out someone out there.

The pilot / cockpit are mostly painted, but I still have a few details to add.

Hey guys just prowling around and got a few pics to show you. Just finished this tonight short of any suggested weathering. Figure you may not see many of these that say Army.

This is the Czech Model JRF Grumman Goose in 1/48 scale. By far the most colorful markings and 1st glossy finish I've done in a while. Markings are for Wheeler Field Dec 1941.

 Please let me know what ya think and offer any suggestions! Thanks fellows!

If you guys can stand it, I will enter with my Beech C-45 expeditor, 1/72 older hobbycraft kit :)

the challenge for me will be finding/making the correct markings/decals.

Rob:

Do you know what the status is on the resin nose for the F?  I have several, but if it wouldn't get me sideways with the owners of the rights I'd make a mold and cast more.

arki30 wrote:

I've always liked the AMTech P-40s.  Nice kits at decent price.

LOL, I have a stash of them,  no boxes though.  Just bag kits and a stack of decals.  and one set of instructions....  [hint- I know where the remaining stockpile is]

Nice progress IL.  The fit of the resin nose looks good which I'm sure is a relief, unless you had a lot of work to get it to look that way.

I've always liked the AMTech P-40s.  Nice kits at decent price.

Looks like you're off to a real good start on that P-40.  (I'm still suffering from P-40 overload as I completed 5 concurrent builds for the P-40 GB earlier this year, building all 1/48 kits - a couple of Bs, a C, an E and an N).

Rob, welcome to the GB.  I'll get you on the list shortly.

Well fellas, it looks like I have the honor of posting the first progress photos.  I expect to finish my kit in a rather short time-frame, as it must be finished by the first week of October.  This build will be my annual model-airplane gift for Grandfather, who was a career pilot in the USAAF / USAF.  The majority of his WW2 flight hours were logged in the P-40F.

This AMTech kit is a rehash of the older AMT kit, with a big resin nose replacement that is more accurate.  I also bought a resin cockpit by True Details.  Strangely, it did not come with a resin instrument panel.  But that's OK, because I am building a closed cockpit and the kit panel is decent.  I also purchased a set of resin control surfaces that are much better-looking than those molded into the wings/tails.

There are some photos of the 57thFG, 64FS at the following link:
http://www.web-birds.com/12th/57/57th.htm

Aggieman wrote:

That's a great story!  Sounds like the good old SWC, I really liked that conference.  Not to say that the Big 12 is a bunch of chumps but it was always good to be able to run one's mouth against neighbors who might have been UH, TCU, or Rice grads rather than the most unlikely situation where I might be neighbors with an Iowa State grad. And yes, Shasta would have won that "duel". There are lots of great stories surrounding Texas A&M in the SWC, most notably steer-napping Texas' steer and branding him with the score of the recent game, 13-0; and sips (Texas people) re-branding him "Bevo". Or the MOB (Rice Marching Owl Band) doing a routine that made fun of Reveille and a bunch of the Corps of Cadets waiting after the game to pay back the MOB.

The MOB was definitely one to watch out for.  At one time the Aggie band used whistles to signal formation changes in their halftime show, the MOB figured that out and the next time they met chaos was the order of the day for the Aggie Band.  Way before my time, but I would have loved to have seen it.  As a visitor, going to a game at Kyle field is a somewhat intimidating experience, especially when you get there and they've allotted two sections of seating (that includes space for the band) in a corner of the endzone.  We used to play our home games at the Astrodome, and it was amazing to look up and whenever A&M visited to see them standing and swaying whenever A&M scored.

That's a great story!  Sounds like the good old SWC, I really liked that conference.  Not to say that the Big 12 is a bunch of chumps but it was always good to be able to run one's mouth against neighbors who might have been UH, TCU, or Rice grads rather than the most unlikely situation where I might be neighbors with an Iowa State grad.

And yes, Shasta would have won that "duel".

There are lots of great stories surrounding Texas A&M in the SWC, most notably steer-napping Texas' steer and branding him with the score of the recent game, 13-0; and sips (Texas people) re-branding him "Bevo".

Or the MOB (Rice Marching Owl Band) doing a routine that made fun of Reveille and a bunch of the Corps of Cadets waiting after the game to pay back the MOB.

Aggieman wrote:

Buddy, sorry but I don't have an answer to your question.  Still reeling over the loss last night I witnessed first hand in College Station.  Most displeased.   In other news, tomorrow is the first of September.  For everyone in this group build, it's time to start!  At least for those of us who are ready.  I for one am in the middle of two other group builds so my launch point will be delayed some.

Steven,

That's ok, gonna meet up with some guys after work that should have the answer if they're still sober.  Got to go to Kyle Field when I was at UH (and there was still a SWC) about 20+ years ago, and A&M probably won.  While yall won the game, you would have lost the mascot fight.  At that time UH still had a live cougar as a mascot, and they were walking Shasta out on her chains.  As they passed Reville, the brave but possibly stupid, definitely suicidal dog made a run at Shasta.  As Reville's handlers hurriedly scooped he/she/it up, Shasta sat down with look on her face that either said, I haven't had lunch YET!  or Oh look a Shasta snack.  They had to get her up on her wagon and bring her down to our end of the field. 

Buddy, sorry but I don't have an answer to your question.  Still reeling over the loss last night I witnessed first hand in College Station.  Most displeased.

In other news, tomorrow is the first of September.  For everyone in this group build, it's time to start!  At least for those of us who are ready.  I for one am in the middle of two other group builds so my launch point will be delayed some.

Anybody know a good match for the gloss olive drab color used on the P-26 in the interwar period?

IL2windhawk wrote:

Excellent.  I've always like the P-36. Did any P-36s get airborne during the melee of Pearl Harbor?

Wiki says five P-36As got airborne out of 39, with a loss of one, and two Zero kills...  This ain't Army Air Force, but the P-36 was credited with Wildcat kills as well.  Vichy French P-36s scored on the US Navy during the opening of Operation Torch in N. Africa... 

http://www.aviationarthangar.com/fel02.html