World War 2 US Army Fighter Modeling [Osprey Modelling Masterclass]

WORLD WAR 2

US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING

JERRY SCUTTS & BRETT GREEN OSPREY PUBLISHING

'M

WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING

, I

WO

J

I

Jerry Scutts & Brett Green OSPREY PUBLISHING

Fil'Sl pubUslw:d ,n GTnl Rriwn in 2003 by Publishin~ DInS Court, Chapd \\'2); &l:ky, Olford 0X19LP, United Kingdom.

Osprey

info@ospl"~)l'ubl~ing-com

Email: o 2003

Ospr~'

All righlS

Publishing I.td.

rcs".T\"~d.

Apart from any fair dealing fur the

purpose of pri"u~ srudy, permillOO under

Ih~

~rch,

crilicism or

rc>'i"",,", a.~

C.opyright, Designs and l':l.t...T1lS Act,

1988. no 1''''' of this public:llion may be rcproduca.l, S).,;(~m, or Intnsmittcd in any form or any means, electronic, electrical, chemical. mechanical,

Stored in a rClrie,,,,1 h)'

opri(:ll./. photoropying,

~rding or

otherwise, ,,'ithuut

the prior "rincn permission of the copyright owuer. Enquiri~

should be

~ddres:;oed

10 the Publish...=

ISBK 1 g·H76 061 i Editorial b)' lli"s Puhlishing, Oxford, UK (w",'w, iliosp"bli.'hing.com)

Design: Kcn V,il Graphic Dcsign, Cambridge, UK Ind~,~

b)' David \Vonhington

Originated by

GTJ,mer~

Digital Imaging, Leeds, UK

Printed in China through World Print Ltd. 03 I}tOS 06 Oi

1098i654321

A ell' ClllalQg record for Ihis book is ~'llibblc from

th~

Brilish Libnry FOR .... C....T ALOG OF AI.L BOOKS PUBLISHED BY OSPREY MODELING, :\IIUTARY ;\NDAVl>\TIO~ PI.F..ASE CO:'\TACT: Osprq Dircq L.SA, c/o :\-iRll'ublishing, P.o.llox I, iN Prospect A,'c, O!ieeob, \\'1 5--lOW, USA E-mail: [email protected]=sa-com Ospre)' Dircu UK, P.o. R
CONTENTS IntrOOut.:tion

__ .. 6

Chapler I: Getting starred Chapter 2: Reference sources

.

Chapter 3: Available products Chapter 4: Basic construction

Om.ptcr 5: Ad\':mccd consrruction

_.11

.

..32 .

.............................................. 43

.

...... 57 .

.... 65

Chapter 6: Sp<..'Cial lcchniques

.

The gallery

.

.

91

.

115

..

................. ... 12-1-

Appendices Appendix A: Useful addresses and websilcs Appendix B: Sclccl bibliography

.

.

125

Acknowlcdgmcnls Index

..

..... 127 .

128

I

.

INTRODUCTION

ince bl:ginning to collect plasti(; modd airplane kits in the lalC 19S0s/carly 1960s, I realize looking back that I've wimessed the gradual growth of an entirely new hobby almost from day one. Liule did I suspect ",hal a thin-winged, blue plastic Airfix Spitfire packed into a polythcne bag "Quid k':ld to. h ....-a.~ nOI too long before there were enough models on the marker for indi\'iduals to stan to specialize in World War I aircraft, the RAF, the LuftwarTe or the lJSAAF and so on. The more models there were, the morc this was possibleif only we'd had some decent references for the huge range of color schemes waiting to be unearthed. A full set of Alrcraji of the Filil/mg Power" was only of limited help until William Green published Famous FIgh/us oj the Stcond World IVar in 196L That did it - we finally had a comprehensivc O\"Cryiew of the main Allied and Axis fightcrs. Armed additionally with our monthly copies of RAF Flying Rt7.Ii~JlJ and Ai,. Pittona/, wc began slowly to build up the picture although as far as we knew (or did not know) the dab we had then was the \"CI)' tip of the iceberg_ Color was virtu:ally unknown in those d:ays the "real" equivalents of the gray shades seen in monochrome photographs were not even quoted, let' alone published in color - but things did change with such milestone books as Ai,.(t"ult CdlmmJlug~ und Ma,.klngs /907-1954, This kept the pot boiling while Airfix (plus Frog, Revell, Aurora, etc.) continued to impro\l' their kilS. Special paints formulated for use on polystJrcne plastic appeared and we began tcntati\-e1y to finish models in the few a1tl-mati\"C schemes we'd found in the refCTences. The finished models probably weren't that good, but we enjoyed ourseh"cs. With reb":l.rd to specialization, I simply can't remember when aircraft with stars and bars began to hold my interest - maybe it was when Airfix released their P-51D-S of the 380lh Fighter Squadron, 363d Fighter Group, named "Fool's Paradise IV." 1 doubt whether we'd even ha\-e been able to find those derails then, but a silver aircraft finish ""1lS certainly a bit difTCTent to camounab'C, so maybe that was it. In any event, that Aim'\': kit, plus a few others., more or less hooked me on the hobby of plastic modeling_ As an idle mental exercise, I'm still

S

6

WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING MASTERCLASS

wondering how long it took me 10 find the ahove data aoout that Mustang because few model companies then shared such with their cUStOmers. Suffice to say that in trying lO keep pall' with the growth of an entire industr}'. albeit a small one b)' Wall Street standards, the supporting cast has oftcn proved as fascinat-ing as the stars. Many of us have, I suspect, had our intl'TCSt in the various wanime air forces stimulatl-d by a particularly good and new kit, and from this impetus other areas (dealing with the same subject) have beckoned, fed panicularly by books and films. That more or less happened to me. the downside being lhal' less and less time could realistically be devoted to simply building kits. I'm ccrtainly not alone in confronting that dilemma. These days, all 1 and numerous others can do is attcmpt to keep abreast of the flood of models and accessories, but some fundamental rules do not change: I trUSt therefore that the pages of this book inspire some to set aside a few hours a week to indulge thcmsch-cs in what is after all a ycry absorbing pastime" At the time of writing, the references, the decals, the painrs and the kits are on a different planet compared to the pioneering days, so much so that the subject of this book may be explored in great depth, at many different levels,

THE EARLY DAYS The art of solid model airplane con.<;truction is now much casiCT than when the hobby first bc~r:1n to gain popularity during World War 2. Prior to then, making a model aircrafl usually meant building it from a range of sofrwoods, balsa being the most popular. The complet'e airframe structure was usually built and lhen finally co\'ered in tiSS\IC Of other material. Littlc thoughl was given to the application of authentic markings, there being an almost total concentration on the aeronautical aspect and mdeed, the desire to fly the finished model_ The a\'ailability of a number of kits containing pre-fonned wooden parIS and known initially as "solids" was a step forward for those who had no wish to actually fling their model into the air ....ith the inherent risk of it being smashed beyond repair in the first hea\'~·landing.

Thos<: individuals would instcad turn their hand to non-fiying model kits, thc range of which extended to many different typ<.."S during World War 2. These re,1t:hed a degr<.."C of wphistication and induded pre-formed plastic propellers, canopy s<.."Ctions and wheels, but thc skill lewl rcquin.x! to turn out a first rate model was still mnsiderable. De\·elopmeDt of the industrial tcchnique whereb)· polystyrene plastic could be injecred into a metal mold 10 turn out pre-formed pans in grc:at number, all of them c.xaetly the same, was about to make a world of difference to one branch of the hobby of air-modeling. From large household items such as buckets and cups, the injection molding process made ir possible to make a set of scaled components that, once :assembled :and glued together, constituted mini:aturc :aitplanes :md \·ehieles. ::\"0 longer did the individual need to spend time whinling and forming the correct :lirfoil shape and fuscl:age contours out of wood, thus postponing the p:linting and finishing sugcs. Plastic construction enabled a jump to be made to :trguably the most interesting phase

of modeling, that of choosing a (;Olor scheme and applying it. Completion of ,1 model airplane mnsequently became that much quicker and the emphasis changed completely from what might well be termed "structural" to "cxterior." What went on under the skin was now of only passing interest to the model maker, who began searching for national insignia styles, c:amouflage pattt:rns, (;Ode letters and personal markings applied to mark om a successful pilot. J\'lodel kits of the early 1940s kept pace with aeronauric:al development, as while there was still some emphasis on the airplanes of World \Var I, those of the then current conflict soon became the core subject for the manufacturers. Allied and Axis ty)X."S predominated while American fighters were unden,.t:mdably few: the prototypes of the famous fighters of World War .2 were onll' then being tested but to pro,-ide an international balance, kits were released of such exotica as the Curtiss YP-37. A popular one, it remained a\llilablc for some time as thc P-37. How many kits of the early Curtiss fighter do we ha\'e today;

ABOVE Tamiya's recent 1/48-scale P-47D Thunderbolt is beautifully detailed. accurate and provides plenty of options for the modeler. This kic represents the current standard in a hobby that has been developing for half a century.

INTRODllCTION 7

,

North American

MUSTANG III

1/32 Scale FUSELAGE U"

mE

WINGSPAN 14"

,

,

ABOVE Revell's 1/32-!.C3.le kits of the 1960$ were highly desirable models in their day. Many of these kits featured operating control surfaces, retracting landing gear and sliding canopies. Unfortunately,

due to the requirement for styrene hinges and rails, these working features often robbed

the model of finesse and

impacted on accuracy_ Kits of the 1960$ frequendy sported thousands of over.;ized rivets. Revell's 1/32-scale P-SI BJMustang III kits certainly fell into this category! However; a few kits from this era are still worth building today.

EARLY MARKINGS Along with the componcms thcmsch'cs, manufacturers orlhe early plastic kiL~ included a set of markings [0 cover the baSIC essentials of national insignia and so forth, so that when they appeared in due course, a reasonable looking example of the P-51, 1'-47 or P-38 could be built. In some model releases, their designer~ were so demonstrably worried that the simple task of applying national insigma via waterslide decals (transfers) might be misinterpreted that they scribed the outlines into the surface. Fortunatcl}~ Ihis practice did not last very long. Early model airplane kit transfer shccts made few concessions 10 authentic markings such as wdc letters or ro numbers and those thai \\ere included were seemingly chosen al r.lndom. Sheets of ehed:ers and numbers became a'-:1ilablc, these being Iinle more than recognition aids based on nying model decoration. And kilS of wartime fighlCTS made in America usually had USAF r.lther ,han USAAF national insignia so a~"ain, it is nOI hard to S(:e how far we\'c come in this TCSI>CCI alone.

WHICH SCALE? The outline ,lccuracy of these early consl'rUCliun kits was not always all it might have been and the qucstion of scale - i.e. one model comparable

.. WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERClASS

\\;th another in terms of rclati\'e dimensions was somt..t imcs e\'cn dictated by the size of the box the model came in. This made for some very odd "ocnn:en scale" parts, ofrcn (00 small to take full ad\-:1ntage of the subjecl. This was true of larger alfcTaft such as bomhcrs however, the fighters being a generally more convenient size with whidl to work. Once there W,1S a perceived marker, the industry in the Uniled Stales soon occame organized and manufacturers released most plastic models in whal is somelimcs referred to as "quarter scale." This translated the full-size aircraft's dimensions 10 model components that measured out al a qU:lTIer of an Inch to the foot. This scaling could be entirely relied upon, as non-amformist models cominuc-d to appear, but in general bigger \\-:15 better in the US. Interestingly, the UK market had already appreciated the undoubted ad,-antagcs of models in this larger scale. The Chingford Model Aerodrome (C~IA) was, by 19+1, offering a range of quartcr-scale solid models which ineluded a P-3S, P-39 and P-H. Equally popular W:IS the ll72~scalc range hy TruscaleofIloumemouth, L"K, \\'hich ascarly as 19{() had released an Airacobra and Tomahawk. At that time of course the US Air Corps had few other full-sizc designs of which models could be made. That did not mean AmeriGlll fighters wen: overlooked and lacking anything more dC\'elopcd

for service use: the P-37 had to suffice until dctails were relcasL'
manufaClurcrs put out a stt':ldily increasing number of subjL'(;tS. With regard to singlc-scal fighters, although the finished results were quite small they weI"C L"Onvcniell! to build and easy to line up along a bL'
, LEFT Old books can sometimes be found at bargain prices. Many books frum earlier decades are still valuable reference sources. All of the books pictured here were published in the 196Os. They feature a wealth of wartime photos, and these images are as relevant today as they were when they were first published. However, be aware that research has uncovered new facts about aircraft varianu, details and color schemes over the years, so color profiles and drawings in these old books may need verilia-tion against modern sources.

INTROOucnON 9

As the War progressed, basic markings schemes for American fighters developed to encompass local conditions, the various configurations of the aircraft and above all, the need for concealment on the ground and instant recognition in the air. Each theater of war had its own detail requirements for markings although there was a considerable degree of commonality regarding paintwork, once the early-war anomalies resulting from diverTed contracts settled mto standardization. These often conflicting reqUIrements of blending into the terrain to elude the enemy and being recognized by pilots on the same side resulted in a plethora of colors, code letters, numbers, bands and stripes being applied to all US fighters in combat. Reliable and adaptable systems soon emerged.

EUROPEAN BASIS

ABOVE Old blueprints and technical drawings are also helpful reference material.

this popularity has hardly ever waned is not difficult to explain. So many of the decisive air cOmbats of the war were fought by American and Allied pilots flying these types and, via their fathers, youngsters were imbued with a keen sense of patriotism.

FIGHTER VERSATILITY With ten air forces in the field by 1944, all of them with their fighter component, the USAAF had, like most air arms of the fighting powers, come to appreciate the effectiveness and economy of pursuit aircraft, those the pilots first nicknamed "pea shooters." The role of a category of aircraft historically regarded in the US as much less useful than bombers had changed radically. Very early on in World 'Var 2, American fighters were adapted - and soon built - to carry external ordnance, which brought their basic combat duty partially into the realm of the bomher. Burgeoning numbers of single- and multi-seater fighter bombers now demanded a comprehensive system of markings schemes aimed at rapid air-to-air and "friend from foe" recognition. Different theaters of war saw differenl fighter markings schemes, for instance those of Europe and the Pacific regions.

10 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING f-MSTERCLASS

Arguably the most effective markings system used on US fighters during World War 2 was developed for the RAF whereby each unit was giycn a code consisting of two letters (sometimes a letter and a number) with a third leller identifymg the individual "planc-insquadron." There was tar less visual confusion after this system was adopted, but the first American fighters based in England were also given an additional recognition scheme. Thus white nose, wing and tail bands over camouflage finish marked out the P-47 and P-.:il, fighters that could conceivably be confused with their common German adversaries, the Fw 190 and Bf 109 respectively. Untold numbers of Thunderbolt and Mustang pilots probably owe their lives to this paint scheme as they dived through bomber formations in pursuit of the Luftwaffe Jagdflieger. "Friendly fire" incidents continued to occur but the whiTe bands minimized this risk. Colors were used as an additional recognition aid and so diverse did these become rhat the whole subject of aircraft markings eventually became a separate field of study, largely divorcer.! from technical development, combat operaTions and first-hand pilot narratives. Many of those wartime fighter color schemes, marching a welldocumented key, survived via an unprecedented visual and written record, so that 60 years on the publication of still photographs and the widespread availability of movie film footage enable the enthusiast model maker to acquire a comprehensive library of reference. Books devoted enlirely to the subject of wartime American fighters arc lcg-:ion, be it their technical development, performance, the

combat record of their pilots, or the camouflage and markings the aircrafr carried. With this gradual increase in quantity and quality of printed material, the model manufacturers were made aware of what people wanted to build

as three-dimensional replicas; for rheir part the makers had ro gamble that the enormous

,

•

financial im'estmcnl in metal molds and indeed the plastic raw material would be justified by high \'olume s:lIes. As polystyrene plastic is a by-product of oil, its COSt is volatile. There ha\"c been periods when supplies of "black gold" indirectly curtailed the production of new kit releases, or forced prices up. BUI in the main me ompUl has more than kept pace with demand at generally reasonable cost. In lime, the scale accuracy of successive releases impro\"cd lO the point where today, individual kits are about as true to the original machine as anyone is likely to get. In a competitive world, plastic kit manufaclUrers will of course duplicate some items, particularly the beuer-known wartime US fighlers. "If it sells, it should be in our range," is Ihe understandable \'iew inside Ihe induslry. This fact has also driven Ihe search for definitive qualily, something that has only benefiled Ihe modeler. These days, scales that were pre\'iously neglected have also had new ilems regularly added so lhat with a fell' nomble exceptions, a range of US fighlers can be built in all five popular scales from 1/100 10 1/24. Not quile SO popular, simply because lhe number of kirs is so small (and rhe investmenl by the supplier so large), is 1124 scale.

The smallest of the scales has had some real gems added to it o\·er thc years and many people find the tiny singk'-(.'fll,rinc fighters that resull jus, right for ,hem. One advantage here is if Ihe modeler wishes to portray a scene lhat includes multiple aircraft. A whole group of i"luslangs or Thunderbolts, c\·en a (at;tory production line for e.>o:amplc, would suit 1/100 (or I/H4) scale subjeos vcry well withOUT the need 10 O\\'fl the equi\'2lent of a fuU-sizc hanger in which m store Ihe finished articles.

EXPANDING THE POSSIBILITIES In parallel with Ihe increase in the number and diversity of injection-molded construction kits, the more limited runs possible with the \"'3CUumformed (\'2cufonn) plastic process has enabled e\'en more gaps, represented by the more obscure types or \"3rianls, to be filled. "Ibis means Ihat if the modeler desires, sa); a 1'-39 in 1/32 scale, il is possible 10 build one, provid<:d that the undeniable e.xlra I\"ork stages dl:mandcd by this lype of kit are raken into account. The range of kil options has oc-en further boosted by the rise of companies spt'Cializing in conversion sets, usually of panicul3r itl."J1ls wheels, radomes, fairings., flaps and so forth designed to be incorporaled into injection molded kit parIS to enable an alternative earlier or laler production variant to be produced. 1n many cases, these conversion SCtS offer more accurate replacement parts because the specialist is seemingly able to focus more closely on a particular area of an aircraft replica than the commercial supplier is.

BELOW The development of the hobby over the past decades allows us now to produce authentic miniature replicas of OUf favorite aircraft.

•

INTRODUCTION 11

,

CHAPTER 1 GETTING STARTED

BELOW LEFT Different adhesives are available for different requirements. Cy.moacrylate cement, more commonly known as supergtue, is helpful for securing small parts.This glue dries very quickly, but the bond is somewhat brittle and the fumes from the drying glue can fog dear pam.Watchmakers' cement is a good alternative for bonding clear pam. It is strong and clear when dry. There are many choices of cement for gluing polystyrene plastic parts. The Revell "COntacta" cement pictured is equipped with a handy needle applicator for precise placement of the cement. BElOVV RIGHT Sanding tools are an essentiaJ element of the modeling loolbox. From the left, we can see a sanding stick.. a buffing stick and emery board. These can all be cheaply obtained from the supermarkel or pharmacy. The needle file permits smOOlhing of hard-toreach areas of your model, and the sanding block is ideal when large areas of plastic need to be re-contoured.

eLling started on a modern kit is therefore easy and requires very little extra financial outlay over and above a set of paints and a few basic 1001s. The i:mer will vary according lO the individual's taste but me successful completion of any kit requires a sct number of steps lO be followed before any gluing of partS is undertaken. These include immersing the entire set of errier sprues in a solution of washing up liquid in lukewann watcr. Thi.. is necessary to remm-e any traces of the "release agent" used, as the term implies, lO slip each sprue out of the mold smoothly, with no pulling or sticking and without a film of thin plastic known as "flash" inadvertently emhracing the component parts. This very thin plastic film still appears on some modem kits bm in general it has been eliminated from the products of the major manufacturers, whose quality conlT()1 is generally of a high order. A thin film of plastic has irs uses in some an:as of modeling as il is strong enough to shape into o-rra panels, lO replicate into battle damage an:as and so forth - so follow the old adage of "never throw anything awa)," Even the carrier sprucs have meir uses. Stretched under a fhmc those long straight Sl.octions of plastic have historically been the source of ultra thin aerial wires on innumerable models. The advantage is of course that, being plastic rather than any other matcrial, you can rely on its strength and ability to bond as well as the kit componcnL
G

12 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLAS$

In my experience though you need to experiment with the plastic used by various manufacturers. As will be noticed when assembling lhe kit, some plastics have a softer compound than others. The ability to "SIring" the hc:ued sprues lO thin lengths depends on the degree of densi!}·. When each washed sprue has dried, some of the partS need to be rcmm'ed from the carril.T frame, a lask that always requires gTeat care, particularly where small, delicate comJXmenrs arc concerned. These should not be pulled or twisted away from the sprue as a pit may easily be made in the smooth surface of the component which will require filing off or, in extreme cascs, filling and sanding down. Some kits are beller than others in this respect: occasionally it seems that no matter how careful ~'ou arc at scpar:ulng the parts from the sprues, a riny raised area remains on the component and stubbornly refuses to disappear. h is therefore an area that al....1lys needs close anention and a "damage limitation" approach right from the stan. This applies particularly to the canopy and othcr transparent partS. Pla!t"tic kirs ha\'e hiswrically been packed into plllythenc bags - several bags in the case ofsome laq,ocr scale models - and I always uke the precaurion against transparencies gening scratched by lca\ing them in one of the bags. Alternatively, wrap them in tissue paper. Don't let the clear parts rattle around in the box because lhey arc prone to damage and breakage in extreme cases.

• TOP LEFT Here are three. different-sized hobby knives and two pairs of sassors. These will be some of your most frequenlly used modeling tools.

MIDDLE LEFT Different tools are required

TOP RJGHT A high quality sprue cutter (on the left of this pict\lre) will supply a clean Cut and save a great deal of time that might otherwise be spent trimming. unding and filling.A selection of razor saws will also find their Wil'/ into the modeling toolbox.

MIDDLE RIGHT Here are some tools that

for different uses. Each of there tools (pliers, tweezers and a self-closing hemostat) has a particular application.

change the surface texrure of a model: two different styles of scriber and a dressmaker's pin wheel. The lauer is an inexpensive tool useful for replicating rivet marks in plastic..

BOTTOM LEFT A pin vise is simply a small drill that holds tiny drill bits.This is another frequently used element of the tool kit.

BOTTOM RIGHT It will usually be ne<:e55ary to fill seams or gaps on a model. A large selection of putties is available for this purpose.The old lener opener at the tOP of the picwre is ~ed as a trowel for applying MId smoothing putty.

GETTING STARTED 13

-

ABOVE LEFf Tape is useful in many aspects of modeling.The Dymo tape on the left can be used as a self-adhesive scribing guide on large kit parts. while Tamiya Masking Tape can be used for preparing kits for painting"

ABOVE RIGHT No modeling rooIkit would be complete without a selection of good quality jnintbrushes in various sizes. An airbrush is Vl important tool to help achieve il realistic finish.The airbrush pinured here is Testor's Anek A470.

TOOLS

will be unaware that they vary a good deal and that the most modern plans arc nO£ necessarily In recommending the tools needed to get a kit the most reliable. The answer is to use the one project underway, the separation of parts from you feel best reprt:sents the full size machine the sprue will reqUire a strong pair of rin in order to check the dimensions of plastic snips or sprue cuners to st.'yer the often tough kit JXlrlS ab'ilinst what is, after all, a "nat" and "trees" that hold the pieces in position. These therefore false representation - and indeed one. auachmelllS have to be fairl}' substantial, as that no manufacturer ever needs to huild the some kitS need to be shipped haIfw"ay around real aircraft. I take the view that scale plans are only parI the world before they reach the modeler's hands. Sucked on shch"cs., not always by of the literature the modeler needs on World people who appreciate the delicacy of what's War 2 aircraft and nobody should rely one inside, [hey can get damaged; so strong hundred pcr<.-cnt on their accuracy. After all, a retaining pins are needed on cach of the sprue plan is onh another individual's interpretation frames. Tin snips will easily remove the most of a thrcc dimensional object in one plane importalll parts including the two fuselage which of course has been drawn up, reduced in halves, the engine cowling and the wing size and reproduced, a process with numerous sections in order for the modeler to make opportunities for error. the initial dry or "dummy run." Carefully A friend who draws scale plans for side check the fit of all these components, ensuring views has made good usc of a computer 10 especially that the attachment pins align measure dimemions between known poinls correctly. If they don't, an unsightly seam or on an airframe and come up with some step might result when the glue is applied surprising answers. But those nf us who arc not which will laboriously ha\'e to be sanded down. professional draughtsmen or engineers may If pin alignment threatens to create this fault, not fully understand the close tolerances trim off any offending ones at this stage. Other aerodynamists ha\"e to work with - nor do useful tools are dealt with in the images and we reall)' nCl.:d to know for the purposes of modeling, My o\"erall advice i.~ to run your eye captions on pages 12-14, over what you consider to be the most reliable BUILDING A P-47 plans but make a cllN: concurrent study of the best possible quality photogl'2phs. Our "getting started" modeling subject will be Read any model magazine and sooner or the p-t7 Thunderbolt, with particular reference laler there will be some pundit who "ill to Tamiya's 1/48-scale 1'-470 Thunderbolt inform the listening world that such and such a "Razorback", modeled by Brett Grccn in the manufacturer's kit is two millimeters '00 shon images that accompany this chapter. in the fuselage. Really? What if the plan used With such a \'ariety of 1'-47 kits available, was scaled down from an original drawing (as across several scales, i, 's always a good idea to most reproduced plans arc) and happened to be check thc wing and fuselage sections for undersized by just that amount? How would outline accuracy against a multi-view drawing. our "expert" know that? Plam of P-47s showing three or more views of Dimensions can of course be checked with a the aircraft have been published in magazines scale rule or calculator - provided that the and books in great number and few modelers reference that quotes the figure seems right.

14 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

•

•

Fine - but now check another \xlol:, thcn a third or fourth. CJJ.anccs arc that someone will ha\"c added a few eighths of an inch to the quoted oycrall length. My personal \'lew is simply to ignore any tiny discrepancy between kit and plan that is not glaringly obvious or that docs not cxceed about five millimeters. it seems that few people can ever get these questions of dimensions tOl,llly right, for the above reasons which arc often beyond one's control. I feci that it is simply nOI wonh the effon involved to add some tiny extension to a kit, onc probably involving a good deal of work,

•

that few observers will even notice unless it is brought to their attention. Oh\'iously shape matters and if an error in the Q\'crall length of the P-47's fuselage is a result of a poorly defined rudder or a short nose; then some remedial work should be undertaken. As your modeling experience builds, so ....111 your "third eye" imprO\·c. This hypothctical combination of gray matter and optics is an aid to accuracy in reproduction and will comc into playa grcat deal in modeling good scalc replica of aireraft. Study of pholographs will also reveal the finer points of design and <:onstructlon of the full-size machine, those "make or break" areas that have to be spot-on for a model to work in its own right. Sooner or later the common pitfall areas, those where the kit manufacturer has to pay close attention to

his own plans in order to pr<X1ucc an accurate replica, will be quickly notiu:-d and closely ch(."(;kcd before anything else.

COMMON PROBLEM AREAS FOR MODElERS All machines have lheir idiosyncrasies of design, none more than aircraft so it seems. On the Thunderbolt there are a number of arC;lS that can be problematic if they have been poorly designed as kit components or if there has been some fault in the moldings. If the r-47 kit version is :1 "T3zorback" mudel prior to the P-47D-25, the top line and shape of the f(''3f fuscl3ge will stand OUl if il c1c;lrly lacks the tfue sharpnC'ls ob\'1oUS in a thr(.-c-quarcerfear view of the full-size aircr:lft. If you fccl that the Thunderboh looks bener with the canopy open, try positioning the !cit cockpit before cuning it from the windscreen. Chances arc that it won't fit, and will ride a scale foot or so too high. The reason for this disparity is that the greenhouse canopy on pre-D-25 versions of the Thunderbolt was very thin. Two handles sel into the lower framing were used hy the pilot 10 brace the l;anopy apart so that it would align in the runners on each side of the fuselage. It had to be thin to be light enough to move easily and align snugly with the coarning behind the pilot's scat. Therefore, scaling it all

ABOVE Tamiya's lI48·sale P-47D Thunderbolt "Razorback", model by Brett Green. Late in 2002,Tamiya released their lI48-scale P-47D Thunderbolt. This kit features superb levels of accuracy. detail. engineering and options. It sets a new standard for a plastic kit straight from the box. Some modelers claim that this is the best 1!48,scale aircraft model released to date. One thing is for certain: if you want to build a model without the expense or complication of after-market accessories, but you still wam a well-deailed replica, Tamiya's lI48-scale P-47D fiu the bill.

GETTlNG STARTED 15

RIGHT The sprues ofTamiya's 1/48-scale P-47D Thunderbolt are packed in separate plastic bags.This is important, as it prevents partS on different sprues from rubbing together while the box is in transit, which could result in fine scratches and scuffing.The sprues contain a wealth of options for the kit, including bombs, rocket Iaunc:he~. different styles of drop tanks. alternate propellers and optional position landing naps. cowl naps and fuselage outlet.

down means that no ralorback model fuselage section is really going 10 be narrow enough if the clear section is to align with it when open. Depending on the desired scale, the modeler has to chose either to til a canopy from another kit that is slightly oversized (they all \'ary to some degree) or mold one ill material thin enough 10 sit far enough down to rest on the sliding rail and generally line up squarely when located in

RIGHT It is even more important that the dear parts are packed separately as they are far more susceptible (0 scratching.

16 WORlD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

the open position. The only otht.-r option is to laboriously pare down the plastic behind the l"OCkpit until i[ will 3lttpr the den section that is supplied with the kit. The chord and shape of [he rudder has also presenred a few challenges to Thunderbolt kits in the past, as ha\-e areas such as the alignment of the eight blast tubes of the wing machine guns, the o\-erall shape of the cowling, the size

lEFT Before the p
and shape of the fuselage turbo waste gates., Ihe cowl naps and [he canop~. Taking [hcse check poinn; in no panicular order, the chord and outline shape of [he rudder should be ehecled ab"3ins[ phoLOs and plans. As is ,wll known, all eight machinc guns should oc sct in a horizontal line and no[ follow Ihe dihedral angle of the wing:; the turbo should be wcll defined, with the [\\"0 small exhaust doors aft of Ihe cowling sining proud of [he fusclage; all cowl naps should also be thin enough for [he scale :md preferably no[ nil in :I "wide-Dpen" position, and [he large ventral exhaust ports should be the correct size and shape. A common scale problem on Thunderbolt kits is that the waste pIes lur the turbocharger on each side ofthe center fuselage arc often too thick if the mm·eable doors arc molded open. Ll"cn if they come as separate irems rhey should he to seale thickness. You'll also need LO ehl.:ek whelher or nO( the main landing gear doors are in their correct [hree sccLions" On older kits, Ihey mighr well be molded:ls one piece [hal has to occut info mree_ That tiny door section at the rop of each oleo leg s(.'CfIlS to throw manufaClurcrs, who oftcn mold it as a protuberance at the top of the "straight" Sl..'Ction of the doors. In extTt..'ITle cases I\"c known kits to ignore Lhese tiny doors completely and merely engra,-e their outline on [he outside f.1c..'C of [he main door_ Although these ircms are "cry small, without thc..-m Ihe 1>-47's unusual (;.\"[cnding oleo \muld have lx'Cn cXlx)SC(i to more dust :llld grit ~ and once YOll know the doors should he separa1e sections, yOUl' conscience will crcate a need 10 reproduce them. As with all World War 2 fighters, the forward rake of the undercarriage and the toc-in of the

wh!.:cls of rhe P-17 need careful auention: certain Idts are seemingly designed to make this alignment more diflicul[ to aehie\'e but if you feel they ha'"e it wrong, mod~- me loca[ing pins - or do your own [hing! Other areas of P-+7 kits mat need scrutiny include the shell case exit doors in the \\ ins: undersides, how well the dl'tail of the auaehed (or separate) main wing racks for drop lanks and bombs has been aehievc..-d, and of course, the outline shape of the cockpit canopy, nOt forgetting the unique shape of the windscrc..'en on the early model rawrbacks. Ain..Taft details can look remarkably dilTert.'Tl1 from certain camera angk-s, and with the P-.J.7 the upper line of 1he forward fuselage will appear to vary considerably. This optical illusion has led kit manufacTurers something of a dance insofar as designing the bl-St way to attach lhe cowling to the fuselage and "mold thc dip" that always appeared where the fuselage curved downwards to meet the cowl flaps. The war the naps arc molded in the kit often has a bearing on atturacy of owline. Various approaches ha\·e been adopted by kit manufacturers 10 artlch the CO'I\-Iing and the engine components, but [hey usually comprise a straight join in,'oh ing ccml'Ilting Ihe circumference of the cowling. Undcrncalh, the Thunderbolt (depending on the sub-type) can appear differenr as wellquite poI-bellied in some 'lews and regularly curn:d in others, Some machines from the P-f7C-5 did indeed have an extrn "keel" section to enable sttengthened belly tank/bomb shackles to be fitted. There was a distinci bulge on the undcrside as a result. Em the trouble with that kind of modification is that iT mises lhe following quesTion. were all suh-types similar in outline from that point on? If the

GETIlNG STARTED 17

RIGHT Next, major parts are removed from the kit sprues using sprue cutters. These can be used to make a clean cut close to the plastic part. minimizing later "clean-up."

answer is a qualified no., it docs nOl 3ctually help the modeler much. Comparing the kit p3ns 10 as many photos as possible is the only W3Y 10 decide if the plastic matches the met3!.

CONSTRUCTION TIME So, having washed all the parts on the sprues and thoroughly scrutinized what came OUI of the box, and assuming that the 1'-47 kil you arc building is accurate enough not to require major surgery with a file or scalpel, construction of the main sub-assemblies can proceed. Dy this stage you will have cut off the twO fuselage halves and the wing to see how they match up. It goes without saying that you alsQ need to check that the horizontal tailplancs 3re ready for assembly thc right way up. This is because they may h3\'e previously oc-cn detached and sub-assembled. In case you have done this preparatory ,"ork but neglected to check if the trim tabs and any prominent mass balances are where they should be., consulr the instructions, which should male this clear. The same goes for trim tabs on the ailerons and the wings. I"'e seen numerous references to the fact that kit manufacturers have lert these on the kit when they were in fact omined from a given sub-type.. And of course the opposite is also true, so knowledge of the sub-IYpe of aircraft you're working with is quite important. These arc annoying details to find oul laler when painting a trim tab that your particular variant did not in fact ha\'c!

18 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG fMSTERClASS

THE CUTTING EDGE Previous mention of a scalpel brings us to another essential item III our tool kiL Any form of sharp knife will suffice to cut what is osually relatively soft plastic, mducling those that have snarroffhlades. Those by Swann Morton, sold with a range of different-shaped blades, arc probably the most versatile. 1 find a lOA blade [0 be the most useful for trimming plastic components, as it is not too long to risk breakage. Also, the blade remains sharp enough to enable repeated trimming or scraping lightly along a SL'am to remove a glue bubble without any surface scralching, as happcns when using the "wet and dry" sanding method. Those annoying hairline scams that can appear on upper and lower wing surfaces when gluing - no how matter how careful you've been during the dry runs - can easily be removcd by a scalpel held at an angle to the offending joint. Also, I ill\'ariably usc Swann Morton blades as drills.. Gently rotated, the pointed blades are ideal for making that c.xtra locating hole or opening out a gun trough. Provided that due restraint is c:.:erciscd (the blades otherwise being liable to snap in half or at least lose ,heir tip) such work can be completed without resort to an electric drill. Patience, that supreme modeling :lid, applies. A round flIe can be used to clean up thc machine-gun port, Inlake or whatever area you need to drill oU[. On 1'-·47s a \\ ing root camera port may need to be added if the kit does nOl indicate it.

"Wet and dry" sandp:lpcr is lL'iUally sold in sheets varying in surface roughness, \\;th the working side in black with a plain backing. It is one of those time-tested modeling aids that is invaluable for a whole rangc of sanding from '·cry light to heavy duty. Repc3t usage ....;11 result in a \·ery smooth surface that remains idcal for very light sanding of canopy edges and so forth. Any hea\'y sanding is bcst carried out with a sheet of wei and dry attachcd to a firm base and onto which considerable prc.<;sure may be applied. If scratches on the plastic surface persist despite liberal use of wet and dry, a proprietary metal polish product sUl..:h as Duraglit Silyo will add that final sheen. The subsequent coat(s) of paint should cover the surface abrasions., particularly when applied by airbrush. Care nceds to be taken when using: :my abrasive however worn it might be as there is a risk of rcmm·ing the paint undcr that authemic sheen you're trying to achieve. Scratches on canopy sections are particularly :lnnoying but polishing with ordinary toothpaste can restorc darit~'.

FILLERS In e."treme cases., where a (:oat or two of paint will clearly not cO\·er gaps or surfacc abrasions., model filler or what is generally termed "body puny" should be used. My personal choice is Green Putty, an American product that has been on the market for many years hut has since been joined by similar products produced elsewhere. Even the best-fitting kits may require a Liny spot of putty, particularly if the mold maker has been a little over cnthusiastic with extracting component parts from the locating pins inside the mold. This action sometimes leaves a sink mark or dimple or two on the plastic surfacc, which should be filled. Kever use too much, as the rubbing down process may itself create supplementary indentations, which also need filling! All such pUllies intended for usc with polystyrene plasric are pliable as they comc out of the tube and remain so for as long as they need 10 be induced into gaps.. Left to harden ofT o\'emight, the)' can then be smoothed ofTto the point where any unsightly join line is all but invisible. Having gone through thc above initial stages., lhe modeler should havc all the main sub assemblies trimmed and ready for sticking lOgelher and the fuselage sections cleaned up ready for mating. Don't forget to lightly roughen the butt joint edges to improve adhesion. Then comes the question of painting the interior of thc Thundcrbolt's cockpit.

Fortunately the P-47 had quite a crowded crew position and with Ihe seat, armor plate, instrument panel, gun sight and control column in situ, few of the details on the fuselage sidewalls ean readily be seen, due mainly to the cun-arure of the fuselage at that poin!. This means that a black "shadow coat" followed by base coat of Dull Dark Green, with some structural part... painted in zinc chromate and black can be all that is needed_

VARIED SHADES

ABOVE The P-'17D propeller assembly is broken down in a unique fashion that accur.llely represents the join between the front and rear of the hub, and also guarantees the COf'l'ect pitch for the propeller blades.This little assembly was prepared by p;linting the hub silver. followed by a wash of black oil paint to highlight bolt detail. The propeller blades were then painted black with yellow tips.

There were se\'cral shades of prolective chromate paint used on CSAAF aircraft, most of them varying from yellow to a liverish green. These days most model paint manufacturers include a chromate green as part of their rangc and the shade chosen will be one of the first

LEFT The P-47D engine comprises only eight parts but the detail is very good indeed. Careful detail painting and an oil wash maximized the detail on the plastic parts.

,, GETTING STARTED 19

paints to hc applied to the mode!. Areas such as the tailwheel and mainwheel wells and the edges of the undercarriage doors which on P-47s, \\·ere often quitc visible as a chrome yello\\·;orange shadc, nced to he so treated. Some P-47 kits extend to a canvas dust hoot around the tailwheel oleo and this may need to be painted at this stage, along with the two retaining rods that kcep the tailwheel doors open. Simulatcd on some kits, these rods may be added as separate items if the modeler so wishes. The cockpit console and sidewalls also need painting at this stage, as do the seat and all areas of the cockpit visible through the canopy. l\tlost fighter models require thc cockpit detail to be completed at an early stage, as this sub-assembly will be trapped hy the fuselage halves when they arc glued. Some items such as a separate headrcst and radio sets that arc located aft of the pilot's scat may be left until later. As a considerable degree of handling of the model lies ahead, you don't need flimsy parts that arc liable to come lose snapping off and perhaps being lost forever. ]0 sum up, the less you rcally necd to add before the aircraft has its fuselage and perhaps wings assembled, the better.

WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS? By studying the accompanying instruction sheet, the modeler will now havc a good idea of how the kit has been broken down for case of assembly and the number of stages this will take.

RIGHT The Tamiya kit's instrument panel is quite good. It features blank instruments and offers the option of either painting the dials or applying a decal over the top of the whole panel. Instead, I decided to apply individual instrument decals for each of the dials after punching them from Tamiya's kit decal sheet.A Waldron micro Punch and Die was used for this precision task.

20 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

I find that kit instructions always need a modicum of personal interpretation at certain stages of construction although famillarity with the aircraft type will soon enable much of the assemhly to be completed without constant reference to them. In recent years manufacturers have almost dispensed with the cost of translating instructions into six-plus languages and instead have reverted to illustrations. This means that anyone from Yorktown to Yokahama is theoretically able to assemble the kit with the minimum of trouble - certainly not bccause a word (or ten) cannot be understood. In fact kit design for American single-engine fighter models follows much the same pattern and few people should run imo difficulties in assembling a Thunderbolt. On the other hand, the various stages have to be elearly understood to ensure that the sheet does not suggest, for example, that the assembly of the main landing gear is not tackled too early. It is well known that alignment of a kit's wings and tailplane against the \'ertical is vital: if the dihedral angle is 100 steep, the landing gear oleos will im·ariably be too high and the wheel toe-in (or out) will sutTer. Vertical alignment of the mainwheels also needs to be carefully done, so the landing gear assembly should ideally to be completed althe same time. Should the kit instructions suggest early attachment of the gear, ignore them. Applying adhesive to all three undercarriage legs mUSI wait until the wing angle has been obtained satisfactorily, otherwise even the best model risks !rJining a few scale degrees of dihedral on

LEFT The individual decals were sealed with a spot of floor wax to reinforce the impression of a gla.ss lens in front of each instrument. The detail on the Tamiya P-47D kit's sidewalls looks great too. Detail in silver, white. red and even semi-gloss black (over the flat black b.lise coat) was picked OtJt with a fine paintbrush_

one wing compared \\-ith the opposite side while the adhesin' that fixes them in position drics OUI. Cnsighdy gaps rna} also appear at the wing rooLS and require use of filler and sandpaper to eliminate them. But if basic precautions are raken, the dr)-run fitting of pans should result in a near perf(."(;t marrying up all round. Wing (Q fuselage joints oftcn pose problems in alignmelH, as do OIhcr major wmponents that arc molded separately tu onc another on the sprue. There can be few things more irksome than to ha\'e a wing- jUt forward of the root fillet section and overhang at the trailing edge. What to do? Tn extrcme cases the only remedy is to employ filk... to build up the fillu before the wing halvcs an.: joined to it. Then, using ample adhesi\'e, aim to obt:Jin as firm a bond as possible before S3nding the offending ioim down after the wing is att:Jchcd. I low much work you'll ha\e 10 do depends on the design of the kit in qucstion, but the butt joint is still commonly used on models of P-4-7s and single-engine aircraft of similar configuration.

ADDING MORE DETAIL Should you now be a little impatienl to complete your Thunderboh and add the finishing touches, rhere is no reason why time nt.w be spenl on adding extra detail to the cockpit area. Today, most good kits, induding the excellent T;lmiya one shown in thc photographs that accompany this chapter, come with all that the nlOl.leler needs to give the rC(luired depth to this area, including dCl'als to be attached to a

plastic section representing the instrument panel. Cockpit sidewalls, with lheir \':Irious instruments, boxe:i and IC'lTfS, are im-ariably molded in relief :md need only careful painling and rna} be a little additional d~- brush wear and tear, 10 bring them out. Paint the inside as accurately as possible. both from your rcfcrcot.'CS and the kit inSlructions. It is of course entirely an individu.al ehoi(.'(: how much :additional work [Q put into thc cockpit interior. For example, do you want merely 10 pick out the scat harness with paint, or add your own hom a multi-media accessory kil, such as the Eduard one shown in the jlholOgraph on p:age 22i [laving decided whclher or nOI to h:ave the finished model with an open or closed hood section will oftcn determine Ihe .answer. In the elosed position, howe\ er e!<,'ar the transparent sections of the razorback "greenhouse" are, there \\-ill be some distortion. The degrec of delail \-isible through lhe bubbletop CJ,nopy of a P---17D is also limitt.'
(

GffilNG STARTED 21

-

ABOVE The only extra item destined for the P-47D kit was a harness from Eduard's set No. 49 00 I: Seatbelts USAF & USN WWII.These photo-etched belts have been pre-painted and are microscopically detailed.

Building a model straight out of the box, using only what is provided by the manufacturer without any modification, has been legitimized by the International Plastic :\lodeling Society as a competition cla.ss in its own right: there could hardly be better proof of how high a standard today's kits have reached, such as the Tamiya P-47D shown. Above all, modeling should be an enjoyable, absorbing pastime, not a stress-ridden search to acquire every accessory on the market. Like football, which was once only a game, model making can become a high cost, angstridden, reputation-risking business. Don't ever let that happen to you!

AIR OR PAINTBRUSH' There a.re still many modelers who have never quite mastered the art of spraying models with an airbrush, and who get along with the time honored hand-held brush. I suspect however that such individuals are in the minority, particularly if there is a penchant for the larger scale kit. An airbrush is almost essential for

22 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING MASTERCLASS

covering relatively large areas of plastic with paint, although 1 note that the number of coats necessary for complete, in-depth coverage can be quite high, and the time it takes is not insubstantial either. Having been totally in the hands of a succession of inueasmgly beat-up Badger and Aztec airbrushes in recent years, I've come to know my place. 1 spray how the brush wants to most of the time but holJ the option of replacing the thing if it flatly refuses to comply after repeated deamng and bathing in thinners. Stripping the brush nght down to give il a thorough clean remains a last resort although many people won't do this on the grounds that it might not go back together correctly, thereby postponing completion of the model. You can actually get away with merely spraying through the old color and regularly washing the brush in thinners and/or a proprietary cleaner that comes in aerosol form. Obviously, successful airbrushing requires the user to follow some cardinal rules, including using light shades before dark ones, and taking care when spraymg silver or aluminum to clean the brush (even more thoroughly than usual) to avoid conumination of other colors. The rapid amount of heat generated by the average compressor in about one hour's spraying is surprising. The model I currently usc has a nasty tendency to jam if it becomes too hot but luckily gets going again when it has been allowed to cool down. As an alternative to a compressor, canned gas propellant will "drive" an airbrush: although it gives a high enough pressure to activate the brush, the pressure can vary. If the '--"Oln has been stored for some time the contents can go flat, leading to uneven pressure and the need to constantly shake the contents into life. This on-off tendency alone soon makes people invest in a compressor. Those on the market arc either universal, or intended for usc with a certain brand of airbrush, the prices varying to suit different needs and the degree of features. These include a pressure regulator, a water trap and the capacity to operate more than one brush at a time, if necessary. Homemade compressors still figure in modeling, the advantage with this type being that extra features can be fitted for convenience and flexibility in spraying. \Vhatever paint applicator system one employs, the difference an airbrush makes in obtaining a smooth finish to a model cannot be over-emphasized. That is not to imply that hand brushing no longer has a place in model

making, as a se[ of fine sables is indispensable, ideal for bringing ou[ in[ric:ue dc[ail in [he aircraf[ cod:pi[, [ires, wheel hubs and engines, [0 name bm a few areas. Running [hinned paint into pand lines to emphasize wear IS ano[her important func[ion of small brushes in typically 00, 0 and 01 sizes. Brushes are also necessary to place decals correclly and where necessary, to apply a coal or I \\"0 of softening agem.

CHOOSING A FINISH '10 return to our P-47D: having sprayed or hand painted all areas of the interior that will be visible once the twO fuselage halves arc attached, and completed lhe eodpit, our model is a further step ncarer to completion. By this stage a choice holo!> to be made on thc final color scheme, based eilher on an overall camounaged effect or nalural metal finish (:\"MF). II is not [hal unpainted USAAF fighters ever remained in prisline conditioned (,.'omp3.roo to their eomemporaries in olivc green and ncmral gray camounage paim - it is just th3.t [he weathering effec[ was somcwhat different. From the modeler's viewpoin[, a poor joint thai can be hidden b} sc\ eral coats of Oli\-e Drab will nOl be quite so cas}' to disguise \\'i[h a plain finish. Aluminum or sih'er paint has slightly different propenies to Ihe pigment m all o[her color shades and some model pamts arc specially formulated to be Iightcr for application by airbrush. The coats will therefore be thinner, allowing the model's surfacc detail - or scral ches - to show through that much more easily. Care and patience should result in hardly any bad joints being visible - but the old adage dIal if things can go wrong, they in....ariably will, applies as much [() modeling as any other human endeavor probably more so for some people!

surfaces, suy pliable and bulge out of [he joint when two surfaces are mated up under pressure. As with :1.11 aspects of this hobby, 3. light touch when applying the cement will p3.Y di\'idcnds. Ilelp is at hand \\ ilh Re"cll's Comaeta cement, which comes in a squ3.re fk.xipack with a slim nozzle applie:.ttor. This metal extension rube is ideal for gctling adhesivc into [hose inaccessible corners where an cxtra drop or [wo \\ill ensure that nothing comes loose, panicularly inside the fuselage. Otherwise, liquid cemenl will cope with most modeling tasks. Applied sparingly, it leaves virtually no trace on lhe plastic surface (although it certainly will mark the plastic

ABOVE The Eduard beltS were mounted on top of the rail behind

the pilot's seat. representing the they looped oYer md behind this bar.The brown he.ildrest received a wash of thinned IQw Umber oil paint to make it look more leather-like.Tiny silver chips were added to the seat. the floor and the rear bulkhead using a silver pencil.

V«f

BElOW The P-47D's raised ribbed flooring is very impressive and free of any molding imperfections.

ADHESIVES At this poin[ we need to look 3.t the range of adhesi\'es available. The mOSt popular arc the liquid cement [ype m3.rketed b} such firms as Humbrol, and hC3\"ier duty lubc-ccm(:m type. This Ialter is also sold by commercial suppliers and model kit companies 3.nd is mOSt widely used for firmly bonding joints such as wing sections to the fuselage - anywhere that a sl'ronger join is necessn}'. L'scd less tOO3.Y than il once was, tube cemenl would, if you arc clumsy, craze the plaslic sur(;u..:c. On the one hand this may assure a bettcr bond as the two plastic faces lend to melt into ea<.:h other, but the drawback is l'hat the cement can lie on the

GETTlNG STARTED 23

-

BElON The pre-painted P-47D componenu were brought together in preparation for assembly. Note that even the edge of the wing root has ~ painted Zinc Chromate Yellow. This forms part of the main wheel well. The assembly at the top right-hand side of the photo is the wing spar_This guanntees mat me wing dihednl will be set at me correct angle.

if :Iccidcntally spilled) :md without the "stringing" cffect that tube cement can creatc. Liquid :adhesi,-c is applied with :I small brush - often supplied with the boule it comes in - and works by capillary :lction so that it creeps quieldy along the smallest of joints_ Its general non-staining properties m:ake it ide:ll for attaching clear parrs to solid sections, such as cockpit canopies and formation lights_ It has the slight disadnntage of sometimes drying so quicl:ly on contact with :lir thar rept.':l.( :applications are necessary. This type of adhcsiw, which has all but revolutionizcd plastic modeling, is becoming more efficient and substances that come into the plastic-weld (3 liquid adhesi,-e is marketed by .\"licros(:ale under thar name) category em occ:tSionally be used to close up gaps that \\ould otherwise n ..q uire filling and filing - fWO chorcs that I. and 1 suspect many others, dislike intensely_ I}crsonally, I ne,-er use enough adhcsj'·e. 0ver the years, and maybe remembering the d:ays when models ,,-ere marked by the amount

24 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERClASS

of dricd adhesive one could actually sec in the joints, I've taken the warning "use glue sp:ll'ingly" rather to heart. nut today the range of adhesi,-cs to cover all modeling tasks is wide and you can chose the one that suits, :J. combination of l>olystyrene cement and liquid adhesive being ideal for most modeling tasks. If all else fail... c~llnoacrylate (superglue) will surely do the joh. The one drawback in using it is that, lad:ing the nexibility of other model adhcsi,'cs, you ha\"c to get the positioning right first time and closely monitor Ihe drying Out process. To ensure that the glued parts hold together along their entire length, Wf3.p elastic bands or adhcsi,-c tape around them, check continually that no slippage has meanwhile occurred between left and right or top and bonom hah'cs, and lea"c ,hem to dTy lhoroughl~-_ This is where :a useful and simple modeling tool comes into its own - allaeh oTdinar~' household clothes pegs along the wing leading and trailing edges. This can be prefcTablc to clastic

LEFT The fuselage fits together beautifully. The prominent wing spars can be seen protl'1Jding

from me fuselage. just as they did on the real aircraft.

oonds, II hich might snag an in silll aerial or other delicate l,:omponent. On a P--47 kit you may for exampll.:, ha\'c had to fit two carriers for lhe eight wing guns within the two wing hah'{,'S prior 10 gluing. The blast tubes will of course sTi,k out of ea,h kading edge and any hea\'y-handcdncss in wrapping The rubber bantls Tighll~' around the wing mighT risk sn:lpping them off, so :l humbk peg or two cum,s in I"cry handy. For dClal1 painting, decal application or tasks such as anchuring aerial wires securely, a desk-Illouilled damp may be the answer. Set at any given angle with ,I number of jaws to hold The model rigid, these m:lY be used in conjunctiun with spedal daylight lighting (bulbs or specially-{\esignetl l:lmps) and handheld or rigid magnifiers, if required. Special adhesivcs will be noccssary if your modeling branchcs out into using brass etch and othcr customizing accessories. A range of cpnoacrylatcs arc a\'ailahlc from specialist supplicrs, thc adh(.'si\·cs sold for model making often having bccn specially formulated to get good results from bonding otherwise incompatible materials such as copper, plastic and rcsin. The hcst guide to determining the correct adhcsivc for the job you have in mind is to check guides that appear from time to time in the modeling press, ahhough the mail order hO\L<>CS will be happy to advise 011 what product will best suit your particular requirements. The accessory it'Self (or the ret:ailer who slocls it) should also pro\'ide some guidance in this respect.

YOUR OWN WAY One reason for great care in checking wing and tailplane alignmenl and making surc they will indeed fit well wit hout need for much post adhesil"e rubbing down is that it is perfectly possible to digress considerably from the instruction sheet. By this I mean completing all the work on the 1'--17 fuselage including painting and maybe applying the decals before assembling and attaching thc wings. Any work on the fuselage, where most of the decals and det;til painting :ll'C grouped, will be far casier wilhout the wings and tailplanes sticking Oul al righl angles and getting in the way. You m;ty also IVan I to postpone attaching the engine cowling for a similar reason. .\hsking for painting will thus be far easier and should lhere be any need for hand painting, i.e. as an alte1'llali\'c 10 persuading a decal to lay down around lhe nose ring of a 1'-47 cowling, lhen working on an uncluttered fusdab"C will pro\·ide much more fn..-edom of mo\·ernenl. It should be emphasized here that before tadding lhe fuselage lhe fit of the other parts will have been Ihoroughl~ checked for good alignment and trimmed \\ here n(''CCSS:1ry. Once you are sure. thaI c\'cf)1hing will fi[ well when you are ready for final assembly, the wings may be attached t'O the fuselage. When this is carried out, O\'cr half the job will ha\'e been done. More time will be S3vcd if you prespray the wings and t.tilpJanc and any other parts when you apply the fuselage color: the importance of oondueling se\'craJ dC)' runs cannot be emphasized enough, Check again

GETTlNG STARTED 25

tD 4

ABOVE The kit's engine cowl fits well even without glue.The

flaps are connected via three hinges per side. Different hinge partS are used depending on whether the flaps are raised or lowered. Ideally. if the flaps are to be depicted dropped. they should be left off until after painting to avoid accidentally breaking them off dUring handling.

4'

that the wing to fuselage alignment is correct and the dihedral angle is right. If so, each undercarriage leg can be located and set ;1t the correct forward-rake angle, taking care to view these from head-on and from each side to ensure that the toe-in IS also as per the original aircra£[' It is very important [0 consult a reference photo or twO for the correct "hang" of the undercarriage legs., as kit instructions can be vague and thrce-view plans simply wrong aboul Ihis delail. Also make sure that both oleo legs are in line on both sides. The legs an be left [0 dry out by suspending Ihe model inside an uptuml-d box lid (or tWO paint tins of equal height). Any suitable lightweight object can be used as props [0 suppon Ihe fuselagc and ensure Ihat there is no mo\'emenl of thc Icgs while Ihe adhesi\'c dries OUL Once the undercarriage anglc has been sel (;orr<;etl}, work can be carried out on any exrra detail such as brake or hydraulic lines rhat need to be run from lhe whl'Cl hub up inw the well. While wartime fighters were not nearly so complex in [his area as their modern day counterparts, any small items you add 10 the model should have logical anchorage points

26 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

-

•.

Illside the well. Sway braces to kccp the inboard undercarriage doors in place in rhe down position also need to be attended to, although these will usually be part of the kit. When the oleos hal'e dried firmly, attach the wheel well doors thaI: have been pre-painted, and fit the wheels to their oleo pins..\hny kits provide a choice bet\\een hub blanking platcs or "open" hub spokes. If the kit you have chosen does not, and the chosen P--47 subject is a late-war e.'\:ample, ",heel hubs with the spokes visible might need to be found from elsewhere. This sort of deuil is often hard to check: aircraft wheels usually had hub plates but in some theaters of war the ground crew regularly left them off if they were prone to a build up of mud. Then there is Ihe fac[Or of different wheel hubs being fined to laler production aircraft - but you won't find many P-17 references going into such dClail, so the reliable yardstick of "model whal you sec" holds good in this insrance. PholOgraphs arc once again the most reliable guides and it is pleasing to sec that modern kits (and decal sheets) are increasingly including reference photos on their instructions.

------

•

Wheels on fighter kitS have only recently matured to the point where we gel treads and "flats" for an aircraft under load. This is a definite plus on behalf of the manufaClUrers bm do dH.'d: that Ihe degree of l03d is nOl excessive to Ihe point where if the tires were as flat as shown, the aircraft would nOl roll. Many kits still have "round" wheels, in which case make your own Oat area on each tire. Also of importance is to check the cross section of the wheels supplied in the kilo While things are much better in this respec1 !.han £hey used £0 be in the dars when tires were generally too thin .....hen viewed from head on, manufacturers can still slip up. In addition, the tires should ha,"c the corn.'C1 tread p2uem: a dose srudy of photographs and manwls re\'eals noticeable differences over the length}' production lifetime

of an aircraft such as the P-47. Apart from references to the fitting of lowpressure tires (not necessarily on P-47s), not even the manufacturers of tires were closely identified with supplying the wartime aircraft companies, Republic in this instance. The houschold-n:;amc m:;anufaClUrers of today were doing just the same during the w:;aT. Our how man}' pt.'Ople can Slate categorically "P-47 wheels wcrc always fitted with Goodyear tires"? If so, how much did the patterns vary? Wartimc US combat aircraft did not, [Q my knowledgc, havc different tire compositions and tread patterns for different operating

conditions such as the variety fiued to Formula 1 racing cars, for example - if only life was that simple~

So, in dealing with this kind of \'exed question, ne\'er assume anything; JUSt gi\·e the model wheels to match those in the reference photos as closely as possible, You may say that nobody ....;11 notice, which may be true - bur once you get an eye for these things., you at least know .....-hat looks better on your own model. Before leaving the subject of p...\i wheels, indi\'idual examples of the earlier machines sported a variety of designs on the hub plates. These included white sta~ numbers, different segments painted in squadron colors and even a reproduction of the unit insignia - rake a close look to see what can be detected in photographs. You may well come across a nice little extra detail that can be added to further enhance the model, For c.umple, on late-....-ar P-47Ns, idemi£)' on flight lines was enhanced by repeating the aircraft number on the mainwhee1 covers.

FINISHING TOUCHES Final detailing of your P-47 includes loc-ating the propeller, running an aerial wire from the radio mast to the fin, and auending to any ordnance you wish the model to carry. P-47 propellers had at least four different blade shapes but the most important thing is the source of the manufactutcr because their

LEFT After assembly,.lI tiny line W<1S visible on the P-470's lower fuselage. This W<1S filled with Mr Sumter .lind sanded lightly with fine .lIbrasive paper.This wu the only filling .lind sanding required on me entire kiL Se.lItTl

GETTING STARTED 27

•

--~

S~

ABOVE Aeromaster sheet AMD48-71 includes spectacular markings for a hard-working P---47D in natural metal. The

decals perfonned perfectly. with no Q-nier film visible even

before a sealing coat over the markings. The meGllic surface was wetted with Micro Set before the decals were applied. A thin coat of Micro Sol setting solution was brushed over the decals to ensure tnat they settled right iow panel lines.. Step by step photographs on achieving the nawn.! metal finish on this model will be dealt with in Chapter 6: Special Techniques.

product was nOlit:eably differcnr. Does thc reference indicate the Curtiss Electric type (quilC poimcd, with blade cuffs) or a Hamilton SlandarJ, which was broader without (uITS! The hubs ',-ere also different, Ihc Curtiss ')"PC having a more pointed front end while the H$ had a rounded, more domed appearance. While there may eYen be a choice of propeller in your kit, the radio aerial will be a standard fitting. Cheek that il is of the right height and strong enough [Q support the aerial wire. using thin fishing line or stretched sprue, add the wire stretched between the maSt and the fin. A small drop of rube cement should be enough to replicate the condensers, which arc often the only items visible in photos to provc that therc was a wire there at all. Anchor the wire firmly with superglue. Selecting the drol' tanks, bombs or rockets your Thunderhoh (,.';Jrrics will depend a lot on the wartime date. Different drop ranks and ordnance were introduced progressively on wartime Thunderbolts bUl kil manufacturers get carried a wa)' sometimes and throw in all

28 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

the bombs, tanks 3ml rockets they can fit on the sprues. Faced with all of this, the novice may not realize the stress limitations that prevcntcd the entire lot being loaded at once! Various sub-types of P-H - and most other fighter types - were built and/or modified to rake '·anous types of Stores, so some familiarit}' with serial numbers of the variants soon becomes a necessity. Even armed with the information that explains on which sub-types a particular item of ordnance was carried, field modifications to update older aircraft can hold hidden pitfalls for the modeler. In WillC combat units older Thunderbolts rarely gave war entirely to new replacements, as there was an acute shortage in some areas. \Vhen you 3re aware that it was not unknown for a front-line group to receive a half dozen P-47 sub-variants at one time, the notion that for example, the bubblelOps replaced the razorbad:s is, as a general statement, far from truc. This brings the record of actual e,-cnt..., p1:l.ccs and dates into the realm of modeling more than mighl initially be realized.

INSIGNIA INSIGHTS Having: d<..'Cid<..'
insignia on P-47s was paimcd on before the pylons were arrached. The kir instructions should be a guide to {his and the decJI sheet may include the exrra insignia with a couple of spots to indicate where {he pylon I)ins go - but don't bank on this always being the case, particularly if the kit decal olnions are not lL';cd. All the modeler can do in this instance is assume that in the European Theater after a given d:lte an 8th or 9th Air Force p-·f7D will haye had the additional insignia applied. The prohlem of determining P-H markings at a certain date wit h IOtal accuracy is somewhat compounded by replacement aircraft. ~[ost groups suffered losses during combat mis..<;ions in 19++--45 and lxnh new production and older :lircraft \\ere recei\·ed. A grcat many P-4jDs, both r:lzorbacks and bubbletops, were passed on 10 the 9th Air Force by the 8th Air Force as its groups com·erred to :\lustangs but I don't know the full e.nent of repainting after the.c;e latter machines were refurbished at depots. Photogr:lphic evidence would hO\\'e\·er appear 10 indicate that a pristine exterior for tactical aircraft was the last thing to trouble AAF planners al that time. Thc p-.J.j combat groups themseh'es worked under the pretext of "if it isn't broken, don't fix it": photos show razorbacks in service at thc end of the war complete with their

•

LEFT A thin coat of flat vamish was sprayed over the model to tone down the contrast between the panels and to blend the decals with the model's sumce. The kit's canopy fiu quite securely wimour glue.The windscreen is recessed into the forward fuselage, and the sliding canopy section snaps into position. effectively locking the windscreen into place.

GETTlNG STARTED 29

RIGHT The completed P-47D.

unit's final color recognition markings and as model kit bombs look less than amhentic but if one would expect, a preay beat up appearance. Ihis old type matches the size you need, simpl)' Invariably the shiny, recent replacement cut the pins ofT thc "smooth" half and stick bubbletops can be noted on the same flight line two male/female halves together. You'll need - all of which makes modeling the American to havc several kits or a heahh)' spares box to wartime fighters a fascinating if occasionally get enough male or female halves, bUl this is preferable LO hacking an inlegr3l rack ofT the frustrating pastime. Lastly, our P-47 needs fuel 10 get to the thing. target and something to attack it with. Here Also irksome are bombs with grooves in the again reference to color phOlOS will confirm the surface to enable them LO altach firmly. Once shade of paint used on the \'arious types of a~"3in, many recent kiL<; comain correctly scaled drop tank, but there arc guidelines. If we lake attachment points for bombs and drop tanks, the standard cylindrical I08-gal. type, the complete with tiny screw down clamps which ruling was that those manufactured in the UK WCtC usually angled inwards from the carrier were painted gray while those tanks from 1.:S rack. I feel that pins designed [0 penetrate production were NME Anomalies occur when the surface of kit bombs is all right provided pholos indicate a darker shade of color on that the scale is correct. Firm altachment of lanks as these were sometimes taken from ordnance can be trieL:)", especially if the model aircraft and stores daring from the rime that needs to be mo'·ed around, so an extra drop of camouflage was in usc. Another reason 10 cement may be vcry necessary to keep them in check those dates. place. Formnalely, many of toclay's fighter kits As 1.0 the design of tank hanging under your subject: model, photos (and experience) will also pro\'ide separate bomb fins. In a soon enable you to sort out the cylindrical continuing attcmpt LO obtain true scale from the fiat type, even if the aircraft is viewed accuracy the manufacturers are achieving in profile and the tank is hard lO see in vcry acceptable thin scclions in these tiny those shadows mentioned before. Thc leasl components. Bm there is a limit to whal Ihe confusion is provided by a le:lrdrop-shaped molding process will stand. If you be3r in 75-ga1. tank. mind that no plastic bomb (or rocL.-et) used When it comes 10 adding ordnance., the on a P--47 kit (in any scale) would look out of I)'pe and color of bombs carried by P-47s must place with fins the thickness of a piece of be taken inlo consideration. ThanHully, typing paper, you'll quickly reject all but the model kits have finally reached a level of \'cry best and vcry thinnest of kit components. sophisTication that has made toolmakers largely This will unfortunately clean out almost all stop the practice of incorporating the rack into your plastic armament stock because so many one half of the bomb. Such molding-in makes bombs have in the past had fins that wcre far

30 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MOOEUNG MASTERCtASS

•

100 thick for scale accuracy. Re-culting them all from plastic card is the real answer but in suggesl'ing this' do not dismiss the complexity of the task, especially when dealing with bombs filled with those intricate box-type

time as you can complete enough for se\eral

Refernng back a minute to the undcrwing insignia - if you arc modeling a P-47 opcr.tting in the ETO and thc kit is onc or the old ones rrom Monogram, the wing racks might ha\'c to be cut oIT. This is a paln but the option chosed may require you to apply the extra insi~'llia under the rack and to detail the rack. Alternatively, simply cut the national insignia decal and set the bars inboard of the racks on both sides, This will also need to be done on scvCTal lin-scale Thunderbolts that have their racks molded as part or the wing too.

models. Focusing on this one aspect of model making does breed familiarity with colors and markings. Selting aside the bomb(s) may also be advantageous if you are awaiting deli,"cry of the latest brass-etch accessory with which 10 detail the fins and add arming wires and those liny fusing propellers. AnOlher job in this area or the kit is to check Ihe detail orrhe wing racks. As is obvious rrQm photos. P-47 racks were some or the Iargesl e\ er filled 10 US aircrarl. With their prominenl sway braces they were also always oovered in stenciled instructions, these being supplied as decals in many current kits. The laler type or P-47 rack also had a lever arm at the rear 10 push Ihe bomb away rrom the wing. This may need to be added to your kit.

Rereren«s ror the oolors and markings of CS wartime ordnance are rare. so to speak, as there are rew handy guides to what is an IJ\'erlookcd subjttt. E\'en the massi\,c camounage and markings tomes do nI){ deh'c into the paint schemes or air weaponry to any extent. Fortunately, the books dc-.'Oled to the aircr.tft in question can PrQ\'ide us with such information and much else or imerestw the modeler. Tne ~t sources are the widely a\-ailable books or color photos, and magazine articles. Specialist modeling journals have oovered Ihc subject: of bomb colors o\'er the years, bUI in case the reader does not ha\'e access to any or these, the standard USAAF bomb colors are lisl:ed on page 114 of Ihis book.

fins. If bomb improvement proves to be too lime-
I

•

EXPLOSIVE COLORS

BELOW A three-quarter rear view of the completed Tamiya P-47D Razorback.

1

\

•

GETTING STARTED 31

CHAPTI'R 2

REFERENCE SOURCES

odelers of wartime USAAP fighter aircraft are arguably better otT than those whose interests :ue cenrered on virtually any 01 her aspect of a\'ialion, in thai the amount of available reference malerial is enormous. Most people will stan with a few books, approaching the subjcct either from the modeling end per se or from a study of the historical aspecLS - campaigns, combat operations, special missions, biographies of pilots and unit histories. .Fortunately, all such references will im'ariably contain phoLOgraphs of relevant aircraft in monochrome or color, and possibly, a page or I wo of color illustrations in I he form of side-view profiles. Recent decades have also seen the rise of numerous "overview" books which detail American wanime fighters in varying degn..'Cs of depth, illustrated with photographs and schematic drawings. Although the enthusiast will most likely have purchased one or more of these as m:w when the~ first appeared or as second-hand volumes since, he will prelty soon learn that they lend to be continually repacbged - like some kits - and contain the same hackneyed color profiles and cutaways. These 1:ll'ge-format, heavily illustrated tomes do howcvcr havc some value for checking basic

M

RIGHT Aircraft profiles can often provide inspiration lor a modeler. This attr'3ctive rendering of a P-40L Warhawk was created digitally by Thierry Dekker. It was used as the box an on AMtecll·s 1/48-scale P-40FIL kit.

32 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING fMSTERCLASS

dimensions and ~o forth, providing lhal the data contained lherein is reliable. Every current monthly or quarlerly a.via.tion maga7.ine, and many books aiming at :l high volume readership and a share of :l lTowdlxl matket, tend to include color profiles \\ hich \-ar)' in quality to a significant degree. Oflen thcre is also notice:able duplication of subject, for out of all the thousands of CSAAP fighters th:lt sa\\" combat, only a certain percentage had all thcir markings fully rccorded. These ha\'c been illustrated as sidc-vicw profiles many times, simply because although the potential \·ariatioll is vast, the numocr of aircraft about which complcte details are knOlln seems to expand only slowly. Therc is also the reality that publishers will often re-usc existing material rather than bear the l-ost of commissioning new artwork! This situarion has in the past led to bookshops being crowdl-d out with "pot boilers" that should largely be ignored by the enthusiast seeking to expand his horizons. }oor these and other reasons, mall}' books on J.;SAAF aircraft contain \-ariations On the same old theme; "favorite" P-5ID J\'luslang schemes such as the 361st Fighter Group's ++-1.f181/E2D "Detroit J\·lisg," and +4-13926/E2-5, various Thunderbolts of the 56th righter Gl'OUp

\Volfpaek, Medal of Honor winner William Shomo's F-6D ++-72505 "The Flying Undertaker/Snook.<; 5th" and Ch:ules Nbd)onald's P-38L "Putt Pun Maru" to name but a few, are still regulars in modern bool.:.s on the subject - as they arc bound to be, integral :IS (hey are to the story of the rcspectil'e aircrafl and (he operations they flew. These and olher well-known fighters have :llso had \\;de exposurc as kit and commercial decal subjects, the dr:lwback for the modem modeler being th:lt these (,'Olor schemes ha\'c already been used by oountkss mher kit builders all O\'er the lI'orid. In the unlikely cycnt th:1t no alternative scheme can be found, a repn.:sl.:ntati\'e collection of models of Srh Air I'"or-.:e l\tlustanl.,'"S will prohably include these hackneyed old fa\·orites. Modelers with access to better data will have shunned these well-known schemes in f:lvOf of something fresh. The sicuation :Irises wherehy the modeler is able 10 complete a dozen kiL<; in the markings of othcr ain"Taft in a gi\'en group aCler publication of a new, wdJ-illustf:lted unit history. Ob\'iously the :lrt work in somc books. either airbrush rendered or computer sourced, is only a.c; good a.c; the individual :.artist's references., his interpret:llion and the techniC31 difficulties involved m reproducing digital Images accurately on the printed page. It is true to say that the subject of US fighter colors has expanded significantly in terms of fresh schemes in the laSt ten years or so. While \\"C still sce the fa\"orircs, they increasingly share the single or double-page spreads of books and magazines, as well as UCI.::t1 sheets, with less familiar subjects. It is l'hese that ofler the opportunity for new modeling projects.

of certain aircraft, subjec1:S which, we ah\;IYs assumed in our ignorance, were shot only in monochrome. There is no reference as good a..c; a FIGHTERS ON FILM color pho[O, hO\\e\er poorly it may have (raveled Anolher welcome phenomenon of r(,'(:ent years in the 60 years since it was snapped. Onl) hac; been Ihe increase in the number of wartime through this can we pfO\'e that what C1,"eryone images, bolh printed and on film, in full color. thought \\as:a black tail stripe was in fact painted Many of Ihe stills Ihat have been reproduced in red or dark blue. were diligenll~ uneartheu across the liSA Among Ihe most valuable fcat\lT'CS of color by the late Jeff Ethell and it is to him and photos is confirmation of the shades used for like-minded indi\iduals th:u the modeling nose :lrt\\ork names and ima~'CS. Jt is wcU known fraternity should be grateful for:1 whole area of that USAAF front line units used combinations new data. It LOok decades, but those long-held of red, ycllo\\ and while - in other words Ihe color \"iews h:l\'e finally seen public:uion. Books most \'isible colours - to personalize their such as Fighter ComJl/uni: Tlu Histor)' oJ machines, but it is pleasing to ha\'e thc faci Aircraft Nf)Se Ar!, Wilr Ellglu ill Or/irinal Color oonfirmed. Reds and yellows arc notoriously ;\lld ?lIofic If-ar Eagles have added immensely difficult [0 determine from monochrome photos to our know1cuge of fighter camouflage and and some individual aircraft schemes ha\'e been markings as actually applied "in the field." the subject of guesswork for ycars. Most experienced moJclers will usc the Color pholOgraphy has brought confirmation (as lI'ell as contradiction) regarding the details standard p;\ckage of monotone photographs,

ABOVE Osprey Publishing offers

a wide selection of books in their Aircraft of the Aces series.

These include historical nOles, operational descriptions, many

wartime photos, line drawings and profiles.

REFERENCE SOURCES 33

RIGHT Squadron/Signal Publications cover a huge range of aircraft subjects in their In Action series. These soft-cover books are presented in a standard landscape format with 50 pages each, packed full of photos and scrap view drawings. The center pages feature color profiles.

,.,

P-47 Thunderbolt -i::' I

written evidence, plans and color drawings, plus some color photos. Unfortunately it is not always possible 10 extract all the information required from a single \'olume. There are books that indeed trap almost all there is to know bet \\een two covers hm this is hardly e\'er the case in regard 10 widely used aircraft such as US Army fighters, so vast is the subject. Taking all war theaters together, fighter color schemes run into the hundreds if not thousands. Another fascinating area of markings that has been given the hardback hook treatment in recent years is nose art. There are various liLIes available but for the subject under rel,iell' US Fighter Nose ",lrt by John and Donna Campbell and Jeff Ethcll's The Ili.anr)' oj" /lircrllfl ,\'0.\( Art arc both indispensable guides to the subject. The latter volume not only shows the reader the original calendar art from which many of the pin-ups stemmed, but some biographical notes on the artists themselves. The Campbell tome is handily divided into theaters and although not always prm'iding as much caption detail as hoped, the hook can set an enthusiast on the trail of the rest of the aircraft, as of course only the front end is usually depKted. One exception is the artwork widely applied to the cockpit doors on P-39 Airacobras, a fighter type that remains 10 be researched in depth to determine further details, including III some cases the RAF serial number. The question is: did the aircraft have one applied or not? A model could be incomplete without iT.

34 WORLD WAR 2 US ARM.Y FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERClASS

The vanety of published referem;es outlined above prol-ides the modeler setting up a library with most of what is needed to complete a number of plastic kits. There arc many very good value titles on the market and although a high price will often be asked for imported books, tlllS additional cost is offset by lhe fact thJt full color books do not appear every week. In Europe there has been a steady flow of published data on USAAF fighters despite Ihe fact that some favored series such as Profiles and Aircam have long since disJppeared. Osprey has done much to redress any perceived lack of an informative, English-language aviation book series with their highly acclaimed Aircraft of the Aces, Combal Aircraft: and Production 10 Front Line series. Some of the titles covering aces have presented many hitherto unknown marking;s details to delight lhe model maker. The \'arious authors of these titles also do their best 10 unearth photographs to back up the color profiles (which are usually of exceptionally high quality), as lhis is ultra-important to the modeler. Types such as the P-40 Warhawk ha\'e received little prior covcrage with regard to the most successful pilots who new them after the American Volunteer Group had completed its stint in China and Burma. Carl _I'vlolcsworth's two titles covering the 1'-40 units operating in the CEI and rvlTO are the most comprehensive yet on the markings of a vcry significant airplane.

A perennial fa\"oritc with the modeler, the P-W has never looked back since reliable data was first released on the carly models nown by

the famed

FI~;ng

Tigers. Few other aircraft

markings ha\"c made such an impression as the AVG sharkmouth: perpetuated far beyond the products of Curtiss, these double rows of deadly white leelh were first popularized by r\o. 112 Squadron R.A.f: Not thai color profiles ha\"c been '"ery kind to the aircraft of the AVG: the latest research shows that for years the colors, particularly of the undersides, were wrongly assumed to be closer to those used by the RAF than was actually the casco This is another reason not to rely on data, particularly

artists' impressions, published in books

r

some 30 years ago. Always check if there is something morc up to date. As a general poinl on color drawing references, il may also be found that the artist has cleaned up the aircn:lft for Ihe purposes of clarity, so the importance of reference phOlos to chec\,; this and other points cannol be O\'eremphasized. As with preHy much. e'"ery other as~t of research, in time the modcler will come to !.:now which referl."Ilccs, authors and artist.. to rely on and those to treat wilh some caution.

AMERICAN LEAD As far a... core references to fighter unin; and markings go, I don', know what I'd have done without the magnificent Air .Forcc Story series hy Kenn Rust. Published in the 1970s by I Iistorieal Aviation Album in the US they eo'"ercd all US air uniTs serving overseas c..xcept the II th Air Force in the Aleutians. Before they appeared we were floundering, nOI knowing that much aoom Ihe order of fighter color schcmes and to which group aircraft bclongc::d. Some g3PS in our knowledge remain to this day bm 90 per celli of this type of dala is there in nine ,"olumcs. In some instances Ihey rC'"dled details of units we pre,"iously kne" little or nothing about - and ha,-e had liule else since" If you don't ha'"e Ihese titles, IT}' to find them if you can - the search will be \\el1 rewarded" In the 1;S, Squadron/Signal continue to c.\':tcnd Ihe In Action series 10 include I.'yer more unusual types. For Ihe modeler of the P-47, two titles by Ernie McDowell arc excellent. Di,'iding the aircraft's combat operations into Europe and the _'11'0 and the CDr/Pacific theaters, he shows the sequential markings of all rront~line units, backed by the usual top quality artwork for which these books are renowned.

Having ta!.:en o'"er distribution of the Detail Scale series, Squadron/Signal is also currently offering even more titles of interest to the modeler of USAAF fighters, with rca:nt titles on the P-39 and P-W to add to those pre,·iously released. Detail & Scale ha,"e, in what I fccl to be a deuimental mo,·e, cut bac!.: on the kit review section from some of their latest titles. These rc,"iews were not intendcd to be anything other than basic plus and minus points of kits but they did co,"er the entire scale range - very useful if the subjecI aircraft was a relatively new type in modeling terms and the individual was in some doubt as to which is the most accurate kit and the best value for moncy. WarbirdTeeh is the generic name of yet another popular US series edited by Frederick A Johnson, which has a slighdy different approach in that e3ch title contains a wealth of technical dr:awings copied from official sen'icing manuals, the son of visual data that is invaluable to modelers. Sectional breakdowns of areas such as undercarriage operation, gun sight mountings, ammunition stowage and canopy construction arc bm a few of Ihe informatil"e visual fcasts thal this series presents. In addition, WarbirdTech ,·olumes include a regular color photo se<:tion that usually brings to light some fresh markings schemes 10 add 10 thc bank of knowledge on Ihe type in question" Other gaps in thc single-type em"crage of wartime aircraft arc rapidly being filled by

&

3::LOW Squadron's Walk Around ~ries focuses on me dealls of me particular aircraft subject..The photographic subjecu are usually a combination of operational aircraft and museum models.

-waIk Alound

P-40 Warhawk

REFERENCE SOURCES 35

•

ABOVE Ben Kinzey's Detail & Scale series of books are a great resOlJrce for modelers. As lhe name of the series implies. the subie
starus h:a\e often been subject to :l certain number of internal and uteTior modifications to enable them to incorporate modem avionics and meet current air safety standards. And whilc new blade aerials or reposilionecl D/F loops 3re obvious enough, rhe fact that the cockpil may have been cleaned up compared to wartime examples may he overlooked. Such modcrnization is most obvious in the ;1rea immediately in front of rhe pilot. The intrusive, often bulky gun sighr, which could m3ke a nasty mess of the pilot's face in the event of a crash !:anding, was a wartime necessity. Today it is not and rhe sight and its heavy-duty mounting bracket have imari:ably been removed. Cockpil instrumentation has also becn given grealer readability by being seL in a panel in contrasling colors, usually lighter than the uni\'ersal black that was used oribrin311y. Instruments have also been rearranged for enhanced readability. Warlime blad-faced instruments on a black board can indeed be difficult to read and rhe changes arc numerous profiles from Eastern Europe. These understandable - but authentic they arc not. Wartime fighter cockpits :also had a plethora books "ary in quality but have the ad"nntage of a modest price tag and generally good content, of knobs and levers sticking out :at angles. including pages of multi-vicw drawings, Although they wen: vital to a combat role, which arc vcry useful for modeling purposes. modern day warbirds arc long past their days of The detail these titles go into is e.\:trcmely action and restorers do h:a\e a tendency to impressive in some instances and as the rcmo\'e items that no longer have any useful contents arc h<"'a\'ily biased towards the visual, function. This may be to save weight, because the language barrier is not the drawback it may some items of equipment are unavailable, or at first seem. The continuing proliferation of to allow the pilot to exit the cockpit that little these rilles would suggest that model makers bit faster, should a mishap occur - all vcry eagerly seck them out. understandable, but not to be slavishly copicd on a scale model purporTing ro represent :1Jl GENUINE DATA? accurate wartime-"intage fighter. Be wary of areas th:lI might for v:lrious reasons be nonAnother r(.'(:ent addition to the co\'Crage of st:lndard. World War 2 fighters arc the Walk Around Static museum exhibits are in a different series publish<..'d by Squadron/Signal, and the e:ttegory. Aircraft that :are no longer required to comparable Aero Detail. Both arc heavily fly can be fully rc:.1:on:d down to the last rivel illustrated, high quality series, the latter :and bolt with absolute authenticity. One only imported from Japan. Chock full of close-up h:as to see a photo n:cord of such rcstorntion photos of ncarly evcry inch of the subject work being undertaken to know that what you alrcrafr, these books can be invaluable in sec is lotally faithful to the original. Museum determining the exact size and shape of items stafT also go 10 great lengths to ensure that such as slals, slots, hinges, rods, grilles, seal all the colors of parts arc correct, so modern harnesses and many other details that are aircraft rehuild projects could in some cases be not n:adily visible in photos of the full aircraft. the best reference available to rhe model maker. The one reservation I would pass on abour such books is that the color photography, COLOR REFERENCE magnificent as it is, sometimes takes its subject matter from flyable warbirds or st:ltic museum Any self-respecting modeler's reference libnry examples, Nther than a stock origin:al. will include one or more of rhe color-guide There can be numerous differences between type book which purports to be a complete A 10 the two: hislOrie aircraft refurbished to flyable Z of USAAC/CSAAF/CSAr markings :and

36 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING MASTERCLASS

camoufl:lge colors in tf3nsition from the l:lle- just how many P-+Os in US sen-icc in 19.J2-H 1930s to posl 1947. I person:llly find some of were camouflaged in British-style shadow these books diS3ppointing, as while they will shading. Various references will mislead on this exh:lusti,'cly list - and indeed show in full-page subjl."ct when artists, refernng to o\'erl~ dark illustrations - the exact dimension.. of the US photos.. interpret lhe top surface shade as national insignia, list all known color spec; and oyerall Olh'e Drab. True, the camouflage took a perhaps provide color chips, they tend to skip battering in the tropical climate in which man~ the numerous e.xceptions to the rule that make P-tOs operated bUI there arc enough photos this subject so fascinating. In the real world about for this kind of detail to be doublethings were often rather different to \\hal checked. was officially slipulatc..:ti, as many modelers will 1\. similar situation existed with Airacobras, know. which in many cases not only carried Bril ish In terms of color guides, Dana Dell's work camouflage bur serial numbers as well. These will be all many modders need to obtain a were rdatively rare on I'-+Os, but both types comprehensive overview of what is a vaSl reached American hands vIa depots afler subject. An acknowledged expert in his field, havlllg been painted af the factories following Dana has been delving into paint schemes and l\linistry of Aircrafl Production patrcrns. This markings for years but he would be the first 10 leads us into another gray (or should that be admil lhal lhere is still more to be unearlhed. green and brown) area regarding the actual Whal he has published so far is admirable in its shades. American painls were used to finish many hundreds ofP-39s and 1' ---IUs ordered on depth and scope. Equally g()()(] bur in an enrirdr different British conlracls., so some '-anation in relation format were the Camouflage & Markings to the paints applied to aircraft buih in bouldets wrinen by Roger Freeman for England will be noted. Ducimus Books of the CK some years ago. Several widely reproduced oolor photos from Cmering the mam US wmbat types in great the early to mid-war period will help match deplh (considenng the limited number of model paints to the correct hues, the early "sand pages) these publications arc also iO\'aluable for and spinach" scheme being aa:ompanicd by Ihe checking insignia dimensions., strles of serial "desert scheme" ofdark earth and middle stone. numbers and code letters., and other details Light and dark brO\m shades later met USAAF' that always seem to need looking up, such as "desert pink" to cloud the issue further. I\'!any the dates when the US national insignia was P-40s operat.ing in lhe :\ITO had two-tone supposed to haye changed from a red outline to GIlllouflage bUl soning out the exan shades can sometimes be difficult. blue. That this dirccriye was not complied with The abO\'e comments feg;arding variation in overnight is inevitable when one considers the paint shades apply equally to the camoun,\ge magnitude of the task of remarking hundreds on P-4lls in other theaters, particularly lhe of aircraft; actual speed of compliance at unit em. Aircraft tended weather to the point that level sometimes depended on lhe perceived determining the e~act demarcation of colors at importance of the new marking directive. this distance in time, oftt:n from poor qualil) The complaim from the Pacific Theater that photographs, can be a near ImpossibililY. at a distance, :lny red in the insignia could Throw in the odd reference to the usc of three be mistaken for a Japanese Ifillomam (or top surface shades (a probable comment On US "meatball") hardly applied in Europe. When Oli\-e Drab used for patch-up purposes) and the paim shops got around to it, the red outline the confusion deepens.. The problem is., as c,'er, was temporarily overpainted in a dark blue the preponderance of monochrome phoros as that is often ,-isible in photos. On the other the primary reference source [() wartime hand, some p:lim directi\'es were imm(:diatcly aircraft; all the modeler can therefore do is complied with. The sheer \olume of work to bear in mind but not be totally swayed b) undertaken on June 5, 19..... 10 :lpply AEi\F pre-determined, sel-in-stone patterns and black :lnd white stripes to every L:S fighter, dirceti\"(:~.. regarding paint application. What medium bomber, IranspOrt and liaison aircraft the reference photo indK"ates may bear no in England was rarely if e\er equaled. resemblance to any official order. The Dueimus series had unfortunately a As black and white photos can also few gaps. No P-39 or 1'-40 litles were included vary widely in quality the modeler can only aim in the USAAf seelion; while we're on the to reproduce exactly what he sees, w,lns and subject of color a few noICS pertaining to these all. Bearing in mind the colors in vogue al the types arc relevanl It' is surprising, for instance, time and in the place, a model can look quile

ABOVE The Japanese Aero Detail series is another good source of information for modelers. The aircraft plans included in each volume are especially useful. USAAF fighters covered in this series so far include [he P-47 Thunderbolt and P-SI Mustang.

REFERENCE SOURCES 37

RIQ-fT Motorbooks produced a series of books on ain:;rah., called In World War Two Color. These books offer valuable detail into the colol"S of ain:;raft in service, and the effects of weathering.

exotic in its broadly imerprcted camoullage. Unfonunately, the upper surfaces of real fighters arc (unlike models) rarely photographed from above and behind to show the full camouflage panem. To return to the books, most of us know that when a highly desirable new reference title appears on the market it IS far better to buy sooner rather than later. Such mlumes ,'ary notoriously in the size of their print runs and if you defer your pUI'chase, the demand for the first edition may be so high that you find yourself waiting around for a reprint. There is, in some cases, no guarantee that this will appear and you arc reduced to scouring the second-hand shop&, or stalls at book fairs and air shows. The last resOrt may be the speei:tlisl dealer's list. But if Ihe book was so popubr the hr!>1: time :tround, you may wait years for a copy to tum up. The antidote to all this is to commit to a steady book purchasing plan to a,'oid disappoinnncnt. All aspects of a\'i:ttion history

38 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING MASTERCLA$$

have a handful of groundbreaking titles thaI are at the core of any collection although these do not appear very (requeml}'. Authors of sueh works of reference need to put in years of research in order 10 I.:omplete their manuscripr..., which does at least give the buyer a breathing space!

USEFUL UNIT HISTORIES One area of special interest to the indi,·idual studying USAAF fighter operations is the unit history. Often put IOgether by one or more c.x-flight or groumkrcw veterans of the unit in question, these books have olle thing in common ~ high prices. The quality, unfortulUtcl~; tends 10 \':1ry l'Onsiderably frOIll photo-packed excellence to \'olumcs thai arc very modest with "ery few illustrations of usc in model making. On the positi,-e side, the information and photos may be quite unique and as we are losing World War 2 scniccrnen al an alarming rate due t'O the passage of time,

Ilhalc,·cr they nmmllt [0 print has some '-alue. Their modc:.-r effort at recording h(lll it was, at least from their personal standpoint, can nevcr be repeated in quite the same wa~. Anothcr reason fOl" bu~ing while you Cln. Unit histoncs arc published regularl~ these da~ S, although those on fighter squadrons or groups arc generally fewer than tomes dealing with thc bombers. At the timc of writing, most of the Sth Air l'orcc fighter groups have had a history of sorts published, only ,he elusi,·c .J.79th ha,·ing not been eo'·ered in recen, years. (For more details, Sl'C Appendix 2.) It is quite true that a high number of AAF units put together a record of their recent history immediately after World War 2, but many of thcse haye only a rarity value compared with modern book production. Early pOSt-war paper was of such low quality that photo reproduction was often bad, an aspect generally perpetuated by a handful of modem fa~imile reprints. Some do manage to improve the quality a little - but don't expect this always to be the case.

~~= """ 8r:;;:;;=aiCO=9iG~;;:>'

UBRARIES, BOOK CLUBS AND OTHER SOURCES Library borrowing can help supplement personal collection of 1:H>oks. In the CK, if the public library should prove unable to supply what is required then there arc also the reference libraries such as those of the Imperial War Museum, the RAF Museum and the Air Historic Branch of the Ministry of Defence. \,·/hilc all of these establishments arc well worth yisiting, research will have to be done on the premises rather than at home - none 100 conyeniem for modeling purposes, where i<.kally the reference should be 1:0 hand while construction or paiming proceeds. In the UK, the Public Record Office at Kcw and the Documents Section of lhe IW.\1. and RAF Museum hold a great deal of pnmary source material on .....artime air operations and although the main focus is naturally on the RAF, much l;SAAF m:nerial is available for scrutiny. Such documentS will help areas likc narrowing down operational flights by indi"iduals and units on gi\·en dates, targets and so forth - an example for some of how an interest in model making opens up broader horizons. Book clubs are another way of obtaining the aviation literature you need. A small saving on Ihe regular cover price (often it must bc said eroded by postal charges) makes some titles less of a bargain than lhey first appear although

By

~

"DANNY <MORRIS

taken over a few years or member~hip, regular orders can offset this drawback by genuine reductions. A number of relati,'cly new, private book dealers are also helping the individual to build up a useful personal library. Operating a mail order service, most of them regularly publish catalogues of specialist interest. As many references to USAAF aircraft and color schemes are currendy out of print, the secondhand dcaler is the only source for somc of the more rare rides. As most of the dealers state in their catalogs, they welcome lists of "wanted books" required by individual customers. Some will conduct a free search or do this in return for a small fee.

Volume I

ABOVE A huge range of hard

cover and soft cover general reference books are available on the subject of USAAF Fighters. Acl'5 alld Win.~lI/t'Il (2 vols) focuses on USAAF fighter units in Europe.

EVENTS AND SHOWS Many modelers a\'idly allend the \'aflOU~ aIr events that fill the calendar each year. Air shows present an exciting mix of flyin~ and static warbirds and contemporary aircraft,

REFERENCE SOURCES 39

Dana Bell's

Aviation Color Primers JPM5-USA National Com'ention Special, Virginia Reach, August 2002

No.1: US Export Colors ofWWII

"". A_

oorro......._ " •.,'(liOI:

___,....

,_

s·_ ,,""

- ..... ,....""'1

,.,j."

.__ . . ' ' ' ,...... _«O".F_"..... _ ..... A__.

_ .. y ..

.."

~_ ~'_.I:...

, ,....

,

(S~s:>l·M

ABOVE Occasionally. limited edition reference works will be made available. This excellent summary of US export colors of World War 2 was self-published by historian Dana Bell to accompany his seminar at the 2002 IPMS National Convention. The pn:'sentalion of this stapled book is simple, but the infonnacion is outstanding.

.

~~ r~

(~

TO~·

A"'.-.

, ..."" ..... _ .... I"M"••;,'....)

j"A .....

~, ~ _ "

,,""

_

""«.."'.. cs_•.,."' .... ,....·

so,r~.,.

'·_

1

~I'IZ

of"",1

lr.lde stands and other auractions. In the CK, venues such ,1S Duxford, Olr.! Warden, Biggin llill and the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford arc supported by a large number of book dealers and model kit stockists and rhc cnthusiast is often able to combine half a year's purchasing ar various other outlets to ol)(ain all his needs at one or two shows. Xumerous bargains in kirs, "ideos, photographs and cphemera arc available and if you miss onc of the c\ems early in the ye-.lr, there arc usually two or rhree dozen more latcr on both hcrc and abroad. The main sho\\s with an airdispla}' element are imerspersed with smaller ('\'ClllS such as jumbles and book fairs, enough to keep the enthusiasr away from home for e,'cry \\cckend of the year. or as long as the wallct will beJr it.

Other fomage, taken by pilots and groundcrews who werc in the variolls war zones, is also a\':lilable. If )'ou'rc building a vidco libra!")', the scries from AVI enrirled Tht Gatti PlulI(J includes llluch 10 inrerest the modder. It covers thc main USAAF fighrer rypes in some dcpth, placing rhe aircrafr in a historical context with interesting conremJXlrary footage_ Such \'ideas ill\-ariably consist of a mixture of monochromc and color film, the laner bringing forth some re:al eye openers regarding salient details of interiors. landing gear, propellers, :llld so fonh. Equally good from rhe detail JXlint of view arc copies of wartime inSTrucrional films, ,\hieh include walk-round c:\:tenor checls and full flight data. Using a good quality \'ideo recordl."T incorpor.uing a reliable "freeze frame" control, this foorage may tx: palL<;ed and srudied at kisurc. Ongoing computer sophisticarion means that srills ma) also tx: obtained from \'ideo as well as thc Intemer. Film sources can undoubtedl~ add 10 an indi\'idual's knowledge of CS fighter color schemes during World War 2 because film has a fascinating habit of turning up some anomalies that arc not quite as per regulations. }\ (ull color image of an aircraft mo\'ing across a screen can hardly be challenged as t1efinitive reference. \Vith all this data coming at us from all sidl.'S and in various mediums, surprisingly there arc st:ill gaps to be filled, e\'en in conncction with something as familiar as the combat markings of USAAF fighter groups opcrating ttl the European Theater. Certain units seem to havc had less coverage than others for yarious reasons and the fact that a short pIece of film finally confirms something Ihal has been in doubt for decades, is \'cry ~tisfying. The same goes (or the aircraft flown by the top pilots as well as the rank and file - there is nothing quite like seeing their images on mOVIng: film. Finall)~ there is that relatively rl.'Cent hut incrC"Jsingly popular addition to the home cntert:linmcm SUile, the llVD player. This syStl.'ITl offers images on disk of the Ix:st a\-ailable quality and significanrly superior (() videotape. 1'\umerous telc"ision programs arc put straight onto LWD, enahling rhe enthusiast: modcler to purchase b'"OOd qualiry comb:n footage as soon as it hits the local supplier.

THE VIDEOS IlithCTIO unsccn film records of World War 2 combat continue to appear as commercial videos..

40 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

"x"

FACTOR

And yet with all the data currently available on US fightcrs, some questions will remain. j\loot modelers will ha\'c expericnced rhe situation in

LEFT Model magazines are

another good source of information. Pictured here are Scale AIrcraft Modellin,1{ from the United Kingdom, and from France.

Rrplic

•

LEFT Some books fcx.us on artWOrk. such as Tom Tullis' Eotgles Illustrated series. Minirml text allows room for many large. attractive profiles.These represent both inspiration and reference for modelers.

REFERENCE SOURCES 41

flJG-fT In addition w Aircraft of the Aces, Osprey PtIblishing offers several other aviation series. The Combat Aircraft series deuils the history, technology and crew of milia.ry aircr.lft. Each book examines a particular aircraft type. and scale drawing5 and colour profiles illustrate the major variants of each machine A relatively new addition to Osprey Publishing's list is the Aviation Elite series, which examines the combat histories of fighter and bomber units.

·fu.... w'n.IIII"'..

co:

359th Fighter Thomas G h-ie

which an artr:aetivc color scheme has been noted in a new book or on film. The time, place, unil and cvcn pilot are known, but the final few derails important in the finishing of a sale model arc still missing. Se\'eral wartime US fighler groups dispensed wilh serial numbers when Ihe fins were o\'erpainted with unit markings; bUllhat doesn't mean Ihallhere is no reason to unearth the serial number if only as a clue 10 Ihe manufacturer's block number and Ihe equipment changes il would ha\'c had over the previous one. Serials arc the key to variants and technical changes thai may be important for a model. Although the majority of lighters did display rheir AAF identity on the vertical tail, not all the digits arc

42 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

Group

\'isible on phologrnphs. So you need it for a model but can'l find il- what then~ Forlunatd)' Ihe forward fuselage dala block, if readable, will yield those derails. But if they can't be discerned, and a similar situation is duplicated a few limes o\·cc in conjunction with different aircraft types, then iI's no wonder thai many kits languish. Sadly il is a fact of life that lhis remaining data may lake years to surface as reliable reference. My advice would be 10 proceed rel,'":lrdlcss: finish the model in all the markings you can confirm and worry about the missing serial number !ater. Alternatively, make up a lypical serial number for the type in question or add a zero or two in pla<.:e of missing numbers to remind you.

CHAPTER 3

AVAILABLE PRODUCTS

I

n this chapter, we'll take a look at the history

and development of kits and accessories relating 10 L"SAAF modeling, across a \"3.rictr of scales. With such a wide "ariety 3.Y'ailable, a somewhat personal selcrtion inc\"iubly needs to be made - so I premise this wilh an :l:dmission of indulgence for w\'ering some of my personal fa\'orircs (as well as the not so fi1\'orite!) that ha,'e appe:ired in the previous

decades. A list of the most recent releases appears at the cnd of this chapter for quick

reference.

SCOPE AND SCALE

•

If we count up the number of first-line aircraft: types thai are em'ered by the subject marrer

of this book, we gel a baseline fi,-e, namely the Bell P-39 Air-acobra, Curtiss P--40 WarhawL:, Lockheed P-38 Lightning, North American P-5\ Musl'ang and [he Republic P-4, Thunderbolt. These were the mainstream fighters that sustained the USAi\F's groups and squil.drons throughoul the war, the Mustang along wilh lhe P-(il nlack Widow of course

being me latecomers in that they were nOt ready for US sen;ce until 1943 and 194-1 respecti\e1y. The enthusiast modeler of IOda~ is able to double that figure, assuming the yardstick is kits of aircraft that fired their guns in anger while bearing CS markings. By adding the Boeing P-26, Se,-ersL:y P-35, Curtiss P-36, Douglas P-iO, Deaufighter and Spitlire \\e\-e already done so. All of those lisled abo\'e ca.n be built from injection-molded kitS, depending on scale_ Any that can't are increasingly appearing in the lislS of the short-run kit manufacturers. Further expansion of the list could encompass the Republic P-H and the P-SIH. The first P-82s also flew before the end of the war and if our hypOlhetical colleClion is expanded yet again to lake in any American originating fighter type that flew between 1939 and 1945, a lengthy list of prototypes may be acquired as models, In a differenl league to the piston~ngine types but still a legitimate model subject is America's first turbojet lighter, the Bell P-59 Airacomet, Many of the lesser known one-off and prototype contenders for US fighter contracts

•

,

LEFT USAAF model kits (ome in all sizes. Big, 1n.4-suJe kits of

the P-SID Mustang are avaibble from Aimx. Bandal, ilnd more recently Trumpeter of Chinil._

AVAIlABLE PRODllCTS 43

Table 1: list of US Army fighter designations, 1935-45 Type

Manufacturer Notes

Type

Manufacturer Notes

CW·21 DelTon

Curtiss

p'oouctian for foreign customers

XP-S3

Curtiss

project anfy protorypes only

Curtiss

oroduction for foreign custOfrers

XP·j4 Swocse Goose

Vultee

CW23

Xp·55 Ascender

CJrtiss

oraject on'Y

YI?-25

Conso!'cated

p'ojeet onfy

P-26 Peoshoo-er

5oei"9

produc'ior for USAAC & lore'gn CUsfOfTlefS

XP-56 B.od BJIe'

YP-27

CC>r'l5Olidated

project on,y

XP-57

Tucker

lightweight lig~-er oroject

YP-28

Consolidated

praiect only

lockheed

oroiect onfy

YP-29

Boeing

p'oject only

XP-58 Gain lightning

P-30

Consolidcted

producion for USMC

P·59 Bell

Airocomet

prototype & test series

XP-31 Swift

Curfss

'-st monoplane design oy COtnfXlf'y; preleci any

P-6Q

Curtiss

project only

P-61 Black Wicow

Northrop

proouc'ion

XP-62

CJrtiss

OfOjecl only

P-63 Kingcobro

Bel

proouCion lor foreign cJs'omers

production for loreign custOMers & USAAF

P-6L

North American

oroduction for USMC & :oreign cuslome's

proouction for fcre:gn customers

XP'65

Grumnan

F7F Tigercat forerunner

P-33

Consolicoted

pro:ec arly

XP·34

Wedel~Williotns

P'ojed cesign feIlghtvveight hgh'er

P-35 P-36 Hawk

Seversky Curtiss

orth'op

p-ojec only

for USAAf

YP-37

CJ1iss

deSign forerunner of P-40

P-66 Vongl.ord

Vdtee

produc'jon lor :oreign customers

P-38 lightnirg

lockheed

p-oduction for USAAF

XP~7

W.cDon'lel1

rx0ieCt

P·3Q AiToco:xo

Bel

p-oouc'ior lor USAAF & Io'eign cLslOmers

XP-08 TorroOO

Vu!:ee

PfOjecl on.y

X?-69

.:<:epublic

P-AO Wornawk

Cur-iss

oroducfon ior USMF & :oreign customers

p'oiecior 01 P-47 design; p-ojecr only

P-70

Douglas

XP-41

Seversky

project orly

daptation 01 A-20; producion for USMF

XP-L2

CJ'tiss

pro"eet only

XP-71

CJrtiss

orojecl O'lly

P-43 Loncer

Republic

p-oduction for fore;gn custome-s

XP-72

Republic

orojection of P-"7; project ony

P·44 Rocket

RepubliC

proCUC"ior C JS'OfTlefS

X?·75 Eage

risJ-er

p-ototy:oe cesign 101 e~ort hg,ter ~ircohO()

XP-46

Cur:iss

:::>reject ony

XP-77

B~I

lightweight prototype

P·47 Thunce"boIt

Republic &

produdic1 for USMF

XP-78

North American

project only

XP-79 Flying Rom

Northrop

project only

XP-80 Sheoting Star

~ockheed

prototype lor F·80 series

XP-81

Convair

p'oject only

P·82 Twi" M.stong

North American pl"odl.lcior lor

lar foreign

C~'tiss

XP-48

Douglas

p'oject only

XP-49

lockheed

project 011y P-38

XP·50

Grurrmon

A-my ve"SlCfl of XF5F-l Sky
P-51 MJstans

No<-,

production lor RAF &

Arrericcn

USAAf

Bel,

prOlect only

XP-52

based on

Bet

ony

JSAAf/USAf

Note: Sor-e of the rrissing numbers we'e neve' token l.p althol.·gh several were allocatee to deSigns for novy ligh-els or aircrcft in other categories, In t1is instaree 'project" con indicate either aircraft actually constructed or 0 design exercise,

44 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MOOEUNG MASTERCLASS

•

•

•

have already bl,.'Cn modeled in 1/72 scale and ahhough there may not be kits of all these designs:1I limc of writing, somebody, someday will gel around to dosing any remaining gaps, and probably quite soon. All thar will concemralc the mind of the purist is whether the scale is right, as chances arc that mote of these fascinating footnotes of aviation history ",ill initially appe;lr in the smaller scales., if only for the faci Ih:1t anticipated sales will probably be modCSI and not merit larger investmentHl\'ing said that, a gl:mcc at recent model journals reveals lhat manufacturers wishing 10 inject a lillie eXOlic:a into their lists are certainly nOI neglecting the larger scales. One can only praise their enterprise in this respect - how many Mustangs will be built in me relatiyely new scale of IllS, I wonder? JUSI how e.xt<:nsi\·c the US fightcr design scene was betwtcn the 1930s and thc laH~-1940s can be seen in Table I on pagc 44. Some of the rarer ones would make \·cry impressive kits in I / ~8 scale and happily not cvcrything is restricted to thc smaller size on the grounds of economy.

MARKINGS MIXING

• •

•

When it comes to modeling possibilities, foreign aircraft types flying in USAAF markings can extend to the Hurricanes of the Eagle Squadrons (some Sea Hurricane XIIs were also mJrked with US nJtiona! insignia for Operation ·lurch) plus a number of second line types. FJmous fighters flying new flags included the [>-47Ds of the Brazilian I" Gruppo, which fought in Italy, the P-4iDs of lhe Mexican Expeditionary Force in the Pacific, and last but by nu means least the P-40B/Cs of the Chinese Nationalist Air Force, alias the FlyingTigers. Slretching Ihin6"S a lillie further, the B-25 Mitchell did a turn as a night intruder in the Pacific and cm so that too could legitimately be included in a representative collection of US Army fighters. If our list may be lengthened further to include Iypes thJt did not sec combat but were widely used in a Statcside training role, the Bell P-63 Kingcobra can join - as of course can all the first-line types employed not only a.<;; lrainers bUI in a host of !K:condary roles after becoming "\Var Wearies." These latter fighters can yield a great many off-beat markings schemes, occasionally more c-\:O[ic than those appliL-d by the front-line squadrons. :'Jeedless to say, the Stateside fighter training program was hugc and required a constant supply of

surplus l'-4()Bs, P-47Bs, P-38Fs and 1'-51.;\5, to mention just a few of the early sub-l ),pes. Fighter training schemes for models were brought to wider public notice by the Japanese ;\-13uve company when it relcased a 1/48 P-4()N in a very bright S(:hcme applied strictly for Zone of lhe lnterior tuition flying as one of the kit's decal options. Thc painting on the box tOp e\'en depicted an aircraft in this non-combal scheme, which showed admirable confidence lhal it was the kit, not the decal sheet, that modelers want.ed first and foremost. To read some kit reviews and note the moans aimed entirely at below-par decals, you (;(luld be forgiven for t.hinking that it was actually the other way round! Warrime US fighters also fulfilled a hOSl of useful but oflCn passivc roles as monitOr aircraft for hcavy bomb groups, weather scouts and general "hacks." Some of these bring into play very unusual markings schemes: for example, you may find a natural metal finish on a long serving example of a gi\·cn type when 90 percent of ils brethren in front-line senice were camounaged. Such unusual schemes, ideal for lhal different model, still turn up from time 10 lime. 1\AF bomber unit histories can be a particularly rich source in respect of unusual fighter schemes. In the ETO, the P--Ii tcnded [Q predominate in support roles simply bectuse there were so many c-'\:amplcs in in\"cmory when lhe fightcr groups generally changed o'"er to the 1'-51. Ikst known in this respect are

ABOVE Mustangs must be one of the mOst kine
AVAILABLE PRODUaS 45

probably thc P..·I7Ds of the 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron, thc markings of \\hich ha\'c been wcll documented.

EXOTICA The years of thc late-l990s - early-2000s saw a positi\'c explosion of new hIS, many of them from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. These products swelled the kit market to a significant degree, leading to new manufaClurers making an impact with kitS of aircraft that had rarely been replicated previously. Thus such American fighters as the almost forgotten Vultee P-66 Vanguard and Republic 1'-43 Lancer, not to mention the one-offs and alsQ--rans, joined the ranks. Part of the first generation of US monoplane fighters, those mentioned were largely imended for the export market and morc familiarly appeared in foreign rather than American colors. In some cases, particularly in Olina, these deliveries re\-erted bad: to US control where they wore that country's national insignia, often for Ihe first time. But whare\"er thc circumstances, if fighters and prototypes of what mighl be termed the adolescents of an industry still malUring ill the early-19.ws wore the ,,·hile star on a blue ficld, then they may be included in a USAAF model collection. In this ""ar a true chronological history can be created in miniature. Currently the international kit market makes this possibility much more realistic than it once was. nOlh the 1'-66 and P-43 arc kitted by Air Collection ami Classic Airframe respectively, to 1/48 scale, a model size that rolls on with a burgeoning after-market list of accessories seemingly appt.'aring on a monthly basis, My earlier remarks about the Curtiss forerunners of the P-40 appt.'aring as wanime kits must ha\·e been overheard as I note thai the US company Joe's ~lodels has now added a YP-3i to its l/iZ-scale range. If the modeler needs to keep p:lce with en:rything that is released, subscriptions to a number of journals and periodicals will be d~ rigu~ur, Titles such as Scak /It-iarion i\1od~/tr from the UK and the American Finc Scale MoJ&r arc \"Cry on the ball, publishing as they do many fCviews of kits, decals and producr..'i from paint to power tools. The former of these t\\'o ma!orazinc.<; is sllCCifie to aircraft kits while rSI\1 is general with the advantage of carrying small ads for some of the more specialist products from mostly US suppliers. Anyone of those advertisements may ofTer the rcry item you need to complete a model project, be it a

46 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

plan, a specially formulated paint, a custom pari or a new set of decals. Arguably the leading journal of its kind in the Ltc, SA.M carries full lists of actual kits., forthcoming rele:lses and fascinating, weUfounded rumors of fmure presemations from all o\"er the world. In any given )'e:tr the enthusiast modeler will be able to update an C\-er-<;hanging "wants" list purely from the pages of this one publication. To show what is actually happening in the real world of competition modeling, the editor and staff regularly attend shows to feature the best exhibits. With the advantage of being almost full color throughout, SAM is undoubtedly a good buy. France and Germany have become leading producers of top quality modeling journals, with the advantage that a slightly different design approach pro\'ides the reader with some exceptional pholographic spreads of featured full-size aircraft, invaluable to compleling models. Among these lilies are Aero Journal, ALions, Jet f5 Prop, L'Albl/ln and Repli,. Of course the text is nOI in English, but thcn ab'3in phofOgraphs arc international. Should you peed these publications but do not wish to incur additional bank charges by personal foreign currency transaction, subscriptions may be placed in the UK through The Aviation Bookshop or Midland Counties L'ublications, among OI'hers.

CLOSING THE GAPS The Widespread availability of American fighter types in kit form has accelerated in recent years. This has significantly extended the possibilities of interesting new color schemes - there has ne\'er been a better time to construct a table-top air foree. While all the core USAAF Iypes have been kined al some point in the three decades or so since the hobby of plastic aircraft modeling established itself, a few gaps remain. Today more kits arc oo\'cring hitherto lesserknown ,wants almost to the point where, for example, aU the wartime Mustangs from the XP-51 to the P-51H can be built in bolh the most popular scales. The main question for the modeler is whether the L:it is 1'0 the scale he or she fa,'ors., but I\'e rarely leI that o'·errule the purehase of a favored type. Pro\;ded it's no smallcr than 1/72 scale, I go for it. But in terms of scale accuracy it S(.'ems 10 ha\'e been inevitable that some aircraft ha"e lent themselves better to the scaling process than others. To paraphrase a well-worn saying, when it comes to plastic aircraft kits, size docs seem to matter if it's quality you want.

,

REPUBLIC

P-47D THUNDERBOLT

~lrb&

,

•

•

,

In general the original American quarter scale has hislOrically sen'cd this purpose better than :my other. The standard was undoubtedly set by Monogram, a company which as long ago as the 19605 pl'Ouuccd a range of 1/48sC:llc kits that left the rest of the industry standing in terms of 3CCur'lCY. It took years for the manufacturers concentrating on producing kits in 1/72 scale to catch up, which they now hayc to a degree.

the vacuformed and multi-media kit is brought into the equation. These latter types of kit play a ke~' role, as some aircraft arc not yet obtainable as injection moldinb'"S in the larger scales, particularly 1/32 and 1/24. Less robust than injection molded kits, the v3cuform process offers the skilled modeler a real challenge as there is mUl;h more work umkr the skin before the final result emerges.

But for years the modeler of this undoubtedly convenient s(;a!c had to cut, sand, mix and match

OUT WITH THE OLD?

almost c'"cry part of the airfamc to obtain a decem 1'-51, P-47 or - well, you name it, that accuracy challcll!,'C \\'38 always prc.~cnr. Quite why this situation prc\'3ikd for so long is hard £0 [1tholll. Monogram and a few other 1l00abie manuf:u..turcrs surely had no monopoly on rneir sources of reference 10 lr:lIl,<;fcr me dimensions of a full-size airplane into a metal mold and ullimatcly a good plas6c conso-union kil. To show that rney could worl.: me trick in sizes orner Ihan 1/48 scale too.. when rncsc manufacturers occasionally n:nturcd into 1/72 scale rney heal Ihe established opposi6on hollow. The modeler of today beginning to build kits of American fighlers has a significant ad\-:.J.mage O\'cr his contemporary of, say, 19/0, All the mainstream USAAF aircraft can now be built in a \-aricty of sales, particularly if

:\lany seemingly e.~tinct kits arc back on the market, re-released in the;r original boxes. Whether or not this is a good thing is a matter of opinion; for these kits, if largely unchanged since rney were first released, arc sharing shelf space with items thaI are delinitely superior in many important respects. O,"er the years kil'S hal'e been obliged. for \'anous rea.'iOns., to change their badges and appear "under new management," such as the Japanese Otaki line of 1/48 lighter kits which is currently a''ailable from Airfix, There arc plenty of orner e.xamples. The modem scene can therefore be quite confusing: which kit docs the newcomer chose? One answer, apart from reading re,'iews and keeping filcs on the details therein is ask members of a group of specialists., who should be able 10 answer such qucslions..

ABOVE Academy's P-47D Thunderbolt offers a fairly simple parts breakdown, accurate outline and plenty of ordnance.

AVAILABLE PRODUQS 47

BELOW The USAAF used several British aircraft in Europe. including various marks of the Spitfire.ICM offer a Spitfire Mk.VIIi with USAAF markings.

48

Economics han; not surprisingly, govcrncd the plastic kit market since day one. All manufacturers make a substamial inn.--snncnt every time they decide to release a new injection molded kit and for Ihat reason thc molds Seem to survive even if the parcnt comp:!n)' goes to the wall. This happened to thc well-known UK range of Frog kits when the molds were shipped to Eastern r::urope III the days when the Iron Curtain still cxisted. Despite dire predictions that kits such as thc 1172-SC3le Curtiss P---WB would nc\·er be secn again in the West, thc situation rarely (x;curred. What did happen was that specialist suppliers, still able to obtain rarc kits, hiked Iheir pnccs, sometimes 10 Ihc point of absurdil); with largely unobtainable (and often very basic) models becoming potential moneyspinners for the fell'. Re-rclcase of older kits stabili"les Ihe market and brings prices back to a more realistic level. This is an important consideration if the younger modeler - those the hobby must auraCl in order to keep it alive and viable perhaps with limited funds to spare, is to persevere with a pastime that these days has enormous competition from Olher sectors of the toy and lcisurc industry. 1\01 Ihat thc modeler of American fightcrs has real1~ had much ClUse to complain of any lack of tbe essential raw materials with which to work. There have always been kils of })-47s, P-38s and 11-47s., or so iL~ seems and cvcn if they were once tcrrible, well, it was that or nothing. You have to go back to 1he dark a~cs of plastic modeling in the UK to a point before Airfix released their first 1I72-scale 1)-5ID,

WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING MASTERCIASS

to find liule or no choice at all. But by the latc-l950s Ihe LS modeling scenc had got underway with several quite exotic kits, which many UK modelcrs considercd way beyond thcir means allhc time. Thc linc-up ineluded a P-47N and a number of Navy fighters and jel types in 1/-1-8 scale from such manufacturers as Lindberg and Aurora. Soon other tirms including a hard-core group in Japan, added furthcr type.s and unless the modeler was particularly quick at building and painling, another option had arrived in Ihe local store before the first k.it wa... completed. It was therefore hard to a\·oid suning a collection of comparable models even if this had not been the original intention.

1/72SCAI.£ As the 1/iZ-scalc modelers passed through the scvenries and eighties, they saw things gradually improve in tenus of the quality of US fighter kits and must have been quite cnvious at' times. More versions of the most famous fighters were also "discO\·cred" by the manufaclurers, undoubtedly assistcd by regularly published "wanl" or "wish" lists in the specialist model press. Things picL-t.-d up only gradually hO\\c'I'cr; onc or two manufacturers e\'-en turncd the clock back by releasing appallingly inaccurate models, a particularly bad Muslang in 1/72 being recalled by the writcr some lime after rival firms had gO[ it more or less right. These wcre also the days when complctely nel\' companies appeared, and ,llthough they alien started their range with the inevitable (and safe) Spitfire, Hf 109 and perhaps a rvlust':mg. wc hoped for bcller; and the subjecl mailer indeed got more ambilious. Decal companies also began to explore the potential for offering far more comprehensivc subjects Ihan the small shcets that accompanil.-d the kil parts padctl in a bag or box. This was fine, provided that enough good kits could be purchased 10 build, for argument's sake, a rcprcsental'ive 1'-51 from cach of the Ei~hth Air Force groups. In 1972 Lesncy Products ma.d!,; a contribution towa.rds the mass production of models by releasing an acceptable P-510 in their Matchbox range. llere was a kit that while only basically dctailed had the right outlinc shape and could bc built in some numbers, Ihe rcsuh looking well enough to hang dCC:l.ls on. l....atterl~ Ihe R\.,,·dl concern, nO\\ an amalb"3Jl1 of German, British and American interests with some buying-in ofJapancsc molds, has rek':lS<..-d a

LEFT Conversions and detail sets can a-.msfonn an ordinary plastic kit into a spectacular replia.. Uttle Fokkers produced il ?-40BlC nose in resin [0 convert Hobbycraft's series of ?-36 kits to the Tomilhawk..The Eduard photo-etched brass set and resin wheels from True Details would also enhance this projecL

further range of ll72-scalc fighters, among them a P--IOK, P-51 Band D and a P-47M. The laner is particularly goOO and probably lhe first rimc that anyone has secn fit to label a late production P-fiD update as such. AL<;O, i[ is only recemly that i1 has been possible to buy a P-4QK marketed by a mainstream manufacturer as such In any scale,

"M" FOR FINESSE Although it was changed considerably under the skin, the 1>-47M was c:tternally similar [Q the P-47D-30 and D-40, me Re\'ell kil providing the useful bonus of mcluding a separate fin 611eT. Yes, I know we'\'C all hand cut Thunderbolt fin filletS in the past but the section is very thin in [his scale and the fairing-in was exacting and took considerable time and effort. N()\\; as with numerous other examples of P-47 kits, the manufacturers ha\-e removed mat chore. But to remm 10 an earlier mcmc, how long has il taken to markel a decem "bubblctop" P-47 in this scale? The Revell !)-47M is not the only useful Thunderbolt in me popular smaller scale to hit the sheh'es, as Hasegawa pul OUI tWO \'ersions (razorback and bubbletop) in [he seventies, both of which were pra&-d in thcir day. I always fclt lhey were a shade under-sized, lacking the chunkiness that one always associates with the T-bolt. This was particularly [ruc if compared to Ihe old Frog razorback.

To bring things up to date, Hasegawa has recendy released a second P-47D razorback, which from all accounts appears to be a suitable replacement for the earlier kit thai is no longer generally avail:tble, The smaller scale end of the markel now looks healthier in terms of US fighter subjects than it ever was. Lesney/ Matchbox had a stab at a razorback T-bolt and at least achieved an excellent rear fuselage profile, accurate enough for the inspired modeler lO cross kit this with some parts from others to produce a good representation of Republic's mighty machine,

1/48 SCALE Moving up a scale, the pinure vis-a-\'is accuracy of oudine is and \\--as, much more satisfying. From the day in 1%7 that l\-lonogr-am released their superior 1'-470-25 bubbletop complete with cylindrical and "flat" drop tanks, bombs and M-1O rocket launcher tubes, the art of the plastic kit look another upturn. In this scale a new Monogram release rardy disappointed. Bold enough 10 in\'cst seriOlL~ money in everlarger kitS in 1/48 scale, this US concern delighted the modeling world wlth ever more desirable, popular - and some quite esoteric - kit subjects. \Vhen the p~6l came out in 1974, the standard of kit looling took another gianl leap

AVAIlABLE PRODUCTS 49

ABOVE Cutting Edge's resin replacement cockpit for the P-10BlC seen in dose-up, Today's genen.tion of cockpit sets feature exquisite detail, and they are available for a wide range of USAAF fighter ain::raft. Brands such as Cutting Edge. Black Box, Aires and CMK maintain a very high standard of detail.

so

fon\'ard. h beat Ihc prcYious l>esl of this aircraft in the larger scale., mat from AurorJ, a company that was cert;;ainl~' a plastie-kil pioneer bur unfonunalely lacked the design expertise 10 be found at ~ 10rlOn Gro·,-e., Illinois. No OIhl..T US manufacturer seemed quite able to equal .\lonogram's prolific program of new 1/48--scale rel~ which spanned some 30 years. There were subjeeLS Ihat the company did not b'"Ct around to while it remained independent. Sold to Mattei before being absorbed by RC\'ell, the expertise of irs dcsi~,'ners now appears under a differem label. "fhe Important thing is that the quality of the kiLS has not slipped. Not that the name on the box really matters as long as the contents are accurate., well molded and, hopcfuliS depieling a \-:lriam that has not prenously appeared. Huge duplication of kit subjocts (many, it must be said, being of US fighters) must ha\'e had a delrimemal efreel on the sales ligures of some companies, particularly if the kils they produced appeared to be o\·er-priced. As a rule though the piclure has been positiYe e\'en if the build up of different aircraft types, and the filling in of long standing gaps (such as an accurate 1)-4713), has been slow, Over the ycars Ihe Japanese brand leaders, particularly I Iasegawa and Tamira, ha\-e masten"t! thc an of releasing types Ihat fit neally into what was a Monogram-clominatcd scale but without 100 much duplialion. Tamira's 1997 release of a Bcaufighter is a ca..<;e in point: finished in American markings it

WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING MASTERCLASS

makes an interesting comparison with thc P-61. Reccntly the USAAF night fighter trio has been completed by Academy's P-3S:\I, a \arialion on their existing P-38J IL kits in 1/-+8 sale.

AMERICAN SPITS Also \ery importanl to Ihc AAF order of ban Ie was Ihe Spitfire in various marks, mamly the II, V, VII, IX and XI, thc laller a photographic reconnaissance varialH lhal did sterling work. The Spitfire kit picture in ] f.l.8 scale was not too rosy for many years: Monogram was Ihe first to put out a 1\'lk IX thai was not quite rhe company's best effon, although again the inclusion of a cylindrical belly tank showed just ho\\ careful the company WllS in its rcsc:trch. Then Otaki added their \'crr acceptablc .\Ik vn, Airfix followed wilh a .1\1k V llnd before roo long we all got some reliable prmtcd dctails on Supermanne fightcrs marked with "stars and bars." These rC\'ealcd that there were many more American Spitfires than we'd e\'er imagined. During the 1990s, four more companies released I/-+R-scale Spitfires. These comprised Hasegawa, with seyeral variations on the Mk V, l'vlk V1I1 and Mk IX; Tamiya, with a Mk I :llld a few .'vlkVs; Ocidental, with a !'olk LX :md Mk XVI; and ICi\I, with MksVlI, VIII, IX and XVI.

EARLY NIGHT FIGHTER Finally, there was the P-70. An eXI..-client l/-+Sscalc Douglas Han>e from AM"I:'ERTL broke

new ground and although being a lah:r A-2OG "arianl wilh a rear turret the kit can bc com'erted back to produce a P iOA with "open" rear gun position, as used in combal In thc Pacific during 19.J.2....H. Thi... injection molded kit follo\\ed in Ihe wake of a superb \':lcuform A-2OGI] fTOm Koster Axia[ion Enterprises that was equally adaptable to a P-iO. While the 1/-I8-scalc Thunderbolt situarion remained much the samc as il used 10 be in 1/72 by being dominatcd by varialions of thc early or late l'--f7D, in 1995 AcademyMinicraft released an excellent P-47N followed by another from Re"ell-Monogram/I'RO~Iodcler shortly afterwards, thus doubly tilling an01her gap. Long gone \\',\S the Aurora 1/48 scale P--l7N which the aurhor recalls laboriously rurning into - well, :1 P-47N. I still hal'e the prop, and wonder what ever happened [0 the rest of iL Ila!'>Cgawa me:mwhilc had produced lhe all but definili\e late P--I7D-30 model complete with the dorsal fin strake. This was followcd c"en more recently by a razorback 0 which, compared to the still "cry acceptable .\tonogram kits, had fine engra"cd pane1lines., items such as optional flattened tires for a typically loaded down fighter bomber, plus a full range of ordnan<:c. 'lamiya's 1/48-scale P-47 Ra:wrbacL: rc!eas<.:d in 2002 signaled yet another slep up the quality ladder, with beautiful surface texture, excellent del ails and many oplionsincluding bombs, drop lanks, mckets, three alternate propeller styles and dropped flaps. Rqprding lhe underwing munitions, one has only to collecl a sma1\ number of kits to quickly accumulate a full US ordnance depot's-worth of aeri:ll weaponry in plastic form, almost e\'erything being a\'ailablc in increasingly near 10 S(;a[e dimensions- One an:a the manufacturers h:l\"e thus far shied awa)' from has been to release any parachule fT:lgml.:ntation bombs. Hung on fighter wing racks or garlanded around a 500 lb bomb, thc small but deadly "par3frags" were widely used and it is to be hoped that one of the cottage industry suppliers is e"cn no\\' worbng on a set that rna) be adapt<..'(] to Soc'oeral fighter kits, a.. well as bombers. E"cn in one of the larger scale<; parafrags would be "cry small, with tiny fins and attachment IUb'S - but they would (:ertainly be a useful addition to a pl3stic arsenal. Ordnance has indeed come a long way since the pioneering days of plastic modeling. USAAF drop tanks, ferry tanks, bombs and rockets either in triple M-lO tubes or the high velOCilY type suspended from zero-length launchers, constituted by far the m~t numerous add-ons

LEFT Some companies nave specialized in particular areas. Ultracast of Canada hu built iu reputation on its super replacelTl('flt pilots' Se
for the wartime l;S fighter bomber, irrespccti\'c of type. In the more exotic category \\ere the 20mm cannon suspended from the wing racks of somc 8th Air Force 1'-t7s.ln passing, I'd suggest thaI [his arrangement would make a vcry interesting model subject:.

ROCKETS .\'lore L'S fighlers wcre fitted to use high \·eloeity aircr:lft rockets (HVARs) than is perhaps generally realized. The P-40N was adapted to carry lhe M-lOs and some aircrafl were fitted with lhem for operations in China. Alternati,'c1y, six HVARs per wing on zerolength launcher~ as tanlalizmgly indiColted on scyeral breaker's yard photographs taken afler the cnd of the war, was an allema[i\'c. This was I belicl'e. a very late production addition to lhe 1'--10 and one possibly restrlct<..'d [0 US-based c,xamplcs for training purposes. ~o good photos of P--IOs carl')ing a full compliment of I IVARs seem to ha"e surfaced as )"CI but timc will undoubtedly tum up confirmation. HVAR rocket launchers can also be added to the P-61 while the P-38 carried the M-1O triple wbes attached to the fuselage pod. Nwnerous photos exist of Lighmings lcsting "trees" of HVARs in the US and recent literature indicates that these were fitted to first-line air<"Taft in the Pacific, mainly in the immediate postwar era when AAF groups undertook occupation duty in Japan. The PA7Ns operating in the Central Pacific also carried the M-IO launcher 10 somc extent,

AVAILABLE PROOuaS

S1

although the later model Thunderbolts were more commonly filled with zero-length launchers. Some of these rockets had shapedcharge heads, which were not unique to the theater as they were also seen on operational Thunderbolts in Curope.

LARGER STILL: 1/32 SCALE

BELOW The subtle profiles of propeller blades are sometimes lost on model manufacturers. Ultracast also produce accurate propeller blades. These are Curtiss Standard Cuffed 4-Blade Propellers, designed for Tarniya's P-S I kits.

In terms of the number of available kits in each of the most popular scales, the selection gradually dwindles the larger you go. 1'lodels in 1/32 scale ofTer quite a challenge but with e;.;citing possibilities for a very dramatic end product. Limited in subject matter and showing considerable variation in quality, this scale seems 10 be relatively low in popularity, probably because of the work involved in rectifying faults. So few are the injectionmolded kits in this scale that lend themselves to 1:S Army markings that a list (subject to some current updating) of well established kits

52 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING MASTERCLASS

is quite short: 1'-38 (2); P-40B (2); P-40E (1); P-4iD (2); P-5IB (2); P-51D (4); and Spitfire (2). Even the 1'-38 entry, the Revell kit, should be qualified as bemg: a basic P-38J and an alternative "droop snoot" version using the same molds but mcluding the necessary clear nose section used by a navigator/bombardier. The P-40B total includes one conversion and a full multi-media kit. One of the later Mustangs and one Spitfire V, both by Hasegawa, are exeellenl while the Revell 1'-40E is a potencial competilion winner provided that a fair amount of work is carried out. The same cannot be said for the two Revell P-4is and the P-51B, at least not as they come from the box. Things are however improving in this respect and Craftworks of the US has recently released a 1/32-scale P 51B. Resin model manufacturer J- Rutman has also recently released 1I32-scale kits of the 1'-51B Mustang, plus Ra:wrback and Bubbletop versions of the 1'-47. These kits are very accurate and well detailed. The other Spitfire V is another Revell kit which was superseded by the later Hasegawa offering. This superb kit is appropriate for conversion 10 an early Eagle Squadron example of a Mk Vc, as widely used by US units in the .I>deditcrranean. The j.\lustang listing rounds otT with the two early Monogram kits of the P/P-51D which were released both as a standard kit and the so-called "llhantom ,Mustang," which had a completely transparent airframe designed to show the essential mternal details inside the fuselage and wings. It came complet'e with a control plinth that retracted the wheels via a battery--Dpcrated lever and also released the wing bombs. If that kind of activity does nothing for you, it is fortunate that either of the 1/32-scale IVlonogram kits may be adapted to impro\'e the Revell 1'-5IB, pnnClpally by enabling it to borrow a nose section that suggests that a Packard-,\lerlin is ll1side rather than something with much more modest power output as indicated by the slim nose of the 1'-51 B out of the box. The chopping: and changing process docs work and the result shows a spectacular improvement in outline. Many other areas of the Revell kit need changing or modifying but an acceptable model can be made, particularly if the kit's optional .i.\-lalcom hood is chosen. This will at least reduce the number of heavy hinges cut \llto the opening sections of the sL'\:-piece canopy in order to provide operating features. These are otherwise acceptably thin and another example of "spoiling

--

----

LEFT Squadron offer a huge range of replacement canopies in crystal clear vacuformed plastic. These are especially useful if the modeler wants to position a canopy open, as they are scale thickness. The canopy piettlred here is designed for the Mauve l/48-scale P-40N kit.

the ship" for want of a little more care. But me real answer is to have a completely new canopyof either type - moockxl scparalclr As noted earlier a new kit of the 1'-518 in 1/32 scale has been announced and hopcfuUy, it will render all this hacking up of other kits unnecessary. Incidentally, Revell latef fe-Iooled their 1132-sCJlc P-5IB into a 1'-510. Although I've never secn the kit, it was apparently updated only in regard to the obvious canopy and fuselage changes., the many other errors being perpetuated - c1l..':lrly an opportunity wasted. Revell's option of a razorback Thunderbolt h:ls some exciting possibilities in this scale - but again the wmpany nearly ruined a potentially fine kit by cutting corners on some important details. \\"hcn thl,; earlier kit was joined by a 1'-470·25 bubblcrop, it was disappointing in that [he designer had mi~ealculatcd the shape of the canopy, It lack~ the characteristic high point of the hood aft of the windscreen sLx1:ion, nuking it impossible to use unless a replacement can be molded.

THE P·38 LIGHTNING Re"e11 also gave the modeling world the sole

1)-38 in this scale. Like its single--engine contemporaries, the o\'erall size is impressi\'e and with work, the fighter can be made £0 look particularly com'ineing. Locomotiye style rivets coyer the entire airframe in the majority of these kits, the Lightning being no exception and a substantial amount of smoothing down is necessary prior to assembly. But with a basically good outline shape, the big Lightning goes together well enough, with the prospect of adding a considerable :lmount of detail to bring it up to competition-winning standard.

With such \\ork carried out it could stand \,...i th the P-WE as one of the best two kit.<; in 1/32 scale by Revell, a~ no major airframe modifications are called for. The Warhawk and oLhers in this series arc re-released by the company from time to lime, so you won't necessarily have lO pay collectors' prices for them. Otherwise most of these older l/32-scale kits can still he found in ~pccialist outlets: astute modelers, realizing that these wcre quite long term building projects, invested in a suite of drop tanks which wcre released as vacuform sets by US manufacturers while the kits were still relal il'ely new. Thus the P-38 and the other US fighters in lhe series could have their distinctive additional fuel tanks, few of which actually were provided in the kits at least on their first-run release. Later kits did include tanks, however. The l/32-scale Revell P-38, P-40 and P-4-7 all contain removable panels to expose areas of the engine, which can of course, be dctailed ol'er and above what the instruction sheet recommends. Allhough the 1'-38 kit only includes one Allison, there arc enough model engines in [his scale to add the other one and detail both if required. With both power plants In rilu and more panels removcd this could be a challenging projec!. Displaying each engine s.eparatel~ adjacenl lO the model itself is an altemati\·e. In any e\"lmt, some work certainly needs to be done in regard to engine panels on these large-scale kiTS, as those on both the 1'-38 and P-47 were st:emingl}' afterthoughts with a poor fit. Finally, a 1/32-scale RC\'ell Bcaufighter could be completed as a USAAF night fightcr.

AVAIlABLE PRODUas

53

•

ABOVE Separate control surfaces are helpful when depicting deflected ailerons and rudder, or dropped flaps

and elevators.

USAAF "Deaus" carried the stanuard vanety of arm"ork and names as applied to other types and there is a choice of variants.

THE GIANTS: 1/24 SCALE At 112-+ scale there arc three P-SIDs, by Airfix, Bandai, and morc reccnLly Trumpcrer. Kone unfortunately is without its nail'S, but dedicated work and a degree of cross-killing should bring about an extra special model that is undeniably impressive. Airfix again miscalculated the nose contours and repeated the same eTTor for a second time on a 1/72-scale P-51D. The profile of the Trumpeccr P-51 kit nose is also poor: this new kit has other shape deficiencies 100. But the sheer size of a .MusL1ng in this scale is inspirational, ideal for the really long Term projects that can incorporate a massi\'e amounT of scratch-built detail, perhaps incorporating brass etch and!or resin components. Whether or not you model figures to go with kits, the l/24-scale Mustangs also inspire The keen modeler to incorporate the pilot. Being large enough to be of recognizable human proportions, he might look good leaning on The wing or posed getting into or out of the cockpit, perhaps clutching a handful of maps or holding up live fingers in time honored fashion to signify The achievement of "ace in a day" status. ~lany model figures appear a little squashed and rather

S4 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING MASTERClASS

wooden but the larger size enables limbs to be reset so that your own composition may be arranged. All three of these large-scale kits \·ary considerably 111 detail and design approach. \\-'hile BandaT opted for a smoother surbce with acceptable scribed panel lines (including optional transparent covers over the gun breeches to show the detail) Airfix went overboard with countersunk rivets which \\Tre a liTtle over scale. Numerous coats of paint will reuucc the effect of these but the kit's outline errors incline the modeler more towards the Japanese product. The latter shows a \'aried approach m that it has zero-length rocket launchers molded mto the wing undersides. Airlix also provide HVARs, but with separate launchers. The Trumpeter kit features relatively restraineu surface texture compared to its 1/24scale counterparts, and a generally high level of demiling. However, specific items including the cockpit and the machine gun leading cdge fairings still need plenty of extra work. Each kit contains parts to build up the engine, the result of which is, not surprisingly, a substantial sub~assembly in its own right. By spElling the servicing access pancls in a similar way [0 the real thing, Airfix make it relatively difficulT 10 leave the engme out, should this be preferred 10 save time. Displaying the J\lcrlin engine as a separate subject alongside the

aircraft will mterest those who "ish 10 add super delail to it, although the Bandai produt.1: prescnls a simpler kit Ihat may be built withoul incorporaling: the engine block, gi,·ing thc modeler morc of a choice. Bandai also mcluded a pair of transparent gun bay eO\'crs through which the Brownings and their behs may be ,"iewed. One of se\·eral similar approaches by kit manufacturers, this idca ncvcr really lOok off. The most recent US Fighter addilion Ihe thesc giants is Trumpeter's Spitfirc Mk Vb. This imprcssive kit is well detailed and quite ;lceuralC in outline. In fact, it is possibly the best kit relcascd in 112+ scale to date. Airfix has also modified its old large-scale Spitfire iVlk I lO 1\lk Vb standards, including options ofVokes filter, Aboukir filter, clipped wingtip&, Rotol or De Havilland propcller :lssemblies and alternate canopies. Howc"cr, the impressive tall~ of exlras docs not compensate for Ihe dilTerencc in o\-crall tooling quality between the Airlix kit and the much better Trumpeter offcring.

SOLE REPRESENTATIVES - SO FAR As far as LSAAF subjects were concerned in 112+ scale, thaI was Ihat. Xo P-H, no P--W, no an~ Ihing else thai could readily carry white SlarS, oUlsideof a major conversion oftheAjrfix ,Vlk I Spitfire 10 a later \llriant to creale a USAAF operated machine, We wait, probably in vain, for a P-H to appear as a complete injt>t:lion-moldt."d kit in 1/24 scalc from onc of the m:linstream suppliers. Even the I'acuform kit manufacturers largely shy away from such substantial investments in plastic: se\'eral 1/32S(,'ale fightcrs have bt~n released hut the writer knows of no rt":luily available addition.~ in 112+ s(,.'alc at time of writing. Howc,·er, the old adage tells us thal if you wail long enough, it happens. Current "entures inlO sc,:veral shoTler run, multi-media kits to a 'er~ large scale may well bring about more big t;SAA F fighlers. II would be good to be able to put a IJ2+-scale P--l-i, P-39 or P-40 on the competilion table in future year.., so here's hoping.

a restriction on shelf space; they scll the firsl batch, then wait for Ihe distTibUlor to restock them. If there is any problem al the shipper's end, you could end up wairing months. Altem:ttivcly an :tccount taken out with any reputable mail order spe<:ialist, should ensure that specific requiremems are catert.-d for with the minimum of delay_ ;\5 always, much depends on whether or nOl the kit is home grown. If it is imported, this certainly has a bearing on the speed of delivery to local outlcts. Fortunately the larger companies use a network of agents who also distribute the kits within various countries. To emphasize the ongoing popularity of kits of US fighters, the list that appears on page 56 eo\'ers some of the models released or annount;ed in the last fi\'e ycars or so. Not all arc new, as the current sccne includes numerous re-issues with new decals and maybe new parts, plus changes of manufacturer wherein molds are either lransfcrrt.-d or L:its arc bought in and marketed b~ firms under a different name from that of the ori~nal. As can be seen, the appearance of a hilherto rare type in kit form seems to spawn a spate of imitators - there arc no less than three 1/ +8-scale Vultec 1'-665 in this list.

BELOW Many different engines. both radial and in·line. are available. Probably the most prolific supplier of these resin power plants is a company ailed Engines and Things. The quality of detail and Gl5ting does not match the best after-market items of today, bllt they do represent a :sound basis for an accurate engine.

SOURCES OF SUPPLY The keen modeler can do no better than to buy through one of the mail order specialists. These can take the hassle out of buying direct, as unless there is a particularly good hobby shop in your town, supply of new relcascs can be patchy at best. Shops usually order small quantities of kits at a time, there usually being

AVAILABLE PRODUCTS SS

RIGHT A mind-boggling selection of general accessories is available for the 2lst-cenrury modeler. PiCtured here are replacement 20mm gun barrels and colored resin stock for creating formation lights.

Manufacturer

Aircraft type

/ /72 scal~ Academy

LF Models Hasegawa Academy High Planes Models lnTeeh ltaleri

MPM MPM

P-Ml TP-40N Briswl Beaufightcr

P-5lB/C Douglas D13-7A P-51B Spitfire Mk Vb P-40F/L P-47~

Wingnut International Planet lI'lodcls

Republic XP-72 Vultce XP-54 Swoose Goose

RS .\1odels RS .\1odels 1/48 scale

XP-38

Accurate

Hawk 75

~diniatures

Bcaufighter (nrious marks) Eduard P-39Q!P-400 Hascga....-a P-47D Historic Plastic Models P-5IH Minit:raft P-38) Ocidcntal _~1odels Spitfire Mk IX fldodclcraft Spitfire :\1ks VII/ IX POMK Vultee P-66 S Models Vultee P-66 P-SlA S'IER Tamiya P-47D Razorback Fonderie !vIiniature P-63A Kingcobra Hobbycraft YP-S9/P-59A Airacomet

56 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

Manufacturer IC.\1 IC\.1 ICM Pend Oreille Model Kits Jl12 scale

Aircraft type Spitfire Mks VU/LX P-SlD/C P-SID Vultee P-66

P-40E

Revell Combat Models Craftworks Trumpeter J 118 scale

Spitfire ,M k IX P-51ll P-51D

MPM/Hi\IL

P-5ID

CHAPTER 4

BASIC CONSTRUCTION

H

ow basic is "basic'? It must vary

PRIMARY TYPES

depending on the age and skillle\-e1 of

the indhidual modeler, the range of

tools her or she is able to usc with confidence, the time 3\"1lilablc to devote [0 modeling and

numerous other factors. The detail some individuals manage to cram into the smaller scale kits shows truly outstanding skill. To those who consistently win prizes for their work, the rest of us an have nothing but the uonOSI admiration. MOSI modern injection-molded plastic kits pro\,jdc a straightforward step by step guide lO building each sub-assembly. If there is a choice of varianls the alternate parts are clearly bbclcd. That said, it is uscfulro run an eye over the salient design points of the differenl aircraft under Tel'iew. The bulk of (his chapter will therefore describe "';lrious primary-type L:irs (the Lightning, Thunderbolt, Mustang and so on) following !\Orne of the general assembly steps which, with obvious \"ariations, arc similar for all injection-molded plastic kits.

The general shapc of the American wartime fighter is of course \·cry familiar to those thal have studied even rhe most basic reference and it goes without saying that the miniaturized \ersion should ha\'e all the major paw; duplicated accurately. With due regard to certain limitations of the molding process and lhe relatively small size of most plastic kit parts, kit design may f(.'Suh in a different breakdown of parts but the end result of assembling kir A from manufacturer Y should end up looking much like that of kit B from manufacturcr Z. In the real world there is more variation than one would expect but much depends on the scale, lhe age of the molding and in essence, something one might well call ·'tradition." This latter factOr ml,.-ans that a range of kil.o; from the same manufacturer will usually have one-piece horizontal tailpi::ancs with location slots whereas a kil from a rival range may

LEFT A 1I48-scale Bell P-39D Airacobra, modeled by Brett Green.You do not always need w build a new model in order to have a new USAAF fighter aircraft in your collection.With some care and planning. it IS possible to obtain good results by refurbishing an old model - a process that we will demonstrate in the photOgraphs that appear in this chapter. This model IS Eduard"s excellent 1/-48-sca.le P--400 kit that was originally built as an Australian P-39.Thanks to the

refurbishmem process. it is rlOW

wearing a new identity.

BASIC CONSTRUcnON

57

RIGHT This shows the kit as originally built, an Austr.l.lian P-39.A1though initial connruction was free of majo..problems, a couple of basic shortcomings of this model were not addressed the first time around. These were the thick tr.I.lling edges and the uicky fit of the characteristic "car doors_" The first issue was ignored.The second issue was initially avoided by depicting both doors open. Reconditioning commenced with the removal of detail parts. Fortunately. parts including the undercarriage legs. gear doors and car doors were secured with Superglue. Superglue provides a strong join, but it does not actually weld plastic parts together in the same way as polystyrene cement. Finn pressure is often sufficient to break the britde bond without serious damage. Small details were stored in a ziplock plastic bag to ensure they were not Ion.The next wk was the removal of decals. First, brown packing tape was applied over the tOP of the decals, then ripped off. This method is usually very effective at removing decals, but these markings proved more stubborn. Even the generous application of decal softening solution made no difference. There was no choice other than to sand off the markings. first with a sanding stick followed by progressively finer abrasive paper.

imariably break the railplanes down into six separalc sections (top and bottom solid section plus a pair of elevators) and perhaps also pro,·ide a pin which passes through thc fusc.bge to support the ele,'aLQrs. This in 10m is the result oflhe s:lmc design team opting for a similar appro:lch no mattcr whal lhe subjcct may he. For the moddcr this approach is a mixcd blessing. II may add up to increased building time, especially if the solid tailplane, as per our example, ends up looking exaetly lhc same as the morc complex onc once the lancr has been assembled. It is an unfortunale fact of modeling lifc that extra sub-assemblies do n01 always guar:anll;e tbat, for c..xample, trailing edges of n) ing: surfaces end up as thin as they should be. AnOlher factor is the highl) accl;ptablc increase in Iargcr ahernate pans such as nose and tail sections. These are either included in the kits as standard injcetion~moldcd parts or as solid resin sc.uions which are designed to bun joint an appropriately truncued fuselage in the aS€, say, of a new nose. Such a large new section obviously requires areful alignment and use of an effecti"c adhesi,·e, because in thc main resin is a good deal denser than plastic and therefore heavier.

TRAILING EDGES & JOINT LINES In reg-.Hd to buildin!;" an alternative version of a kit, I surely cannot be alone in having made the understandable error in cementing logether

58 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

two pariS of a new ,·crriallailplane and finding an annoying: joint line or step has to be sanded away. Understandable? \\'e1I, this poor resuh is often only lx'(;ausc Ihe instruction sheet has been foUm\cd to Ihe lencr: what one should do is to make Ihe necessary curs to remme the existing cailplane and anach the male aod female hah-es separately, before cementing the fuselage as a completc half in the usual way. This T find minimizes the risk of crealing a stepped joint, onc that can be surprisingly difficult 10 remove once the fuselage hahes are together. Once dry, the inside face of the fuselage haH~ thl; edge that takes the adhesiw, can be sanded down. This is important as Ihe alternate pari may be slightly deeper than Ihe fuselage. The genel"31 advice here should be thai in some kits, Ihe separate parts pro,"ided for :In ahernate \ersion cm be slightly larger or smaller than Ihe main fuselage moldings, or so it scem.<;. The difference an h:lrdly he measun..-d but it will be revealcd the minute the adhesi\c dries, so always be alert to the risk of a bad fit. Othenvise, )ou'll invariably find out :lboUI il at an advanced slage of construction. II is doubly irksome to ha\e to sand do,,·n more than usual or in e.xtremis to havc to prize a sub---assembly apan to re-:llign a bad joint. Remedial work is of course a possibility, as we can see from lhl: accompanying images of the P-39 reconditioning, but in modeling, as in many other aspl;cts of life, prevention is betler than cure.

LEFT With the decals removed, the trailing edge of the kit wings were thinned on the bottom. Coarse sandpaper on an aluminum block was used to sand off a large amount of material, followed by a. few minutes ose of a sanding stickA smooth finish was achieved with fine abrasive paper: By this point. most of me panel lines on the bottom of the wing near me trailing edge [induding the f1~ and aileron hinge lines) had been obliterated by the heavy sanding, These were restored with a scri~r using self-adhesive Dymo tlpC as a guide.

•

OTHER TROUBLE Years of I) ing dormant :u \-aTying temperatures can have a dctrimcnt'al clTl."Ct on older kits, the parIs of which appeared to be a perfect fit when il was purchased. Some components do not :l.gc well at all. Unbeknown 10 me the "rcal rubber" PVC tires

issued in the Airfix

1/2~scak

P-510 lost

their flexibility over the years and have almost molded themselves sulid to the wheel hubs. This and uther large kits du nut always ofkr a plastic ahcrnatin:, so if the rubber boots have perished, findin~ replacements might be diffil.:ull. If you hal'c ,h(,'Sc kits in the luft it may be worth chl.'Cking un the state of their tires.

CORRECTING A P-47

•

Diffcring design methods of achicnng the same end may frustrate the modeler who likes to cross-kit to obtain a ~..u oJ result by utilizing the best f(,:3turcs of se\"Cral. Let's assume that a 1/72-s1.::1le 1)....7 is being made: there will be two methods of mating the winb'5 to the fuselage - butt-jointed, or as a one-piece lower St."Crion which incorporates part of the lower fuselage.. the objct.1 presumably being to obtain the correct dihedral angle and a more aCCllr.lte 10wt.T fuselage line when "iewcd in profile. This docs not always happen, of l'OUrsc because model kit manuf:at.'turcrs arc only :IS good as their reference sources and occasionally end up as oonfusc..-d :IS the rc!>'t of us. Don't assumc th:at they n0CCSS3rily h:a,'c much more (;umpreh(:nsi,-e

references than you do. a... the n~uhs somctimcs refUlc this. A few examples will emphasize the problem. Thc Lesney Matchbox P-+7 in 1/72 SC'"Jle has a ra7.0rback profilc t1ut makes it a desirable kit to tackle although a glance at the conte11lS of thc box almost makes one wince. The kit sprues were originally colnred a bright pO\Hlcr hlue and navy hlue - hardly an inspirational choice, but typical of most of this company's early products. Two-tone plasl'ic was different to the way most other kit's were sold and the marketing men appeared 10 ha\'e belicvcd Ihat this approach was a winner, This particular P-47 has some redeeming features but others that arc nor so. Although the airframe outline aft of thc engine firew:all is acccptable, there is much rcsen'alion on the vague way the cowling flaps arc presented. The cowling itself scems to fall into one of tll"O categories used by manufacturers of 1/72-scale Thundcrbolts - too slim or 100 f.1t. The .M:atehbox lit errs in the former category, which is marginally harder to correct. But assuming that an alternati\'c cowling is not to hand, the flaps need to be rcmo\"ed and replaced by a corrcrtly scribed, thin strip of Plasticard or a sct cut from another kit. Other fuselagc details need attending to at the same time, particularly the \·cntral inukes and exhausts associated with thc function of the supercharger, plus the w:lSte gates in each side of thc fusclage. As molded. all [hese deuils are 100 small. Thc distinctj,·c turboblowcr intakes

• BASIC CONSTRUCTION S9

and exhaust doors in the lower front fuselage also need improving before lhe next stage in conslruclion is reached. One option is to smooth down the cmire fuselage at the same time as re-sl.:ribing the cowl Oaps. Sets of Airfix and Frog P-47 kit wings can be made to fit without loo much filling. fortunately, the Matchbox kil, in conunon wilh many orner Thundcrboh modcls, has slraightforward burl joint top and bonom wing sections. Be warned Ihough, the sheer time taken LO conven one lin-scale P-47 into what il is supposed to be in Ihe first place is disproportionately too high at time.-". The building up of one or more spares boxes can prove invaluable in any conversion work with lin-scale plastic kits. "Building up" is a r.uhcr misleading Slalcmem, as spare parts tend to accumulate rapidly seemingly without much help from the modeler. The source may be unused e...tra pans supplied with kits to build alternative n ..Tsions or, as is SO often the case with military aircrafl, large amounts of ordnance. Everything is worth keeping for future usc although I have to admit that after a few years you have more spares than you'll ever be able 10 usc. In something of a "C.1tch-22" situation, as kits improve, SO thc need for doing your own customizing lends to lessen but spares slill aocumulate because multiple e.'l:amples oflhe same kit will of COUTSC keep yielding an almOSt equal nwnber of spare itcrns.

RJQ-fT The magniwde of the problem with the mHing edges can be seen in this photo. The tOp view shows the thick, unmodified trailing edge, and the bottom view is the wing after thinning. This will be very noticeable on the finished model.

60 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY fIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERClASS

MUSTANGS IN DETAil A long tcrm fa\·orite with modelers, me Nonh Amencan Mustang line began in model terms with the larer production \'crsion, the P-51D. Rardy did any other variant see the light of day for years and [hose that did were less than worth mc effort. The brcakmrough came when Accurate Miniatures released Iheir first four kits S(lme years ago. The Allison-cngine examples were follOYi·ed with the recent P-51B/C kits,A..tI,1 climbing me P-51 \'lIr1amladdcr from the right direction, so (Q speak. in thc larger scales the Mustang fared quite well, the American and Japanese model companies ,ldding it to their respective lists on a regular basis. Hawk created something of milestone with a 1'-510 in 1/48 scale, which firsl appeared in 1962. For years Ihis was the yardstick againsl wruch other Muslang kits were judged and there was an interesting rider to its appearance. IP.\'lS USA's Qllarur/y Journal ran a review, complclc with a list of items necessary LO delail the kit, plus some Technical Order manual drawings of the cockpit interior. Unfortunarely these werc in error insofar as the manuals wcrc for an 1'-510 rather than the warlime model. The upshot was thai model ]\'Iuslangs began to app<.-ar with radio aerial wires stretching from Ihe canopy to the fin. These were nor actually needed on World War 2 Mustangs hut few peoplc appeared to know this including model

LEFT A replacement resin seat from UJtraca.st was installed when the kit was originally built. The remainder of the interior was built straight from the box. This resin accessory has a hamess molded in place.The interior was otherwise left untouched dUring reconditioning. Deuils in this area are very good, as can be seen by the deep surface texture on the f~me for the pilot's armored glass. The canopy was originally glued in place with po~tyrene cement. Despite determined tugging, the canopy refused to come free, so it was left in place ~ther than risk damage to this prominent feature.

,

,

,

•

•

•

manufacrurers, who Slaned to market kits with a liny hole in the canopy to lake the wire. Later kilS, such as that by Fujiffii were not really superior, despite in [his case, a full set of moveable comrol surfaces (the Hawk model had none) including flaps, engine detail and so fonh. Separate flaps were quite unusual items to .find in any plastic kit at that time, which is rather odd, as mo\'eable ailerons (rather pointless items for an aircraft on Ihc ground) have long been staple items in kits. The pity of it was thaI Ihc rest of this particular Fujimi kit suffered from some obvious outline errors that tended to put modelers off. Tamiya's subsequent release of a much superior 1'-51 D was followed by a P-51B in this scale, another example of manufacturers, ever mindful of the competition, filling up gaps in their own list. I)ity the poor modeler, who may nOt, for various reasons, wish lO aUlOmatically purchase :all the Mustangs and Thunderbolts in a g1\<en scale as Ihey appear, tTy1ng lO sorl out which is the currenl best. In a world where lOday's hil is IOmorrow's second place kiL, he mUSI be confused at times. Added to that is the fact that the afler-market firms always seem [Q go one bener than even the mOSt highly praised kil b}' releasing corrected pans even before }'ou've e\'en acquired the kil and noticed it to be e\'en slightly below par. The only answer is to read as many reviews of the ncw arri\1I.1 as possible and tr~' to arri\'e at a personal judgment: we\'e all seen the model magazine article that praises a kit

beyond compare yet prints an accompanying photo that can contradict this.

GETIING INTO THE P·51 Cnderstandably one of the mOSt popular of model kits subjects, the superlativc 1'-51 f\iJustang in all its guises ....'lIS a war winner in every sense of the phrase. From its British inspired origins to occupation dut~· in a defeated Germany and Japan, Mustangs flew thousands of sorties 10 speed Allied victory. Along the way they were painted in a dazzling array of color schemes and personal markings, enough to kl:ep the enthusiast modeler in work for as many years as the P-51 remained operational. That time span would of course tale in the colors of numerous air forces other than the US but the units equipped with il during World War 2 have gi\'en us hundreds of markings schemes; so many that a modeler could happily spend his entire time making only models of the 1'-51 if that were his choice. For years the only injection-molded plastic kits available represenled the revised, bubble canopy P-51D of late-1943, six variants or so into Nonh American's eventual production cycle of some 15,000 examples. But nO\\~ the whole range of the aircraft that originated with the NA 73X of 1940 may be built in model form,

DETAILS ;\'!:ustang floors .... ere simple wooden boards, as you can readily tell by the hea\'Y gT1l.in effect

BASIC CONSTRUcnON 61

;

RIGHT The remainder of the paint was removed with thinners and a clean rag. I wanted to show off the cockpit detail on one side of the aircraft, but retain the clean lines of the fuselage on the other side while retaining a view of me nice Interior.The windows in the doors of the P-39 rolled down like those in a car. I sliced off the [Op of the port side door (the section containing the window), drilled holes in me window around the inside of the frames, then used a sharp hobby knife to cut out the "glass:' The empty frame was glued on[O the canopy, then the door itself was test-fitted. Some trimming was required [0 achieve a flush fit.

somc kits ha\'c on Ihis componcnt part. It would bc a ycry coarse piece of \\'ood indeed that slil1 showed lhc slightest trace of grain C\'cn in 112-l scalc, so all the modeler needs to do is to paim it an appropriate color and add a little discoloration in the form of faded or darkened patches. i\hny operational V-SIs had the mechanism at the lower end of the control column protected by a c:am'as or k":lthcr boot, \\hieh is usually represented in kits. This is painted in an appropriatc shade of dark brown to represent le:lther or lighler brown to indicate fabric - although I am lhe first to admit I have no idea if and when the difTerem materials were used. My gues.s is that ea.r1ier aircraft used k":lthcr but as production built up, a cost sa\'ing was made on the m;e of this material, and a ehc:aper fabric was then used. t\ \\"arbird or any good close-up photograph will rc\"Cal salient points about the P~5l which might need slimming down for greater scale accuracy. These include lhe central rod in the belly air intake; the "solid" or perforaled engine breather plate on e:1ch side of the lower nose; braces for the taih,h(.'CI doors (plus an oleo dlLst boot); formation I;ght lenses and the curved, perforated canop,. brace in the rear cockpit behind the pilot's head. One item tha.t no ~1ustang kit I know of includes is the 3dmittedly liny 3crials on the fin for the ANI APS-1J tail warning radar. Numerous operational P-51J)s had this set filled at thc cnd of the war and the aerials arc quite dc:ar in photographs. When modeling

62 WORlD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERClASS

such a kit remember thaI lhe array consisted of a fore and aft rod and a cent'ralloop. As such an addition can he a lin1c delicate it is best to fix it to the inside face of each lin half before assembly. In this way whatcyer mater;31 ;s chosen, either plastic or fine wire, it c:an be anchored firmly.

RECYCLING With lhe foregoing comment'S in mind it is c1(.':tr that the avid modeler 11';11 ine\';tably accumulate ,1 stack of kits that arc at best superseded by 01 her newer one or arc in gener::ll terms unusable, at least on the f::lee of it. I found this with the P-IO. I la\-ing acquin..-d nwnerous 1172-scale kits of thc type o\er lhe years I found the :\10nograrn P--40:'\ was there in abundam;c in my abandoned bo:..es. :\1y liking for late-war fighters in general was the reason for this, lh::lt and the fact that no P-I{)l\" W3S otherwise available - in any SClle - for dectd(.'S, I built a few of the !vlonog:ram offerings but neglected to carry OUI Ihe modific:ations n(.'Cessary to bring the kit up 10 a more reasonable standard. Was there still a use for a kit th3t was not only o\'erS/.:ale but also qUllC basic in that when [he large r;\'Cts were sanded away all trace of the flying surfaCOi disappeared too? As the inugcs in this ch::lpter shO\\;\,hcn things don't tum out as expt-<:ted or hoped, all need not be lost.

ONE SEAT OR TWO? One of [he most aesthetically appealing of the wartime fighter trainer conversions, the P-l-O

l

\

W;uhall'k came as a dual scaler in a number of guises. The most amhitious was Ihc reworking of a number of P-IONs to accommodalc a second cockpit behind lhe exisling onc with a dear Pcrspcx section linking lhc 111'0, plus a few other detail additions. One such is what I can beSI describe as a fuselage side plate adjacent 10 the second cockpit plus an elevated mirror device muunled abm"c Ihe from hood to enable the instructor 10 see whal the pupil \\-as pushing and pulling during Ihe flight. 1 oom"Crtcd the Monogram P--KlN imo the TP-fON without 100 much trouble. An !':::.astern European manufacturer known as l.r r..lode1s released a 1172-scalc TP-W sometime in 1999 - bUl the object of the exercise was fO show that you can rt:cyc1c old ones. KiTs of other American fighlers can be adapted to trainer configuration. [he early razor-

oock Thunderbolt ;lI1d M uSlang looking: (he bc!.1: in my view. The P--f7Ds used for Ihis purpose had elongated cockpit glazing in some instant"Cs, while the stillborn TP-l7G, onl} twO of which were built, had the standard cockpil mOR"d fon\-ard a few feel. II \\as nOI sek'Cwtl for production but £hose P-l7s used as front-line rraincrs had c..xrra glazing afl of the Stantlartl cockpir. The singlc-seat \·crsions thou sired such :urcr:J.ft can be readily adapted, Ihe addition of a second scat being simple enough using kitS in thc mOSt popular SCllcs. Examples of the early i\luslangs were also adaptt"d to (rainer configurarion in a similar \\-ay to the other types, the P-5Jn/C h:I\'ing: c.xtendti! aft glazing to rhe greenhouse canopy while in the field modifications to the P-51 D 10 accommodate two people resulted in the canopy sometimes being cur into three Sttrions.

BElO'N After these modifications. the model was painted and the smaller details were reinstalled. These details were repaimed too.A hobby stand was used to hold the model upside down while the details on the lower surface of the model were added.

,

I

1

•

BASIC CONSTRUCTlON 63

R1Q-IT The only other addition to the kit was il set of six-stack exhausts from Ultracast..The starboard door Wil.S glued in the open position. The attractive decals were sourced from Cutting Edge Decal set CED48146,Airacobra #4.

or all the lrainer conversions of i'llustangs, the P-51D is probably the most satisfying in modeling leTms with the added auraction of some unusual color schemes, such as the o..-erall red used on one example flO\\1l by the 4th Fighter Group. Two sears were occasionally added under the wartime P-5ID's huge canopy and there was also a TP-51 D, which had an elongated hood designed to give the second occupant greater headroom. At the other end of the fighter trainer spectrum was the quite odd looking TP-3l)(t With a second canopy perchcd on the nose fOD\-ard of the original, the result was not only the worst looking two-scat com'clsion but in my view thc world's most: ugly aircraft! .\'loving up 1'0 the Bell P-63, this had at least m a projected trainer vcrsion, a second cockpit

64 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING MASTERCLASS

added in the fuselage aft of the standard position, making it another candidate for a (wo-seat fighter oom·ersion. Like almost an:rthing associated with the wartime USA...>\F the model possibilities are mueh wider than they may seem as first sight.

CHAPTER 5

ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION

he questions of modeling skiJl leyel and task difficulty arc hard to quantify with absolute pn;cision: the answer has surely to come from a personal viewpoint. That kits carry labels stating that rhe contents arc intended for different levels of modding expertise surdy docs not inhibit the purchaseyet some people may find that the complexity of the components, particularly rhe multimedia type kit, indeed represents a task more difficult than imagined. Some accessory kits have noll' reached the stage that used to be morc associalcd with model engineering. They incorporale a range of non plastic parts that require a different approach to attaching such minute components as flap hinges, oleo scissors and dive brakes. These after-market kits are fine for those who require such ultra-fine detail but cerTain aspects of modeling seem still to he a challenge as rebrards the final, generally external, etYec!. Some often prefer to see greater emphasis placed on the external finish, areas That can be viewed when the model is completed such as gun bay doors, stores racks and other "Things under wings" than parts that may well be

T

hidden away under cowlings and so f(lrth. The argue that mosT USAAF fighters give little choice to view (he interior ho\\"Cvcr detailed a kit may be unless The modeler resorts to artificial cutaways or a complete strip down with the airframe pared to the bone, as indeed it might have been during a major sen'ice. However it can be rewarding to opt to f(Jeus on one or two areas of The kiT. ·j'bere is plenty of scope. Relatively few of (he smaller scale kits have pro\"ision for open gun bays for example but cutting these om and adding new ones from Plastieard can considerably enhance the finished item - and they're far more likely to be visible than flaps, which on some aircraft at least arc hardly ever seen in the down position. Some might also argue (hat multi-media accessories can be disproportionaTely expensive and add greatly to the task of completing what may alrC"Jdy be a fairly complex kit. Extra time will have to be spent on (he building stage, which in total hours, can almOST double. However, multi-media accessories are very much up to the individual modeler, who must choose the one or two that will enhancc a particularly favored, detailed project. By no

BonOM The AMtech 1!48-scale Curtiss P-40F Warhawk. modeled by Brett Green. During the early I990s,AMT released a series of 1148-sGile P-40 Warhawks that were quite accurate in outline but somewhat basic in detail.They earned a reputation for challenging fit, especially around the wing roots and the engine cowl access panels. Ocher WarhawklKittyhawk variants were developed by AMT but, for unknown reasons. were never released. In 2002, a new company called AMtech finally used the first of these unreleased molds to launch their P-40E WarhawklKittyhawk Mk la. The P-40F Kittyhawk II was powered by a license-built version of the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.This development was intended to improve high-altitude performance of the P-40, which was greatly il1ferior to it5 Axis comemporaries. However, in the final analysis. performance was only marginally improved. The P-40L was a further development of the Meriin equipped Warhawk. This type was intended to be lightweight (with the reduction of equipment, including the deletion of two wing-mounted machine guns) and therefore faster.The disappointing result was an increase in speed of only around four miles per hour. Many P-40ls were later retrofitted with the extra twO wing guns. Very early P-40Fs and ls had the same short fuselage as the P-40E. Later production machines featured a longer fuselage and repositioned horizontal tail planes. AMtech launched their P-40FIL "long tail·· version in eariy 2003. This new company was not happy with the profile and detail of the fuselage nose as molded by AMT AMtech therefore commissioned a new, accurate solid resin nose to be included in their kit. This permitted modelers who were nOt happy with the shape of the kit nose to cut it off and replace it. Less experienced modelers could simply build the kit with the plastic fuselage intact. In the modeling project that appears in this chapter, we will use the resil1 110se, address some of the fit challenges and add a detailed replacement cockpit to the model.

ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION

65

mcans should the less experienced be persuaded to buy all and sundry c.xtras: should they pro\'e difficult or frustrating to ineorpor:lte into a kit, the modeling community might lose anothcr would-be convcrt. Ilowe....er, on the other hand, as the images that accompany this chapter show, the una time and effort dedicated to adding ad\'lnccd modeling detail 10 a kit, and the experience and confidence gained as a result, l.-an make such projects \'ery worthwhile indl.'Cd,

CHAUENGING THE MODELER In the following pages of this chaptcr, we'll attempt to highlight those areas of each of the c1as.sic CS fighter models of World War 2 that always seem to need special attention. and more ad''lnced modeling skills as a rcsult, irrespective of the kit and 1:0 some extl.-nt the s(.'llc. Beginning at the front, the propeller(s) of all wartime fighters bear scrutiny, as these varr 10 a surprising degree e\'en between the same aircraft Iype to Ihe same scale_ Different manufacturers naturally design their propeller (.'Omponcnts in a variety of ways although some time ago thcrc was simply one, an integral spinner with the blades attached. Th(."Se days, propeller blades are increasingly presented as three or four separate items plus at least t\\·o more for the front of the spinner and its back plate, The latter is usually molded wilh pick-up points to hold the hlades rigidly in position but this can provide a challenge insofar as you need to manually set the angle of each one. There is some flexihility here of course but do check several photos to get typical blade anglcs correct. Two-piece spinners are relati\·ely straightforwanl on aircraft such as the P-40, P-38 and 1'-51, with the proviso [0 ensure that both halves go together wilhout an annoying: Step that may be difficult to !'>and smooth once the blades are In position, Should you kel that the propeller blades supplied in a certain kit are undersized there are seyeral afler-market alternati\--es. The US Kendall Model Company (KMC) of Miami offers one. I have [\\"0 of their resin Curtiss propeller blade scts for l/48----scale P-Hs that are excellent. Thc pointed-blade type is ad:tptable to \'cry many Thunderboll kilS that may ha\'e the blades a Iinle too short, I spray propeller blades almost any color other than straight black. By adding a minute amount of blue, grccn or brown to mall black (the laller nOi stirred up complctely so as 10

66 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

retain a sheen), propellers will look suitably different to olher black areas of the kit. Don'l forget the reverse faces, particularly where photographic e\'idence shows the blade painl to havc ocen worn away by the effects of slipstream-blasted sand. Aircrafl based in desert areas often lost painl from propeller blades and sc\'eral references show the erTecl to ad\
PLASTIC HORSEPOWER Detailing engines is a subjCd in itself :lnd man~' modeler.; of US fighters end up with a sizeable stock ofPran & Whilne~; Rolls-Ro~ce or Allison cngines, which are not always incorpor:lll.:d in the kit if it can be compleled wilhout lhe c..xtra work powcr-planl delailing entails. .\1ost manuf:1crurcrs producing kits in sc:ales from 1/48 upwards provide al least a rudimcntary engine block if only as an anchorage point for thc cxhaust~. If the engine is used, few sclfro;pccting modelers would dream of letting it be viewed without some additions_ Wartimc piston engines were complex and exhibited masses of pipes, supports, fuel lines and wiring, some of which arc visible even with a single panel removcd, so again it is up to individual tastc as 10 how much extra work is put in on a part of a kit Lhat can otherwise be hiddcn - or trcated as a separate component in its own right. Suffice to say that if extra engine detail is undertaken, the result can often be most impressive. For the sakc of economy, some smaller kit engines havc what would be separate items such as clcctrical leads or small diameter pipes., molded into Ihe plastic block, so these should be carefully remo\'ed and replacetl with new brass etch, thin wire or stretched sprue components to gi,"e a more realistic threcdimensional cffect. Enbrine bearcrs or mountings on wartime US Anny fighters consisled of quite substantial lcngths of round or flat section sleel, the latter often being drilled out 10 saxe weight. All the larb'Cr SCl1e kits incorpoT:lte these distinl.1lyc pieces, as do SC\'cral in 1/48 scale_ If the kit is designed in such a way that Ica\'ing out the engine inml\'es adding blanking platcs behind the exhaust ports and maybe somc imcmal bracing, Ihe engine might just as

LEFT Cutting Edge Hodelwork$ pmduced a beautifully deuiled resin cockpit for AHtech's P-40FIL kit more than six months before the kit itself was released. The cockpit comprises a new tub (not seen in this image). sidewalls, a seat with cast-on harness. kidney armor plates, instrument panel with the option of aceUte instrumenlS, gun sight, headrest, control column and other details.The production quality is superb.

well be used and enhanced a linle. Going a step further and deciding to show the work \'ia detached inspection panels will, as many modelers will know, involve reducing the lhickness of the plastic. As they come, most plastic parts ha\"e over-scale edges to allow the adhesive to be applied. This entirely practical approach docs not however allow realistit; display of remo\Td panels without some work with scalpel and file. A study of many of the fine references to aircraft POWt;r plants, particularly the \Valk Around and Detail In Scale series of books, will rc\eal (apart from many small ancillary ilems that can be Iflcorporated in the engine area) fhin melal snips around all the main inspeclion panels. These wcrc punched at inten'als to accept ri\·ets and hold the remov'Jble panels in place. Such strips arc hard to fit after much assembly has taken plaa:, so for an engine detailing project they should be added first. This is not necessarily because all the panels are to be refined but the fact that the support strips show up as bright yellow chromate on many reference photos. Miss them out and the lack will surely be obvious, as will the fact thai they are ser too f.1r in if rhe plastic walls have no.[ been thinned down. In addition to preparing the bays to make them more realistic, work on the engine itself can be as extensive as the individual modeler Wishes.

Clearly there arc many who detail engines in

1/72 scale as if the work was second nature but personally I prefer to resen'e this acti\'ity for the larger scale kilo Eyesight may well playa part here, but to some of us rhc larger kit can be that much more impressive because you can more readily observe the work carried out. It is of course perfectly possible to pick al engine dell1iling, i.e. (0 do just that amount of work to show what goes on under one panel on one side of the fuselage, as indeed many kits recommend. .Many kits inspire you to go several stages further than the raw materials supplied. I find this to be particularly true in 1132-scale kits, some of which represenl only the raw material for an endless amount of super dctailing in \-anous area of the airframe. Depending on the configuration of the full-size aircraft. there will be \llrious SCi:tions of intake trunking, associated mesh dust filters, as well wiring, that can be incorporated by scratch building. The P-tO is a ease in poinL It is fascinaring to see hull' for example, the engine cooling system worked on this fighter when the entire from end is exposed. The modeler could be inspired to build up the three circular air intakcs under the engine proper and add as much additional detail as possible. Either of the two 1/24-scale Mustang kits, which contain an impressive number of piece..<; to build up the main block, supercharger,

ADVANCED C{)f\ISTRUcnON

67

dislocaled cngine panels will nced to he rested against lhe wing: or tailplane or laid out on the wing. Obviousl~~ hinge an~' panels that were not normally detachcd and add any retaimng rods necessary to hold them open if the kit sprues do nOt include them. If a more elaborate S(."Cne, perhaps incorporating figures, is reqUired, then the panels rna}' be plac<.-d. on trestles or other work benches. Alternatively', they can simply' be b.id on the ground adjacent to the aircraft.

BATTLE DAMAGE

•

ABOVE TOP It is possible for

experienced modelers to scratch build details for their models, but

the current generation of resin accessories offers a supreme level of detail combined with

simplicity and speed of assembly. Compare the difference in detail and fidelity between the kit sidewall (left) and the resin replacement sidewall (right). ABOVE The pilot's seat is usually me

most obvious feature

inside me aircraft.Apart from the more accurate shape. the resin seat in this cockpit set (right) includes a clever representation of the pressed metal ribs (on the front and back of the seat). and an authentically draped hamess. The kit"s seu is also shown here, on the left.

:\Ilcillarics and mountings for a c01wincing Packard l\lcrlin arc good for this. :'vlcntion of engines and exposed panels bring us 10 what the modd willlooJ,; likc Wilh Oluch of its interior on show. American fighters, unlike their German cOlinterpartS, gencrally did not have a plethora of hinges froOl which to hang thc panels. No doubt wC\'e :111 admircd moods ofHf 109s or FW 190s with cI'crr :lCCCSS p:lncl open while still heing, so to spC".lk, in one pl<.'(;e. The Germans employed Ihe uni\crsally exn:lIem Zeus f:lsleners so th:ll inspection p:lncls, often quile large ones, mere!} hung down (or were braced upwards) with thc aid of Stays. They usually remained an:lched to the aircraft - not so with Ihe Allies. The P-38s should b":lm :In honorable mention :IS an e.\:ception in this respect as iUi nose panels hinged upwards to :lllo\\' access to the gun bay. This means, In mooeling terms.. that in-line cngine fighters such as the P--40 and P-51 will, if thcir inn:lrds arc displayed, he ClSt inslantly into diorama mooe. Therefore to keep Ihe kil display area within reasonable dimensions. the

68 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERClASS

As part of their kit package, Monogram incorporated wing dihedral pi<.'(;cs In some 1/32-scale kits, an addition that could well he incorporated into a detailed mooel to sho\\' the wing StrOClore in some way. Such items are useful when f(,,"Crcating banle damage, with some of thc surfa<."C skin pl:c1ed back as it was occ:rsionally wont to do under fire. Damaged airframes pro\·ide numerous ways for a display model to be that bit different. Rcvca.ling what went under the skin as a result of the aircraft being struck by shot and shell docs however dcm:md that the modeler indulge in replicating portions of the basic structure to sc:rle dimensions. This is a fascinating aspect of aircraft modeling and one thar should he far rcmovc:..'l! from the Hollywood iu<.':\ of a line of bullet holes stitching the skin as neatly a.~ a scwing machine. This and other approach<.';; to rel'ealing what is hidden under a !>OEd plastic eX1erior might be thought of as turning the clock bad: to thc days when modeling meant building the airplane's structure first. Not so. T()day the modern plastic kit is adaptable enough to provide [he ideal compromise for revealing part of the S1ruCture, but thc work involved can he timcconsuming. One way not to create battle damage is to make the mistake ofrrying to pare down plastic 10 a thin enough section - it'll take hours. Instead cut away the entire pancl(s) and substitute thin sections of I)lasticard suit;lbly 10m and holed. More card may he cut and shaped inlO part of the airframe longerons under the skin. When trapping this new Structur:al ctT<.'(:t hetw<.'Cn two wing sections, )ou can cheal a little by supporting it on the existing lower s<."Ction, which remains as it comes in the kit. The \'ertic:rl fins of fighrCTs often took flak or cannon shell hits tha[ peeled back the skin, and this effect may he created without difficulty. Either study the photos of a particular air<'Taft in order to reproduce c...actly a damage pattern with specific markings or

A

complete the model with typi<;al damage. For a diorama of wing damage, how about placing a pilot figure with his head and shoulder poking through the hole? i\'1any model dioramas go for a crash landing - one fighter displayed on a baseboard invariably with its prop blades bent back, and maybe, without win~ and other items. i\ pilot or ground crew figure may be in attendance at the 'Heck. But such lah/raux do nOl always completely coO\'im;e. The modeler should get a feci for not only where crash-landed aIrcraft break, but also how they break - simply hacking the pieces off will not look convincing. Bending back the prop bladl'S IS probably the simplest form of battle damage, but even this needs to be done correctly. One method is to he:u the blades gently o'·er a naked flame, just sufficient to make them pliable enough to bend. You may want at the same time to mist them off center. Kcep the reference to hand as you carry out the creati'·e vandalism and you should be pleased with the f{.'Sult. It goc'S without saying that you should test the method first, and then perhaps usc an old prop with

poorly-shaped blades for the display model rather than sacrifice a good one. If none of the foregoing attr.lets you, there i~ another way: the Japanese company Bandai suggested that after completing their 1/2-1 scale P-51D the mo(1clcr wishing to show off some of me imerior could lllke a hot knife to it. The instruction sheet duly showed a kit with iL<; canopyeU[ imo and the aircraft's center section partially exposed after a jagged edge chunk had been rcnlO\·ed. The view will often be lllken that detailing an engine and perhaps adding items sueh as groun~ transport, senicing st:lncls and figures, puts the model firmly imo the diorama C:l.tcgory. This will often be the "iew of show organizcr.i and judges., should tbe model be r(;quircd for entry in a competition. E.-..:tr:t worI.: will of cou~ be rl"quired to broaden out what may ha,-c lllartl-d OU[ as a single, rebti"ely simple alrlTaft projl'Ct, so pl:m in acl'"3nce what you want to achieve with any kit you tackle. Numerous scenes "ill suggcst themselvcs from the pages of suitable books and magazincs dl'3ling wim \\"3rOme fighrer operations.

LEFT The solid resin nose on AMtech's P-40F/L is cast in a hard. cream-<:alored rm.teri;il. The distinctive intake inside me chin of me caw! is beautifully rendered as a deep undercut in mis single part. Panel lines are crisply recessed, matching the high-quality surface texture on tht:': kit's plastic parts.

ADVANCED CONSTRUcnON

69

100 per cent accurate if Ihe final result is to be convincing. These areas come into what might be termed the "male or bn:ak" category. T.1king Ihl.: modcls through in numerical order of design~tion it is easy to identify where each could fall down if these b~sics arc overlooked. Although the world's manufacturers currenlly seem bent on rcproducing all thc main combat fighters in aLi their sub-types, plus prototypes, onc-()fTs and e\'cn "paper pb.ncs" in kit form. \yc can'l CO\'cr thcm all here. Of those aircran projects that wcre allOC:lled type numbers, rclati\'e!y fel\' actually entered full-scale production for USAAC/USAAF sen·ice. As noted in 'Elblc I on page +t, the rest exisled only as prOlOtypes or pre-servil.:e test examples.

SEVERSKY P-35

AFY::JVE TOP Some of the differences in shape and panel location can be seen in this comparison between the resin nose and its plastic counterpart. The resin casting plug, as indicated by the vertical line at the back of the part, must be sawn off to achieve the proper fit inside the kit fuselage. ABOIE The kit fuselage halves are marked and a razor saw is used [0 make the (W() shoTt cuu per side required for the conversion.When you are marking and cutting, always cut a little less off than you think will be required. It is easier to trim before fitting than filling and sanding a gap afterwards!

If a number of items are to be detached from the model for display purposes, the builder may well opt for a diorama type exhibit by placing the aircraft on a suitable base. A diorama. does nOt of course ha\'e [0 enend to Ihe ultimate realism of greasy mechanics, oil drums, bowsers, cnt;inc hoists and work stands but merely a neat group of dctached partS displayed, preferably [0 show off any markings. On the other hand, replicating a full size sen'icing scene is an anracri,'e proposition, so again Ihe final design of the display is to the modeler's choosing.

FAMOUS FIGHTERS If we look at .the salient design points of the \':lrious USA!\F fighters, we find obvious areas that should when duplicated on a model be

70 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MOOEUNG MASTERClASS

Although its was a lale--1930s. pre-war design, the P-35 was one of several obsolescent fighters that found what modesl fame it garnered under US (:olors during Ihe debacle in the Philippines. O\'ertakcn technically as wel1 as tactically by the rampaging Japanese, the P-35 tried valiantly to hold orr the likes of the Mitsubishi 1\6.\1 which sll'epl O\'CT Clark Field in the early hours of 8 December. Overwhelmed by the oppo~ilion, CS pilolS ne\'CTthclcs." g-JI'e il back in enough mcasure for the modem modeler to include the tJJ>C in a representative fighter collection. Color schemes for both :'\'\'IF ,and camounag(:o examples may be found for Ihe linlc Se\ersky, well exemplifying the US transition from peace to lI'~r after Pearl I Iarbor. As with the 1'-36, IIobbyeraft and Academy seem to have followed each other to release the 1)-35 in 1/48 scale, there being little to choose between them in terms of fine surface delail. I fccl thaI Ihe Academy has captured well the contours of the 1'-35, and reproduced lhe hump-backed appearance of lhe original \\ilh its modest dimcnsions. i\'lolded in lighl gray plastic Academy's kit is very delicate - to Ihe point of being adversely affected by any rubbing down of joint lines. Surbee scratches that would normall:y disappe-.lr on other kits persist on the 1'-35, so a heavy-handed approach will cause problems, particularly if an N.MF scheme is chosen.

CURTISS P-36 A rugged and mean performer, Ihe P-36 found arguably more fame in French and Finnish rather than Americ';In hands. But as one of the few USt\AC fighters Ihat managed 10 knock down some of the Japanese attackers on Oeeember 7, 1941 it has an indisputable place

in aviation's mythical hall of famc. A fine cxhibit in the USAF Museum at Day[on, Ohio now represents the actual aircraft of the IHth PG that claimed the first aerial victories. Having thus been widely seen this particular 1'-36 might be too familiar for many modelers - but there are alternatives. Even if your model theme is to be strictly post Day of Infamy, enough color schemes can be found. Several 1'-36 kits have appeared over the years with l'vlonograln leading the field with a neat l/7Z-scale rendering many moons ago. Hobbycraft and Academy have released a total of limr I/4S-scale Hawks, all of which are satisf)·ing to build. The aircraft lends itself to numerous well-documented US.A....>\C markings schemes, a selection of which are available on commerCial decal sheets, among them Aerol\laster. Tackling the Academy P-36A rcpresents few problems, provided that the instructions concerning the mounting of the engine are followed to the letter. Failure to do this can result in the cowling not fitting over the engine, which is actually desib'l1ed to be positioned too far back. The mounting boss needs to be lengthened to ensure this error 1S remedied. These minor drawbacks apart, this kit, which lacks some cockpit detail, will be snapped up by those who wish to add it. Alternatively it IS attractive enough to be built straight out of the box. In 1//2 the 1'-36 has fared quite well, also being produced in this scale by Frog and Hasegawa, among others. Not having examined any of the smaller scale kits I can't really pass on any comments as to their accuracy. I'm sure then that Bert Kinsey, author of the excellent "Detail in Scale" series of books, won't mind if I borrow a few observations from hiS review section in the first volume of a two~partcr covering the 1'-40 variants. Reb'arding the snialler scak-s it would appear that Bert and his renew team plump for the .Monogram kit as the yardstick agaillst which all others are measured.

P·38 LIGHTNING In common with most US fighter kits, contemporary models of the 1'-38 are quite comprehensive, the aircraft generally being "~calC(1 down well. Assuming that the more experienced modeler has decided to work with one of the latest 1148-scale offerings from Hasegawa or Academy, there won't be much to complain about. As with any kit, detail can be added to the cockpit area: the Lightning's canopy featured roll down windows on each side and a roof

section, which was hinged to flip up and back. Faced with a one-piece model canopy the traditional method of enhancing a P-3H as a display model was to tackle the delicate job of separating each section and displaying them all III the open position. Today the modeler can often lay aside the razor saw as the canopy parts are often already separated. In addition, the better kits will enable the nose gun magazines to be fully or partially exposed under separate doors, and some engine detail will be visible Via separate panels. The list of accessories from Verlinden, Kendalll'vlode1 Co or .I\tissing Link .l\tode1s, to name but a few, can usually supply super-detail extras for more than one variant of the 1'-38. The scale of the original aircraft has a bearing on what is available for model kits and as a rule of thumb 1/48 scale offers slightly greater scope. l\10re aware than ever before of the conversion possibilities wilh one basic airframe, the mainstream manufaclurers often revise lheir kits to afTer more variants, particularly if they are similar in most other respects. The shape of

ABOVE TOP Constant test fitting is an essential procedure to achieving a perfect fit. In this picture, we can see that there are only a few minimai gaps before trimming and sanding. ABOVE This view provides a more complete picture. Note the slight step between the top·rear of the resin nose and the fuselage, and the ridge at the bottom of the nose.There are two ways to deal with these minor problems. We can glue the parts as they are and sand the parts until they match; or we can adjust the parts to fit when they are glued. Excessive filling and sanding can lead to ioss of surface details. so we will be making a few more adjustments before assembly.The cockpit parts have also been test-fitted to ensure that they do not interfere with the resin nose.

ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION

71

,

Ihe cn!,olne cowlings instantly disdnguishes a P-38F/H from a P-38J/L but there are more subtle differences lhat the kit tool makers may not nea:ssarily ha\"e picked up" Giwn all these integral wmponcnl parts, the adranccd (;ol1version possibilities arc relati"ely few with thc P-38 as the two distinctly diffcrent types of cowling for the Allison engincs havc Occn killed a numhcr of times., as has thc radarcquipped, night fighter twin SI.-ater, thc P-38;\'1. As the "last of thc LighLninf,rs" just missed aerial comoo.t, the interest factor for somc modelers will underst:mdably be borderlinc - but the aircraft doc'S 1001.": impressi,·c and makes an interesting comparison with the P-61 - in an equally battered fini..m. Available photos show that rhe finish of the p-38rvl suffered almost as much weathering as iL~ earlier counterparl aner a few weeks in the Pacific. The books lell us thai the [WQ---SC:l\ l'vlkft the US in a glossier shade of black hUI it seemed not to ha\"c lasted too ,veiL The ra(br-equippcd P-38JVl's all-black color scheme lends itself to further comparison with an early model P-38FII-I similarly finished in a man night fighter scheme. Pb.eed alongside the camouflaged day fighters, this would be a nice contrast. The early Lighming variantS saw some limi[ed Pacific combat as a stop g:Jp pending the delivery of sufficient P-6I~ .\lonogram were once ag:Jin the firSI manufacturer l'O sec the altrnction of a "nighl Lighming" and offered it as an alternali"e "crsion 10 their P-38L as long ago as 1966. Beautifully riveted and paneled, the detail is all raised, but 1his call to turncd 10 advantage. The kit includes some crystal clear transparencies to go o\"er the raised second seat of thc P-38.ivI. I recently found details of one of four aircraft that rcached Japan after the end of the war and saw sen·icc with lhe 4lSlh and 421s1 Night Fightcr Squadrons, a good modeling topic. As onc might expccr, the elimate wrought hawlC on the paintwork of these machines. You might reproduce this finish with a coat of blad o\er the sih'cr plastic, lightly sanded 10 bring out those raised rivets and panels. In common with other aircraft with a nosewheel configuration, the Ligh1ning looks to my mind very impressive with the nosewheel turned a few degrees off center. This is a personal thing, but one that many modelers will surely understand. -"at (hal model firms readily indulge me in this: [hey hardly evcr separate the olco legs or mold [he forks at an angle to make the display of a £urned n05ewheci casy. This is invariably on thc grounds that the model's noscwhcd fork section would be evt:n weaker lh:m it already is_ An}' weight put on the

72 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING /'MSTERCLASS

Icg to balance the model would probabl~ be singularly unsuccessful. As with any tricycle undercarriage aircraft. the problem of \\eighting lhe nose of a P-38 can be acute, as no modeler worth his $:lit would drcam of resorting to a lransparent tail prop to kecp all three wheels all thc ground. Adding nosc weight to a model with an angled llosewhecl might be a disaster, so the best sulutjon may be to cirtum\'ent this and :lUach the model to a baseboard. All in all, P-38s sueh as thaI from Academy. Hasegawa and HobbY<"Taft in 1148 may safely be a5S<..'Illbled and finished quitc quicl;:]y, although thc S(.'COnd of the manufaet:urcrs listed hare apparently built in quite a conSlruction challenge to their P-3S). Judging from some re\,k'ws, aligning the tail booms is particularly tricky which might result in a switch 10 the Academy kiL~, which arc simpler in this respect. The choice though is not easy as the detail of the Hasegawa Lightning is said to be excellent. One curious item [ found on thc Acadcmy kit is two mysterious bulges on the insidc faees of lhe enginc cO\dings. I'\"e checked thoroughly without finding similar prolubcrances on the full-size aircraft and can only assume th:l\ the loolmakers mi.<>interpret<..x\ the brightly polishl,.x\ oval SI.'Cn on the skin of almOS[ all Lighlnings at lhal point. These highly polished O\-als actcJ as mirrors for rhe pilot to check thaI the noscwhl'Cl was "down and locked" and were of course flat. Anothcr area. that n<..'Cds attcnding to on ,he 1'-38 is the guns. ,Vlost model manufactul'ers repl:aredly mold til esc with thc slotted band jackets visiblc, irresJll:etive of the version. In faCI the gUllS of latl:t production Lightnings were 5(:[ into blasllubcs, as pel' thc P---J.7. That said, 'it is a pity to change these as blasl lUbes are quite plain and can tend to indicate lhat the modeler has not bolhered to fit more detailed guns to his kit. Faced with such a "'can't win" silUation, individual modelers might opt for a lillie artistic license and fit thc!.:it guns, \\hieh usually have nposed barrel jackets. Lilerally rhc biggesl ehallcnge to detailing a P-38 lies with the I132-5<..lIe kit from Revell. It definitdy nl'Cds to ha\'e all the raised ri\"ct de1ail rcmOI'cd and the main pancllines and the tlying surfaces n:-seribcd. After :l few applications of wct and dr~; the rather thin pbstic trailing edges (no complaint mere!) of the wings and lailpbne lose:t liuk oftheir crispness and some delail m:ty need to be redefined around lhe trim tabs On this Ici[ the cotire nose pod - WllL';ually for a P-38 kit - is a scparale assembly, making any additional features or the application of nose an, names and scoreboards, that much simpler. ;':0

,

internal pans arc supplied for Ihc ammunition magazines or thc gun breeches :md in this size there is an almost ilTC'iistible urge to super~etail mis area. After that mere's only the cockpit interior to t:lcklc, the kit providing a basic floor and sidewall components to start you off. The advantage of being able to work on the nose before the huge wings are allachcd becomes ohvious with the kit to hand.

n9 AIRACOBRA

•

In a field full of tail draggers, thc Airacobra stands alone among first-line US singlc-<:Ilgine fighters b~ haxing a tricycle landing gear. This again creates the potential problem of persuading it to stand corrccrly on ils noscwhccl. Weighting thc l.:xtrerne forw".l.rd fuselage can result in similar problems you rna) expcrience with the 1'-38 SO again, the solution could be locating the finished model on a baseboard and lightly anchoring ca<;h wheel with a pin, adhesive or sticky lape. Three-pointing Ihe tricycle landing gear of the Airacohra applies equally 10 the other two "twins" - the 1'-6\ and 1)-70, should your representative collection of L:$A.AF types e.xtend 10 multi-cngine aircraft and night fighters. In 1969 a 1/-lS-scale 1'-39 was releaSt:d by M.onogram 10 take and hold the "best kif" slot for thi... particular tJPC for many years. Providing build options for a P-400and three 1>-395 (a 0-1, D-2 and 1.,-1, thc b!>1: in RlL'iSian markings) thc Airacobra remains an excellent subjcct to \\Urk with today. Having only recently been joined by two other P-39s in this scale, a resin conversion kit from l'vlissing Link Models and an injection molded example from Eduard (sec Chapter 4), me radical &11 fighter has not e.xacrly swamped me display tables in t"OlTlpctition. This may also be that me P-39 is pcm:i\-cd as me least effe<..-nye L"S single-seater, plus the faa that ilS markings ha,-e been rather poorly documented, with a few notable exceptions. The 1\'lonogram kit provides useful internal detail in the nose area, the forward bay of which was dominated by the barrel and breech of a 37mm or 20mm cannon. The kit inlcrior makes an extra case for mOllnting the P-39 on a haseboard rather than adding hallast, as 10 make room for the amount needed to keep the nosewheel on the grollnd, some of the gun uctail would hare 10 be dropp<:d. This i!> a pit)' because the internals of the 1'-39 may be finished 10 look quite rom"inring e\'en with no funher detail added. A bulky weight stuffed into the nose of any model risks sacrificing some internal parts and might reduce the opponunity [0 show the

panels opened up, more so with the 1'-39 due its configuration. "nere is very little spacc forward and although it is possible to place a weight forward of the nose wheel without S3crifi<.--ing the interior, )'ou'll be hard put to find material with enough density to balance Ihe model. A drawhack with all carly Monogram kits, the 1'-39 being no exception, is the raised panel lines, All these should be 5.1nded ofT, not only on the grounds of alllhenticity blll the practit-al one of getting decals 1O lay down o\-er raist-d iosl'(:(:tion panels, lines and ri\-ets. Again the "light sand" can be employed so that some r.lised detail can show through the paint.

10

SMALLER AIRACOBRA Revell repr~nted the P-39 fairly well in 1/72 scale many years in advance of its ri'-al'i. Old now and with its part~ co\'er(.'(\ in ri\Tts, the kit suffered from a too shallow outline shape, but was deemed a little bener Ihan the more angular profile of the Airfix and Hellcr kits releaseu some time later. The laner kits do however have a number of parts mat may be used 10 enhance one of the three offerings if a representative AiracobrJ is required in this scale. Areas to take note of include the undercarriage, armamcnt and any engine access panels. As with many yimage kits the cockpit transparency in any of these 1'-395 may look decidedly forlorn. It is a fact that some transparencies in this scale were not very clear even when they were first kined and suhsequent pressings have done nothing to improve the molds. This fact:Or, along- with oyerly heavy framing, makes them prime candidates for replacement. But using [hree kiLS and a decent canopy an acceptable P-39 can result. Many of us who ha,·e these older kits on our sheh'es sometimes find that a newer release is not necessarily that much of an improvemcnt to justify a purchase, leading us 10 drag out that dus[)' box again, along with allihe spares. This is certainly lruc for the P-39. As there ha\·c bcc.n relatively few of them in any scale, thc "old hut good" adage may well hold true.

BELL P-63 The Kingcobra was a fascinating de\elopmcnt of the P-39 and ofiers an attraeti\'e comparison 10 it." older stable matc. Although sharll1g a sinlilar configuration, the two aircr.lft were quite diffcrent in detail - fC\'iscd nosewhcel ol~ four-bladed propcUer, new tail surfaces and dorsal re:tr fuselage in the case of the P-63C and pylon-mounted guns rather than integral \,-ing mountings on aU \"ersions.

ADVANCED CONSTRUGION

73

ABOVE The P-40F's cockpit sub-assemblies have now been sprayed with a thorough coat of flat black.

For years the only representation of the "King" in plastic kit form was a lin-scale kit by the Japanese firm Aoshima_ Shonly before this book went to press howeyer ~U)M and Toko added the P-63 to their lin-scale injection-molded ranges. The \'aeuformed kits from Wings of (he US are reportedly yery good, though this type of kit demands more from the modeler in all stages of construction than is necessary with injection molded parts, J\lPM has also extended its short-run range to a 1'-63 in 1/48 scale. Fit of parts leaves something to be desired and as is usual with limited run kits [here is much cleaning up to be

RIGHT The above stage is followed by a coat of Dull Dark

Green. sprayed

at

an angle to

permit some of the black to

remain visible as "shadows."

74 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERClASS

undertaken before construction t;ommenccs. Afterwards you can 1001: forward to wielding the filler to close the gaps.

CURTISS P-40 This type is dealt with specifically in the images that accompany this chapter, but it is worth detailing some more gereneri<: points too on the aircraft, and the modeling produ<:ts availahle. Adding detail to a P-W model wilJ usually beb>1n with the air intake and the cooling naps at the IO\\'er rC,ll" end of the engine bay. These ha\'e been molded fully dosed, fully open and

, LEFT The instrument panel in Cutting Edge's resin cockpit set is made up of a base panel, printed acetl.te instruments and die from panel. The rear of the acetate instruments is painted white to permit subtle dial detail 10 show at the front.

, partially open, separately or inlcgr"l, depending on the kit in qUL'Stion. Moving lYJ<.:k from this an::J, the belly rack for a bomb or drop tanks may have !O be added or at Ie-Jst impro\'cd b}' l:s.<;cntial dClail. Fortunately perhaps from 3. modding \ iewpoint, L:SA.AF War hawks lcm.kxl to ha,-e a nC::ltcr SCI of four sway brdCCS to hold bombs in place than did J...:jttyhawks of the RAl-; with their e.\"tr.l.ordina~· ca['s cradle of angle iron hanging bctwl'C,:n the oleos.

The wnl'Cls of the real P-40 were almost disproportionalcly large and in common with Olher 3in:raft, they werc usually fined with If(~dcd rires. You would nOI have lhought Ihis 10 be Ihc case as far as kil manufaLwrcrs were concerned as for years they pcrsisll,-d in supplying only smooth tires in their 1'-40 kits. If the subject you arc working on had those lovely diamond-patterned tires (and the kit oncs don't)

an effort should hc made to cut the Ire,ld in. A beller altcrnatl\'c these Jays IS to scarch Ihe custom parts lists of thc spc:nalist suppliers who may well offer a set of tirGS wilh the (.'Orret:1 tn'ads in resin or 01 her material. This is marginally l':lSier in the smaller Sl-alcs ;I.e; 1/32 scale al"l"l'SSOrics remain in somewhat limitcd suppl~. Don't cut kit lires unless you ha\·c lo, bm on the other hand, don't l'Omplclc a P-+Q with complelCly "bald" lires, as it just won', look right. Of :lI1l Ihe Warhawk kits produced it is ralher strange that the majority of them ha\'c been of the P-WE. NOlwilhstanding the manufacturers' obsession with Ihe marketing 0ppoTlunities of the sharkmouthed Flying Tigers, this appears a slrange imbalan(.'C, as lhe oribrinal AVG flew, of course, the P-40B. It appeared at one timc Ihat no kit supplier worth

•

•

LEFT Details in the P-40F's cockpil are picked out with a fine brush in various colors.

ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION

7S

modeler now has the opportunity to build 'rirtually the emire front-line P-40 range,

RIGHT Careful painting of str".lf>S and buckles CMI result in a very convincing seat. A well-painted pilot's seat looks great through an open canopy,

REVEll'S P-40 IN 1/32 As it comes rhe original Rewll kit lends itself

numerous P-40Es in sen'icc with lhe Sth Air Force as well as the laller day Fl~'ing: Tigers during their tnmsirional period 10 lx."COme pan of the 23d Fighrer Group of the 14th Air Force, This parricular unit also used the short fuselage P--40K, so adding a fin fillet to the kit expands the markinl,"S horizon a bit further, Decals for \Varhawks in lhis scale arc not very numerous so a resorl to masking and spraying will be the only option for some camouflage schemes. In any evem decals in lhis size C;ID be rather obvious, so a "direct on" painting approach should bring aboul a more satisfying resuh, As it comes out ohhe box, Ihe Rc,'c1II)-+o1:: box is one of the best of the singlc-sl-aters feamrcd in the original 1/32 scale fighter series. One reason is thai unsighlly pins either 10 altach the transparent p;arts 10 lhe fuselage or to hold opening SCClions in place do oot maT the canopy, I wanted to hand paint some personal arl\\'Ork and employ stencils rather than d<.-"C:lls for the national insignia, so this was an id<.--al kit to srart Wilh, The surface detailing is reslrained enough 10 bear only lightly rubbing down after a coat of pamr, Re,'c1l having captured the unique "planking" effect of the Warhawk's fuselage construuiun well. The engine and some of lhe cockpit detail is convincing enough and although some viciolls ll\\sh was present on some of the sprues, my o"erall impressiun was of a kit worth taking time over. As work procceds, you find youTSClf adding delail rather than having to resorl t'O the sort of remedial work thai can be a real chore, Mind you, such is necessary. "Adding" includes the stays which held lhe P-40's ,'entral en~oine gills open (they arc molded in this position on the lit), refining lhe drop tank SUppo.-lS and adding the flexible fucl lines, generally improving the tank by S:J.ndwiching the two hah'CS provided with a thin Plasticard scam down the middle, and in my case, cutting out one of Ihe \\IDg bays rhat held the machine gun ammunition. This ncccs.<;itJted adding the splil doors and their rClaining rods, plus some of the ammo. 11/ situ in their bays the familiar belts of 0.50in. l11rtridges were p\\rtially hidden by covers similar to those thar werc supplied with I-Iascg'Jwa's 1'61" Helleat kiT and I inserted some of lhese on thc Wal'h:lwk after making up rhe walls of the bay as an elongaTed Plasticanl box,

[Q

his sail could bear 10 rckasc a Warhawk Ihal did nor fc:l.ture a sharkmourhed aircraft on the 00): top, forgelting thar most of the buyers had been thcre before. There are now scvcral IJ-JOB and P-W~ l.:iL" but the version that runs a c10sc second to the E model in US service, the F, was for )1:'3.rS all bUl ignorcd as an injection molded kit subjecl. This ,'crsion, shown in the photogr:lphs in lhc this chapter, powcred by a Rolls-Roycc Merlin, lacked the characteristic intake on top of rhe nose and had different engine cowling contours to the Allison-engine machincs, Other variations of the Warhawk, the K and L, wcre similarly ignored as kits until recently, [hal gap being plugged by releases in both 1/48 and 1/72 M:alcs. Acro.1vlaster's com eTsion kit for the P-40F comes as a small 00): containing a new nose, flaps and rudder and fln fillet sections, Designed for mating with the truncated fuselage of the \..lau,'e P-40~ the com'ersion work~ a treat and opens up a far wider range of markings possibilities than hitherto. The one drawback for the laz~ modeler used more to completing American fighters in 00 and I'eutul Gray is thai the ''
76 WORlD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

,

, .,

,

.,

•

, l

l

if you do undertake Ihis "one wing only" l."UlOut, don't forgel to choose the right wing :as you don't necessarily want 10 CUI a decal or compliCltc stenciling of the muiana! insigrua. .\1 r O\m choice was dictated morc for spc:.'Cd than :mything else, and I opened up the gun bar on onc wing only. Talking of guns., those on the P-40E and later vcrsiol1.'i were :lema11)' inserted into the wing from below \'Ia lhal huge panel th,lt hinges down at the fron!. Anyone who has assembled a P--40 will have noticed these panels (one per wing) became the)' had a couple of curiolls shaped "swellings" al the rCaT, as though someone had miscalcu1a1Ccl the true depth of the gun breeches .md had ('0 beal out the panel until they fiUed~ These f:tirings arc un almost all P-40Es - except (of course) the brgc scale Revell one. The panels themseln:s arc marked out but they arc slighily 100 angled. If they arc to cut out they'll bolh need reshaping and made squarer. Those bulged fairings: probably all me modeler can do to recrify this annoying shortcoming - shoTt of remolding them completely - is to build them up \\;!h filler or adapt a couple of small bomb halyes or other suitable item from the spares box :Jnd fair lhem in, taking due care to leep one eye on the references while so doing. lney ::aren't unforrun:Jtel~~ \-ery regular shapes so a p::artieularly elose eye will ha\'e to be lept on Ihe reference photos, which arc plemiful enough. The Revell Warhawk's cockpit detail is a fertile ground for impro\'cment, the instTument panel being a little random when it comes lO lhe number of instruments engraved nnlO i1. The panel indudes substantial supporTing "legs" on each side which do not seem to appear on the full-size aircraft and it thcrefore needs some reshaping and refinement in the form of drilling out (."ach dial and adding :1 c1earPlasticard backing. The pilot's scat in the P-40F. had a roundt-d top as opposed 10 the almosl square sct:tion of the kit scar. A.<; this is tOO lall as it (.'Omcs, il i<; a simple maner 10 reduce and reshape it prior to attaching it OntO the H-shaped support prO\·ided. The P-40 seat also had prominent horizontal ribbing \\hereas the RC\'ell's arc ycnical. The full size P---IOE did nOi ha\'e a cockpit floor as such, the pilot's seat being bolted 10 the wing upper surface spar where it passed through the fuselage. Revell do provide a floor and I h,l\'e no argument with that as it makes the cockpit sub-assembly stronger and thaI much easier to finish prior to attaching lhe fuselage halves. The US company ScraTchbuilders released a kit of resin parts to com'en the Re\'el1 1/32

P---IOE inlo an early P.....wB or C Taking this idea a few steps further is another American based company, Cr.lfl\\orks of Washington, which has pressed ;l complete and wcll-rcscan:hed multimedia resin based kit of the P-wc' Sufficient parts are provided to build lhe emire Totn:lha\\ k airframe out of resin, the kit meluding whil'e mctal componentS, a brass etched fret for some of the cockpit and landing bocar detail and very welcome dry decals.

SMALLER SCALE, SAME ISSUES The outline accuracy of Curtiss Warhawks in 1172 Sc:lle has been variable at tx."St. Almost everyune has had a stab al Ihe type, mainly in terms of the Allison-engine P-40E - Air/ix, Frog, Hasegawa, Ileller, :'vtatchbo.\, Monogram and Rcvcll to name a few. All rhesc manufat1:urers havc released examples over the dl."t-adcs, bur the kits vary and some generally fall short on SI..'\"eral counts. Frog alone gambled that a P---IOB model mighr be popular in this scale. It was a fine lin1c kit if a bit basic, being released at a time when this British company won many friends with a range of delicately crafted World War 2 fighters IlOt duplicatcd clsewhere for years. That the Frog P---IOB remained the only kit uf this \'ersion 3\-ailable in any scale for dl.'C3dcs is strange considering the international fame of the American Volunteer Group, which flew this early model for mOSI of its existence. The modd manufacrurers got around that by labeling all their P-40Es as "Plying: Tigers" with inevitable sharkmouth decoration, which is certainly not inappropriate for a bter .-\VG aircraft and many others operated by the CUll Pacific-based groups. Offcring a light and restrained raised line surface, the kit is quite straightforward to assl.:mble with an eye needing 10 be kept on the fil of parts. Wing root gaps are difficult 10 disguise withoul thc usc of filler as the modd could soon taL:e on an Q\'er-generous degree of dihedral. Thai said, the kit has the potcmial for being turned into a firsl--cla...... replica 2hhough arc not Ihe strong point and Ihe P-40B suITers from o\'cr-thick framing. 'Ine kit's docal options oITers no surprises insofar as the suggested color schemes arc for 1\VG and RAF aircraft. This kil does howC\-er lend itself to a \\ide \"ariel)' of early USAAC/L"SAAF color schemes as mOSI of the "traditional" fighter groups, those thaI woold form the nucleus of a modernized air force to fight in World War 2, f1cw the type. In facl lhe P-40 is an ideal subject if one wishes 10 show in maud form the progression of US fighter markings from the unpainted aircraft of the

ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION

77

RIGHT We get one last good look
carly-l9-Ws to a similar hare meral scheme as sported b~ some P-40:'\s in the Pacific in 19+1. IIasegawa, a company [hal generally produces excell(.'1u kits, no.'1 came up with a P--IO!\. This conlained the requisite number of delicate, well detailed components 10 the company's typical high quality, SO far removed from previous Allison--cnginc P-4Ds, most of which varied in fuselage length, canopy size, wheel dimensions and so forth. Howc,"er [his particular kit, like some others In the 1/72 scale Hasq,'awa range, seems 10 be a shade undersized, particularly in fuselage depth, leading to the conclusion that the draughtsrncn had miscalculated the dimensions on this occasion. Of course it could be that manufacturers other than Hasegawa ha,·e OVl'rscaled the aircrafl slightly but the quesllon of why this should be is hard 10 answer. It aU goes back, I suppose, to which sct of dimensions the mold makers use. Check P-4D dimensions in several references and they always var); indicating that kit manufacturers may just have a problem or two in this respect. Older P-40 kits regularly rt.':lppear at model events, offered either in original boxed form (at quite high asking prices) or in bags witlloul inSITut.-tion sheets and consc.."qucntlr somewhal cheaper. J\lorc recently Russian and Eastern EUTOpean manufaeturen; ha'"c re"italized the molds and thc kit.. are once again being imported

78 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING f.;\ASTERCLASS

into Ihe UK. Newcr P-40B kit.. in 1/72 scalc ha,"c recently become available too. As this book was being completed Rc\·cll broughl out a short fuselage P-40K, a ,·ariant that had generally been o'·erlooked by Ihe industry. Another welcome addition to this scale, rhe kit has fine engra,·cd surface detail, bur as indicated previollsly, the mainll'hecls necd replacing with somcthing morc In keeping with those of the original aircraft.

QUARTER-SCALE SUPERIORITY Acadcmy's P-JOC, rdtastd in 1000, sel new slandards for the earlicst of the first combatwartlly Warhawks, its rcstrained panel detail engraved inlO the plastic as it should be contrasting wiLh lhe raiSt.-d line appTOach long adoptcd by Monogram. Molded in light gray plastic the Academ~ kit goc... together vcry well and is one of many contemporary kits that fall tasily into the "OUI of rhc box" building eatcgory. One curious but in my case welcome inclusion is a solid 0/1" loop fairing. :'\0 mention of this item is made on lhe instruction sheet and although manufaClurers h3\'e been known 10 add additional parts and indeed whole extra sprues to bts tIlar are to be part of a series, one OfF loop is a mystery. It may be that Academy arc to re-tool tile p-JOC into a P-WK, a sub type that in some instances had this addition

on the fuselage aft of the cockpit. I'm not compbining as the part (;arne in "cry useful fOT just such a model, a P-WK of the 23d Fighter

;

Group.

I

One other area that needs commenting on is Academy's slight "dumbing down'" of the 1)-4{)C's internal detail- As it retained cowling guns the aircraft had the bn.:cchcs flanking the instrument panet These should be at least three separate parts. The gun rearming and inspection panels arc among the few hinged items that may be incorporated onto a P--40C without turning the model into a diorama.

MORE P-40S REVIEWED

,

•

,

In recent years I\'c gone a little OTT for the \\larhawk and buill the Frog P--lOB, the HaSCb"3wa P-40:'\, two 1/48-scalc AJ'vlT-ERTL kits, the J\'lonogram Sn::tp-Titc offering to an uncenain scale, converted the Tl)-40::"J" from .'vlonogr.J.ffi kits, dry run the Mau\'c P-40N and donc cnough work on the R(.·...c111132 P-WE lO notc thc great possibilities this kit offcrs for super dctailing. Within the abO\·e building program one of thcAMT kits was finished asa P-40F using the Acro.I\'lasler conversion parts, and a P----tOK, onc of se...eral options providcd for in the A...\ IT/ERTL Warhawk \\hich is basically an "En model bur is sold with the P--+OK's dor~1 fin as an optional tail seclion. Forgivc thc many acronyms, bur banging on about Warhawks and Kittyhawl.:s would only confuse thc issue, although I do appreciatc that British rcaders might morc readily idcnli!~' the differcnt P-40s llsing RAP nomenclalurc. For a 1/48-scale P-40K, the A!vIT kit is a good starting point although the I;eneral fit of parts lcavcs something [0 be desired. Rccc..'iscd panel lines make for an excellent restrained surface finish and overall the assembled kit looks '·cry comincing pro';ding that areas such as thc wing dihedral can be achie"cd correctly. Thc kit also has a few anomalies such as fuselage location points for the cockpit sidcwalls that do nOI haxe the corresponding pins. You locate the sidewall sections into the cockpit floor, which makes for rather weak assembly until the completed cockpit box is locatcd into the fuselage halves. Eycn then, the panels are a little "ofT the walls." Scparate side panels containing the exhausts are provided 10 show an engine (no parts for which are provided) but the exhausts thcmsch'cs do not duplicate the fishtail design of the original. Incorrect exhaust pipe shape is a common fault with numerous P-40 kits, unfortunately.

The AMT P.-\OK also ineludes a scat back panel that is incorrectly kinked to angle forwards. This is doubly odd as the corresponding itt.'ffi in the same company's P-40L/N kit is a corrcctly angled back, a straight piece of plastic cont:lining the headr(:S\ being provided in that instance. Persuading the :\cro~'laster P--4QF nose to mate \\ith a trunClled ,'--\IT fuselage has its difficullies. AeroMastcr actually recommend using the Mauye P-40:\" bur as these kits arc a bit hard to come by and I'd already set aside the single example 1 had, there was no choice but to seek an alternative if I wanted a P-4QF in 1/48. Carefully cut at the points suggcslcd in the AeroMaSlcr instna;tion sheet, the AMT kit will accepl the ncw nose without 100 much

ABOVE TOP The next step for our P-40F: cementing. Some plastic cements have a needle applicator that makes precise placement a simple maner. Adhesive was run around each h,lIf of the P-40Fs fuselage. ABOVE The pam were then uped and clamped.The fuselage was set aside until the glue had thomughly seL

ADVANCED CQNSTRUOION

79

RIGHT The bottom of the P-40F's resin replacement nose protrudes into the center of the wing. The area to be removed has been marked out. and a scriber is being used to accentuate the CUt line.

RIGHT A razor saw was once again used to remove this section.

OPPOSITE TOP The minor steps and ledges on the resin nose are dealt with by gluing small pieces of plastic card to strategic positions.These pieces of card rorce the plastic of the fuselage to line up with the conwurs or the resin nose. Several coofigurations were tested before the best result was found. OPPOSITE MIDDLE Final fitting of the adjusted nose proved to be free of gaps. Steps and ridges.

OPPOSITE BOTIOM The plastic and resin was blended by sanding.

difficulty - that tends to come with the rest of the kit! Although the component parts arc well molded, numerous gaps will appear, particularly ai' the wing roots. .'\s with some other kits in which the fuselage is sel or "sprung" inlO Ihe completed wing I he dihedral angle can become c.\:cessive in an effort to dose the gaps and Ihe only remedy is to resort to Plasticard shims and filler. The complctcd kit is onc of those I hal may rake a linle gening used lQ: the !\'Ierlin engine did not euctly naucr the P--40's hitherto elegant nose profilc and in this case a weighted nose due to dcnsity of the resin composition makes you momcntarily wonder where the nosewheel went! Ha"ing said that, the P-40 and L were widely used by US comb.at groups and the ht open<; up many markings possibililies that had previously to be neglected.

80 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLAS$

SNAP-TITE WARHAWK On the subjcct of P--40Fs, 1 rcmembered a rc!ey:mt oddity in my "yet to build" kit farm, namely a "Snap-Tite" IVlcrlin--engine Warhawk, (.;rt'3 197.J.. You may recall this .Monogram subseries., aimed firmly at the junior end of the market and maybe bcc:luse of that, not adhering to standard S<.'3les. These kits st'Cm laIb'Cly to have bt'Cn ignort'ti by the serious modeler, which is a little short sightt'ti 10 my mind as caeh one should 1't::3.II)' st:md alone and not be judged in dirt'Ct comparison with another. Tne WarhawL; is Iargc.-r than 1/72 and probably worb out at 1I.bout liM - but the point is that it was the fil1it P--40F 10 appc:Lr. It builds up well and if any comparison nc.'Cds 10 be made., ~'lonogram 11.00 relcasc..'<1 a P-5ID as a Snap-Tite in the same scale. Also., Aurora ona: came up with an F.J.F Wilda! in much the same scale.

With the rider that the over-large anchorage p
P-47 THUNDERBOLT Soon after it first cntcred sen·ice with the Sth Air Force, Republic's mighl} P-47 was being weighed down with all manner of "thingJ; under \\'inb"S." Drop tanks were followed by bombs, rocket tubes and I IVARs, extras which m
ADVANCED CONSTRUOlON

81

RIGHT The remaining fuselage seams on our P-4QF were tidied up with a sanding stick. Lacer. they were smoothed with fine g~de abrasive paper.

REPUBLIC P-47 IN 1/32 The razorback P-----l-7 is also lhe subj(,.·t:t of a Re"ell 1/32-scale I:il, \\ hich n.."t.)uircs suitable modification. :\1ore worl: is n(,.>(.'(]ed to turn the razorback into somel hing acceptable as some fundamcnlal airframe eHors ha\"e crept into the moldings and these need to be attended to before other Ilork is tackled. :\"ot all these Rc\"cll kits extended to underwing stores - or even the racks - bUI the p-·n 1 used included a pair of racks Wilh Uritish-sty1c bombs (some kits were marketed with RAF m:lrkings for an aircraft serving in Burma) and a suspicious looking eenterlinc drop t:mk. During the time period whc.'ll these kits wcrc oriboinally a\-ailable, I illl·cstc.'(] in a set of 1/32-s(;alc \-acuform drop t:lnks m:lrkctc.'(] by Horizon Com"crsions. fly offering standard tanks for the P--47/P-Jl, the "'n:lt" tank oftCfl secn on Thunderbolts, plus lhe \"Cr~ lal"b'C ferry tanks for the P-38, this sel is p:lrIieularly useful. Armed with the IIonzon drop tanks and any Olher ill.'lllS more recently made available for aircraft models in this scale, oldc.... kits may consequently be lini<;hed to look as they should. J .:lucri), some of the standard-pattern AAF lighler drop tanks have been replicated in 1132-s<.;ale injection-molded kits, nOlably by the J-1ascg'Jwa P-51D, which is adaplable tu the 1'-47, but the 1'-38's underwing loads SC(,.'lllS to have been rat her ol"Crlooked in this rcspl;Ct. Unforlutlntcly the P--47 bubblctop version is hc~ond redcmption as it comes out of the box

82 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

because the high point of the sliding wel.:pit bood is nol reall) present, this part seemingly being molded 100 short. The consequent "cur off" look is n:ry noticeable and an alrernati\·c canopy will h:lve 10 be found. But one can h:lrdly lea"e out lhe 1) 7 in a (."()l1ccrion of 1/32 scale American ligtu(. s and by carrying out correctivc work, the Rercl1 kit can be made to look vcry impressive indc.'Cd.

P-51 The modern day kit sccne shows that thc manufaClurers are;!l long last aware that North AmeriC"Jn's finCSI came in sevcr.tl distinctly different guises. A look oock at the releases of past decadcs pro\cs that ,Monogram apprccialoo that there was a P-51 B as well as rhe bubblelop D and duly released kits in 1/-t8 and 1/72 scales in 1967. The company only added a P-JID in the larger scale len years later but in rhe meantime, ilS happy customers sat back and waited for lhe rest of the world t'O catch up. II did but slowl), in more ways [han one. Ir was 1995 before Tamiy:! added a P-51 D to its excellent 1/48--scale range. The kit, which had a str.righlforw:lrJ Mustang dcsi~ approoch, included leardrop external fucl tanks and separate naps, plus nicely derailed wheel wclls that were prcs$(,."(1 as separate parts. Two cockpit canopies, anI; to represcnt an aircraft built al Inglc\\"ood and 0111;:tt Dallas, were also provided. A neat \Ouch on lhe four-aircraft subject decal sheet was the inclusion of an "aluminum" effecl

surround 10 the national insignia. This t:nabled the subject model, unimaginati\'ely that well known P-510 (.·(Kkd E2-5 of the 361st Fighter Group, to be complel'ccI with the masked off outline around the "slars and bars" nQt being compromised by awkward masking or a shaky handheld brush. This :lnd other P-510s of the 361s[ famously - or notoriously - wore lactical upper surface camouflage, which for years many pt:oplc rhought to h:lse been insignia blue or c\-en red. Only when one of a number of color photos laken of this aircraft and three othcrs III a four ship formation was finally subjectcd to c,treful reproduction did we realize lhat the upper surface color h;tc! been olive drab all along. While 'Iamiya thus demonstrated an admirable in-depth approach to decal research, it was nO( really nceded for thc fuselage of this particular machine, which had the 00 T:u;tical camounagc touching the national insignia at the top, without an ::'\MF outline. It was however masked ouT when 1\£1\ F stripes were applied.

P-51 IN 1/32 SCALE As the only kit of an early Merlin Mustang in 1/32 SClle I had no choice but to use the Revell kit as a basis and carry out a liule mixing and marching. pnmarilr 10 add an engine of the right frontal cross-section. As it comes the !.:it has frOIll end contours somewhere between an Allison and a Merlin but not cxacLl)' right for either. An engllle section molded to the corrcct

dimensions can be cut from either a "solid" .'''onogram P-5ID or .he same company's "Phantom Nlustang" thaI was also pressed in this SCJlc. I chose to usc these older kits purely on the grounds of availability and the f,\ct that the relC3se of the Hasegawa P-51D quickly put them into the "spares only'" ('"3tcgor). While this may be an added reason to usc either of the Monogram engines, they do not fil perfccrly all round. I found a degree of fairing-in to be necessaT)' on the undersides and the thin wing roots also require building up wilh filler. Anyone wishing to tackle this converSIOn would be bener using the Hasegawa kit which will in any event probably be the only Mustang available - as (he engine apparently mates better with the Re\"ell kit fuselage. Also, the spinner, propeller and mainwheels of the Japanese kit are much more accurate. An carly \CTsion Mustang in this scale has numerous markings possibilities. not to mention ordnance loads that will in some C3S(."S have to be scratch builr. Bombs should be no problem as numerous kits slipply these in abundance, even though they may not necessarily be to 1/32 scale. A large size bomb in a 1I48 SClle bomber !.:it can usually double for a smaller size on a fighter in the larger scale - i.e. a 1/48 scale 1,000 pounder can become a 500 pounder in 1/32 scale, and so forth. Customizing plastic rod can be used to manufacture a pair of M 10 rocket launchers for the P-5IB/C.

LEFT The P-40F's ccxkpit rub was next in~erted into the fu~elage.The fit W<1S extremely preci~e, with the nsembly clicking in place without the benefit of glue.A bead of ~uperglue wa~ added to the back of the pilot's bulkhead and along the bottom edges of the cockpit floor to ensure it did not come loose later.

ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION

83

Without its cngine the trunclted H::ascg:Jwa r-5 II) could form the basis for::a supcr-detailcd dior::am::a whcre the building \\ork conccntrates on what goes on at the fronl end, but below the slin. Start by inserting a Plasticard fircw:lll at the point thc cngine has been cut ofT to use on Ihe r-51B, drill this to take ,·arious :lncillaries and work slowly fon\-ard from there.. Thc spares box will provide many of the necessary bits and pieces ::and when the engine is inSI':llk'd, thc discardcd sections of the Revell 1)-5 IB might be adaplcd for display as separate panels. Thc f.1ct thaI these arc slightly undersized \\on'l r('':llly be nOliccd provided that they are sandcd down and painlcd. Finally, the thought occurs lhat onc could add lhe uncowlcd, detailed .\'icrlin engine to the Revcll P-51B and not bother with cuning: up the l-Iascg'Jwa kit but this would slill k':l\·c the slight challenge of modifying the propeller blades and adding new tires of lhc correct eross-seclion. Then ::again, the conlQurs of the original Rc\·cll kit nose might, JUSt might, be adaptablc 10 :In Allison although this \\ould inmh"c a considerable amount of work.

EARLY MUSTANG MODElS !\'lanifeslation of an early Mustang in plastic kit form to INS scale occurred in thc c::arly 1990s when the US company Accuratc Mini::alures released nOI one bur thrce Allison-engine P-5Is: a P-51 (with no suffix letter), a 1)-5IA and an :\-36. ThIS bra'·e "go for broke" approach was a ~'amble that the markel had vastly inereascd in sophistication ,111d indeed knowledge lhrough acql11ring the many fine referenccs thaI have appeared in reccm years. It worked, A~1 achieved sales good cnough 10 keep the company goin~ so that currently il is branching out into other subjects and g'.lining an em'iahle reput:llion for quality. Thc going has reportcdly been hard at times., but 10 dalc AM's stable of early Allison--(;ngine l\lust'angs has lx..'Cn joincd by a P-SII:I :lnd P-SIC, both of which ::arc welcome replacements or adjunct<; 10 the lIotill useful ~Ionogram kit in this scale. "'Iore Tt'Cent still is a Tamira release of a P-SI R which, if prc\'ious kits are anything to go by, will be little short of highl~· desirable. There is though a downside to all these new releascs in th::al the modeler mar prefer to build ::a stable of !\'lustangs from the same kit. 11 ::all boils down, I suppose, not only to what is prefcrred but availahility. \Vhile some areas of the world stock enough plaslic kits t
84 WORlD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MOOEUNG MASTERCLASS

in surface finish and a different end result. Therefore if you wish to build reprcscntati\·e P-51Bs of thc enlire Sth Fighter Command it may be worth invcsting in several lits at once. Which one is entirely al the modeler's discretion, of course. In 1/72 scale thc Mustang sirualion was, as e\·cr, that much gloomier than in 1/-1-8: ofrhem all only Frog w::as once bold enough to kit :In injection molded A-36. Unlike the reasonahle early p-ol-on from this manufacturer, the Apache represenled anOlher lost opportunity to corner a hungry slice of the market, as the kit suffered from somc major errors. Instead of carefully designing a model that could have led to numerous cQm'ersion possibilities to creaTe se\'cral of the Allison-t.:ngine Mustangs, the modeler was ohliged lQ wield scalpel, knife and sandpaper to create wh::al it s:l.id on the box top in the first place. At long last Condor (!\'IPC) \\·ith a new.'\-36 has plugged this gap in the kit linc-up of early Mustang \';lriants in this scale. Ha\'ing nor secn a copy as yel, I c:l.OnOt say whether it hits the ma.rl in rega.rd to outline accuracy. Among [he :lccc:ssory/convcrsion sets for p-s Is that from Verlinden Productions provides a full range of uoderwing Slores for a II48-scale P-SID. One of the mOSt useful additions., it is wcll worth obtaining, nOt bCGtuse it introduces much that is ncw bUl by including a range of P-SI rocket, bomb and drop tank scctions to vcry accurate tolerances. This is also one of lhe few accessory SCIS Ihat recognizes the difference between the early and later style of main wing racks designed for Ihe carriage of drop tanks or bombs on the P-SI n. Broadly speaking these had the carrier crulehes mounted either at the top - flush with the wing - 00 <:arlier style racks ::and on the lower edge on the racks fitted to P-SIDs and ,,"s.. Hy combining resin and photo-ctch parts this particular accessor) kit en:lbles the modeler to apply SClIe fins to bombs and "SIr:lPS" :lround HVARs and drop lanks: both were slll::all enough on the full-sized :lircraft :lnd [hey comc out (or the~· should) as positi\'e!y minute when scaled down. Verlinden's SCI :llso mcludcs the sway braces for field modifications of racks, plus a full sct of rod:ers for Ihe triple M-1O bazooka lUbe>.

Photographs indicalc lh::al scvernl methods were used to 1000le ordnance and fuel tanks safely under P-Sl wings, particularly in the CBI, where some P-5111s and Cs actually carried two drop tanks under each wing, heavily braced to keep them in pLlce. In a theater denied almost e\;erything for long periods of time, the

LEFT Test~fitting the wing nsembly on the P--40F seemed co confinn this kit's reputation for an ill-fitting wing root. However, this problem has a very simple solution.

LEFT Wedges of plastic were inserted between the cockpit noor and the fuselage wing root to increase the width of the fuselage where it meets the wing.

LEFT The wing root gap was closed without using putty a(ter a few minutes adjusting the plastic wedges_ Note thac the wings are noe even glued to the fuselage in this phoco.

ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION

85

--------------------------------~-j

RIGHT With the P-40Fs fuselage spread. the dihedral of the wing

W
a litde nat. To

address this problem,Tamiya masking tape WolS attilched underneath one wing tip ;md stretched across the top of the model to the other wingtip. This had the dual effece of reswring the correct dihedral and squeezing an even tighter fit at the wing roOts.

the "short nosed" 1)-61:\ and "long nosed" P--61B;eithcr vcrsion can be an cye-cuching centerpiece of any display. Again thc kits in 1/72 disappointed, those by Frog and Airfix indicating a HTy different approach to the s:amc subject. Frog, whilst aehic\·ing an au:cptable top flL~c1age contour (no lurret' was indud<..'d) gave its P-61 odd, cross-halch surf.'l<.'C detail meant presumably 10 represent rivets, and mcssed up the dimcnsions of the fusdage, not to mcntion the rear glazed senion. Frog's UK counterpart covered the black airframe in "trademark" rivets OUI added an admirable degree of dctail sueo as separate NORTHROP P-61 wing spoiler!>. an alternativc top turret, drop !\ purely personal view of the P--61 is thai it looks lanks and so forth. L"nfortlmately thc lOp line far better with its top [UIn'! in place than of lhe fuselage, including the cockpit profile, without. ;\·lost modelers did not of course c\'cr was far too square with pronounced comers. h;l\'c to put up with the blast of four "fifties" just Re-pro6ling was a difficult option as the cockpil abo,'c their heads, or experience the buffeting canopy also had sharp comers lhat could nOI that sometimes resuhed when the turreted really be adapted without a remolding job. That airCN.ft was flung around the night skies of said, the Aim\: kit is one to use as a starting Europe or the Pacific. 'fbat led to the majority of point if an ohler P-61 kit i<; required in lhis SOlIe, the 9th Air Force P-6ls operating without the wilh perhaps somc cros.<;-kining using the Frog turret, which certainly alten:d its dramatic lines. offering's bc!.1 bits. Turn...'tS were actually fe-introduced onto P-61s Alternatively the modeler can splash out on operating in the ETO at the cnd of the war, so all a completely new kit such as lhat released by is not losl for the modeler seeking such a Ihe Dragon or Revell concerns. combination of configuration and markings. A mighty beast of an airplane, the "Widow" DOUGLAS P-70 has a no-nonsense look that makes it an ideal If your favored model scale is 1/48, the regu lar kit subject. This is parti<.:ularly so in a larger adJition of kits to this size in recent years has scale, as Monogram proved vcry well indeed been yery satisfying indccd. The current by offering a superb kit that incorporated both situation is that there arc noll' very fell' 6'aps in

squadrons were obliged to Jury-rig their own bomb shackles before the regular items were hauled O\'er the Hump route from India. And although the European-based air forces generally had a good supply of st:lndardized equipment for their j\'lustangs, \':lriations may still be found abroad. The type of accessory kit produced hy Vcrlindcn is invaluable for ringing the changes and improving still further the components provided in kits. Other sets, intended for detailing P-47 and P-3S kits, arc available in the range.

86 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY fIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

the ranks of US Army lighter models., and in this SClIe at least, the majority of them arc satisfyingly accurate. The appe;!ranee of the AMT 1\-20 raised the possibility of conversion into a P-70 night fighter, a type that could ha\'e raken a prize as one of the least known CS combat aircraft of World War 2 until a few years ago. While nm marketed as a Il_70 per se., the 1/-18 Af\tT A-20J follo,\ed an excellent \':J.cuform KOSier J\\'ialion Enterprises kit in this scale, which also fc:atured two dorsal tUTTet \':J.riants. I understand, hO\lcI'er,lhat colJ.\-lTSion sets are available 1'0 tum this or the A.\·IT Hayoc into the c:arlier \'ersion, forming the basis for the first US night fighter. In 1/72 scale, the old ReH:11 kit of 1975 vimage \\"US actually marketed as a 1'-70, an update of the company's earlier release as a sl'J.ndard IJustOn. Included in the night fighter wrsion wa.<; a solid nose section, under fuselage Clnnon tra~ and radar aerials. Pressed in black pbstic, it remains the best of the early model A-20/Boswns al"Uilable in this scale, those by Airfix and Frog h'lI'ing their share of outline faults. Long after the twO biter kits had all but disappeared, Matchbox rele-J.scd an A-20G/j: h:lI'ing fuscbge St.'Ctions incorporating the n:ar dorsal turret was welcome., although the on:rly large engine cowlings dem:mdr.-d replacement with something morc in scale - the 1/72 cross-kilting saga conrinued. [n any event, all 1'-705 th,lt saw action had rhe l~.rrly-sty1c rl':1.r gun position with sliding transparent panels, as incorporared on 1110St nOSlOn/Havoc models. In conclusion, a \Yord or \11'0 about kits of the "foreigners," both the (jg:hters of other nations lhm wore US insignia and thosc nationals who nell' US aircraft but applied their o\\'n national insignia as well as the "Stars and bars." They bct."Ume an imlXlrtanl part of inventory in the ETO, MTO and the l':Kific.

SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE Among the non-American aircraft serHng thc LiSAA F in a wartime fighter role, the Supermarine Spitfire was the most numerous and important from the carliest days of the conflict. From bcing Ihe mount of indi"idual pilots who joined RAF units, through thc thn.'C Eagle Squadrons in 19-11--12 to flying long rangc PR wrties for the 8th Air Force, Spitfires SCT\'l'll whr..ll nothing (:omparablc was a\~ilablc. Operating in the Mediterranean with the equipmcnl-5t11T\'cd 12th Air rora: when it was despeT1ltc for aircT1lft to support Operation Torch,k thc Spitfirc squadrons of the 3Isl and 52d Fighter Groups were well to the fore. A

type that \\'ore a fascinating \'aricty of markings from large size renderinb"S of Old Glory (so that Vichy French forces woold rl'Cognize it during the early days of 'Ioreh) 10 ~MF aircraft wearing full Stars and bars and double code letters, the Spit was an enduring fa\'orite among many US pilots. In 1/-18 scale, kits from Otaki and AirfL" (now one and the same as reprds most of the former company's fighters) arc among the legion of Spitfire models, although tht:rc arc fC\yer in thi..s scale than the smaller ones. Otaki's original Spitfire was pressed as a .i\ lk Vlll, making it ideal for a 12th Air l1)rce machine. Under its own banner Airfix relcasc..'lI a good ~'lk V, thc version ,'ery \\'idely used by thc Americans, both in Ihe l.l( and MTO. Quarterscale ~lk LXs were rclati\'e1~ thin on the ground after Monogram produced the firSt one to be generally anibble in the 196Os., :although the situation ha... since been redressed by a number of ncw kits, not to mention resin accessories Intended for usc with :\Ik Vs to make the nl'(;cssary changes and updates. ~ot surprisingly a plethora of Spitfires havc appL-ared from CK manufacturers in 1/72 scale, with the seemingly irH:I'ilable mriation in accuracy. They ha\·e been joined by a number of offerings from France, the Czech Republic and Iloland, proof positive that such a perennially favoritc subjcet will continue 10 be added to the \\'orld's kit lists. As with other types, the Spit(jre has raken years to grow in accuracy as a plastic kil and this writer would rccommend looking ror the most recent kits rathcr than hack older ones about. Astute modelers familiar with the aircraft \\'itllook in particu1:lr:11 any kit's wing underside to ehcck how \\"cll the subtle "gull wing" effect has been reproduced. This may not be a personal issue if the rest of lhc kil seems good enough (the latest Rc\'ell "'Ik V is a case in point - it has almost nal wing undersides but is otherwise a fine lillie kit) bUI the full sizc contours really should be at leasl indicated, I fccl. Current Spitfire kits don't need the degree of cross fertilization d~ ri~unlr in decades past and the 21st century modeler has far more references, particularly color photographs, that were unavailable e\'en 20 years after the plastic modeling hobby secured a niche in the commercial market place. Moying up to the larger scales., both Re\'e11 and Hascg;m-a produced early (!\II.:s I 10 V) Merlin Spitfires in 1/32 scale as did Airfix in liB scale. Of these I ha\'e prel'iously built the Hasegawa kit to produce an Eagle Squadron

ADVANCED CONSTRUcnON

87

,

..

MJ.: V, The L::il is superb, alTering all the major ,'ari:uions on the :\n V Iheme in regard to tropical filters, different size radialOrs., and a choiee of st:mdard or dipped winb'S as well as a choice of standard and bullet proof windscn:ens. Once completed it surprised me LO re:l1ize after not a few years of abstinence (at least in building Spits) jusl how big an aircraft it is compared to a P-51 in Lhe same scale, Although the Hasegawa kit IS \"Cry impressive, despite some hard to disguise sink marks alon!,; the wings, the fit of partS on my example also left a little to be desirt'd, probably due 10 long-term storage. Also, the wing sub-assemblies are substantial pieces of plastic which ha\'e to be persuaded to male without lnOl'ing: out of alignmelH. The excel1ent cockpit sub-assembly, which is almost a model in its O\I'n righ.. The mcthod of splicing PlasLic:lfd strip into the gaps was particularly successful on the Spit as the lower wing half which incorpor:lled those long, swt."Cping characteristic wing fillets, is in one pieet::, Once the top 'I-ing hah'es are joined Ihis sub assembly is quite weighty and it must be persuaded to fair smoothly inlO the fuselage wilh only thin plastic ridges to anchor it firmly. By inserting plastic strip fore and aft along one fillet and across the rear joint, the job ,,"as complclcd satisfactorily with no nct.'(j for filler. f\larkings for the Spitfire V of No" 121 Squadron (latH:rly the 336th FS of the 4th Fighter Group) posed a problem al first. Without any custom decals to hand I reSQrled to an "old three into one" HisAirDec sheel of L"S nation:tl insignia. With the drawback that the finished decal is thicker than one would eXIX'Ct in today's kits, Lhis method ncyerthelcss scrved its purpose. The yellow nng, blue background and whitc star combination creates some "strikethrough" hut in Ihis case it didn't mauer. The majority of Eagle Squadron SpiL'; wcre "hand mc downs" lhat in\-anably had lheir RAF roundels o\·crpaintcd with the US marking. For thc codes I chose relatively "easy" leners that were mask.ed with strips of Post-It and sprayed in Sky, the rear fuselage band being similarly trealed. Eagle Squadron Spitfire Vs camc with the detail diffcrent.'{.'S applicable 10 the mark, the most obvious being full span and clipped winglips and standard or external bullct-proof windscreens. In regard to markings therc wa." sprinkling of personal decoration, which included the "double cagle" emblem on cenain individual aircraft, but only a handful of scrial numbers can definitely be tied in wilh codes. As thc serial digits werc not always

88 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY fIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLAS$

painted on the rear fuselage thc problem of definite idenlificuion remains conjccrural in some cases. Equally, Spirfires also show evidence of o\crpaintcd serials., part serials and a general lack of 6n flashes, as per American practice. Many indi"idual machines had seen a fair degree of scrvice before being passed to the Eagles., SO a \\'(:athcred appearanee is quite in order on a representative model. Other USAAF Spitfires operated c.xtensively in the Nlediterranean and the many kits of the ,,"'Ik V, VII and IX may be finishcd in appropriate markings.

HAWKER HURRICANE Although used by al1 thn.'C E.1gle Squadrons, the Hurricane .Mks I:md II did not remain in service long enough for any c.xamplcs to adopt U5AAF star insignia. So evcn though a collection of American-Qperated fighters could legitimately include one or two E.agle Hurricanes., they will seem at first glance to be 1t..:\.F machines. But all is not lost. During Operation Torch, carrier borne Canadian-buih Sc::J Hurricanc XIl<> did luve the "uni' ersal" whitc star marking Clrried by all aircraft lile1~ to be operating O\-er that area of:'\onh Africa and comc in contact with hostile Vichy French forees. These particular Hurris with their rellow outlined fusclage insignia would therefore be more in leeping with a collection of AAF fighters. Which kit 10 chose for an American-manned Hurricane is a moot point: in 1172 scale Ha.~egawa currently puts out a neat !v[k II and there arc ~e\'eral sUH'ivors of a long line lhat has included, apart from the more familiar labels of Airfix and Revell, a rare venture into plastic by Keil Kraft, a company prcviously known primarily for nying Sl,:ale models in wood. This latter kit was a bit on the hea\'y side but it had nice detail and was no worse than its contemporaries. There are se\'cral good lJ.l.8--seale Hurricanes on Ihe markc.'t and although none arc, to the \\"filer's knowledge, labeled as a (hooked) Sea Hurricane !\U: XII, rhe sub-trJ>e that was the equi,-alent of the :\'ll: lIe Again though I would olTer an opinion that l\lonogram docs as good a job as an}" in this scale. The company's con\"erlible kit ga,'e options to build the Mk. II, IV and a Iropicalized Mk Vc "ersion bUl [here was no provision for a "hooked" airt.Taft. This addition is relatively simple to make in conjunction with a study of Hurricane rderences. You will of course havc to modify lhe fuselage undersides 10 take a tail hook and its "V" S[futs. There are plenty of scale drawings 10 help with the dimensions.

LEFT I removed tOO much

material from the lower wing of the P-40F where it met the nose, so a scrap of styrene was cut to the approximate shape of the gap.

•

• • •

•

•

LEFT After the gap was plugged by gluing the styrene in place. it

was trimmed then filled with Milliput two-part epoxy putty.A tiny ball from each stick was

,

mixed together to prepare the putty for use. It was applied with my favorite putty trowel - an

old staple remover!

,

•

ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION

89

ABOVE The P-40F model is now well aligned and gap free, and ready for paint.

BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER A type quite widely used but hardly loved by the USAAJ:; the Beaufig-hter was a stop gap lwin that served pending the delivery of the P-61 The trouble was that most of the pilots who were destined to fly the Beau operationally in the M1'O had tmmed on the P-70 - going back to a tail dragger was seen as a retrograde step. WiTh the bendit of hindsight we can well understand their views. Added to an unfamiliar ground angle was the fact that the Beau had engines with enough torque to put a Spitfire to shame anu send the BrIstol twin careering off rhe runway. It nevertheless helped the erews to get their eye in over the \Vestern Desert and Ilaly before the \Viuow (and a few ,\10squitos) came along at the eleventh hour to re-equip the squadrons based in the .Mediterranean. The Tarniya kit broke the seeming embargo on any Beaufighter kit bemg produced in 1/4H scale, a situation that had prevailed for years. An excellent kit well up to modern tooling and moluing stanuards, the Japanese release may be built as a CSAAF-operatcJ Beau .\lk VI or X,

90 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING MASTERCLASS

with or without the thimble nose radome, which is supplied. In 1/72 scale, Airfix again had the field to itself with a Beau .i\1k X released in the 196Os. A Frog kit came later with some mlllor improvements but modelers had another lcnb>thy wait f(lr anything better, a gap that was filled by Hasega,,·a only as recently as 2001. Long bd(lre that, Revell ploughed on with new additions to their larger scale fighter range by producing a Beaufighter ivlk I in 1/32 scale during the course of the 1970s. A great expanse of black plastic parts, this kit lacked the internal detail modelers had come to expect in this scale although its outline and components were basically accurate. That was the trouble with this entire range - basic was usually the operative word and anyone wishing to upgrade the variant (a straight tail i'vlk I as originally released) bced a heap of work. Converting the model into a night fighter as used by the USAAF is hm\Tver not an insurmoumablc task. It ean involve adapting the kit's horizontal tailplane imo a dihedral

,

•

•

,

• • •

• ,

unit, changing the nusc wntOUfS to accept a ccmrimctric T:ldar scanner and improving the dear bubble over the ubserver's position to incorporate a machine gun. Alternatively an carly straight tailed !vlk VI might be found, the AAF accepting a variety of Heau sub-types.

END NOTE Using the word "a(k:mccd" is a minefield in modeling bct-ausc what is a difficuLt task to one JX=rson will seem to be routine to anOlhcr. But

missed in this new SC'Jle firST lime around. Not that this is a great problem: molds for plastic kits arc expensive and thcy rardy seem to be melted down or whate\'cr they do with them. Providing that you can be palienl, someone will eventually re-release thitt' overlooked model subject, probably al a much bem;:r price that those asked by specialist suppliers for "original" l:it.s that haw rocketed in price. There is also a distinct possibiliry thaI someone will kit the subject better than the original you spent time trying 10 track down.

ABOVE The extra effort spent preparing the P-40F's parts was worthwhile, as it saved a lot of time fiXing alignment and gap problems later. The resin cockpit from Cutting Edge Modelworks was also a good investment due to its high level of visibility under that big, open canopy. Note that the techniques for achieving the P-40F's finish will be dealt with in the follOWing chapter.

having b<..'Cn a sucker for American fighter kits for as long as 1 can remember, I've also kicked the "strictly all one SC:l1c" viewpoint. As kits grew ever more sophisticated I was attracted to try other sizes, the upshot being that now I'll add a good Mustang, Thunderbolt, Warha",!.': or whatever, 10 my collection irrespective of the scale. This is no great revelation in that it means thaI I now opt primarily for IN8 scale but like the added possibilities with 1/32 scale. Another drawbad: of being too partisan for one comparati,·c size is that one can miss the far superior releases outside the preferred fa\'orite scale. Change your habit though and you'll likely be scrabbling 10 find the fine kits you

ADVANCED CONSTRUcnON

91

CHAPTER 6

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES

CAMOUFLAGE & COLORING amounage is a word that hJ$ become synonymous in aviation terms with two or mort colors applied to an airframe in a disrupti\Oe paltern. Such was :l.dopted almost uni\·ersally by the R.AF as "shadow shading'" of its combat airCTaft, but in World War 2 nO such scheme was spt.'Cified for US aircraft despite a scries of pre-war tests. Extensi\'e painting of fighters in a \"'J.riety of c.."(perimenral panems led to the conclusion that none of these quite elaborate schemL"S would be adopted. Instcad, a simple overall top surface co,n of Olive Drab with Neutral Gray on the undersides would suffice. As all camouflage paint is to some extem compromiscd by the application of national insignia and other identiry markings, it W-.IS felt that IhisAmcrican scheme was \"llStly superior 10 a brighr natural meul finish. (Sl:C thc accompanying images on p:l.ges 99-106 for more details on recreating this scheme.) While the majority of USAAF fightcrs conscquenlly saw action in these regulation colors., many examples left the factories in approximations of British shadow shading

C

RIGHT US Army Air Force fighter aircraft displayed a wide variety of schemes.There are an even wider variety of techniques for depicting these color schemes. Three of these techniques are oudined in the images in this chapter - painting a narural metal finish. preshading. and post-shading. Firstly, the narural metal finish. This can be one of the most impressive ways to display your model aircraft, but the shiny metallic surface can be yery unforgiYing.Any scratches and other imperfections will be magnified. and some metallic paints will reward the lightest touch with a large fingerprint on the paintwork. Even so, a reliable and successful natural metal finish can be achieYed.

92 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING .YlASTERCLASS

patterns. There were numerous variations of outline and dilTercnu:s in color shad~ owing lU the facl thaI Amcm:an paints \\ue generally used to apply Ihe colors. The matching process inC\·itably came close only on occasion. In unit service, when aircraft such :lS the P-39 and P-W were dh·erted from British contracTS, the oolors were subjected to e.'l:lreme temperatures, high humidity le\els and generally rugged conditions when Ihe~ II"I,."Te deployed in the Pacific or Ihe !\Iedilerrane:lll. Some colors took on strange hues Ihat almOSI defy accurale identification from paint charts all these years on. :\"umerous Warhawks and Airaeohras were given dark green and brown camoullage at their respccti\Oe factories or modific-.uion center~ the exact shades often being bro.1dly interpreted. Ln service, such ain..Taft often appear to sporr a shade of green seemingly closer to one of thc L:S Oli\'e Drab mD;:CS rather than RA F Dark Green. Similar variations occur with Dark Earth and the underside color, which unged from lighl blue (known :1,<; Duck Egg Gn:cn or Blue) LO light gray and the infamous Sky ·Lypc "5", the laner bemg subject 10 rather broad

inlCrprelalion. See the images on pages 107-113 for further guidance on reproducing Ihe green and brown camoufl3.b'"C effl."Ct. Among me re:J.SOns why nuny US fighter colors do not seem to conform to known l'Xl.int s)X.-cificltions are (1) the result of exposure 10 h:rrsh 3.tmospherie ronditions 3.t the time; (2) the refen..-'Ilce source being on color photographic ~lOck th3.t is more Ihan 50 relTS old; and (3) the 'lIbT::J.rics of the printin~ process. These 3.re the m3.in f.1ctors that play 3. pari in disrorling the modd maker's percep(ion of the true color actually applied to aircraft :11 fat:tories and depots. Uut among model makers, there is an ongoing need to knoll' wh:.!t the al:tual colors were. Nlllch research has been undertaken to provide the answer and over the ~·l.':Irs model rr.linl suppliers ha,·e wrestled with thc problem. Th:tt Ihey have largely suceeed(.'(j is rcflected in Ihc C"cr growing range of enamd and acrylic painls intended specifically for moods.

•

•

NATURAL METAL FINISH When thc USAAF generally dropped Glmouflagc paint for military aircraft in 1943, Ihe b:J.sic oycrall look of first-line fighters was radiCllly ahered. Type recognition nurkings and codc leners \\-ere changed from white or OIher light color 10 black and for a shorl period the overall effect was quite pbin, even dull. The general adoption of color (rim for n..'COgnitioll purposes was made during 19+1- parti(Ularly on fighters based in the ETO and M TO. The basic construction of aircraft during World War 2 comprised a mi.xtllrc of Aldad, dural, aluminum, titanium and mabrrlesium. These materials, shaped inlO 3.irframe panels, n:tturally enough exhibited slightly different I'Onal v'alues which show up in photographs. Even aircraft built by sub contr3.ClOrs had areas of their airframes Ihal were common to the type. A prime example was the darker panels running abO\T and below behind the exhaust stubs on both sides of the P-51's cowling. These are always yisible on M F aircraft and should be indicated on any model. Tips and advice on how to achieve a lop-qualil)' NMF finish on your model are provided in the images on pages 92~98.

WEATHERING

•

An airbrush is clearly lhe optimum tool for applying weathering eITect~ on models although mrious types of paint may also be applied by the stipple and dry brush technique; other marking

media including graphite, fdt tip or crayon may be applied using a sort doth as an applicuor. As a genernl rule, mOSI aircraft irrespective of whether or not they start OUl \\ith a null or glossy paint finish or a "naturnl" surface finish, suITer a dl.'gfCC of wealher d1et.1S once they star! flying. The air is a hoslile em"ironmcnt, bringing "ith it c.'I.treme heat and cold, with rain and humidity [0 effect the finish of airplancs thaI plough through it. This usually manifcs£s itsclf in the form of discoloration and fading of the painlll'ork but the most rommon effect is that of buffing the surf3.ce to a shiny (or shinier) finish than it started out with. Added to that were the results of the reb'1.llar removing and replacing of cerrain panels undcr general servicing, leading to chipping of paimed edges, anu the adverse eITei;:tS on finish as a result of oil and fuel spillage. Wc:athering additionally manifests itself in Ihe form of exhausl slaining and di~coloration in specific art':IS. A light gray or beige colored streaking or faded effect indiClted that an engine using k-aded gasoline (pelrol) was set to run at a lean, more or less cornxt throttle setting, while a darker color meant a richer fuel and air mixture, the variation being similar in principle to the \-arious I)"pes of coloration \-isible on (he inside of ,-chicle e.'l:haust pipes. Such efTCCIS are easier 10 achie,'c if they are 3.pplied, for example., in waler paint O"cr an enamel base coat. Gouache, which comes in a tube, is ideal for this purrosc as i( has a matt finish. Water soluble paint has the one big advantage in that it can be wiped off for rcpeat attemptS, shOll 1<1 the first application not re~ult in quile wh:u is required. This trouble-ti·ce method should stand up to a degree of he:l\'Y handed errors - thin paint, spillage and orher troubles - without spoiling a good base surface. BUI familiarity with your 3.irbrush (and perhaps its limitations) should eventually resull in the correCI degrce of exhauSI stains., grime and fading you are aiming at. Pristine painlworL: was a \-ery low priority [() men fighting for their Iin:s., bombed by the enemy, rneked by diseasc and under allack from a host of Ihings that crawled, bit and stung. i\ 1ode1ers really need to crack those faded shades if Ihe)' arc to celebrate accuralely the aircraft flown by Ihose who fought in (hosc desperate, '·aliant days in far flung theaters of war. Models of wartime aircraft should l1atural~y reneet 1he \\'t-ar and tear of from-line operations. An inleresling surface coloring can be achieved by varying the paint tones if the subject is in Ni\1F but is a little more demanding if Ihe

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES 93

RIGHT This P-47D will wear a natural metal finish and invasion stripes on the lower surface of the fuselage. The first step was to paint the lower-mid sectioo of the fuselage white. ensuring that this coat covered it thoroughly. Tamiya paintS were used for the black and white invasion stripes.

RIO-iT Tamiya masking tape was used to mask off the areas that were destined to stay white. NalTOW strips of masking tape were first applied to the edges of the stripe.These narrow strips are required due to the compound curves and openings on the lower fuselage. A wide, single length of tape would most likely have wrinkles and gaps. A wider strip of tape is used to cover the gap betWeen the twO narrow borders of the stripe. Note that a small blob of Blu-Tack has been stuffed into the supercharger vent, which was painted and weathered before assembly of the fuselage.

RIGHT Tamiya Acrylic Flat Black was ~prayed in light coats. The Te~tor Aztek A470 airbrush used to paint this model can be seen in the background.

94 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

r

LEFT With the masking tape removed, the black and white stripe5 were revealed. Some adjustment to the width of the black stripes w;u required. The masking process was repeated until a satisfactory' result was achieved.

modd is to depict an OD and Gray machine. This is where the references 3b":lin come to the rescue as each US fighter h:ld :m:as of wear and

fade common

[0

all theaters. Different degrees

of weathering can also be pcn.:ci\"oo on aircraft

serving in Europe and the Pacific, a fact thaI rcn(,.'Cloo the extent of ground support and

facilities.

•

•

Some fighter group commanders were fastidious about ha,"ing smarl aircraft on theiT flighl line. Crew chiefs would ha\"c c.... haust burns cleaned ofT aircraft after rcd::lcss young pilots had Tcrumed from missions and messed them up in the process. Other COS were not so panicular: if the unit commander turned a blind eye to such things, more \\"cathered aircraft might appear on the flight line. In the 8th Air Force in England, for whatever reason, the 33Yth Fighter Group seems to havc flown scruffier Mustangs lhan, say, the 352d Fighter Group in the same eount'~'. But despitc all this, how often docs onc see a model wid} all markings in plaec flown by a 50-mission-plus pilot without a scratch or some c\'idence of exh::lust stainingr A finish as pristine a.'l the d::l)' the aircraft was rolled out of thc factory paint shop makes little sense to my way of thinking. I do know that there is a widespread belief that weathering an otherwise finished model nms the risk of ruining iL, but if care is exercised, the problem should be o\·ercome easily.

them down for a third time, which should still havc thcm \'isible through the paint. all somc \'cry weathered aircraft finishes, some rivet and panel detail should be seen, bur nOI ne:.rly to the extent visible on the kit when it is new. As a final touch, morc 00 can be sprayed o\er those areas nOI so prone to the wcar and tear of opcrntional fl);ng. A patchy finish so rypic::a.1 of many first line aircraft should result. The above ri\·ct retention method ob\
BELOW The entire area of black and white invasion stripes w;u finally masked in preparation for the natural metal finish. Tissue paper was dampened and pressed gently into the main wheel wells. This acts as a malleable mask for cavities that are otherwise hard to plug.

RUBBING DOWN RIVETS

j

,

On larger sc::a.le kits such as the Re\·ell 1/32scale P-38 and P-H that arc 10 be finished in camouflage paint, the notorious ri\'et heads can be lighl1y rubbed down before applying a firsl coal of olive drab. Rub lhe rivet's down again and apply a sel.:ond coat of painl. With The rivets slil1 proud of the surface plastic, rub

1

SPECIAl TECHNIQUES 95

RIGHT Tamiya AS-12 Airframe Silver is only available in a spray can. This is a great shade for natural metal aircraft - neither too shiny nor wo dull.The finish is also quite wugh and durable, unlike some other natural metal paints. The only problem with this color is that the spray can sometimes produces a slight orange-peel texture on the surface of the paint. To avoid this problem, the contents of the can wtlre emptied into a small disposable container. The container was covered with plastic wrap, a small hole was made in the plastic and the paint was sprayed into the hole. The result is a pool of silver lacquer in the bottom of the container that can be poured into a glass paint jar. If you are swring the decanted paint. do nm tighten the cap tOO much as there may still be propellant in the paint, resulting in a possible build up of pressure in the jar. The silver lacquer was then sprayed over the entire model using the airbrush, resulting in a smooth, hard base coat.

point to remember here is to obrain a good eO\'cragc of paint before attempting to rub down. Aboyc all, remember that you're trying to din)' up the finish, not ruin the paint finish you have already applied. 1 know that some modelers feel they arc treading a \'ery fine line when doing this and Ihe answer is obviolL<;ly to practice on an old kit first. A degree of boldness may also be in order! Rubbing painnmrk down seem<; to be more of:m art than it might at first appear. I find that il is ho\\e\'er onc of thc more pleasing: aspects of modeling as the efTe<..'t one creates will be unique to the indiyidual model (and modeler). The trick is as C\'cr, to kecp lhe wear and tear within Ihe confines of the visible effects of weathering: on the full size airframe. b-en if the available photos of your subject aircraft do not show that much weathering on say. the wing rOOt areas, anOlhcr photo of a similar ~ub type assigned to the same squadron in the same theater mar do so. "Borrowing" a bit more weathering to boost the final 1001.: of a model is I believe, quite legitimate. What you arc then depicting is a typical finish for the thcaler of operations, which fel\" can argue wilh.

application. While not in any way denying that de~;als are an integral part of modeling, they arc sometimes used ;n my opinion to the detriment of I he direct application method using suitable masks or stencils or indeed hand painting. Looking closely at decals, one occasionally finds discrepancies between the pancllines on the full size aircraft and the width or depth of the docal. There can be cerl'ain limitations with the artwork/printing process and perhaps e'-en the accuraq' of s~;aling. Decal sh<.."Cts are usually prepared from large size an-work or computcr generated images and reduced 10 the rC<juired dimensions, and I'\'e found inSl'ances whl.:l'c for l.:xample the air<;faft serial numbers in I/ ~8 scale do not match those on the I.:it sh<.."Ct because they arc slighrly too large. J found this out \\ hen trying to squ<.."Cze si;\: digits onto Ihe fin of a P-47 in this scale in the stanJard location between the leading edge and the rudder hinge line. A eomp:my that should know better had actually <;caled all the numbers wTOngly. I found there was little or no space at each end of the serial when applieJ to the model, when such is quitc obvious in the reference_ In shorl, nobody should be overawed by the DECALS & MARKINGS reput.1tion of decal companies with voluminous lists, as they may miss certain detail~. I'm not While decals arc <.:urrently reaching very high implying that there is, in lhe hard commercial standards of accuracy and reproduction, T world, a race for quantity over quality. But one pcrsonall~ c.'\:ercise a lillie caution in their could state with some accuracy Ihat there is a

96 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCIASS

pcrcei\ed ucsire to be first with decals for an e:"ciring, ea~'Crly awaited new kit. If the T':I(."'C is won hy a poor product tht..n the whole cxcrcise is a wasle of time. II must surely be preferable to hold back, ~et the \s:arily 50. Painting m:lrbngs str:light onto tbe surface of the model must in some instances be superior to using a decal, which will in\'anably require \e.. ~' close curting 10 elimin~te alllr:u:cs of the c:lrrier film rhat surrounds every ilem on a waterslide sheet. The larger the decal, the more acute this prohlem e:ln become. Things might gel unwieldy with Ihe decal demanrJing huekets of softening agenl 10 persuade it 10 lay down on compound cun cs - and I have noted that in onc or two instances this stuff will not only stain a light finish and "lift" the surface p:!int but it Cln fade detail off the decal as well. I land painting may therefore produce superior results, particularly in 1/32 scale where acres of plastic provide ample scope for dispensing with the I:tr~'Cr oncs al least. Thc US star or star-and-bar insignia tended to wcalher very well, e\l,~n on a h:l1Iercd background, su the facllhat modd dec'lls ofrer a high \'isibilil); t:1irly dean :.lppearancl: is quite 10 keeping with some subject airtTaft. An exception would be those quitc numt--rous instances II here the insignia was deliberatel) clullt'd down on the grounds of reducing \isibililY. To confuse this issue, 50me photos will :tppcar to indicate a glossy application of Ihe national ilThi~'1lia againsl a matt o\'crall color schemc_ It W:IS not of course unlmown for decals 10 be uSt.'cl for somc aircraft markings, so check Ihose refcrenCl'S c1osely_ This question of glossy or man model decals is a moot one as some photos definitely show reflections off II'hal is known to he I'cry mall surf:lee. In gener;ll however a sheen affect, nOI necessarily uniform o\-er all surfaces, should be aimed al. If noccs.sar)~ one of lhe commcrtial matt or gloss \-amishcs C'Jn be applied to produce a uniform surface mer the entire aIrframe. \Vhilt' you are ~tudying photo references, scrutillize thc outline of code leners and

numbers. Dead straight t'
ABOVE Unpainted aircraft often featured different shades of metal on different panels. Individual panels were prepared by masking with Post-It Notes and Tamiya Masking Tape. Some panels were sprayed with Testor Metalizer Aluminum, while others received a coat of a darker shade. BELO'N The Olive Dr.lb anti-glare panel on the front deck was masked and sprayed using Gunze acrylic Olive Drab. The natural metal finish was not over-sprayed with a flat finish after decals were added. A light COat of semi-gloss varnish was applied to the decals only.

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES 97

RIGHT The P-47D's canopy was also paimed silver. The clear sections of the framed canopy were masked with small strips of Tamiya masking tape. The first painting step was to spray black as a base coat.

RIGHT The canopy was then painted silver. Note that the insides of the clear parts have also been masked with tape. This is to avoid the risk of overspray on the inside.

RIGHT The result is a crisply painted set of canopy parts.

would bc complctcly lost if they did not have acccss to dccals, which is entirely understandable. As with any aspect of modeling, we all have a pcrsonal choice and prefcrences. For some subjects hand painting, or a mix and match combination of spraying and decals may yield more satisfactory results, depcnding on the suhject.

PERSONAL MARKINGS \Vhi1e not represcnting as large an artwork canvas for pin-ups, canoons and names as the homhers, the tactical fighter outfits, panicularly those attached to the 9t h Air Force, had many P-47s, Mustangs and Lightnings covcred with symbols representing combat missions. Along with names and cartoon figures, such aircraft had masses of bomb, broom, umbrella, train, truck, tank and ship symbols stenciled or paimed on to record the destruction meted out to the enemy as the Allies swept across Europe.

98 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING tv\ASTERClASS

Rows of small Hakenkreuz, Ba{kenkreuz or less commonly, the Regia Acronautica's bundle of three fasces, recorded air and ground victories ovcr German or Italian adversaries, some of them, it has to said, being more records of enthusiasm than actual kills. At the time, more than one pilot swore the enemy aircraft he fired at was a goner, a fact not always borne out by analysis of enemy records. Not that this matters in terms of model markings although a natural curiosity leads one to seck out the bcts behind the symbols, the name of the pilot(s) and some of the sorties flown to accumulate the visible scoreboard. The 9th Air Forces' cautious and even rather reluctant system of awarding aerial victories to its tactical pilots was the cause of some controversy, then and since. The curious "unconfirmed destroyed" was a category that frustrated numerous pilots and some seem to have painted the kill on their aircraft whatever higher authority's ruling was. This led to some P-47s particularly carrymg impressive victory tallies, which do not bear out scrutiny of any list of aces. In this event esprit de corps was undouhtedly the main ohject of the exercise. In the Pacific, similar embellishment of fighters took place, the rising sun or plainer "meatball" usually being used to indicate aerial victories. That said, there arc numerous examples of variations on this basic theme, far more than anyone modeler can ever duplicate over the average human lifetime! Photos showing well decorated P-3Hs, P-40s, P-47s and P-5ls might indicate the personal mount of an ace - or they may not. It is a well known fact that most of the top-scoring pilots used more than one aircraft to obtain their VIctories and in regard to tactical fighters, particularly those operating in Europe, there arc for example numerous P-47s showing a row of kills which arc not obviously attributed to any one pilot, but an accumulative score hy several. Enough of these can he found in the pages of unit histories to start you on a research program to find out more. And there you have one more theme, several models of the different aircraft flown by one pilot. Scores of USAAF fighters carried mission symbols in great profusion, making potentially excellent model subjects. Sometimes though, there is the problem of complete identification. Confronted with an interesting missioll log, cartoon and name in a photograph showing only part of the aircraft, the modelcr can ha\'e difficulty in unearthing details of the rest of the markings. This can lead to endless cross

reference to :til a\-ailable books covering that particular type, but the search is often rewarded by the information required to complete a model. Some help is often provided. The US practice of including the aircraft serial number on the forward fuselage data block ha~ always been of great help (given a elear photographic referem:e) in ideTllification of individual aircraft, even if only a partial front-end photo is available. The group and squadron code and serial number ctn usually be determined, leaving the confirmation of the indi\·idual aircraft code letter to be cracked. That can take more time. Some deed sheets miss out serial numbers for this very reason but the kit will be considered incomplele unless this detail em be unearthed. However, more and more individual fighter markinb'S arc being perpetuated in fre~h publications, magazine articles and ever more comprehensive decal sheets. There seems to be healthy competition among the various decal suppliers to come up with new schemes and Iheir efforts should win nothing but praise from the moclclcr, as occasionally such data IS not readily available elsewhere. Dl.'Clls ha\'c in fact become so accurate and sophisticated that they are turning themseln::s into an essential branch of rcsc:arch in their own right - to the poim that the last thing

,

anyone wants to do is cut them up for applying to a modeH II is at vel)' least worthwhile running your eye o\"cr the lists of decals published TL-gularly by mail order houses and modeling ma~,'':lzines tn ensure that details of the aircraft you arc looking for ha\'e not been added to any list. If it has, that may save you a considerable amount of time, should you have been intending to hand paint or cut up a selection of sheets lO malt: up a complete serial number or sct of code 1cttt:rs. To my knowledge nobody has yet come up \\-ith faded and worn dl.·(;al~, irregular lines and markings stained with c.'\;halL~t. If you wanl to make a model look tot':llly authentic, all such irregularities, if reJcnnt, should be included. Hand painting or the use of preshaped masks, ctn help obtain almost complete authenticity. Final finishing using clear varnishes is perhaps an overlooked aspen of modeling but the popu!ar ranges of paint indude a variety of matt, gloss ami sheen type finishes lntendeu for spraying over the emire surface of the kit. I laving rdied on the semi-matt finish inherent in many modem paintS, Pvc nOI had too mueh experience of what used 10 be simply lermed Yarnishing. Otherwise I\c found that a rub oyer with a soft doth will bring up a sufficienl sheen on a \'cry matt surface- which leaxe5 the ongoing problem of gloss) decals contrasting a

BELOW Next we move to pre.shading weathering on an Olive Drab finish. Many World War 2 US Army Air Force fighters wore a finish of Olive Drab and Neutral Gray.Although even the names of the colors seem to imply an uninteresting paint job, Olive Drab actually resulted in a diverse finish due to its instability and heavy weathering in service. Pre--shading panel lines on a model offer the opportunity to lend even more definition to our Olive Drab P-39D Airacobra.

--

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES 99

RIGHT The P-39D model was prepared by simply masking off the clear parts.The open "car door" on the starboard side was simply blanked off by taping the door in place.

little too much on the model paint surface. The vilX versa challenge of \"ery man decals is nOt nearly so widespread. Thi~ decals-versus-paint (:Ol1trast is \,"here varnishes may come into their o,,-n bur ol1e should rale inro account the fini~h of the subject aircraft. j\hu or senti-gloss black paintwork on aircraft such as the P-61 and 1'-38 often appears ro show the national insignia glossier than surrounding airframe areas. This cannot always he the angle of the sun or the use of decals, but the effect is quite I'lsible on photographs. It means that the application of a glossy commercial decal sheet 10 a matt finish will be authentic enough without the need to bnng the modd up to the sheen of the decals, which docs seem to be ;1 rather labor-mtensi\'e way to do things. As e"er, the only answer is to give it a go on an old lit, principally to see how the \"arnish rc;lCts with the dl"(;als and the softemng agent, the thinners used in the pamt and so forth.

MASKING On a larger s<.-alc kit the simplest and most traditional form of mask IS the hard demarcation line achie\"ed by a l-anl or stiff p~pcr edge held lightly in position with rape, Blu Tad: or e'-cn finger pressure. Carefully sprayed, Ihe resultant lines on thc kit should be crisp enough, with the advantage that the nose an, l-ode leiter, number or whate\·cr, ha.<; e.\:actl~ the same renl"Ctive property as the surrounding paint.

100 WORlD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MOOEUNG MASTERCLASS

An) pliable material can be osed to blank ofT pre-paimoo arC3S such as a lXlCkpit interior and whed wells, COllon 11'001 or moistened [issue being parlicularly efTecli\'e in c1iminalin~ any "creep" of sprayed paim. ProduCls such as Maskol are line for some lasks ahhough it has 10 be well mi:.:ed. PUllcl'ioning by cOI'ering the masked ofT area with a fine, proleelil'e membrane, \'1askol and olher similar liquid products can shrink if the mix is not righe SlOred for any lengTh of time the producl can harden and gel al the bottom of lhe conlainer, ill which case il is preferable ro invest in ;) fresh supply. Older liquid mask m,ly also ha\'e a tendency to "string" and nOI cover well. Adhesive tape such as That sold expressl~ for the purpo!'>C b) Tami)'J. ma~ be used for masking small and large areas of models. ·rhe one proviso I'd add is 10 watch thal a pre\'iously paint'l-J surface does not "lin" under the tape. Providl-J thm it is lightly tacked down or used to anchor a piece of ordinary paper along the line to be paimcd, Ihere should be few problems. I've found thai sih"er (or aluminum shade) painl is prone to lining as this has a .endene}" to "plaIC'" the surface with slightl~ difTerent adhesion properties to colors. depending on the type of paim being used. ~ew tape with adhesion properties Iha. ma~ seem too strong can be wiped bet'\\ccn thumb and forcfingl'T befon: application to reduce its Slrenb'1:h_ RC',;ular an work masling tape or draubohting tape is oflen recommended for Ihis work but thlTC is

stillihe risk of gening too grelt an adhesion and 0 c\·cn a hair\"_ ed!!e. i\ hsbng tape's stren~'th is achie\·ed by a heavier maleri:ll-likc backing and should he used sparingly - it :Ill dCJX'Ods on the complc..'\:ity of thc :lrC:J. to he masled - and whether in the case of thc abewe-menlioned !>;Iver, if the model pan.. h:l\·e been washed thoroughly before a start was made on conSlruetion. Con!>'t3ntly handling model paris em impart a coating that can he resistant ro painl, so finb'Cr (;emmet should he kept to a minimum. If you prefer that the mask doc'S not actually :ldhere to rhe surface of the model, it is possible to usc tape to hold a paper or pbsric edge down to do the actual "straight line" job by proximity spraying. The ortiee stationery product Post-Its arc ideal for this purpose as I he adhesive line on the pecl--olT edge is gentle l.'Oough not to lift a p.1int surf:lcc. There are now numerous custom peel off masks on the markel, prim:arily for {''":Inopy frames and n:ltional insigni:a and m:any modelers will probably ha\"e used these or {,TC:J.te....d their own similar methods, depending on wh:at they arc trying to :achieve. iT is well to remember that e...cry e...enru:llilY for "creep" or overspray mtt<;t be allowed for as painl will gel through the sm:allcst gaps unless grC:J.1 care is takcn to prewnt it doing so. Out careful masking prior to :lpplicalion of paint for cowling nose rings and fuselage, \\'ing and tail bands :md so forth can sometimes he preferable to inducing decals to lay down on curved surfaces. Wheel hubs incidentally can he covered by cin:ular self adhesive stickers that arc sold in small sheets at

stationery outlets. i\Yailable in a useful \-ariety of sizes, they {''":In prOlCCl the hub while the tin; color is being sprayed.

CAMOUFLAGE MASKING The biggest challcngc somc modelcrs of w-artime fightl.'T$ facc is that of applying CJmounage convincingly. The scale of the model docs nOI reall~ malt'''... 100 much as the result should be similar. The question oflen posed in modeling journals is whether the paint shades should ha\'e hard or soft edges. And what is the pn::ferr"xl method (If application - one ovcrall color wi! h the second one applied on top or the firS1 coat applied o\"cr bare plastic with rhc second bUlIing LIp aeros~ all Surf.1CCS? As regards edges and masking, one secs both applied - see lhe images accompanying this chapter for det;lils of how to create both. Doth Iypes of spraylxl edge will he e\·idem in reference pholOS and copying what is there will give good results: some areas, particularl~ those in shadow under the tailpl:aoc arc impos..sible to chock should a single monochrome photo be all thai is a\-ailable. In Ihat ins-rancc all the modeler CJn do islO follow directiH'Sand paint cham that expbin ho\\ paim paltems wcre generally applied 10 Ihe Iype in question.

CANOPY FRAMES AND MASKING Commercial companies ha\"e only recently appreciated thaI a markct niche cxists for carefully tailored, self-adhesivc masks, hut having identified it they arc bcm!;: offered in rapidly increasing numbers. Designed fi.Jr use with specific aircraft types they arc aV:lilnblc

LEFT Panel line~ on the P-39D were roughly over-sprayed using black acrylic paint. It is not necessary to be very precise at this stage.

SPECIAl TECHNIQUES

101

this "instant canopy frame" method can he effective. It can certainly remove lhe hassle from what rcmams onc of the most difficult tasks 111 model making. The one drawback is getting adheSive strips to adhere well. O\'er time they ,Yill haye a tendency to dry out to the point of lifting off, so an adhesive suitable for such a job should be used, but very sparingly.

WHEELS

ABOVE Next, the top colors are next painted between the panel lines, resulting in a stark contrasL The top color was then over-sprayed in multiple light coats until the dark panel lines were barely visible. In the case of the P-39D, the white tail and leading edge markings were sprayed before the main camouflage colors.

from companies such as ."vieteor Productions Inc. of .i\lerrifield that has numerous subjects in the Black 1hgic range, while Eduard of the Czech Republic markets Express .\hsk. These products serye to highlight one of the most demanding tasks in completing a model aircraft to a reasonably high standard. Ensuring that the windscreen and cockpit c-anopy framework is painted well can be the stuff of nightrnares as there arc few areas that will make or break an otherwise attractive finish. Not only docs the shape of the cockpit framing have to be spot-on, all the lines have to be dead straight. Shaky lines arc yery quickly noticed, unfortunately. There arc various ways around this problem if the hand holding a loaded brush ll1sists on deviating from an extremely narrow frame line. Pre-masking and spraying the canopy framework is a reliable method although much depends on how well defined these strips arc (sec the images on page 98.) Even slightly raised frame lines can be difficult as what you are actually doing IS painting a strip with ('hree sides. Rubbing the framework down IS sometimes an option, prOVll1g that masking those panels that should be kept free of paint reduces the risk of scratching the elear areas. A further method is the application of strips of adhesive tape. Pre-painted, these StripS may be cut very finely indeed; providing that the resuh docs not have an oyer-scale appearance,

102 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING MASTERCLASS

11 is only comparatively recently lhal manufacturers haye ineluded treads on Ihe lires of fighter kits, the bald variety having long been the norm. fortunately there are kits that supply two sets of wheels, in flattened-under-load form and completely round. Such spares arc valuable as treaded tires will considerably en hance an older kit. The patterns varied from type to lype, so check your references. Wheels arc most easily painted when lhe hole in the hub is impaled on a round carrier such as a wooden or plastic cocktail stick. Suitably supported, bald tires can also be worked on to create convincll1g tread patterns in paint or small cuts, worn effects and "creep marks" which arc often yisible in vcry clear photos. Separate hubs might need some anchorage points for hydraulic lines and there is of course a need to paint the spokes of "open" wheels. Hub cover plates over the wheel centers of American fighters commonly sported some form of decoration, in the form of stars, various designs in several colors or mllliature insignia. In addition, more than a few added 10 numbers for ground recognition on the flight line. Should the kit decal sheet not run to these items the modeler may wish to add them, either by hand or after a delve through the spare decal file. Wheel cover plates - or the lack of them - is a sizeable subject on its own. Among the questions one can invariably ask IS - were they always supplied with a given fighter type, irrespeeti\T of sub-type? If they were left ofl~ was this usually because the presence of mud could accumulate dangerously and affect braking? Or were plates generally dropped on some sub-types later in the war, as photos would appear to indicate? I'm afraid I don't have the answers, either! Kit wheels that traditionally were completely round until comparatively recently can be given flats by using a domestic iron. Heat the appliance just to the point where plastic will soften and place a suitable cushion between the surface and the model's wheels. I find that the

LEFT Eduard's P-39 kits include self-adhesive canopy masks. These grealty simplify the task of masking the canopy. bUI some care was required as the adhesive is nO[ particularly strong.The edges of the masks were bumished with the end of a toothpick before spraying to avoid painl bleeding under the self-adhesive material.The white wi and wing leading edges were also ffia.:lked at this stage,

tissue provided as kit d(.-c:ll prot:l,."Ction is ideal for Ihis purpose. Stand the model on the iron's surface, nlaking sure that it is level. Gentle pressure will soon nallen the bonom of the tires. 'Vith a large kit that \\'on', thrl,."e-point on the iron, the appliam;e will have to be held level with a table or other surface to ensure that the tailor nosewhcel is nattened in equal degrees. Etjually, thc whcels can be n:lltened separately but if they're not :lll':Lched to their oleos there is the risk that the nalS will be uneven. In rCbrard to wheels and lires, it is well worth the time to check that what comes in the kit bears a close n:semblance to the real thing. l-listoric:.Illy kit wht."els were often too thin in cross section :md some fighters, notably the P--IO, had wheels that appear almost disproportionatel~· large. Some digging in the spares box will be necessary to come up with Ihe righl size if you feel Ihat the kit wheels need 10 be changl,.'d.

GUNS As onc of Ihe major componenlS in plaslic kils of milifllry airCT:lft, repliC2 guns require special treatment. Thc~' should of course not look the same as tires or propeller blades, the other two "black" areas of wartime airplanes.. Kit paint instructions would ha\·e you belien' otherwise, offering as Ihey do litlle in Ihe way of guidance_

A coat of mati blue/black is indeed necessary but only as a starting point. Many kit machine guns arc molded convincingly with enough engraved uetail :.Ind require onl}' a "metallic" look to cnhant:e their authenticity. Paints formulated to h:.lve a metaU\(; look arc useful but dun't overlook another method of imparting this effc(;t to paintwork which is about as simple as it gets. Graphite frolll I'he humblt, pencil, rubbed on with a finger or tissue, is a remarbbly effeClivc we:l\hcring device. IJeneils arc a surprisingly useful and perhaps overlookl,.-u model aid. Sha\'ed off lead (any soft grade from HB to 61l can be used) is simply applil,.-tl to black-pamted guns to impart a rc:llistic gun metal sheen to the surface of lhe barrd jacket and breech block. It is also easy to pencil directly onto the surface of lhe plastic to add deplh 10 the sheen. The gTaphite method can also be used to enhance daTi: engine paTtS, particularl~ radial cylindeTs and to an eXlcm on silver surfaces to create a daTi: weathering efTect. As gr:J.phite is VeT} smooth, a touch of it added to a plaslic propeller boss will enable the blades to LUm more casil). I also use a pencil to pick out areas of \\hct:l \\ells lhat ha\'e engra\ed hydraulic and e1ectncallines.. At the opposile end of the \\·ealhering spectrum, while chalk can be employed to lighlen dark paim surfaces.

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES 103

1c!>S common typc with a ~ond additional br.lCe angled to impart strength. It appears that most rcar-\'icw mirrors fitted to US fighters in Europe continued to lv"Omc from local sources, bur there were Ameril
BASEBOARDS & DISPLAYS A30VE The camouflage colors. Olive Drab and Neutral Gray. were sourced from the Polly Scale acrylic range. These colors were applied using the S
MIRRORS Rear-\'iew mirrors are among the areas where fighler models might be improved. Most t~ pes had them to a greater or lesser degree, but they were particularly popular on ;\Iustangs. lon<.:e nOled Ihat Sth Air Force P-Sl rue and I) models had at least 25 different mirror mountings, both on the windscrccn rramc\\orl.: :ll1d the sliding canopy. ;\1any of the mirrors sccn on USAA F air<.:raft in England were originally manufactun..'d for Spitfirlv'"S and Hurricanes and their mountings I'aricd hom a sclf-supportingsingle stem and the

RIGHT Individual panels on the P-39D were oudined with Tamiya masking tape in prepar.ttion for the application of altemate shades of Olive Drab.The base color was lightened with a few drops of Polly Scale US Desert Sa.nd.The fabric-eoated ailerons n!Cei~ an ev\1n paler shade of Olive Drab. as these surfaces faded dramatically in service.

104 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY fIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERClASS

The widespread :Jdoption of baseboards for indi\idual model.. enables interesting infomlation about the subject to be presented "at a glance." Ucpending on what need.. 10 be included here, the modeler can !>oi\'e his im:Jgination a free rein by rcnd<..';ng the badge of the JXIrent Wlit the model in qucstion belonged to, adding a photo of the full-size aircraft and perhaps, brief written data on thl.: pilot(s) who fkw it in rumba!. For rumpetition entries, sollle IX'ople prefer to pro\'ide notes on thl.: model and llK'tltion any colwcrsion work thl.:y hare carried OUl, although such data can be presented on a separatc card if the organizers prefer it,

LEFT With the masking t3J>e removed, the patchy finish on the P-39D Cln be seen.The Clnopy was IlUSke
gloss (oa[ and decals"

A b:Ise can, altt."ITlan\"c1y, be just thaI if you inlerprcl the wonl as a fighlCr disJX'rsal area. Much depends on the scale of the kil s1:lnding on il and whal else )'ou intend to display, Threcdimensional items such as oil drums arc minimalist accessorit.os bur if the base area is larger, a fuel bowser or othcr \'chicles may be included. Placing the aircraft itself on pierced steel planking is always eflcctivc :md:l number of m~1nufaeturers have in th.: past offered flexible shcet~ of PSP in \'arious st':lles that need to be attached 10 a firm b:Isc boord. One I've used was an American product called Sca.legr.lIe which, as it incorporates a few tears and indicalion of repair, makes a \"ery authenlie front-line basebo:t.rd. Eduard market bases in ri~rid plastic wilh the PSP effect forming the surface upon which the model srands- Oribrinally available in 265mm by 164mm size, suitable for a single-engine fighter up to 1/4-S scale, the range has since been c.xtendcd to include bases double that size. Very widely used on the often rough fronl-line airfields employed by USAAF fighler groups, this handy, instant runway material sets off a well-made model arguably better than any other if a realistic, as opposed to an artistic, setting is required. As should be obvious frum thc above, a dear di\"ision exists octll(:en a realistic and a designed

base, both of which arc a step up from plain antS The Iattcr may well be the modeler's choice for the quite understandable reason that, having slaved O\'cr the model, the urge to put the same dedication into a base is not ncarly so strong! Fortunately, plain bases, particularly thM( canoed from fint.'-grained w()()(], look atlraeti\'e enough and to some eyes, do not detract in any way (rom the model itself. That's also a valid point and one that the modeler who wishes his work not 10 be Judgt.-d a!> a diorama will have to consider i( he is building for compel ilion display. The problem is that m<xlem model competitions fcarurc so many bases that models placed dircctly onto the displa) table arc !>urting to look as though they ha'"e something missing There arc numerous alrcmati\-c types of baseboard that need nOI be \"Cry rime oon.<;uming to crc:ttc. Simply cutting up and pa!>"ting dOlI"l1 a wcU rendered piece of 00" art and/or the l;il in!>truction sheet on stiff card to your 0\1"11 design c:m work welt Almost an)' rigid surface Ihat will support a model e:tn suffit.-c, including mirror tiles which can be butted together to form as large an area as necessary to show ofT any addition:.l detail added to the model's lm'"cr surf.1er..-s. This alfID safeguards agaimt anyone pil,;king the model up to check if the undersides have been finished correctly :ll1d possihly causing damage.

SPKlAL TECHNIQUES

105

AIRFiElD VEHICLES Fuel bows.ers have already been touched upon but the range of airfield \'ehicles as injectionmolded kit suitable for display with AAF fighter models is not exactly vast. In 1/72 scale the Haseg:Jwa J\'lini Box range of tanks and military vehides included a six-wheel G;\'IC CCKW-353 Gasoline Tank Truck, complete with a 5ith Fighter Group P-47 on the box lOp. This kit, which ran to a two-man crew but nOI a flexible fuel hose, was nicely detailed for the scale although such items as wire mesh guards

ABOVE and RIGHT Additional

weathering included highlighting of panel lines with a thin wash of black oil paint applied directly to the recessed lines. Finally. exhaust stains and oil streaks were added using a thin mix of Tamiya flat Black and Red Brown.The dramatic pattern of

streaks and stains on the lower fuselage was carefully copied

from a photograph or a wartime P-39D on page 17 of Bert Kinzey's

P-J9 Airacobra In [k'ni/'

106 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERClASS

on lights always need replacing on military vehicle kits, irrespe<:live of lhe SC:tle. Several Olher items in the Hasegawa range, including a Wilys Jeep, a smaller size bowser and twO differenl trucks, \\ere all inl,ended for or could be adapled 10, aircraft dioramas. As is well known, the build-up of the 81h Air Force in Brilain was glven much mtlliria supporl by the Brilish before L."S equipment was shipped o\'er the Allanlic. Therefore model items such as the Airfix RA F Reco\'ery Set, consisting of a Bedford OX tractor unil for a Queen Mary trailer and a Coles Mk 7 crane on a Thomycrofl Amazon chassis, can also be adapted for an American airfield scene. The same applies 10 the Airfix RAP Emergency ScI. This comprised a pair of vehicles, the K.2 ambulance and Ihe K.6 crash l'ender, both on Austin chassis. In regard 10 figures, Airfix put oul several 1/72 (HOIOO) scale airerew selS including "USAAP Personnel" which offered "-+6 pieces making 38 assemblies," 10 quote lhe box I'Op. The eXira pieces consiSI'ed of a single 500 lb bomb and a one-man jack ITolley. An excellent photo of this device in use at a P-+7 base appears on page 111 of Roger Freeman's book The fighl for the SJ..ies published by Arms and A mour Press. I ha\'e not come across a great many airfield \'ehicles since the above kits were first relcasc:.:d in lhe 19705 but must also admit to not looking out for new addit'ions to any great extent' either, so I may be a little Out of date as to what' is currently avaih\ble. 1 do know that some extra work is necessary if I he modeler wishes to anach the fuel

•

•

lines from the bowser to the aircraft and rhu such a scene almost l.'Crtainly demands the inclusion of a figure or t .....o, as ground crew .....e re hardly in the habit of dCpw'ting for a smoke and leaving a few hundred g:1l1ons of high octane gasoline TO pump into the wing and/or fuselage tanks on their own! In 1/+8 scale the airfield support vehicle picture has not been quite so rosy as manufacturers long ago adopted 1/35 as the st'anclard scale for the larger military ,'chicle kit. While certain itcm~ in this scale are aclaprable to aircraft in 1/32 scalc, vchicles suil'ahle {or display with 1/48-scalc aircraft have been somewhat neglected, as least as far as [he mainstr~m manufacturers arc concerned. I n partial response to this dearth, _'\-lanagram included a Clctrac tracror in their R-24 l.iberat'Or kit and this, despite a molding that was a lillie "chunky" and dct:lil that was on the basic side, was a vcry welcome extra. For a baseboard display a fighler can be hooked up to the Cletrac \-ia lOW bars fixed to the landing gear oleos - once again, do eh<..'Ck the references ro see exactly where these fitted on different aircraft Inx:s. As it comes, the Getme has "solid" sidewalls bctw<..'Cn the tracks, lacks windscreen glass and any hint that the vehicle was equipped with a soft-top canvas hood - a vital extra for English and Italian winters. All I hese details and others, ean be added wilhout difficulty to the J\'lonogram kit although references will also indicate that Cletracs opcrarcd with the windscreen folded flat. As a companion to the 13-24 tractor, the .\'lonogram B-17G mcluded a flatbed bomb lrailer. No motive power was actually provided in

the kit bUI lhis lrailer \\0"":15 commonly hooked up [() a Cletrac or a trud. for moving Out 10 lhe flighl line. Most commonly photographed on bomber b3ses., thesc important vehicles are equally adaptable to a fighter scene where they carried oxygen bonles as well as bombs, rockers and ammunition boxes. References ro vehicles diroctly as..'IDCiated with the operation of USA.A}~ fighters arc not, to my knowledge, tOO thick on the ground although all encompassing references such as the M(ghty Eighth H-ar Manual docs include some basic details and no less than 17 photOgraphs in the chapter entitled Ground Support Equipment. Obviously majoring on

ABOVE Now we come to creating post-shaded we
SPECIAL TECHNIQUES

107

•

RIGHT The disruptive camouflage on desert P.40s had a hard edge. In order to replicate this edge, Blu·Tac.k was rolled into thin sausages and gently applied to the surface in the shape of the camouflage p,anern. Polly Scale Dark Earth was then sprayed inside the Blu-Tack bon:ler, resulting in a herd edge with the tiniest hint of narrow overspray.

materiel supplied to me 8th Air 1-oree in lhe L'K from both British and American sources, this refcrcnce e:>:tends to ambulances, wreckers, mobile cranes and runway control vchicles and trailers, the latter dccked out with a distinctive bbck and white chcckcrboard finish for high visibility out on airfields. Some general guides to military \·ehicles of World War 2 such as the Obun:u's Fithti"K '~hi&s Di,retory published by Warne, include airfield equipment. .\1y aging cdition has pro\'ed quile useful in this rcspect and although morc modern titles appertaining 10 Ihe subject have no doubt appeared recenlly. Numerous vehicles will be observed within the pages of general fighter group histories; SO wilh a diorama in mind, now is the time to go o\'er them again and take a second look at the \'ehicles \-OU ma~ ha\·c missed the first time around. As a last word on this aspect of aircrafl modeling it is nOt wise lO assume that fighter units III other ,heaters of war were supplied wilh vehicles and so on to the extent that the European-based air forces were. In the em, for example, a heat-up Chinese truck or an ox cart might be more appropriate lhan a CUSIOOlbuih trailer for carrying bombs, the units based thcre being silUatOO at the end of yery long supply lines.

THEMES With the amI of branching out into aircraft color schemes th.n arc that little bit different, individual mooclers often pool [heir work into a group project with a common theme. The

108 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MOOEUNG MASTERClASS

IPMS Special Interest Groups - SlGs - ha\'e spurred this approach to modeling and the results of combining the resources of small or large groups of modelers can be seen 10 advantage at numerous shows. The internet has undoubtedly assisted this coming togelher of the SIGs. In fact many themes suggest themselves lO models of Americ;m fightcrs. They might include aircraft flown by the aces, different aircraft us,,:d by the samc squadron or group, depicting the c,·cr-popular black and \\hitc stripes applied for D-Day in Europe or the invasion of the Philippines and the famous sharkmOUlh marking, carried at various limes in different war theatcrs, by all first-line L'S fightcr typi.:S. Simple, ,,:ommon themc:s might include thc u.<;e of stripes and/or checkers as unit markings; thc eyer popular ladies in various stages of undr(."Ss; aircraft decoratcd with the namcs of thc (.'::I1'Ioon characters made famous by Al Capp, Walt Disney and others - e\'cn aircraft wilh the same nicknamc might appeal 10 some groups of modelers. Characters from comic strips, moyie and song titles provided the warlime US sen-iceman with a wide range of inspir:lIion when it camc to naming combat aircraft. l\'ot all names arc readily traceable to thcir source howeyer and a worJ.:ing knQ\\ k"
i

• LEFT The arial wires were

attached to the model prior to painting. eliminating the risk of spoiling the paint job with smudges of superglue. Patches of Olive Drab were also added on the assumption tha[ the RAF fin flash and starboard side wing markings would have been painted out. later advice suggested that these aircraft probably never canied the RAF wing markings. so lhe Olive Drab circle waJi lightly sanded and repainted with the camouflage colon.

I

•

.,

•

P-5IA of the 1st Air Commando Group is well enough known and an id(.-al choICe. With enginc CXh3USt stretching O\'cr half the length of the fuselage, this example offers one of the best weathering subjects anpvhcrc. Along similar (herned lines arc 3lfcraft painttxl up specially to mark a mil~1:onc such as the 15,OOOth P....ON with all the customer national insib'TIia. Enough "round the dock" halftone and color pholos have been published for such a model to be l,;omplctcd with satisfymg accuracy, using the Create 301 kit. Modeling commemorative aircraft need not stuI' there as dozens of P-47s sported similar markings to record milestones in production and those denoting their purchase thruugh war bond dri\'(,~. Most well known of all in this category perhaps is the P-3SJ painted in o,'erall bright red with the wording "Yippee" under the win6'S. The differem:e here of t"()un;c is that the Thunderbolts saw action while the others did not. Them~ can naturally extend to an attrat'tiye display base for the finisbt-d model. A plam sheet of clear plastic will prott"(.'t photobrraphs of the full-size aircraft, a portrnit of the famous pilot(s) who flew it, artwork profiles of aircraft of the same unit, or an original urut badb'C in the form of a cloth patch or a dcctl; these arc jus't some idca.....

BUILD A BONEYARD

•

•

ThroughoUT the foregoing te:\:( [here has at lea.<;t been the implication that after a fcw years at the hobby a modcler will hayc acqwrcd a goodly range of sp:ue parts_ This Illight come

about in a number of ways not least \·ia the younger gencration. To be brutally realistic about plastic modeling, it is oftcn only a passing phase of growing up; youngsters will just as soon throw a kit together for the sole purpose of blowing it to bits on Guy Fawkes night or speed its partial demise in some other dire way. Such a fate may be anathema to the more mature modeler bUT he or she t-an bl:nl:fit from this vandalism by collecting thl: \cft over bits and removing them to a safe plal:e on the grounds of dearing up. Few parents will complain once the wrecker of kiTS has discovered a range of lllternative interests, from computer games to - well, you name it! The llOarding modeler with a few young relatives can therefore soon be inundated with a mass - evcn a mess - of truncated winb'S and fusclagL"S, "'heels, props and what have you_ Somc parts indeed come in handy for conversion work but mOSt of the larger items tend to languish in the spares box incvitably to be jomed by thc ICftovers from thc modeler's own kit bashing efforts_ As thc years pass, the thrce P-5Is, four 1'-40s and tWO 1'-38s (any combination of numbers is applit-ablc to some of us) which were once the IatCSt thing but which you nc\·cr gOt around 10 completing, arc rt"Tldcred morc or less obSOletC b~ ne.....cr. morc accuratc kirs. Dcep down, )OU knO\\ you'll nc\-cr build thesc oldcr ones nO\\'. Do thcy have any USC! If thc major componcntS havc been scpanted from Ihc sprues, or you ha\·c oo.-.es full of pre\-iously paintc:.'tIl..its noo· broktll down for easy stonge (on the grounds that onc da) they might lx: usc:.'tI ag:ain), thc~ ccnainl) do_

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES

109

.. RIGHT Post-shading commenced with il thin wash of black oil paint precisely applied to the recessed panel lines.

One method lli to s!:3ck all the wings and fuselages together on a baseboard, put all the wheds in a separate heap, along with the spinners, cockpit canopies., drop tanks and so on, and you have an instant comer of a scrap yartl in the making. Take a baseboard in the size required, run a section of fence in any material preferred from card to metal around IwO sides of il and simply arrange the model pans on lhe base and againsl the fence. Chances are some of the winbTS and fusclage~ will have old paint and decals still in place - so much the beuer, a.s they ""ill pro,,'ide a lout:h of variety. It goes without saying thai models to any scale may be used for a boneyard scene :l1though surplus IIn-scale kits mUSI be the most economical - :md probably the mOSI numerous. II is perfeedy pos.<;ible, of course, to super detail such a diorama in mueh the same way as any other; bUI the heauty of the basit: st:rap heap is lhat with some judicious placement, you can get away with lhe minimum of gluing and painling. It docs help if you ha"'e a number of examples of the one aircraft type as, tidy to the end, the military tcnded, at lea'" in the US. to park similar aircraft l)'pcs together while they awaited their fate. Poor surface detail or any OUlline inaccuracies of the parts can be all but be hidden by carefully t:Olnposing the scene; wings stacked on their edge do nOI re,,-cal much and neither do fuselages if they are tightly packed together in a line. Paint may be dabbed on the lcading or lnliling edges of the wings that are most visible to enhance the

110 WORLD WAR 2 US MM,Y FIGHTER MOOEUf\K; MASTERCLASS

efrecl and where appropriate, the L;S narional msignia may be overpamted and depicted as a solid shape. Color photos show lhe shade used to have been rust red in one inSl'ance but there were others. If you do tackle such a proj<:cr, don', o,,-erlook lhat box of old. briule decals [hat are not likely be applied ',a any current model. Cut them up and apply where appropri:ue to lhose area.<; of the scrap wings and fuselages thar may be seen. The modeler can tailor such a display to taste. A P-40 for example, placed in front of the stacked airframe P:lrts on its gear kgs with ilS windscreen in place, will set the scenc well enough and provide a focus. Ahemari,,-cl}; the Pacific island "hole in the ground" l)'pc of scrap scene, will1 P-38s and P-6Is (some with drop tanks still attached) shoycd on lOP of truncated bomber parts, might be a more amhitious project for some people. The referenu.'S are full of these sad but nCttSSar)' scenes of 1945 as Ihe Allics systematically scrapped the largcsr air forces the world had e'!·er SCCI"I. Aircraft disposal came into three broad categories: firstly, those where the scrapping of surplus but complet e airframes took place, mainly in the US; secondly there were the locations where airuaft were stripped of milit.lry equipment and put up for sale; and thirdly were those areas - mainly o"'-crseas where combat damaged aircraft caresses were simply abandoned. A sub-·cuegory might be the "active" wartime sLTap yard from whieh

.

l

LEFT Once chis seep was (ompleee, a very chin mix of Flat Black and Red Brown was sprayed over the panel lines. In (ommon with the pre-shading technique, a subde finish is the objective_

f

airframes were cannibalized for spares [0 keep other airCT::aft n)·ing. In modeling terms, each type of dump rC
airframe damage from shot and shell, a wheclsup landing and so forrh. Missing panels, bem propeller blades and some cutting away of the airframe to reveal the structure underneath,

arc all areas the skilled modeler can raclde to make such a scene that much more realistic. This IS where those saved pieces of flash can come in handy as the thin plastic makes ideal damaged panels. Finally, the references contain numerous scenes of ain;raft being readied for the smelter. In the US tht:sc machines were stripped of engines, tifL'S, props and so forth and were stacked prior to disposal in a much more organized manner.

LEFT Kit dee.:als were added at chis stl.ge.

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES

111

RIGHT Exhaust stains were applied to the fuselage sides using the same thin black-brown mix as the panel lines. A chalky stn:'ak. using a mix ofTamiya Buff and Flat Base. was streaked on tOp of this stain.

Amcrican master modeler Shepherd Painc is a master of this sort of presentation, and has based many of his creations on .\lonogram kits. An abandoned and vandalized B-25 !\,Iitchell came as part of the paeka6'"C in the original 1/ ~8­ scale kit. There was also a ditching scene with the TBO De\-a.scltor kit - these and a whole range of other ideas arc rcadil~ ad:Iptablc lO fighlers. Shep published a book, HoII' to Build DiomllloJ in 1980, an A.f format paperback crammed with idcas including an :lmazing H-26 .r...'laraudcr production line. Such an ambitiOlls and innovalive modeling project will appc·JI lO many, with the ad'-aI1tage of some spaee saving if adapted to reproducing part of a factor~.. ruming OUl sing:lc-cnginc fighters. A further \'ariatioll on this thcme is an arming area. By placing a P--+7 next to a stack of bombs and :'<.'1-10 rocket launchers you I,;an :dso reduce your stocL.s of plastic ordnance, which proliferates \\;th c'·ery kit }OU buy the'>C days. A Iasl thoughl ~ if you arc a YOr.Il,.;OUS modeler who uses many spares, leave the boneyard scenes intact on the shelf, so at least ~'ou can see at a glance how many props, I' hl,.'C!s or canopies you acrually na\'c withom the nec.'1l 10 son through len different slOragC boxcs!

WHERE TO STORE THEM? Finally, there is the e,·er present problem of sioring models once mey MXC been complcH.'d, and unless you !i1·C in a com·encd Zeppelin shl,.-d you'll soon find thal space is at a premium. Dust

112 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

very quickly settles on the surface of a plastic model .... hieh iL~e1f just sils Ihere, c::lling into an area that you really need for yCI another reference book - or indeed another model. I can', sugges' a rl'ady an5\\Tr apan from Ihe none~loo-s;ltisf;lctory rcmedy of hanging models from the ceiling. Up therc they will g:::J.lhcr dusl faster Ihan almost anywhere else and short of repading them into bo.XC5., wilh some risk of breaking off the smaller more delicate pa.rrs, this remains a challcnge proponionare to the amount of available space. Friends of mine have wisely buill display cabinets that away, a ,-isi, '0 your local wine merchant might yield a number of wooden boxes. These come complete with supporting inserts 10 hold Ihe neck of the bollies firml~. A box intended for a couple ofbonics will aaual!) hold a 1/4S--scalc P-t7 or P~51 nicely with room to spare for additional cushioning: lTL,1lcrial such as bubblewrap. 1\ further model storage idea is a box with a transparent lid. I.arge enough to housc a 1/32 scale P-51 with il.'> .... hl,.ocls down, these boxes are a bit flimsy and it is am-L<;:able to remO"e the propeller. BUl a well~fining sec-through lOp of this type docs keep out the dust :md pre\'cnts the model from being completely hidden from view. A sort of bonus herc is that if the mood is unfinished bm 'isible you can always nag yourself into completing it some day soon. I have in the paSI built a floor-to-ccilillg sla<.:king unit so ,nal you have a number of

LEFT A final coat of Polly Scale acrylidfln finished off this

"""Ott

sheh'cs available. Mcasun.-d on the size of the baseboard for the largest kit you han:. Ihesc will then serve as a useful resting place for smaller kits, and a number of completed models and/or boxcs can be accommodated. Many stores now sell modular shelf uniL~ dcsi!."Iled to squeeze inlo the smallCSI possible space, and these arc well worth invcstigaling £0 meet your personal n..·quirements. Most practic:ll of all are glassfronted C:lbinets, eurbo:mls or model display 1,;:lS<-'S which allow the models 1'0 be secn and which inhibit the ingress of the dn..-aded dust. If your living room runs to a large coffee table this might be adapted to take an enclosed shclf unit for models, \·iewed through a gl:lss top.

It is howcver a sad fact tbat many of thc models made up do eventually fall into disrepair through lack of safc storage space and although all thc pieces that come adrift are dutifully kept, lhcrc is some inbuilt resistance to refurbishing if the choice is between taking the time to do Ihe necessary remedial work all O\'cr again. or tackling a new kiL Garden shed or garage storage of models is another possibility but in Ihcse locations, absolute frcedom from damp cannol always be guaranteed, with a consequent detrimental effeel on the dCl-als and maybe cven the paint finish_ Ovcrtime some dl-cals will yellow, erack and peel off - apart that is from those you ma~ ·want to remove to refurbish a kit that may no longer be available.

If you do ha"e to rl'Sign yourself to storage which risks brcakage, it is a good idea to photograph each model as you complete it. Th:u way even if il plunges to the floor thc next time you artempt to find something in the stack of boxes underneath it, at least you witi ha\·e a record of the way it used to 1001.:. A 1:l!t1: resort ahernati\"C to your m\TI !>1:orage is to present built up modeL~ 10 a local history or war museum, if one exists with spacc a\~li[ablc. There are numerous small establishments sueh as control tmn~r museum." adjacent to historie airfields. Oflcn run on a shoestring. such locations mar be glad of some additional display items, especially if your model subjttts arc relcvant to the units that wcrc once based On the airfield in qucstion. It may only take a phone call or an e-m2i1 to eheck.

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES

113

-==,;,;,;.;.-------

Table 2: USAAF ordnance colors Bombs (various weights md ty'pes including HE general purpose, light cese, TNT or Amatcl filled, armor-piercing end semi-crmor piercing md fragmentation) GP or Le, Tritonal Hed

05in. yellow oond betvveen tvvo 1in banes on nose and tail "IMF tail bse gear and locking nut on extreme nose, usually contrasted by yelbN spot on extreme rorward flat erea common to all bombs.

120 Ib 1v",-41 fragmentation

yellow nose rings; clive drab body and fins; black stencihtyle

bCllb

wording

Photoflash combs

Gray, no oands; block markings

4.5in. M-l 0 rocke- launcher tubes

dark green/clive drab exterior with red inte-ior

M·B prolectile

olive drab body; yellow head

4.5in. HVAR

clive drab head, steel body and fins

L..5in. HVAR

half yello'vvjholf NMF head and Wy on shaped charge type; steel body and fins

4,5in, HVAR

red nose, white body, red fins (practice round)

•

,

•

Table 3: Drop~tank colors Early metallteordrop-shapedl 75 gal. drop tenks painted to metch underside color of aircraft

usually neutral grey or I~ght gray: some ir'l clive drab

Im;JregnmoD paper tanks (108 gol caoacity)

NMF [silver doped) with tvva red bands on center section

N''€ral Isteell tanks [108 gel I

light grey with two red oonds; some in derk olive

•

drab Elongo'ed teardrop (150--165 gal.) ~ommor'lly carried by P-38 and P-47N

.NMF 0' painted to match aircrcft finish, P::lfticularly Slack on night fighters

All tank riler caps

,ed \

,

114 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING tv\ASTERCLASS

THE GALLERY

LEFT Lockheed P-38 Ughtning. model by Chris Wauchop. This is Haseg;rNas IH8-scale P-38J Ughming kiL The pdIlel lines and

surface detail are well rendered on this model. It also portrays the graceful lines of this twinboomed fighter beautifully.

However. the kit is best suited to experienced modelers due to the alignment chaJlenges

presented by the architecture of the aircraft. and the relatively complex kit engineering preented by Hasegawa.

LEFT The P-38 was originally

built by anocher modeler and reconditioned by Chris. He left the existing decals in place and actually airbrushed around them. The model was repainted using Gunze acrylic paints in a

Testor Aztek airbrush.

LEFT This model features impressive wealhering of its Olive Drab and Neutral Gray finish. Panel lines have been over-sprayed with a thin mix of

black and brown, then the recessed lines have been further highlighted with a thin acrylic wash. Paint damage and chips were created using Tamiya Silver ellafTlel paint ~pfied with a fine brush.

THE GAllERY

115

RIGHT This overhead view highlighu the patchy finish, which is typical of wartime Olive Drab paint on USAAF fighters in the Pacific and in Europe. The tOP canopy section was replaced with the equivalent section from a Falcon vacuform canopy set.A pilot was also added to the interio... of the model. Nylon monofilament (invisible mending thread) was used for the aerial wire.

RJGHT The exhaust from the supen::ha...ger is a chalky gray/un colo....Tamiya Buff, a little White and some Flat Base were mixed to achieve this convincing effect. Paint damage on the wing walkway beside the cockpit can also be seen in this view.

116 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY F1Gl-lTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

TOP Curtiss P-40E, model by Brett Green. This is AMtech's 1/48-scale P-40Warhawk.The cockpit in the kit is a little bare so a True Details resin cockpit was added.This set was actually designed for the Mauve P-40N. but it was eventually persuaded to fit in the AMtech fuselage with a little help from a razor saw and sanding stick. MIDDLE The side view shows off the distinctive deep chin intake, the additional intake on top of the cowling. the framed canopy and the original short tail. BODOM The model was finished with one of AMtech's high quality decal options supplied with the kit.The paint finish is fascinating. The basic camouflage colors are Dark Earth and Dark Green, but large patches have been over-painted in a darker color - possibly fresh Olive Drab. The shark's mouth and the irreverent character on the tail lend even more interest to this subject. The disruptive color scheme was painted with the assistance of Black Magic self-adhesive camouflage masks. The set I used was actually intended for a P-40B Tomahawk but the pattern was similar and it was a simple matter to adapt the masks to the different contours of this later version.A combination of Gunze and Polly Scale paints were used.The Olive Drab patches were spr
THE GALLERY

117

RIGHT P.....ON Warhawk. model by Darren MoW
RJGHT The True Details resin cockpit was added to this kit. True Deuils' cockpit is inexpensive and quite nicely detailed - an excellent replacement for the basic kit cockpit.True Deuils resin W'heels were also used.

RIGHT Mauve's ?-40 was painted with AeroMaster enamels. Although the same markings are included in the kit, SuperScale decals were employed for this project. In faet, twO sets of the parrot's hud were applied to guarantee complete opacity of the bright colors.

118 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUf\K:; MASTERCLASS

LEFT RepubliC P-47D Thunderbolt, model by Darren Mottram.Academy's 1/48-scale P-47D kit was released around the same time as Hasegawa's offering. Apart from some questions about the shape of the canopy it is a very nice kit with a straightforward fit. The shape of the model is accurate too.

LEFT Construction presented no problems and the model was completed almost without modification. The only addition was an extra rib added inside each side of the wheelwell to cover a kit join-line. The kit cockpit was also used straight from the box.

LEFT Some British-based P-47s used stocks of RAF paints to camouflage their aircraft. Although it is at odds with the instructions, the box art depicts a Thunderbolt finished in RAF Dark Green and RAF Sky with a Neutral Gray fuel tank. The box art served as the inspiration for the paint job. Xtracolour enamels were used for the RAF colors. Weathering comprised Tamiya Smoke being sprayed along the panel lines for subtle highlighting. Kit decals were used for the most part. The exception was the impressively checkered nose.This was masked with individual squares ofTamiya masking tape and sprayed!

THE GALLERY

119

RIGHT Republic P-47N Thunderbolt, model by Mick Evans.Academy's 1/48-scale P-47N Thunderbolt represents the final production version of this bulky USAAF fighter aircraft. Academy's kit was released around the same time ;as the ProModeler kit. The Academy kit feaw~ superior surface detail and less troublesome fit than its ProModeler counterpart.

RIGHT Academy's 1/48-scale P-47N supplies a generous allowance of stores including bombs, rockets and drop tanks. Much of this ordnance can be seen fitted to the model.

RIGHT The model was built straight from the box. The natural metal finish was achieved using Testor's Metalizer But'fable A1uminum.Alternate shades were also obtained on randomly selected panels by mixing different MetaJizer shades, Decals were sourced from AeroM;a.ner.

120 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

J

LEFT North American P-S IA Mustang. model by Darren Mottram.The mid-1990s saw a flood of 1/48-scale P-S I Mustangs hit the market. ProModeler,Tamiya and Accurate Miniatures all released P·S IBlC kin within 12 monms of each other. However,Accurate Miniatures maintained an exclusive hold on the 1/48-sale Allison-powered Mustang variants. Accurate Miniatures released a P-SI,P-SIA,A-36 and an RAF Mustang Mk. I in 1/48 scale.

LEFT This is Accurate Miniatures' I{48-scale P-SIA kit, built straight from the box except for me canopy. which was sliced apart to fix in the OJ>en position.This extraordinary camouflage was referred to as the "dallie scheme," and also sometimes as "confusion camouflage." It was painted as an experimental measure in the United States during 1943.The Olive Drab paint was from the Xtracolour range. Black and white paints were Humbrol enamels.

LEFT To obtain this striking finish, the model was first sprayed white all over. The fuselage and lower wings were then completely coverl~
THE GAUERY

121

122 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

TOP LEFT North American P-51 B Mustang, by Chris Wauchop. Tamiya's 1/4a-scale P-51 B Mustang was released in 1995,and was an immediate hit with modelers. The kit includes drop tanks, bombs, and altemative exhausts.

TOP RIGHT The P-S I B was painted with Gunze acrylic paints in a Testor AnekA"70 airbrush. Weathering comprised the shading of pmellines, stains on panels and chipping of wing leading edges and fasteners. "Chipping" the paint was achieved using a sharp silver pendl.AeroHuter deals ~re used on this model. BOTIOM LEFT This Mustang was built straight from the box

except for the drop tanks. The open Glnopy is supplied as an optional assembly, with the open top molded to the starboard side of the canopy_ The fit of the flaps was so good that glue was not reqUired.

·,

BOTIOM RIGHT The only addition to the kit cockpit was

the pilot's harness, scratchbuilt from lead foil for the straps and fine wire for the buddes.This photo offers a fine view of Chris's wondertul weathering on the wing walk and fasteners .

•

mE GALLERY 123

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A - USEFUL ADDRESSES AND WEBSITES Amerie:ll1 Air Museum clo Imperial War i'v[useum Duxfonl CAM 115 em -l-QR

UK BELOW North American P-51 D Mustang, model by Mick Evans. Hasegawa's Jl48-scale P-51 D W,iS first released in 1991, hot on the heels of their ground breaking series of Messerschmitt Bf I09s.At the time of its relene. Hasegawa's Mustang W,iS the best-detailed and most iiuthentic P-51 available in iiny scale. Indeed, it was probably the best World 'Niir 2 Allied fighter model of its day. The kit fits together beautifully. with only a litde work reqUired under the nose. Markings for the 487th Fighter Squadron, 3S2d Fighter Group, were supplied as one of the three attractive marking options in the kit.

A"iation Usk

602 Pmnt St Box 97 Usk \VA 99180 USA .Model mail-onler house and publisher specializing in rare kits and publications worldwide.

The Amcritlln Air i\luseum in Britain acts as a

memorial to the 30,IXlO Americans who died £lying from the UK in World War 2, :lnd houses a collection of historic American eomoot aircraft. American Aviation Historical Society

Hannants Harbour I.{oad Ouhon Broad Lowestoft Suffolk i'\R32 3LZ

2333 Otis Street

UK

Santa Ana

Internationally renowned mail-()rder suppliers specializing in kits and accessories from around the world.

CA 9210+-3846 USA Excellent quarterly journal demte
Imperial War Museum Department of Photographs All Saint's Annexc Austral SI London SEI16SJ

UK

UK

Long-established book supplier carrying a fuJI range of literature including books, mudeling pcriodic;\ls, plans and photographs.

With a collection of seyeral million pnnts and negatives, the l\Vj\'l can supply numerous good quality aircraft images.

124 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERCLASS

International Plastic :'Hodclers Society-

WEBSITES

USA

Hypcrscale www.hyperscale.com 10ny .VI:t.t1cliano's Scale :Vlodelling Indc... www.scalcmodclindex.com International Plastic Modelers' Society (USA) www.lpmsusa.org Internalional Plastic Modelers' Society (UK) www.ipms.ul:.co.ul: Osprey I)ublishing www.ospreypublishing.com

!vlembcrship Seerelary e/o IPMS/USA PO Box H75 North Canton 011-liZ0--2-175

USA Annw.1 membership includes:J quarterly magazine arrying articles, news, re\'iews :Jnd web sites. Just Bases Mr P Thompson 21 Graham Road Paig-nwn Devon TQ,1 Inn

UK As the name implies, this firm makes and supplies finished bases and covered display e:Jscs including the glass-dome type for protection from dust. Koster Aero Enterprises 2S Glcnridge Drive Bedford l\'lA 01730

USA Suppliers of high qualilY vacuform and multi-media kiLS I)aragon Designs

39 Cantley Lane Norwich Norfolk NR-I 6'1'1\

UK Extensive range of resin "extras" for numerous kits in various scales.

, , •

US Air Foree Museum 1100 Spa:Jlz S1. \Vrighl-Pancrson A pn OIl -15-133 USA The USAF Museum is locatoo near Dayton, Ohio., and is the oldest and largesl mililar)' a\'iation ffilLscum in the world, Its exhibits include over 300 aircrafl and missiles. Verlinden Productions 811 Lone Star Drive (UK DmrihuJors: O'Fallon lIiSfore,r Agents i\'lO 63366 IVellingJo" HouS( USA 157 SlIarp,nJe Street D/Jver. Kmt, UKj Verlindcn's \\'ell established r:mgc of kit conversion sets and accessories includes many CSAAF suhjects: it also publishes a complementary series of modeling books.

APPENDIX B - SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY Archer, RD and Archer, ve; USAA F Aircraft Camo/lflage ant! Marhllgs 19-1119-17: The /-1is/or)1 of UWllIfAlnmft Markillgs. Insignia, CIl1/WIIj!ilgt (50J!rm, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Altglen, 1997 nell, D Air Force Colors 1926-4i (3 \'ols), Squadron/Signal Publications, CarolllOn, 1979, 1980 and 1997 Cross, R :and Scarborough, G P~SI tHIISlallK - Their history and how f/J model lhe"" Classic Aircraft :'\0.3, PSI., London, 1973 Ethell, J and Bodie, W lI},r Eagles in Of/gil/a I Color, Wide\\ing, Georgia, 1995 Pacific lVar liaglts ill Or(l{inal Color, Widewing, Virgima, 1997 Ethen, J and Simonsen, C The Hislory Aircraft NO$/! Art, Motorbooks, Osceola, 1991 Freeman, RA Th~ Might)! Eigll/h, .'vlcDonald, London 1970 Tlte MIghty Dighth H'tlr Dial:J', Jane's, London 1981 Tlte Mighty Eighth lJ'iJr Mafllwl, Jane's, London 1984The MIghty Eighth in Colour, Arms & Armour, London 1991 The Nimh Air Force III Color, Arms & Armour, l.omlon 1995 P~38 ClaSSIC USAAF Colors 2, Cla.~sic, CrO\\borough.2001 P-I7 Classic USrL-IF Colors J, Oas.~ic, Crm\ borough, 2002 I-less, WN and I"ie, TG Fighters oftht "fi.~hIJ' Eighth 19-12-15, i....lotorbooks, Osceola,

or

1990 Holmes, T Amen'call Engles Classic USAAF Colors I Classic, Crowborough, 2001 McDowell, E P-I7 Thunderbolt, European Theater, Squadron/Signal Publicatiom, Camillon, 1998 P--17 Tlumderb/Jlt. Pacific Theatcr, Squadron/Signal Publications, Carol1ton,

1999

• APPENDICES 125

Rust, Kenn CAir Forte Story - 51h, 7th, 81h, 91h, JOlh, J2th. 131h, Hlh and J5th Air Forus, Aviation Historialll Album, California, 1975-82 The 9/1, A" Foru;n World Hitr lI, Aero Publishers, California, 1967 Scutts, JC P-5J Mustang Aces oflhe Eighth Air Force (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces series No.1) Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 1994 P-51 MlISlallg Aces oflhe 91h alld 15th AA Fs f5 the RAE (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces series ::-Jo. 7) Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 1995 P-4i Thunderboll Aces oflhe £i!hlh Air Forer (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces series :'\0.24) Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 1998 Stafford, GAm ofthe Eighlh, Squadron/Signal Publications, Carol1l'On, 1973 Stanaway, J P-38 Lightning Aces ofthe Pacific and Clll (Osprey Aircraf[ of the Aces series No. 14) Osprey Publishing Ltd., Oxford (1997) Wea[herill, D Aircraft and Aces ofIhe 9th, 12th and 15th Air Forces, Koobbura, "'le1bourne, 1978

8TH AIR FORCE The following: 8th Air Force fighter units haye had new histories or reprints of earlier ones published in the last three decades or so. \Vartime or immediate postwar histories arc not included. 4th Fightel' Group Fry, G The Debt/ell Eagles, Walker Smith Inc, USA,1970 Ethell,] and Fry, G Escort 10 Berlin, Arco Publishing, New York, 1980 Hall, GrO'ier C Jr 1,000 Deslroyed, Ace Printing, Texas, 1962 20th Fighter Group Machy, R The 20th Fighur Group, Squadron/Signal Publications, Carol lIOn, 1995 IIfrer, J flappy Jack's Co Bu,r:gy, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Altglell, 1998 55th Fighter Group Gray, John M The 55th Fighter Group 7;erSUS Ihe Lufirvaffi, Specialty, Minnesota, 1998 Littlefield, Robert M Double Nickel, Douhle Trouble, RM Littlefield, California, 1993 56th Fighter Group McOaren, D Beware the Thunderbolt, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Altglen, 1994

126 WORLD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODELING MASTERCLASS

Freeman, R 5611, Fighter Group (Osprey Aviation Elite series No.2) Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2000 Hess, WN Z~mJu's Wolfpack, .\1otorbooks, Osceola, 1992 78th Fighter Group Fry, G Etl!:'es of Du:tfrml, Phalanx, Minnesota, 1991 339th Fighter Group Harry, GP 33911, Fighier Group, Turner Publishing, Kentucky, 1991 352d Fighter Group Powell, Robert H, Jr The 8111ellOS( Bastards of Bodney, Taylor, Texas, 1990 Ivie, Thomas G 352d Fighter Group (Osprey Aviation Elite series No.8) Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2002 353d Fighter Group Rust, K The Slyblrd GrQup, Aero Publishers, California, 1968 Cross, GEJonah's Fret ar~ Dry, Thunderbolt Publishing, Suffolk, 2001 Price, Bill Close Calls, Aviation Usk, Washington, 1992 35Sth Fighter Group Marshall Be Angels, Bulldogs (S Dragons, Champlin Fighter Museum, Arizona, 1984 Wells, K Sleeple Morden Straftrs J943-15, Egon, Herts, 1994 Wells, K Will/peys to Muslfwgs, East Anglia Books, Herts, 1999 356th Fighter Group J\1.illcr, Kent 0 Eswrt, Acadl,.'ffiY, Indiana, 1985 357th Fighter Group Olmsted, M The 357th Over £urop~, Phalanx, Minnesota, 199'!Rust, K The YoxfOrd Boys, Aero Publishers, California, 1971 Roeder,] The 3571h Fig/atr Group, Squadron/Signal Publications, Carollton,

2000 359th Fighter Group Smith, Jack H 359,h Fighur Croup (Osprey A'iiation Elite series No. 10) Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2002 Muslangs f5 U"icorns: A His/ory ofthe J59/h Fighler Group, Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., Mont.lIu, 199i Miller, Kent D Jigger, Tinplalr a"d Retkross, Academy, Indiana, 198i

I

,

361st Fighter Group Gons, S LillIe Friends, Taylor, Texas, 1993 Con, Paul B Yellowjacke/s.', Schiffer Publishing Lid., Altglen, 2002

52d Fighter Group Burke, LG and Cunis, RC American Beagle Squadron (2nd PS), Amcrican Beagle Squadron Association, Maryland, 1987

364th Fighter Group Joiner, 0 W (Ed) The flis/ory ofl/'( 1641/' F((hur Croup, Walswonh, Missouri, 1991

82d Fighter Group Blake, S Ad(Jnmini (Up and AI 'Em.'), 82nd Fighter Group HislOry Lnc., Idaho, 1992

479th Fighter Group No n.:·ccntly published histOry.

325th Fighter Group .\kDoweJl, E Chukmnils, Squadron/Signal Publications., CarolllOn, 199-1 .\oJcdowell with Hess, H The eftuJurlail Clan, Acro Publishing, California, 1969

9TH/12TH/15TH AIR fORCES 1st Fighter Group MullIins, John D An Esa/fl of P-38s, Phalam, Minnesota, 1995 31st Fighter Group Kucctna, DC In a Now Forgo/un Sky, Flying Machines Press, Connecticut, 1997 79th Fighter Group Wocrpcl, D In a floslile Sky, Schiffcr Publishing Lid., Alrglen, 2001

353d Fighter Group .\'liller, Kent D Sroen MomhJ Miller, Ohio, 1989

tr.;~r

Europt,

354th Fighter Group (Anon) HiSlory in the Sky, 1aylor, Texas, 1992 :'\css., WH 15.j//' Fighter Croup (Osprey Aviation Elire series ~o. 7) Osprcy Publishing, Oxford, 2002

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

•

Many lhanks 10 lhe following indi"iduals and organizalions that helped this project reach fruition: GaslOn BemaJ, Jr of Aero!\"lasrcr; Accurate Miniatures; Qaudinc OJ.andy of Account:ability; Tom Frisquc of Aviation Us!.:; Humbrol LId; K(,."Im Nunn of Brigade .Models; Brian Marsh; Binney & Smith (Rcn:ll-Monogram); Lynn Sangster of Hisloro: Agents (UK

represenrarins for Verlindcn J)roductions); Thierry Decker for his P-40L profile; Alan Griffith from A~\'hech; [h"id Klaus and Soon Battisroni from Meteor Productions; Lewis Naa: from Tesoor; Dana Bell; and all the modelers whose kits appear in The Galk'ry chapter - Ouis Wauchop, Darren MOllram, and .Mid. E,= Finally, a s:pecial thank you to Brett Green..

APPENDK:ES 127

INDEX

F;,un.. ill bold .....,.. H.I' bomb..-

."",,",

pn

'u ilb:.,,,,,.,...

1'-oI7Th~I'

""'to

~5

Oo:id<m:al Spil6rr: 50

:;0

J."l!"U'If;:T'!P"" 3;.~;, i7 I'=m>n, ~ 37. 106

lH, 12\

11+

l'-liThu""I"b"h JO

7'1It

ru'"

tXt,;1 ..,.;.... 37

28.19.71 \"CoDmion:P-66h"fllOl'l.;(, ...tlrui.ho H.:!2 j. '13 ariold ,-.hid« 10f>-lI

'''''aricId 'dli
.........

C"., PI""" ("id
I'_.~ 1.;~h'n;n~

ol(j

P-J:8J 115. II'

P 71'1Kmdat>o1' '" " 7Jl-30 51

6., H. s.4. 39

p_SID .\I1Ut1Jli\ H. 8J-.4, 124 Sp"fi", 32. Si 8 I r,..-l. "-lID 60 !I';ln'...." 13 hiHh-wlo<:i'y "",1.<:" (!1V,\R,) ii,

1'-61 li6 SI"'&'" j(J, >5.87 .....'h<:ch Iii

\\~duw' ~5.

.ircr-.r,

f>'J

1'-401.: 79 Au' j(J p +i' '>1

boI,lo~ M-iO 1ka:~

"".......... Pb«ic:'~~·n

Rd.n....

-u. 50. ,3.... 9G-1

Sj>o:UIInoctac u.....p. Ill!;

.iI.-lO

Ill..."....... l'

52 Jor"'Modd<:nQ7'lo6

37.92-3,101.164, 108 <:.m.....Ibpo&:.\lminpboolJ"" 37 Gamphell,.l<"'" .rod Don"" ...

t.:
So.I.wrm 53

ChinJftwd \1",kL\rnxlrnmt(C".\l.\) 8 cUm", 2.>, '" a...ic\..fnmc; """,,3 1.2I'lttr -l6

P -101-' J'3

"..,1'1_ !J ..p/;Ioo<mm' >0. '7. i5

1'tOOu

\I>. .l..l \ldlooo.-.D. r.... 33 ....,...,(..." 25 m>Ad i..,;p-ti.o 8. 10.;.1 docd.. "",01" '/(..s. 99 fo«i~n ,;"',,", .jS l'~li'l1mnJ.h. 19 mimn, «2< ;"" 11)1

P-IOWm-"\ 11 !'41Th_d"rb"h 19-!O. ZJ ~j...91

b,v;",57~

'l..~i,l ,ochn,q,,,,,, 92-11~ """,,,",,...,, m"cri,b 1'0.;';'; 7,11. 12 ,,'OOJ 6-1 .."',.....", """ 11. ~9. it>. &l

.\1,"",:

""""'"

\1~Catt

P-I()( Ii

P ilA 52

c..o.Uo;:~~oocLpo:< ~bo<{... paJbl

N,!;

okcaI< 8. 12, -18. 96 7 .\........... 28.19 Oeuil&' Sale 35.36.67 dio 69-70. 110--12 drill. 13. 18 Jo~I, S.I,MJ""" .5, .;2, 1!8 r..p.~llIu
""'~

,..

''''''1 26

~

;0.,.,.•;

;.I

\~.r,

..rIWId.- 107 U......... SS P-.i6 71 p-5!lLn P_J9 73 1'.~7D-lS 49 p/I'_51D 32 1'_61 86 Spi'fire 50. S7 ,\\0",,""""" 38 MI'.\\; 1'_63 7.

'_..w Jr}'....tp>p
"

_ " 1l.1IO

..,.10 8-10. 11. 1•. H. <6-7 I/H 545 1/31 32-1 ~9-H ~S-'J

"""''''' IJ ..,;1>. .... 1l.llO

_bo:l" n,ll,76

7.

41. 99 .l.l s..v-T"" ",. t .... 1 _ p u U 1(19.10

plm> H Ii

I'ftll"&
l'-l7DTh,,""'-rtluh (Iltl"'hl;"j 'k>, ;1. \104. 9>. 119 l'_.7,\1 ThunJ",""h (Ilo:publie) .9

'S!oomo, ""'* \\

SpitM-.: ~3 1/.fl1",*SO \lk\ 111 -+8 SIlp<mUrinc ifi 'flru<'C> 12, I~, Ii cull"", 13. 14. 1~ 5
3•..15..l!, .>t,

-""""ge 112-13

55

'"PpJ)' 1OUm:< T.rni~~

p_51....\I ......... (''''th.'unn) 121

................

.-Jq: ..... 12.12

~Z3,.10

(,1-2,82-6

liqIlod>dbc>oi>"a...- !.M

"",,"_........,6.10.923

.,h~r><:«I

l~

1~

R-. Mnn 35

..,., ,1,61,108.

l'_<7NTh""J"bolt (R,pulo];c) 51,120 p_ll .\1 ...."" ("""h ",,,,,,rican) 9,32. 43, ~3,

" ....7·T1lund
""""p... )/>.'H

"""".....,.-

'~"'M;VI""""

ruddrn;,p....7~ ['-17

rurtmp>nd II'tWp". U.2'J.19.31

.i"f/hp> 26 .in;r>ds 31

"",,,pi<> p.>in,ing 98

m. 21

_bdo>: 12 .bed< 2i

JnI:tro-, rndnid.-\. J5 join, Iincs 'ill

m.... ;n~ 101-2, JUl, 1115 P_HThunoc'b,,!r 15-16

20

;n"""""" pand intrriot dr1.;) 21

....s;" ....... !8 . . . prnbIrmo 1';"'18

J R.,..-.: P-;!U

<::amoIIn.,.

'ho.,,'

tuhI:>in: ...... n 95·6

S,.I, .-j""'",,, M"'k!" -16

r",d,,1:" H 25. 27

'''''I:'''"

52. 33, IU

nrlct. 51 2

1/.S 1/72

tud '''"'' j()

in.. nKlX:>n

101: Spitfuc -+II.. SO m..pio"",....rI.irIp ond """""""'-. !ll-I .....'_p>n
~ll)l.-';

~

"",ioco; IY ~I

95

J\Iu"."~ !I,

Sr:rillirr: 87 mn>,

rop.... """,1

I>obh" .."",1, 63 ! lunic.,.., (H",,'.,,) ~5,1lS j.i

", 5ll. 5', 6l. 6J.

""""" 1'l--2l.U3,.lO,31 ~ 14-31, 59-60

so.

~2.

1'-17

1'-;\

l'_iO S7

w.n

1'--40:'0 i8

1'-51D:\1~

70·1

P-40\\:m--l: (Cun...j ]2.;.1, n,.I8, 43, III 3. ". 67, 7+.81. 10. R Iii, 118 P...HlR(CurtiIoI-+8. if> 1'.....> u-(R"'--l -16 P-l-tRod.ct(R<pr.bli<J H l'-li"Ilwndrrt!o>k (Rq.oi>k) '.~.i, H, .i, 81 Z adpiI II

..ri
~ 0taJij lift< ~i

1'-l()£ 52, 7h 7

Il..<><.l>«dl 9, -13, .13, 71 3.

p_19."i~ (Il
,--.

Ill{,

~),

'J(J

I'..~ l.i~h,"in~ 53. n.'i

115.116

1(13 .....",k 56

,\,,,,,,,,,,,or; tr2D>f"",

lWI
lin oaIr ~Sh'
Tkoulido"'"

1'_26I'e»hooI« (l~orinI:l •.1 1'_.;.1 (S<,,,,,,kj'l ~3. ill 1'_.>61·bwk «)Jet;,,)

adh"'i,'C< 11, B-5, 79

I''';()!,

"'m

1'-5IR \l...unr('""h A...man) 1.!1.. III p-.nu .\1..-., """" Amrrican) +8, 54. 60-1, M.82-3,IH 1'-"H~I·3

Ai
lkall6fhtn

so, 'Ill

p-5IBM ... ~

lap< H. II', 1(11

P-66\'~(\"o!l",,)

,,,,,- 108-'

-16

p_70([luup.l 43, ;0..1. 86-7 I' 821""" M""o"~(Nnrt!lAn''''''''nl H

Po;"", SI>,,1'hrol I I2 p,;n'b'LJ<> I~, 22.1

j";""''''' '12_6,92, '1-1, 95, %, ')I, 9S. 99.107,

109.110, I I 1. lll, 113 1 _ ~DC> 1O\.111l pm ..... IJ p&r. Il

~S,61.1ll, III

I" 511) \1"",_ III

s,.itfn- ;0

'ooli II, 0, H,I~ ,... i~n~ Nl"" 5lI ,rim ub< I~ T",mpo.1<·' l'_i11) 5.

Spi,fin: 55 Truocal< 8 T"I~>, 10m ~1

"""'"' ~

...~Il

U1I<><>oa 32 punooiI oin:n£l (»a.nr-r.1 10

.......

P-li1bundrrl1ol1 I', Zi-S

..,

13.1'.19

radon~ 1'-l7Tb~ 28

po-»p:Ilrn 5Z

"f'bamrn' piIoo __ 51.61 USAA":"""*Il1f~ ... em<

10

112 So,j.-lron JS

m1fi:ing ,}." ..... 10 ..f,.....,,<JUro:. Y. 11)_11

"""k dubIo.. 3' hn"", 3'i--f>,JIi <"I>Iord....·;,,~ 3S


128 WORlD WAR 2 US ARMY FIGHTER MODEUNG MASTERClASS

'16

p....i R-.rbod 51 "--iiD1lIun&rriIOIt 7. H·31

p_'i9-\ncumct(IklI) H P 6111bd \\"iobo (Ncnhmp) "l, -t9--30, 86 1"-63 ~{h
~

-16

~.

(""I"n1< ,\'",".n~

~l.

..... hi>oun<:< .18 , ,i
I'-lin.....s..t.oll 28.30 ()rp'~' Pu~ 3],;.1. H Qo:.1.± Spitlin: 50, 8i

r"'ll-l8.71.n.8ti

1'4iN ;1,120 ..\«U,O« .\Iini.:ttur«: 1'·;1 I",.II
1'--lOII':utu.w~

....... m

I'laoI> 12

.I9--0IO

IDollprinc> -.I prriodir-:oI. J1. ~ ..","JJ-oI pro&<. ll..ll

...... "

~_~i--5

1'_36 71 1'.1871 P-JS\l >I P-WX: ;l>-~ !'..,.if) H.1I9

A,~u

...... "

.--rot>..w .......~

l:npna ond Thinp 55

1:'1w1,.J.3.

\\~"n",h

..""ocrin~ n

J3 95. ')9. 106. Wi

"he
OSPREY MASTERCLASS