Monogram Boeing F4B-1 Conversion Build in 1/72 Scale

F4B1_01 — This is a conversion of the Monogram F4B-4 kit which back-dates it to the earlier F4B-1. For this I’ll be using the RareBits vacuform fuselage and a Radial Engines & Wheels resin Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp radial engine. Hopefully this will result in a model which is a bit different.

F4B1_02 — The first step is to separate the RareBits fuselage halves from their vacuform sheet. I outlined the edges with a black marker so I could better see the separation line, then carefully traced around the piece with an Xacto knife. The edges were then smoothed with a sanding block.

F4B1_03 — Here are the fuselage halves with a cockpit interior roughed in with Evergreen strips. One advantage of a vacuform fuselage is the walls are not overly thick as they sometimes are with injection molded kits.

F4B1_04 — The interior under a coat of Alclad Aluminum and a wash. The interiors of these little biplanes are hard to see unless you’re specifically looking for them, and even then it’s not easy to see much.

F4B1_05 — Here the fuselage is closed up and mated with the Monogram F4B-4 lower wing and horizontal tail. I cleaned up the gun troughs as they were shallow and a little rough. I had also over-sanded the fuselage joint along the upper spine and had to fill the area with superglue and card.

F4B1_06 — The fuselage struts and landing gear legs were removed from the Monogram kit. The landing gear bracing is different on the earlier Boeing so that had to be scratched.

F4B1_07 — I added ignition wires, inlets, and exhausts fashioned from beading wire and solder to the resin engine. The engine is very prominent on this aircraft and will be a focal point so the extra detail is well worth adding.

F4B1_08 — The aircraft is marked as the Squadron Commander’s aircraft from VF-5 “Red Rippers” assigned to the USS Lexington (CV-2) in 1932. The decals were sourced from several Starfighter Decals sheets.

F4B1_09 — Here is a comparison between a stock Monogram F4B-4 on the left and the F4B-1 conversion on the right. The wings are the same which makes the kit look familiar, but then the differences start to become apparent. This is a fairly straight-forward conversion and not particularly difficult to do.

Matchbox Boeing P-12E in 1/72 Scale, 24th Pursuit Squadron

This is the classic Matchbox P-12E kit, originally issued in 1972. Still a nice kit and easy to build. The markings are from Starfighter Decals sheet 72-122 and represent P-12E serial number 31-241 assigned to the 24^th Pursuit Squadron operation in the Panama Canal Zone in 1934.

Heinkel He 177 Greif (Griffon)

He177_01 — Note the avionics probe under the starboard wing, DL + AQ is He 177A-02, the second pre-production aircraft. It first flew on 05MAY41. It was lost in a forced landing in May 1942 after both engines caught fire in flight. The crew escaped but the aircraft was destroyed.

He177A3_02 — A nice color photograph of an airfield in Russia showing a rather dense concentration of aircraft which carry a tightly mottled upper surface. Conditions on the Eastern Front were often primitive.

He177A5_03_IFKG_50_Zaporoze — This is a photograph of two He 177A-1 at Zaporozhye-Süd in Russia during the winter of 42/43 which shows well the harsh conditions on the Eastern Front. The aircraft belong to I./KG50, the nearest machine is finished in the standard 70 / 71 / 65 splinter scheme while the rear machine has a temporary coat of white distemper to better hide it in the snow.

He177_04_Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-668-7161-31A — 6N + SK was an He 177A-3 assigned to 2./KG 100 at Rheine, Germany. Camouflage is 75 / 76 over black undersides. (Bundesarchiv photo)

Flugzeug Heinkel He 177 — This is He 177A-3 W.Nr. 2143 coded VD + XS of FFS(B) 16 at Burg-bei-Magdeburg, March 1944. FFS(B) 16 was a training unit, this aircraft had a black distemper paint applied to the undersides and vertical tail which avoided the call letters on the fuselage sides. (Bundesarchiv photo)

He177_06 — Aircrew in a Kubelwagen arrive in front of H for Helga, an He 177A-3 of 2./KG 100. The unit practice was to give the aircraft a female name corresponding with the aircraft code.

He177_07 — In 1944 the focus of the Allied air forces was the destruction of the Luftwaffe in preparation for the landings at Normandy. Heavy bombers attacked aircraft production and fuel supply targets while medium bombers and fighters went after Luftwaffe airfields. Here is a dramatic photograph of He 177s of 10.(Erg)/KG 100 at Schwäbisch Hall after being strafed by USAAF Mustangs on 25APR44.

He177_08 — An A-5 of an anti-shipping unit, KG 100 based at Toulouse-Blagnac, France in early 1944. The He 177 could carry either the Hs 293 or the Fritz–X glide bombs.

He177A3_09_KG100-(6N+DN) — A fine example of a Mäandertarnung or “scribble” camouflage applied to this He 177A-5 of 5./KG 100 operating from Aalborg, Denmark in the fall of 1944. The Mäandertarnung was often carried for over-water operations.

He177A5_10 — An interesting undersurface camouflage has been applied to this Greif, a cloud pattern of RLM 76 or 77 over the darker RLM 65.

He177A5_11 — He 177A-5 W.Nr. 550062 coded F8 + AP is an aircraft with an interesting history. It was assigned to 6./KG 40 and was undergoing servicing at Toulouse-Blagnac in September 1944 when it was captured by the French Resistance, the first flyable He 177 to fall into Allied hands. It was given a full set of French markings including rudder stripes as well as invasion stripes for good measure. On the sides “Pris de Guerre” was written.

He177A5_12 — W.Nr. 550062 was flown to Farnborough for evaluation where the British applied their own markings over the French. The French rudder stripes were painted out – some profiles show the rudder color as red but this photograph shows a much better match with the yellow outline of the fuselage roundel. The aircraft received a RAF fin tab as well as the call number TS439 and a “P” designating a prototype, or in this case, test aircraft. Note the cloud camouflage pattern on the undersides and fuselage. The British later passed this aircraft on to the Americans, so modelers have the option of depicting this aircraft in Luftwaffe, French, British, or American markings.

Part II here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/heinkel-he-177-greif-griffin-defensive-armament/

Eduard Focke Wulf Fw 190A-8 of Hans Dortenmann in 1/72 Scale

Focke Wulf Fw 190A-8 of Lt. Hans Dortenmann, 2./JG 54, Villacoublay France, June 1944.

Leutnant Hans Dortenmann was shot down in this aircraft near Paris on 26JUN44 but survived by bailing out. Dortenmann claimed 38 victories, 16 in the East and 22 in the West. He scored 18 of these with the Fw 190 D-9, making him the most successful fighter pilot in the Dora. He survived the war.

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Liberation of Paris 1944 Book Review

Liberation of Paris 1944: Patton’s race for the Seine

By Steven J. Zaloga, illustrated by Howard Gerrard

Osprey Campaign Book 194

Paperback, 96 pages, heavily illustrated

Published by Osprey Publishing April 2008

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1846032466

ISBN-13: 978-1846032462

Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.3 x 9.9 inches

A campaign to liberate Paris was a battle neither side wanted to fight. From the American viewpoint, Paris offered little of strategic value. With the bulk of Germany’s combat strength in France bottled up in the Falaise Pocket, Patton’s 3^rd Army was facing little in the way of organized resistance; the only thing slowing him down was finding enough fuel to continue his onslaught. Attacking Paris would bog American divisions down in urban warfare, and divert much needed logistical capacity away from the spearheads driving deeper into France.

From the German perspective, there was little front-line combat strength with which to mount a meaningful defense. The German General, Dietrich von Choltitz, was able to form ad hoc units from staff and support personnel based in Paris, but these were not seasoned combat troops. Armor was scarce, consisting of obsolete French tanks taken over by the Wehrmacht for garrison and policing duties along with a few Panthers, replacements meant for other units which were requisitioned for the defense. Under orders from Hitler to burn Paris to the ground rather than let the Allies take the city, Choltitz had little means and no desire to raze one of Europe’s great cities.

The French had other plans. De Gaulle wanted very much to be seen as the liberator of Paris. This would instantly give him political legitimacy as the leader of the French people after the war. Leclerc’s French 2e Division Blindée, patterned after and equipped as an American armored division, provided him the means to realize his ambition. For their part, the French Resistance (FFI) was divided along political lines. The Communist faction wanted to start an uprising at the earliest opportunity, while the other factions were more pragmatic, observing the results of the premature Warsaw Uprising to the East. In any case, the FFI was short of weapons. This only worsened after the Germans confiscated the revolvers of the Paris police force.

In the end, an uprising by the FFI forced everyone’s hand. They seized several buildings and erected barricades, and as expected were met with some resistance from Choltitz’ garrison forces. Fearing the situation might get out of control Eisenhower changed his plans and dispatched de Gaulle with Leclerc’s 2e Division and the American 4^th Infantry Division.

In many ways this was a political battle for what France would become after the war instead of a battle fought to help win the war. The Allies wanted to avoid fighting in Paris and even the German defenders did not want to see the city destroyed. The various French factions were looking to gain political standing to advance their own goals in a post-war France. As Clausewitz said, “War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means.”

The book follows the standard format for Osprey’s Campaign series, and is heavily illustrated with maps, photographs, and artwork illustrating important incidents. A good volume which I can recommend to anyone interested in the Liberation of France.

Curtiss P-36A Hawk Walk Around

Photographs taken at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

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Women Warriors 78

160726-Z-UF872-001 — **US Air Force f-15 pilot Major Ashley Rolfe**

http://ww2db.com/ — **WASP pilot Vivian Cadman with P-39**

ww112HRHPrincessElizabeth — **HRH Princess Elizabeth**

To see more Women Warriors, click on the tags below:

Monogram Boeing F4B-4 Build in 1/72 Scale

F4B4_01 — This is another old kit we are probably all familiar with – Monogram’s F4B-4 which was first released all the way back in 1968. I remember building this one as a kid and they still appear regularly at model shows. I found this one at the Local Hobby Store for a pittance.

F4B4_02 — The kit contains just three sprues and a total of 25 parts including the windscreen. Here again we see Monogram’s innovative approach to biplane kits which has been largely ignored by all competitors – the landing gear legs and fuselage struts are molded as part of the fuselage halves, thus ensuring a strong assembly and proper alignment.

F4B4_03 — Monogram’s F4B-4 shares a problem with their Goshawk kit, a dozen ejection pin marks on the underside of the upper wing. There are others on some of the smaller parts as well. Not the end of the world but something which needs to be carefully addressed.

F4B4_04 — I scratched up some basic cockpit details along with a seat from the spares box. The tops of the fuselage struts have some more of those ejector pin marks which need filling.

F4B4_05 — Here is the cockpit under a coat of Alclad. Seat belts and the instrument panel are printed out on the photocopier.

F4B4_06 — Basic assembly completed. The fit of the fuselage decking required some filler. I find Perfect Plastic Putty is ideal for filling in gaps where conventional sanding would destroy surrounding detail.

F4B4_07 — I made handles from stretched sprue to hold some of the more awkward pieces while painting.

F4B4_08 — This is Don Greer’s cover from Squadron / Signal’s P-12 / F4B in Action book. I’ve always loved his art and consider this to be one of his best efforts. The F4B-4 in the background was from Fighting Six based on the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and is a favorite of mine. The background is Pearl Harbor.

F4B4_09 — Fortunately the Langley markings are included on sheet 72-011 from Yellow Wings. You get complete markings for six different aircraft on this sheet.

F4B4_10 — Here is 6-F-10 completed. There is a nice contrast between the colors on the upper wing and the gray scale of the rest of the aircraft.

F4B4_11 — I couldn’t resist building two of these. They are nice little kits which go together well. They were innovative in their engineering, and way ahead of their time for molding and surface detail. Fun little builds!

Eduard Focke Wulf Fw 190A-7 of Rolf Hermichen in 1/72 Scale

This is the Focke Wulf Fw 190A-7 of Hptm Rolf Hermichen Stab I./JG 11, Rothenburg Germany, 8 March 1944, built using the Eduard kit.

Rolf Hermichen survived the war, claiming 64 victories including 26 four engined bombers. JG 11 experimented with RLM 76 overspray on the fuselage sides to make their aircraft less conspicuous in the air. This aircraft is profiled in Claes Sundin’s More Luftwaffe Fighter Aircraft in Profile and Kagero’s Fw 190s over Europe Part 1, which also provided the decals. The A-7 variant was less common than the A-8, the easiest way to recognize one is the pitot tube is located just outboard of the cannon on the starboard wing on the A-7 instead of the wingtip as on the A-8.

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