Type XXVII Seehund (Seal) Midget Submarine Part I

Here is a series of photographs taken by LCDR A. C. Halliday of the recovery of a German Type XXVII Seehund minisub. The location is a sandbank on the Isle of Walcheren near Domburg, Netherlands in January or February of 1945. The men are from a Royal Navy ordnance disposal team, their first priority is the removal of the Seehund’s G7e torpedoes. Photographs are in the collection of the Imperial War Museum.

The Seehund is dragged onto the beach on the Isle of Walcheren at high tide. Barrels are lashed to the submarine to provide additional floatation.

With the barrels removed, the Seehund rests on her port side in the sand. Both of her G7e torpedoes were still aboard, note the detonator has been removed from the starboard torpedo to render it safe.

An excellent view of the top of the sail, the bow is to the left. The round structure in the center is the hatch, which featured a clear observation dome. The periscope is on the far left.

The salvage crew poses for the photographer. The Officer in the greatcoat has been tentatively identified as LT Richard Waters RNVR.

The Seehund is rolled onto her starboard side, exposing the port torpedo. Note the detonator on this torpedo is still in place. It appears the tide has come back in, partially burying the Seehund in the sand.

A pump is brought in to help remove the sand from around the submarine.

Details of the torpedo support and release mechanism with the torpedo removed.

A view showing the men operating the pump.

Part II here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/08/07/type-xxvii-seehund-seal-midget-submarine-part-ii/

PLAAF Kong Jiang-1 AWACS Conversion in 1/72 Scale

In 1953 the Soviets transferred twenty-five Tupolev Tu-4 “Bull” bombers (a direct copy of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress) to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force. The Chinese flew these aircraft in front-line units as bombers until 1978 and in reserve units for more than a decade later. In the early 1970s their Ash-73TK radial engines of 2,400 hp were replaced with Al-20M turboprops, each producing 4,250 hp. One airframe was converted to the Airborne Warning and Control System role by plant No. 5702, located in Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province. In addition to the turboprop engines, the aircraft featured a prominent circular radome for the prototype Type 843 radar. The bombay was converted into crew space for the radar operators and all defensive armament systems were removed.

This is a conversion of the Academy B-29 kit to the Kong Jiang-1 AWACS prototype using the Cutting Edge resin kit.

Construction posts here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/07/05/plaaf-kong-jiang-1-awacs-conversion-in-1-72-scale-part-i/

History of the aircraft here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/05/08/the-chinese-kong-jiang-1-the-b-29-superfortress-awacs/

Platz Northrop Grumman X-47B UCAS-D Drone Build in 1/72 Scale

I built the X-47B several years ago, this is the build post from the 72nd Scale Aircraft Forum. Fortunately, my backup files have survived better than the original postings. The US media likes to run stories about “drones”, but they are almost always talking about a Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV). The X-47B is a true drone, it can be programmed to fly a mission and return. It looks like something from a sci-fi movie but it’s real. Platz has released a kit in The One True Scale, and I just had to build it.

Here are the sprues, this boxing contains two GBU-27 Paveway III bombs as an option, JDAMS are on the main sprues. Other options are wings folded or extended, and deployable spoilers on the wing upper surfaces. No canopy on this one!

There’s nothing complicated about the build so it goes together quickly. I wanted to close up the weapons bays, after cutting off the hinge points the panels fit perfectly.

Here’s the overall shape. The forward doors of the main gear bays are normally closed, the kit instructions only show them opened. Also, a research note – the airframe marked 505 is not a real aircraft, it is a display mockup used at trade shows. Watch out for pictures of 505 on the web, there are several detail differences between it and the real aircraft and it gets photographed a lot.

The X-47 was painted with several shades of grey. One of the pictures of the real drone showed fairly scruffy paintwork, so I tried to replicate it here. The base coat is TMM Neutral Grey, followed up with layers of several other shades until I was happy with the appearance.

Kit decals were used throughout. Platz gives you the option of modeling test vehicle 501 or 502, plus two whiffers in fleet makings. The decals are well designed and went on without any drama.

Here’s the finished model. Photographs show different colors for the antennas on the center body, I duplicated what I saw in one of the pictures. The model received an acrylic sludge wash using RLM 66.

A final shot of the undersides to wrap things up. This kit is a very nice effort from Platz. The kit is well engineered and goes together quite well. A very graceful and interesting aircraft, I’m glad to have one in the case.

More finished pictures here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2020/01/16/platz-x-47b-drone-in-1-72-scale/

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk Walk Around Part VII

Photographs taken at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (NMUSAF), Dayton, Ohio.

Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2021/11/14/curtiss-p-40-warhawk-walk-around-part-i/

Women Warriors 280

Staff Sgt. Erin McLoughlin, 4th Special Operations Squadron AC-130U Instructor Loadmaster

1Lt Molly Frank, 3rd Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III pilot

Flight Lieutenant Mohana Singh Indian Air Force

Colonel Oveta Hobby, Commanding Officer, WACS

WASP Lillian Yonally with USAAF Douglass A-24

Beautiful Women in Ukraine Army - Ukrainian Military Girls — **Ukraine**

ww517c_Lian Kirton and Vigo UK — **United Kingdom dog handler Lian Kirton and Vigo**

ww517d_TurkishSpecialPolice — **Turkish Special Police**

ww520_Millicent-Young_WASP — **WASP pilot Millicent Young with AT-6 Texan**

ww320WASP — **WASPs with B-26 Marauder**

ww123 — **People’s Liberation Army Air Force**

ww124SusieWinstonBain — **WASP Susie Winston Bain**

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

PLAAF Kong Jiang-1 AWACS Conversion in 1/72 Scale Part IV

This is the first time in the build where all the major parts are together to test the “sit”, and the Kong Jiang-1 came down firmly on her nose strut! The wings and fuselage are permanently joined, the radome and gear legs are test fit. The main gear legs sit all the way back at the ends of their nacelles so the front part of the radome is actually forward of them. That and the extreme extension of the engine nacelles helps keep the nose gear down, but I still think adding some extra ballast to the nose is prudent.

The entire model was primed with thin coats of Mr. Surfacer 1000 and then Alclad was shot directly onto the primer. If you skip the Alclad primers and shoot onto the Mr. Surfacer directly I have found that any remaining scratches or tool marks can be sanded off and the Alclad re-applied without any trouble.

The Alclad dries hard which is a good thing as the KJ-1 had some extensive areas in white. After a prolonged masking session the white was applied, again building up thin layers.

Masks are off and here is the “paint shot” for the build. The blue is a mix of Mr. Color 34 and 5, the white is also Mr. Color. The airframe is Alclad Aluminum with some panels in Alclad Duraluminum. I used circular masks to pick out where the gun turrets had been removed and sprayed those with Alclad Bright Silver Candy Base, as was the new tail dome.

Here are the Radial Engines & Wheels replacements compared to the kit parts. The RE&W wheels are weighted and a nice improvement.

Resin parts can warp and twist over time, especially long thin parts like propeller blades. These had all developed an exaggerated twist over the years and some of them were bent as well. I heated up a coffee cup of tap water in the microwave dunked the blades one by one into the hot water. By pressing the hot blades flat onto the kitchen counter they all straightened up nicely. Pins are mounted into the bases of each prop for strength.

The decals provided in the Cutting Edge conversion set were used and they performed well. There are actually two identical decal sheets included, so there are redundant fuselage markings. I applied these first so I would still have spares in case I ran into trouble.

The prop blades are all pinned to the spinners, and the spinners are pinned to the nacelles.

Here is the finished model. I shot a layer of half flat and half gloss over the entire model to unify the finish. The Kong Jiang-1 is a unique aircraft which I have wanted in the case for quite awhile now, and it is the ultimate evolution of the B-29 airframe. Thanks again to David Knights for sourcing the Cutting Edge conversion set.

More finished photos here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/07/30/plaaf-kong-jiang-1-awacs-conversion-in-1-72-scale/

Picture of the Week 30

The light cruiser USS St. Louis (CL-49) leaving Tulagi, Solomon Islands, during 1943. The fleet oiler USS Lackawanna (AO-40) is to the right. St. Louis was very active during the Solomons Campaign, but was damaged by a Japanese torpedo on 13JUL43. (80-G-K-3971)

Northrop Grumman X-47B UCAS-D Drone

The Northrop Grumman X-47B was a drone developed as a technology demonstrator as part of the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. Two demonstrators were built as functional full-sized aircraft with two internal weapons bays capable of carrying a payload of 4,500 pounds. The design was stealthy and featured high-subsonic speeds. The aircraft first flew in 2011.

The X-47B design allows it to function in the strike role integrated with manned aircraft operating from aircraft carriers. This would allow precision strike capability without risk to aircrew, and frees up manned aircraft for other missions. This is the first launch of the X-47B from the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) on 14MAY2013.

The X-47B has a maximum range of 2,400 miles, but this can be extended by aerial refueling. The software package allows for autonomous refueling, and has since been adopted as part of the control package to convert conventional aircraft into unmanned vehicles.

During evaluations at sea the drones were integrated into carrier operations with manned aircraft and were able to perform all the functions expected of conventional platforms.

Tests included launches, touch and goes, and arrested landings. The software of the X-47B was able to “stick” the landings, one of the most difficult aspects of carrier flight operations. The software was so precise that it was found the X-47B was always landing in exactly the same spot each time and variability was inserted into the landing algorithm to prevent the flight deck from being unduly stressed in that spot.

Tests were conducted under operational conditions, including nighttime operations and alongside manned aircraft. The test aircraft met all their goals and the program was considered successful.

Although successful, the design was not pursued as a strike aircraft. The U.S. Navy’s “fighter mafia” argued that strike aircraft should be manned. The two X-47Bs were kept in flying condition to evaluate the concept of unmanned aerial refuelers, something which the Aviators did not object to.

China possesses the most efficient industrial espionage capability in the world and is unburdened by the concepts of intellectual property or copyright. While the USN spent $1.5 Billion developing and testing the X-47B, it may be the Chinese who will actually put the design into service. The China Aerospace and Technology Corporation revealed a stealth design “inspired” by the X-47B in 2018, which they named Star Shadow.

Not to be outdone, the Russians are producing their own version known as the S-70 “Okhotnik-B” (Hunter), intended to operate under the “loyal wingman” concept alongside their Sukhoi Su-57 fighters. Dimensions and performance are remarkably similar to the X-47B. At least the camouflage is original!

Italeri Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. B in 1/72 Scale

This is a reboxing of the old ESCI tool from 1976. After I finished the build I began to notice how bad the tools were – most of the tools were missing, and the kit supplied tow cable and shovel were cartoonish. I raided the spares box for replacements, which were a vast improvement. The model wears the two-tone Panzer Gray and Brown scheme, which doesn’t show up well in black and white photographs. The model represents a vehicle from Panzer Regiment XV in Somm, France, 1940.