Women Warriors 298

Loading chaff, USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115)

ww589b_HMAS_DDG41 — HMAS Brisbane (DDG 41)

ww589e_DDG55_Stout — **US Navy Engineer, DDG-51**

ww589g_IDF — **IDF, 40 mm grenade luncher**

ww592_ Virginia Russell Reavis_USAF_Nurse — Virginia Russell Reavis, USAF Nurse

ww392JoyLofthouse1944Hamble — **British Air Transport Auxiliary pilot Joy Lofthouse, 1944**

ww192US-Navy-salute — **US Navy WAVE, 1942**

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Tamiya Douglas F4D-1 Skyray Build in 1/72 Scale Part I

Tamiya issued their F4D-1 Skyray (also affectionately known as the “Ford”) way back in 1998 and has never released it again, according to Scalemates. I have long been a fan of the aesthetics of the 1950s blended fuselage designs, and this one is second only to the F9F Cougar in my book. Like many modelers, I often bemoan the fact that Tamiya “needs” to release this or that kit in the One True Scale. Then I realize that there are several Tamiya kits out there which I haven’t built yet and that can feel a little hypocritical. I’ll knock one off the list with this kit and look forward to a painless Tamiya build!

The design is uncomplicated which results in a low parts count, even with a full load of hangy stuff under the wings. Smoothing out the wing / fuselage joint should be easy! One thing I did notice is there are ejector pin marks on many of the landing gear bay doors. I went ahead and filled them all in with superglue, but many of the doors are normally closed when the aircraft is on the ground so they probably won’t be visible in any case.

I plan on building this one out of the box with the canopy closed to preserve those sleek aerodynamic lines so what Tamiya has molded in is what I’ll get in the front office. I did drill out the limber holes on the ejection seat rails, hard to resist that when the pin vice is handy.

Here is the cockpit installed under a coat of paint. I picked out various switches and instruments with some drybrushing and fine-tipped brushes but the dark interior will hide a lot of what’s in there. Seatbelts are made from tape but even those blend in and are hard to see.

The kit is a box-shaker and assembly is complete before you know it. The small wing fences on the leading edge require some patience when eliminating the seam there. I installed the landing gear legs before painting to ensure a solid join and to hold the model up while painting – everything under the F4D will be white including the gear bays so this won’t make detail painting difficult later. I couldn’t find a masking set for the canopy but the job is not too involved so strips of Tamiya tape works just fine. I was able to locate an unused wheel mask of the proper diameter to fit the curve at the rear of the canopy sides, a lucky break which saved some time.

Part II here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/12/06/tamiya-douglas-f4d-1-skyray-build-in-1-72-scale-part-ii/

Picture of the Week 48

A U.S. Marine Corps AAV7A1 Amphibious Assault Vehicle in the water. On board are Marines of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines.

Kawanishi H6K ‘Mavis’ Flying Boats Part III

A dramatic series of combat photographs showing the demise of an H6K5 Type 97 flying boat. On 07MAY44 this Mavis encountered a PB4Y-1 Privateer of VPB-109 which was also conducting a long-range patrol. Pilot Lt John D. Keelings closed in to allow his gunners to engage.

While one of the American crew snapped these photos, the Privateer’s gunners scored hits on the wing, setting the starboard wing ablaze while fuel streams from the port wing. The heat has already destroyed much of the skinning on the starboard tail surfaces. This also shows a unique view of paint wear on the upper surfaces of the wing and engine nacelles.

Another perspective as the Privateer makes repeated firing runs. American patrol aircraft were flown aggressively and attacked their Japanese counterparts when encountered, relying on their often superior firepower and protection to carry the day.

The Mavis in the water as the fire rages. Shell splashes can be seen to the left of the photo. The port wing float has sunk and the wingtip is dragging in the water which risks the aircraft capsizing. If you look at the photo closely a crewman can be seen on the port wing.

Another Mavis but the same fate. This Mavis was the victim of a PB4Y Privateer flown by LCDR Allen Waggoner of VPB-116 off Shizuoka on 09MAY45.

This Mavis survived the war, and is seen here in a hanger in Sourabaya, Java undergoing maintenance by RAF personnel. This aircraft would make a fascination modeling subject. Under the wings the Japanese Hinomaru appears to have been painted out with a light grey, while Indonesian separatists have neatly painted their insignia inboard. This is contested on the fuselage sides, which bear the Dutch insignia, a white surrender cross, and anther painted-over Hinomaru. Upper wing markings are anyone’s guess.

A view of the seaplane ramp at Yokohama, Japan, 14SEP45. The two Mavis’ have partial Surrender Markings of white paint and green crosses. The crosses on the upper wings appear to have been applied directly over the Hinomaru. In the right foreground is the wing of an H8K Emily.

Another view of a Mavis in Surrender Markings, this one on the water moored to a buoy. The painting is consistent with the Mavis in the center of the previous photo and is likely the same aircraft.

Not the best photo, but one which shows a Mavis in Singapore after the war in British markings.

Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/11/13/kawanishi-h6k-mavis-flying-boats-part-i/

Special Hobby Curtiss P-40L Warhawk of GC II/5 “La Fayette” in 1/72 Scale

GC II/5 “La Fayette” of the Free French Air Force operated this Warhawk from Tunisia in 1943. The pilot was a Lt. Rubin.

Construction here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/10/18/special-hobby-curtiss-p-40-warhawk-build-in-1-72-scale-part-i/

Flying Colors Book Review

Flying Colors

By William Green and Gordon Swanborough

Softcover, 207 pages, over 1,300 color profile illustrations

Published by Squadron / Signal Publications, 1981

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0-89747-121-0

Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.5 x 11.8 inches

This is a compilation volume of color illustrations which originally appeared in Air Enthusiast or Air International. The subjects are arraigned by the year a specific aircraft type entered service, and range from the SPAD 7 (1916) to the Panavia Tornado (1981). There are a total of 113 types represented, this is certainly not all aircraft types but the book makes no claim to be a definitive all-inclusive source on the subject. What the reader gets is page after page of beautiful full color profile illustrations along with more than a few plan and scrap views. These are more than adequate to represent the many variations of camouflage and markings applied to aircraft over the years.

This is very much a book which lends itself to browsing, it is very easy to find a comfortable chair and lose yourself in this book. There is not much in the way of text, each profile is accompanied with the bare minimum required to identify the subject. There is a brief introduction by aviation author Bruce Robertson which gives an overview of the topic and discusses the history of paint on aircraft, with the often competing motivations of camouflage for concealment and markings for identifications.

Where there are “nostalgia builds” among modelers there are also sentimental references for the book enthusiast. This work is one of those for me, I can remember quite well spending many evenings browsing through these pages planning which color scheme to use on my next modeling project. Some of these were realized, others are still awaiting their turns on the bench after all these years!

This book has been reprinted several times for the bargain bookstore market. It is not hard to find on vendors’ tables or used book stores in one binding or another at great prices. The profiles are products of their times, many have stood up well while other have been re-interpreted in the years which have followed. Still, this is a fun book to pull off the shelf even today, if you don’t already own a copy you won’t regret picking one up!