Academy Vought F-8E Crusader in 1/72 Scale

VMF(AW)-235 was the last active-duty U.S. F-8 Crusader squadron. The “Death Angles” deployed to Vietnam twice, first during 1966 and again for an 11-month deployment in 1967-68.

This is the Academy F-8E Crusader kit with markings from Microscale Decals sheet 72-86.

Construction here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/12/13/academy-vought-f-8e-crusader-build-in-1-72-scale-part-i/

Nakajima Ki-49 ‘Helen’ Units Book Review

Nakajima Ki-49 ‘Helen’ Units

Series: Osprey Combat Aircraft 148

By George Eleftheriou, Aircraft Profiles by Jim Laurier

Softcover, 96 pages, bibliography, and index

Published by Osprey Publications, May 2023

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1-47285-449-7

ISBN-13: 978-1-47285-449-0

Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.3 x 9.8 inches

The Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu (Allied reporting name ‘Helen’) represented a departure from established Japanese “heavy” bomber concepts. Instead of prioritizing range and bombload above all else, the Ki-49 emphasized armament and protection. The result was a mediocre design which was also plagued by engine problems, only about 800 examples were produced.

Osprey Combat Aircraft is a successful series by any publication standard, and volumes on Japanese subjects are always welcome. This volume is something of a departure from the standard format we have seen in previous works. Whereas other volumes have extensive color profile sections, often containing thirty or more profiles, this volume contains only seven but each is accompanied by a plan view. The color pages also include ten color photographs of damaged aircraft on captured airfields taken by Allied personnel. In addition, four scrap views showing tail markings are included. None of these were of aircraft unfamiliar to me.

Several photographs are scattered throughout the text as is usual for the series, and many of these I had not seen before. Where the author’s research really shines lies in the crew accounts of the missions flown. Eleftheriou has included several first-hand descriptions of these missions, a comparative rarity from Japanese sources. Readers accustomed to Allied accounts of raids comprised of multiple Bomb Groups will be surprised at the limited numbers of serviceable bombers the Japanese were regularly able to muster.

This book sets a series record for fewest number of aircraft profiles, but compensates with the crews’ accounts. Overall, a solid volume and I look forward to Osprey expanding the series to additional IJAAF bomber types.

North American Rockwell OV-10A Bronco Walk Around Part II

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

Part III here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/01/05/north-american-rockwell-ov-10a-bronco-walk-around-part-iii/

Women Warriors Ukrainian Special Edition 2024

Col. Olga Kachura, rocket artillery battalion commander

Major Natalya Fedorovna Meklin HSU a Po-2 pilot of the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Regiment, the “Night Witches”. From Lubny, Ukraine, she was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union for completing 840 sorties.

Lt. Lyudmila Pavlichenko HSU from Kiev. She served as a sniper and was credited with 309 kills during the Great Patriotic War.

Eduard Grumman F6F-3 Build in 1/72 Scale Part I

This is the F6F Hellcat tool from Eduard, the kit was first issued in 2011 and it has been released regularly ever since. It is still one of the better kits in the Gentleman’s Scale and offers the modeler a quick and painless build experience. I have built a few of these over the years and have enjoyed the experience every time. The main factor which limits my building more is there just isn’t a lot of variety in camo and marking choices, but recently I came across an option which was unusual and provided a perfect excuse to put a couple more of these on the bench.

The main sprues provide a conventional parts breakdown and three options for the cowl. The detail and molding is superb and you can get a good representation of the Hellcat without any fuss. I do wish Eduard would issue a folded wing sprue for this kit at some point though, wouldn’t it be great to have a deckload of these?

Lots of options on the small parts sprue to accommodate different versions and ordnance loadouts. This kit is from simpler days and it shows, plus the Hellcat was a simple design without a lot of production changes compared to many other types.

The cockpit is well represented and just needs some seatbelts to look complete, although there is no end to PE and other aftermarket parts for those who really want to spend some time here.

Here is the cockpit painted up with decals for the instruments and seatbelts. This is certainly adequate for many builders but can be easily enhanced for a super-detail project.

The engine also looks great under a coat of paint. I added ignition wires to this one from beading wire. This doesn’t take as long as one might think and adds more interest for those guys with the tiny flashlights.

The fuselage has some clever engineering. The wings and horizontal tail surfaces slot into recesses in the fuselage which eliminates the seams on those areas. Fit is tight, you could press fit the parts in without glue if you were so inclined. The tail surfaces take some care to align properly as there is nothing which would prevent you from pressing them in too far, so take some time there.

Fit is excellent, I didn’t need any putty on my build.

Everything is in place and the model is ready for priming. There are no surprises here, it would not be difficult to crank out an entire Air Wing’s worth of these in short order.

Part II here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/01/03/eduard-grumman-f6f-3-build-in-1-72-scale-part-ii/

Picture of the Week 52

Cargo is unloaded from merchant ships at Sfax, Tunisia, 1943. The condition of the ships and the port is noteworthy.

Kawanishi H8K ‘Emily’ Flying Boats Part IV – Combat Photographs

On 02JUL44 this H8K2 Emily of the 851st Kokutai tail code 51-085 had the misfortune to encounter the PB4Y-1 Liberator of VPB-115 flown by the crew of LT Stoughton Atwood Southwest of Palau. LT Atwood’s gunners have already disabled the Emily’s tail and dorsal turrets, both of which are pointed away from the Liberator. These photos were taken by the PB4Y-1s co-pilot, ENS Emment Regan, and provided Allied intelligence with the clearest images of an Emily yet seen to that point in the war.

With the Emily’s defenses neutralized, the Liberator’s gunners concentrated on the engines and soon had started fires in the wing. Here 51-085 is on fire, in a steep bank, and is losing altitude.

51-085 is doomed as she nears the water while standing on her wing. U.S. Navy long-range patrol aircraft were flow aggressively, and actively sought engagements with their Japanese counterparts.

Emily 801-77 of the 801st Kokutai is seen here under fire from the PB4Y-1 of VPB-117 flown by the crew of LT Herbert Box on 31OCT44, East of Okinawa. The Emily pilot is attempting to evade by flying close to the water, but flames can be seen taking hold at the port wing root.

LT Box’s Liberator was almost one thousand miles into its patrol when the starboard waist gunner detected an unknown aircraft through his binoculars thirty-five miles away.

801-77 impacts the water at speed and breaks up.

Two months later, another VPB-117 crew encountered a second 801 Kokutai Emily Southwest of Formosa. LT Graham Squires’ PB4Y‑1 crew detected the Emily by radar and engaged when it emerged from a cloud bank, taking the Emily’s crew by surprise.

The Emily was flown aggressively. The pilot attempted to ram the Liberator but overshot, crashing into the sea with a spectacular fireball.

On 30OCT44 a drama unfolded 450 miles off the coast of Japan, a wolfpack of four U.S. Submarines were locked in combat with a Japanese convoy. USS Salmon (SS-182) torpedoed and sank a damaged Japanese tanker, but was in turn damaged by the tanker’s escorts and forced to surface. Undaunted, Salmon engaged the escorts on the surface and called on her packmates for assistance. The Japanese warships intercepted Salmon’s distress calls and withdrew, but Salmon was unable to submerge. As the other U.S. submarines escorted Salmon from the area both sides dispatched long-range patrol aircraft to join the battle. LT Guy Thompson’s PB4Y-1 from VPB-116 arrived overhead on 31OCT44 and soon detected the Type 6 surface search radar of a Japanese Emily. LT Thompson immediately turned to engage. In a running battle, the Liberator was able to force the Emily down a mere forty miles from the American submarines.

On 18SEP43 American carrier aircraft attacked Japanese forces stationed on Makin Atoll. The 802nd Kokutai lost three H8K Emilys to strafing. In this well-known photo, American soldiers are contemplating the remains of one of these Emilys.

The same aircraft from a different angle. This was the first Emily which was available for physical assessment by Allied intelligence.

A slightly different angle reveals more detail. (World War Photos)

The U.S. Navy and War Departments combined efforts to release a “Recognition Pictorial Manual” which was issued to American aircrews. The manual included drawings and photographs along with technical specifications of aircraft from all the major warring nations. This is the page on the Emily from the manual which reveals what the Americans could confirm about the Emily as of November, 1943.

A view of bombed out Japanese facilities at Kure immediately after the war. A H8K2-L Seiku transport with tail code 113-21 is seen beached on the shoreline.

Part V – The Survivor here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/01/08/kawanishi-h8k-emily-flying-boats-part-v-the-survivor/

Tamiya Douglas F4D-1 Skyray in 1/72 Scale

The Douglas F4D Skyray was the Navy’s first supersonic interceptor. It was also the only Navy jet to be assigned to NORAD. It held a time-to-climb record, attaining an altitude of 15,000 meters (49,221 feet) from a standing start in 2 minutes, 38 seconds.

This is the Tamiya kit in markings from Super Scale decal sheet 72-186. While a solid design which was popular with those who flew it, the Skyray experienced a short service life due to rapid advances in aeronautical engineering at the time. VF-74 “Be-Devilers” flew the Skyray from 1956 until 1961 when they transitioned to the F-4 Phantom.

Construction here: Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/11/29/tamiya-douglas-f4d-1-skyray-build-in-1-72-scale-part-i/

Warplanes of the Third Reich Book Review

Warplanes of the Third Reich

By William Green

Hardcover in dustjacket, 672 pages, index

Published by Doubleday and Company, 1970

Language: English

Library of Congress Card Number 88-29673

Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 1.5 inches

Warplanes of the Third Reich was first published in 1970 and is still considered by many to be a definitive reference on Luftwaffe aircraft. The subject is broad, there were a bewildering number of aircraft types in Luftwaffe service and each one of these is described in detail. The book claims to include over two thousand photographs and drawings. The contents are arranged by manufacturer and then by number, making finding a specific aircraft easy. As near as I can tell, the author has limited his efforts to describing aircraft which were actually built and flew, fans of “napkinwaffe” or “what if” designs will need to look elsewhere.

This is very much one of those treasured sentimental references, and in fact is one of the originals. I distinctly remember when this book was first published. It was prominently displayed on the shelf behind the counter at the local bookstore protected by the proprietor, both figuratively and literally beyond the reach of a 5^th grader like me. Upon request, the book could be briefly inspected at the counter, but the $20 price tag equated to several mows of the neighbors’ yards and I had very a frugal upbringing. In retrospect, the mental exercise of enthusiastically memorizing 672 pages of technical specifications would have furthered my intellectual development and done more good than saving the $20 ever would have.

Needless to say, a copy was eventually acquired and is still in use today. Many of my build projects start with a read of the relevant section, and the information is detailed enough that I have cut plastic to modify kits based upon Green’s 50+ year old dimensions. The book has held up well for accuracy and completeness over the years, the few passages which have been disputed have been because Green’s sources were occasionally found to have embellished or otherwise mis-represented the information quoted. This book has been reprinted too many times to list. It is easy to find a copy on the secondary market and at a good price, often less than the original publication price which proved such an obstacle in my youth. This is one of the cornerstones of a Luftwaffe reference library, no collection can be considered complete without a copy.