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Canute

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Everything posted by Canute

  1. Art, just be careful with these cements and fillers. They give off volatile organic compounds. One reason I went for the Vallejo filler, no odors. The acetone and other chemicals give me a buzz (not a fun one, either), so I mask up with a good 3M product to eliminate the effects. Have fun; you've fallen into a fun "rabbit hole".
  2. Steven, you're correct, but then it's almost like you're fighting a helicopter. I'd run out a minute or two away from the Harrier, getting lots of knots. Then, pitch back into the Harrier and take a standoff shot with a radar or IR missile. Go quickly to guns and be ready to strafe. I think we only fought with some Marine AV-8s once, so my experience is limited. More time versus F-5, 15,16, F-100, A-7, F14, F18. It was fun.
  3. BMW made radial engines for the German a/c. They did make some a/c motors in WW I and made other engines after that war. They built motorcycles and began making cars in 1928. During WW II they stuck with their a/c engines. Post war they eventually restarted making motorcycles and autos. BF became Messerschmidt after Dr Willy of that name. They ended up making some cars after the war. We even had some here in the 50s. They did make license built a/c and eventually merged with two other companies making helicopters until bought out by EADS.
  4. Start with a sharp Exacto knife with plenty of #11 blades - cut parts off sprues, don't tear. Clean up the joints after a dry fit (if needed) and make sure the nibs are gone, too. Some older kits have flash at the edges , usually due to old, warn dies. Get some liquid cement to assemble the kit. I like Tamiya Extra Thin (green label) for gluing. It has a small brush inside the cap. This glue is mostly acetone (welds styrene very nicely), but it's volatile. Other guys should chime in on their favorite glue, too. Keep the parts clamped until the glue sets. Check the seams and fill if necessary. I like Vallejo filler, but the others will chime in with their faves. Follow the instructions for your first few kits. This should get you started, Art. Have fun.
  5. He also banned an older air to air missile we carried, because it was a "hit 'em in the heart" infrared guided weapon. They were designed for non maneuvering bomber type a/c; obviously useless in dogfights. I carried them in Europe and wasn't impressed, for the most part.
  6. The crew of that Apache will, too. Aviation is hours of boredom interspersed with moments of stark terror.😲 DO NOT ASK me how I know. And no, I've never bailed out of an airplane.
  7. Put those angle irons on the front to hack through the bocage. I forget what they were called for real. You armor experten can handle that stuff.
  8. That he was, EG. He rubbed the higher ups the wrong way too often, but the troops loved him. He is revered by most fighter pilots( and not a few WSOs). Horizontal turning was deadly because you got too slow. Speed is life was our mantra after Nam.
  9. I was looking at the suspension and the greatcoat on the one rifleman. They're all in gloves, too., so i thought late fall/winter. Could be Huertgen Forest, too. Anyhow, looking forward to see how this one turns out.
  10. Denis, I believe it's a "Gustav" model variant. The port side air scoop and the bulges between the guns and cockpit. An "Emil" had a smaller scoop and was leaner looking in those areas. The Germans used men's names for the Messerschmidt models. The FW190D , the inline engine that looked like a skinny radial, was the Dora model. The later Kurt Tank Focke Wulfs were Ta152 variants. Tank designed the FW, but they used the factory name/initials for the earlier A and G models with the big radials. The early Messerschmidt's were actually Bf 109s, for the Bayerische Fleugzeug Werks. They took on the designer names part way into the war.
  11. When I did Air War College, a good chunk of time was delving into historical topics. I've always had a historical bent, but that put me over the top. ACW cavalry operations, opening of WW II in the Pacific, WW II naval ops, strategic bombing in Europe in WW II.
  12. Lou, I flew the ARN-101 birds at Seymour Johnson a tiny bit. I was a flight inspector down at Shaw AFB, doing a penance tour after spending the previous 2 years flying nothing but daily air to air training missions. Real easy to fall into multiple rabbit holes researching various historical issues. 🤫
  13. That's a few less trips to the loo, my lad. Are you sure the Gov will allow that?
  14. Quite interesting to read your explanations of P-40s versus Zeroes. We had similar issues in Viet Nam, because the "old Heads" said you turned and burned with your opponent. Worked very well in F-86 versus MiG-15 fights in Korea. Different jets in Nam.The Soviets kept up their small, good turning a/c designs MiG-17/19/21. We went bigger and mostly poor turning fighters - F-105/F-4. The Thud (105) was really a small bomber(it had a bomb bay). The F-4 was just brute force. The Air Force did some minimal air combat training; the Navy guys did a lot better. Yeah, they had Top Gun, AF had the Fighter Weapons School at Nellis, but it was more interested in ground attack tactics. As Nam was ending, the AF got into more Air Combat Tactics and really hit dissimilar training hard. Finally, we were training how we expected to fight the next war. But I digress. We Phantom drivers figured out we had to use those P-40 style tactics to use what the F-4 had in bushel baskets, speed. Pass thru this mass of turning a/c , taking your shots, run away for a ways, zoom up in altitude for your quickest, tightest turn, using God's G to make it so and then slam back into the fight. Do this a few times and it's time to go home and refuel/rearm for another go. As a Weapons School instructor, I taught all my guys to fight the Phantom that way.
  15. Ken will like that top pic bottom left😉 OC. Busman's holiday, OC. I'm looking at doing an A-7D.
  16. Needs a pair of fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror, kp.
  17. Take care of yourself, OC No rush for completion dates. Your Mossie is looking good, mate.
  18. Andy, must have needed multiple jigs for all those grabs. Forming them must have been fun, too. But they look good. The only walkover type seat sellers I seem to remember was Grandt Line and Red Cap Line. Grandt is still around, under new ownership and their new parts lineup is skimpy. Red Cap Line is closed; they did have those type seats or at least the 1930s versions.
  19. A flat surface will cause the decals to silver. You can spend hours removing it. I think the gloss as a base is OK, but you'll need a top coat to blend them in.
  20. Nice, a racer. I'm in.
  21. Carl, they are little gems. Well done.
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