Picture of the Week 09

The Royal Navy’s nuclear deterrence force consists of four Vanguard-class SSBNs, each capable of carrying sixteen Trident II ballistic missiles. In September 2023, photographer Sheila Weir shot this photograph of an unidentified Vanguard-class submarine returning to HM Naval Base Clyde on the west coast of Scotland after a six-month patrol. She is missing several of the rubber anechoic tiles covering the hull and displays a remarkable amount of marine growth. She would make an interesting weathering challenge for the ship modeler!

USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) Mare Island Photos Part II

More photographs of the battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) taken at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 26FEB42. The first is an unusual view looking forward from the after mast. On the platform surrounding the stack are four of the sixteen 20mm Oerlikon cannons installed immediately after Pearl Harbor. The box-like structures on either side of the forward mast are Mark 19 gun directors, these provided fire control information to the 5”/25 anti-aircraft guns as well as the ship’s searchlights.

Another shot looking forward from the after mast. This one shows two of the 5”/25 anti-aircraft guns on the starboard side. Pennsylvania carried eight of these as well as ten 5”/51 in casemate mounts one deck below. The shielding was intended to better protect the gun crews from shell splinters and strafing aircraft and was added after Pearl Harbor.

Looking aft on the main deck the secondary gun batteries can be seen. On the main deck are two of the 5”/51 guns in their casemates. These guns were intended to be used against surface targets, their long barrels (5” x 51 calibers = 255” long) giving them higher velocity and longer range. The 5”/25 guns were shorter (5” x 25 = 125” long) and intended for use against aircraft, their shorter barrels making them faster to train and elevate. In the tub in the foreground is one of the four 1.1” quad anti-aircraft gun mounts.

An excellent view of one of the 1.1”/75 guns and its shield. Nicknamed the “Chicago Piano”, the guns could generate a large volume of fire but were difficult to maintain and were prone to jamming. They were intended to provide short-range defense against aircraft. While they were used extensively on USN ships during the first year of the war, they were replaced by the 40mm Bofers as rapidly as production permitted. The production of the Bofers guns never caught up with demand, and the 1.1” guns were still being fitted to new-construction Destroyer Escorts as late as 1944.

Two of the sixteen new 20mm Oerlikon guns and their shields. The rectangular boxes hold ready service ammunition drums. These were reliable guns and fitted in great numbers to virtually every type of U.S. Navy ship during the war. They were intended to provide a last-ditch defense against aircraft, but as aircraft increased in size and speed the effectiveness of the Oerlikon diminished.

Another pair of 20mm Oerlikons in a raised tub on the starboard quarter, with a 1.1” quad mount positioned above. Naval engineers sought to position these guns so that some of the guns could be brought to bear against attackers coming from any position around the ship.

An overhead view of the 20mm gun tubs on port quarter with their ammunition lockers. The rectangular structure in the center of the photo is a vent, Turret Three is to the left.

Looking up at the underside of the after mast. In the lower left corner of this photo is the end of the aircraft catapult mounted to the top of Turret Three.

For this shot the photographer is standing on top of the armored conning station aft of Turret Two looking aft at the Navigation Bridge. This is where the Officer of the Deck and his watch would normally conn the ship while underway. Armor plate has been added to the exterior to provide some protection against shell splinters. The object in the center of the photo is a periscope for use from within the armored conning station.

While this photograph was taken in 1919, it provides a good idea of the layout and cramped conditions inside the Navigation Bridge of Pennsylvania. The Helmsman steered the ship using the brass wheel to the left, to his right stood the Lee Helmsman who controlled the ship’s speed by relaying orders to Engineering using the voice tube and Engine Order Telegraph.

Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/02/21/uss-pennsylvania-bb-38-mare-island-photos-part-i/

Osprey Aviation Elite Series Book List

Osprey Avion Elite provides a full unit history of a fighter or bomber unit that earned particular distinction in action. Aircraft profiles and scale drawings illustrate the machines they flew. Books in Osprey’s Aviation Elite series provide histories of some of aviation’s greatest units, detailing the men and machines that earned each unit its elite status. The unsung heroes of each unit are also identified, and their stories are told as well as those of their more well-known counterparts. They feature forty full-color aircraft profile drawings and are illustrated throughout with contemporary black and white photographs.

These books share many similarities with Osprey’s Aircraft of the Aces and Combat aircraft series. The Aviation Elite series was published from 2000 through 2011 when the series ended. Books in this series were longer than in the other two, containing 128 pages instead of 96. There was also greater variety in the subjects for the color profiles as these generally represent all the types flown by the specific unit throughout its history.

1. Jagdgeschwader 2 ‘Richthofen’

2. 56th Fighter Group

3. No 91 Nigeria Squadron

4. Lentolaivue 24

5. B-29 Hunters of the JAAF

6. Jagdgeschwader 54 ‘Grunherz’

7. 354th Fighter Group

8. 352nd Fighter Group

9. No 43 ‘Fighting Cocks’ Squadron

10. 359th Fighter Group

11. 303rd Bombardment Group

12. Jagdgeschwader 27 ‘Afrika’

13. Luftwaffe Schlachtgruppen

14. 49th Fighter Group Aces of the Pacific

15. Jagdgeschwader 52 The Experten

16. ‘Richthofen’s Circus’ Jagdgeschwader Nr 1

17. SPA124 Lafayette Escadrille American Volunteer Airmen in World War I

18. Groupe de Combat 12 ‘Les Cigognes’ France’s Ace Fighter Group in World War I

19. Jagdgeschwader Nr II Geschwader ‘Berthold’

20. Luftwaffe Sturmgruppen

21. Very Long Range P-51 Mustang Units of the Pacific War

22. Jagdgeschwader 51 ‘Mölders’

23. 475th Fighter Group

24. 332nd Fighter Group – Tuskegee Airmen

25. Jagdgeschwader 53 ‘Pik-As’

26. Jagdstaffel 2 ‘Boelcke’ Von Richthofen’s Mentor

27. Jagdverband 44 Squadron of Experten

28. USAS 1st Pursuit Group

29. Jagdgeschwader 7 ‘Nowotny’

30. 4th Fighter Group Debden Eagles

31. 23rd Fighter Group Chennault’s Sharks

32. 479th Fighter Group ‘Riddle’s Raiders’

33. No 56 Sqn Raf/RFC

34. No 617 ‘Dambuster’ Sqn

35. No 126 Wing RCAF

36. VF-11/111 ‘Sundowners’ 1942-95

37. Jagdgeschwader 400 Germany’s Elite Rocket Fighters

38. 53° Stormo

39. 57th Fighter Group ‘First in the Blue’

40. Jasta 18 The Red Noses 41. No 60 Sqn RFC/RAF

Bell P-39 Airacobra Walk Around Part V

Photographed by Don Gilman at Lewis Air Legends

Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2020/08/23/bell-p-39q-airacobra-walk-around/

BlizzCon 2024 IPMS Columbus Model Show

BlizzCon 2024 lived up to its name this year, a relatively minor winter storm made the trip hazardous. For me that meant turning a 2.5-hour drive into 4 hours and the spectacle of several semis rolled into the ditches. The show was held again at the Makoy Center in Hilliard, a small town just outside Columbus, Ohio. The venue is cramped, vender areas were packed to the point it was difficult to move through the isles and the parking lot was overflowing. There were 462 models on the tables which is down a little, I have to wonder how many modelers decided not to make the trip because of the weather. The club extended the contest entry time to accommodate modelers who might have faced delays and still the judging was done quickly, a good job all around there! The vendors’ room was great yet again, most of my purchases this time were books. The roads and skies were clear for the drive home, a fine day out despite the weather! Here is a small sampling of the models:

Women Warriors 258

CAPT Sarah Eccles F-16 pilot, Osan Korea

1917 Loretta Perfectus Walsh became the first woman to enlist in the Navy and the first woman to officially join the military in a role other than a nurse

AC-130 Airman Mary Howe, 4th Special Operations Squadron

CAPT Mariya Dlina HSU, Soviet Pe-2 Pilot

Soviet Il-2 Pilot Anna Timofeeva Egorova

ww435_TallyCasey_USAF_F16 — **Tally Case, South Carolina ANG F-16 pilot**

ww436_Women's Reserve Ambulance Corps, June 1916 — **Women’s Reserve Ambulance Corps, June 1916**

ww236WAVE02 — **WAVE exits a 5″/38 Gun Mount aboard the Battleship USS Missouri (BB-63)**

ww033 — **Swedish soldier in Afghanistan**

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

Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse Comparison Build Part I

When was the last time there was a kit released from a major manufacturer with no hype, or hint of any kind for that matter? Airfix’ Me 410 took everyone by surprise, including myself. If there was some buzz about this kit I missed it completely. In fact, I had planned to build a few Fine Molds Me 410s as my next batch. Two days after I had placed an order with Hannants the Airfix kit became available, so I put aside the stack of Fine Molds kits and waited a few months until I had another order ready from Hannants so I could build them all together. Second time that has happened in the last two orders. I’ll place another order in a couple of months, so if there’s any new kit you’d like to see it will surely be released right after I place the order!

The Fine Molds kit was originally released in 1996. Fine Molds has a business relationship with Hasegawa and the engineering of this kit is typical for a Hasegawa release of that time. Molding is crisp and panel lines are recessed. The cockpit is actually pretty well detailed, but there is still some room for improvements if you desire.

Smaller sprues, there are two copies of the sprue in the upper right which should also contain the main wheels and prop. I have three FM Me 410 kits, all three were purchased second-hand at model shows over the years. All had been tinkered with by their previous owners, one had all the parts cut off the sprues in bags, and one was missing the clear parts. Not exactly mint condition but nothing which can’t be overcome.

The Airfix kit looks like a gem in the box. Everything is well-detailed and crisply molded. For dangly bits there are two drop tanks included, and optional parts for deflected elevators. In fact, all the control surfaces are molded separately including the wing slats and radiator flaps.

The Airfix kit has a higher parts count than the Fine Molds, in part due to all the options provided. In the upper right is the sprue for the armament options which allow the builder to choose between the U2 and U4 variants.

I also picked up a set of the Quinta Studios cockpit details to try on one of the Fine Molds kits. These are 3-D printed on decal paper, the details are not flat but have some relief to them. Once released from the paper they need glued to the model, there is no adhesive on the back like a decal would have.

Here is a comparison of the upper wing panel, Airfix on top and Fine Molds on the bottom. The Airfix kit provides optional parts to represent the wing slats opened or closed. The Ailerons are molded separately, as are the radiator flaps. I have cut loose the slat on the Fine Molds wing panel as these were normally dropped when the aircraft was on the ground.

The fuselage parts compare well on both kits both in shape and in detail.

This is the Airfix kit with the cockpit parts in place. The rear crew position is mounted to the center wing section. The Airfix kit has superior detail, this will be most apparent when looking at the detail on the upper decking of the cockpit as the dark RLM 66 tends to obscure anything inside.

The Fine Molds kit is not quite as sharp as the Airfix but it is pretty good all things considered. All the major components are represented well and both cockpits are a good basis for those who want to go the super detailing route.

This is the Airfix cockpit under a coat of paint. Belts are Eduard PE. I have used the kit decals and picked up various details with a fine brush.

This is one of the Fine Molds cockpits with the Quinta Studios detail set. I will use a vacuform canopy from Falcon to replace the missing kit parts so I hope to be able to open up the canopy panels and show this off. I have not installed any of the details on the upper decking yet so I can address any issues with the seams.

Part II here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/03/01/messerschmitt-me-410-hornisse-comparison-build-part-ii/

Picture of the Week 08

USS Fiske (DE-143) was one of 85 Edsall-class Destroyer Escorts commissioned into the U.S. Navy during WWII. On 02AUG44 Fiske and her sister ship USS Douglas L. Howard sighted a German submarine, which turned out to be the Type IXc U-804. The submarine dived as the two DEs closed in to drop depth charges, but the U-804 launched a torpedo which struck Fiske amidships, snapping her keel. She sank within ten minutes of being struck, taking 33 of her 209-man crew with her. The photo shows the crew sliding down the side of Fiske as the forward section begins to capsize. 80-G-270257

USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) Mare Island Photos Part I

During the Second World War it was the practice of U.S. shipyards to document the changes made to USN warships while they were in the yards. Here is a series of photographs taken of the battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California. The ship was hit by one bomb during the Pearl Harbor Raid while in drydock there. The damage did not affect her seaworthiness and she proceeded back to the continental U.S. for further repairs and modernization. These photographs are interesting not only for their clarity and detail, but also because they reflect the changes made immediately after the Pearl Harbor Raid to improve anti-aircraft and splinter protection. She did not remain in this configuration for long, beginning in April she underwent an extensive rebuilding and modernization.

Pennsylvania moored at Mare Island. The cut-outs in the hull at her bow were originally designed for her secondary armament, 5”/51 guns intended for use against opposing destroyers. This was a standard feature of battleships from the WWI era, but the gun casements at the bow were found to ship water in even moderate seas and most, if not all, navies removed the bow guns in the hull and plated over the casemates.

A general view of the bow. The photographer appears to be working from the roof of a warehouse on a wharf, these pictures provide a unique perspective. These photographs were all taken on 02MAR42.

Pennsylvania’s main battery was four 14”/45 triple gun turrets for a total of twelve guns.

A view of the forward superstructure showing all of Pennsylvania’s gun systems. On the main deck three 5”/51 casemate guns are visible, these are intended for use against surface targets. Above them in shielded mounts are 5”/25 guns which are the primary long-range anti-aircraft battery. Adjacent to the rear of 14”/45 Turret Two is a 1.1” quadruple mount anti-aircraft gun. These were problematic, and were replaced by the excellent 40mm Bofers guns as soon as supplies permitted. Higher up in the superstructure four 20mm Oerlikon guns can be seen.

A broader view showing the entire superstructure. High on the mainmast sit the “fighting tops”, used for spotting gunfire. The noses of the main battery rounds contained colored dye, if a round missed the target the shell splash could be observed and the guns corrected. The large radar is one of the earliest sets used by the U.S. Navy, a CXAM-1 air-search radar.

Moving further aft is an excellent view of the ship’s cranes. These were used to handle the boats and aircraft, as well as to move items from the pier. Wartime experience soon demonstrated that the boats were a fire hazard, and most were left behind in port.

The after mast supports a searchlight platform and another set of fighting tops for gunnery observation. At the very top of the mast is an anti-aircraft platform which contained four water-cooled .50 caliber machine guns. The machine guns proved totally inadequate against aircraft, the heavier 20mm Oerlikons were an improvement.

The anti-aircraft guns are manned in these pictures, the crew appears to be conducting a drill. On top of Turret Three is an aircraft catapult, these would be removed from the turret tops on all the battleships except Arkansas and Texas during the earliest available refits, aircraft were to be operated from the fantail catapult only.

A view of the fantail showing the after catapult and crane. The hull shows two additional plated-in casemates where 5”/51 guns were previously located. Of interest is the sandbagged position for a water-cooled .50 caliber machine gun on the deck.

A broad view of Pennsylvania from the starboard quarter. These photos are a snapshot of Pennsylvania’s appearance for a short period of her service life. Sixteen Oerlikons and splinter shielding were added after the Pearl Harbor Raid, but the ship was extensively modernized and rebuilt beginning in April, drastically altering her appearance.

Part II here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2024/02/28/uss-pennsylvania-bb-38-mare-island-photos-part-ii/

Nemeth Parasol in 1/72 Scale

The Nemeth Parasol was a short take off and landing design which flew in 1934, only a single example was produced. At the time this was predicted to be an example of an aircraft which everyone could have in their garage, the futuristic “flying car” which has proven so elusive. The model is a limited-run 2021 effort by AviS of Ukraine, it is a somewhat challenging build due to the need to align the fifteen struts which join the circular wing to the fuselage. It is an unusual subject though, and one which you won’t encounter at most model shows.