Lockheed S-3 Viking Walk Around Part IV – Main Gear Wheel Wells

Photographs taken at the Air Zoo, Kalamazoo Michigan.

Women Warriors 128

160726-Z-UF872-001 — **US Air Force F-15 pilot Major Ashley Rolfe**

http://ww2db.com/ — **WASP pilot Vivian Cadman with P-39**

ww112HRHPrincessElizabeth — **HRH Princess Elizabeth**

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Encore Yakovlev Yak-9 Build in 1/72 Scale Part I

Lurking in the stash was this Yak-9 in an Encore Models box. This kit was first issued by Dakoplast in 1997, then Encore, then Eastern Express, and finally Modelist. It is not considered to be a good kit by those who know the Yak-9 and is known to have several shape issues. I am not an expert on the type therefore the shape issues don’t jump out at me so I decided to build the kit along with all the other Yaks. When else would I ever build one?

The box contained two sprues with a lot of mold release. I wash all my sprues in hot soapy water before beginning construction. These got a good long soak. When done there was still some discoloration but no sign of oil. The two fuselages are there to account for the different placement of the cockpit and radiator between different subtypes.

The cockpit is basic. The control column looked like it would be more trouble than it was worth to clean up so I substituted one made from wire.

The wheelwells have some detail but there are gaps showing up into the fuselage and at the rear of the well. Another Yak kit which will need some work with Evergreen card.

The cockpit under a coat of paint, what there is of it. Not super detailed but the basics are in place.

There are some gaps on the underside seams which will need addressed. You can see the card used to close up the wheelwells in this photo as well.

There is a pronounced step at the wing joint which will take some filling. At this point I should also mention that the clear canopy was beyond useless – it looked like it had been squished and no way was it ever going to fit. I used one for a Yak-3 from a Falcon vacuform set which looked much, much better and actually fit pretty well.

Valom Yakovlev Yak-7B of Captain Vladimir Zalevskiy in 1/72 Scale

Vladimir Zalevskiy was credited with 17 personal and 23 group victories. He was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union, but was shot down and killed on 05JUN43. This was the aircraft he flew with the 157^th FAD during the summer of 1943.

Chance Vought F4U Corsair Mishaps Part II

CorsairMishap_11_VF-17-CV-17-USS-Bunker-Hill-July-1943-01 — A Corsair from VF-17 “Jolly Rogers” noses over after encountering the barrier aboard the USS Bunker Hill CV-17 in early 1943. The deck planking shows evidence of earlier repairs, suggesting this is not the only such incident to have occurred.

CorsairMishap_12_Fleet-Air-Arm-1836NAS-Corsair-II-T8G-landing-mishap-HMS-Smiter-1944-IWM-A29168 — A hard landing aboard HMS Smiter has mangled the landing gear leg of this Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Corsair II. The wear pattern on the forward portion of the wing at the root is caused by mechanics servicing the engine and was commonly seen on Corsairs. (Imperial War Museum)

CorsairMishap_13_F4U-4_of_VA-74_crashes_near_USS_Philippine_Sea_(CV-47)_1949 — The end of the road for this F4U-4 of VA-74, which is missing the outboard section of its port wing. The carrier is the USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) in 1949.

CorsairMishap_14_F4U-4_VMF-322_crashes_near_USS_Sicily_(CVE-118)_on_14_October_1949_(NNAM.1996.253.7157.063) — The Landing Signals Officer looks on as this F4U-4 of VMF-322 goes over the side of the USS Sicily (CVE-118) on 14OCT49. (NNAM.1996.253.7157.063)

CorsairMishap_15_VF-85-Shangri-La-aft-midair-collis-with-US-plane — This F4U-1D was involved in a mid-air collision, but was able to recover aboard the USS Shangri-La (CV-38). However, the jolt of engaging the arresting wire has separated the tail section, leaving the rest of the aircraft to continue on down the deck …

CorsairMishap_16_VBF85_F4U-1D_USS_ShangriLaCV38_21JUL45 — … where it eventually slid into the ship’s island. Deck crews have already strapped a dolly under the fuselage. Note the stripped-down jeep, which were used on several carriers as towing vehicles.

CorsairMishap_17_VF-74 — Most Navy aircraft types were capable of remaining afloat for at least a few minutes, giving time for the crew to escape. The US Navy routinely positioned a destroyer directly behind an aircraft carrier to quickly rescue aircrew, designating the station as “plane guard”.

CorsairMishap_18_HMS_Illustrious — Firefighting crews go to work on a Fleet Air Arm Corsair aboard HMS Illustrious. Fire aboard ship is a serious threat, even with the armored flight decks of the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers.

CorsairMishap_19_USS_Bennington_CV-20_February_14_1945 — A similar scene aboard USS Bennington (CV-20) on 14FEB45. The hose team is using a spray applicator to knock the flames down. Note that they have approached the fire from up-wind and are using the wing of the aircraft to protect themselves from the flames.

CorsairMishap_20_F4U-1-Corsair-VMF-214-White-576-BuNo-02576-Marines-Dream-Ed-Olander-landing-mishap-Torokina-Bougainville-1943-02 — A crane is used to right this F4U-1 on Torokina, Bougainville in 1943, the aircraft is from VMF-214 “Black Sheep”. This Corsair is somewhat rare in that it carries nose art, this is Ed Olander’s “Marine’s Dream”, BuNo 02576.

Valom Yakovlev Yak-7B of Lieutenant Vladimir Orekhov in 1/72 Scale

Vladimir Orekhov was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union for achieving 19 personal and 3 shared victories during the Great Patriotic War. The model depicts his aircraft during the fall of 1942 while operating with the 434^th FAR on the Stalingrad Front.

US Aircraft in the Soviet Union and Russia Book Review

US Aircraft in the Soviet Union and Russia

By Yefim Gordon, Sergey Komissarov, and Dmitri Komissarov

Hardcover in dustjacket, 355 pages, bibliography, profusely illustrated, color profiles

Published by Midland Publishing Ltd., January 2010

Language: English

ISBN-10: ‎ 1-85780-308-6

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1-85780-308-2

Dimensions: ‎ 8.9 x 0.9 x 11.5 inches

The Lend-Lease policy was enacted in March 1941, before America’s entry into the Second World War. It allowed the United States to provide military and logistical material to Allied nations fighting the Axis. While the main beneficiary of this aid was the United Kingdom, a significant portion went to the Soviet Union. This included roughly half a million vehicles and about fifty percent of the food, ammunition and aviation gasoline consumed by the Soviets. While this aid was officially downplayed publicly, Stalin admitted privately that the USSR would have lost the war without the vast amount of material supplied by the U.S., Great Britain, and Canada.

Part of this aid was over 11,400 U.S. aircraft. Most types operated by the USAAF were represented, with the largest portions being the Bell P-39 Airacobra with 4,719 provided and the follow-on P-63 Kingcobra with 2,397. Soviet pilots were enthusiastic about both types.

I expected this book to be about the Lend-Lease program. While that is a primary focus and occupies a substantial portion of the page count, there is so much more. The book opens with the purchase of a Wright A Flyer in 1908, and several additional pre-war types made their way to the Soviet Union under various arrangements. A surprise (to me at least) were the Soviet efforts to acquire American heavy bombers. These were denied under Lend-Lease, the USAAF citing the need for every bomber they could get, but several crash-landed examples were discovered as the Red Army pushed into Eastern Europe. Many of these were repaired, and the USSR were able to operate both the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator in squadron strength. The story of the Tu-4 Bull, reverse-engineered from three interred B-29 Superfortresses is better known. There is also a small section dealing with U.S. types (or components) acquired in various ways during the Cold War, and a much larger section on U.S. civilian types purchased after the end of the Soviet era beginning in 1991.

This is a beautiful book and a valuable reference. The pages are printed on glossy stock, and there is no shortage of photographs, line drawings, and high-quality profile artwork. Modelers looking for unusual schemes for American aircraft types will be thrilled. Highly recommended. If the subject interests you at all pick this one up, you will not be disappointed!