Category Archives: Kit Bashing

Rivet Joint-Airseeker: RC-135V/W Patriot & Red Coat

RC-135 Rivet Joint , Las Vegas, Nevada, 07DEC2021. U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis.

Kadena Air Base, Japan, 12MAY2020. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Benjamin Sutton.

Personnel wearing masks board RC-135V at Kadena Air Base, Japan, 05MAY2020. USAF photo by Senior Airman Rhett Isbell.

Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, 21FEB2020. USAF photo by Manuel Garcia.

The Boeing RC-135V/W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft are the most recent members of the RC-135 family, which can be traced back to 1964.  The difference between the ‘V’ and ‘W’ variants depends upon which C-135 was upgraded/modified to Rivet Joint standard; RC-135Vs are upgraded RC-135Cs, while RC-135Ws are modified C-135Bs.

USAF photo by Manuel Garcia, 21FEB2020.

It provides near-real-time on-scene intelligence collection, primarily by detecting, identifying and geolocating signals throughout the electromagnetic spectrum.

Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, 28JUL2017. USAF photo by Technical Sergeant Amy Lovgren.

Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, 28JUL2017. Photo by Technical Sergeant Amy Lovgren.

It can carry a crew of more than 30 people, and is powered by four CFM-56 turbofans.

Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, 27JUL2017. USAF photo by Technical Sergeant Amy Lovgren.

Currently, U.S. Air Force Rivet Joints are flown by the 55th Wing, based out of Offutt Air Force Base (AFB), Nebraska.

Offutt AFB, Nebraska, 13MAR2012. USAF photo by Jeffrey Gates.

Time lapse video by Senior Airman Jacob Skovo-Lane, How to Wash your Rivet Joint, October 2018:

Video by Senior Airman Joshua Hoskins, Michigan Air National Guard re-fuels Rivet Joint over Afghanistan, January 2017:

Offutt AFB, 13MAR2012. USAF photo by Jeffrey Gates.

Over Afghanistan, 19JUN2011. USAF photo by Master Sergeant William Greer.

Over Afghanistan, 19JUN2011. USAF photo by Master Sergeant William Greer.

Over Afghanistan, 19JUN2011. USAF photo by Master Sergeant William Greer.

In August 2010, the USAF celebrated 20 years of Rivet Joint operations, with aircraft that are as much as 50 years old:

During the pandemic of 2020, believe it or not a mask was created for the nose of the RC-135.  It is nicknamed The Mule Mask.  Video interview of mask creator Technical Sergeant Kristen Horwith by Staff Sergeant Lexie West, 11AUG2020:

Video by (then) Senior Airmen Lexie West, USAF RC-135 at RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom, November 2017:

RAF RC-135W Airseeker, Offutt AFB, Nebraska, 02MAY2018. USAF photo by Senior Airman Jacob Skovo-Lane.

RAF RC-135W Airseeker, Offutt AFB, Nebraska, 02MAY2018. USAF photo by Senior Airman Jacob Skovo-Lane.

For the Commonwealth of Nations (formerly British Commonwealth of Nations, formerly British Empire) member United Kingdom, in 2011 the RC-135W was chosen as the replacement for the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) BAe Nimrod R Mark 1.    In November 2013 the RAF received it’s first RC-135W, flying it’s first mission in May 2014.  The official British name for the RC-135W is Airseeker.

12FEB2017, Airseeker undergoing landing gear inspection, Offutt AFB. USAF photo by Delanie Stafford.

12FEB2017, Airseeker undergoing landing gear inspection, Offutt AFB. USAF photo by Delanie Stafford.

While taking part in Red Flag aerial wargames in February 2017, over Nevada, the RAF Airseeker developed main-landing gear problems and diverted to Offutt AFB in Nebraska.

12FEB2017, Airseeker undergoing landing gear inspection, Offutt AFB. USAF photo by Delanie Stafford.

It was determined that the Airseeker had a faulty main-landing gear sequence valve, which was preventing the gear from locking in the retracted position.

RAF Airseeker, Red Flag wargames, Nevada, 2017. Photo by Sergeant Neil Bryden.

Giant model of an RC-135, Lackland AFB, Texas. Photo by by Nadine Wiley De Moura.

The ancient Nova vacformed 1:72 scale KC-135 came with optional parts which you could use to make an RC version (but it has the older engines since it came out before the CFM-56 version, you could kit-bash using a newer CFM equipped AMT-ERTL KC-135R kit, which was also issued under the Airfix/Heller brands).

In the 1990s AMT-ERTL issued a 1:72 scale RC-135V, the version used during Desert Storm.   Some kit bashers used the kit to model a RC-135W Airseeker. 

An old photo of an RC-135, by Forrest Durham.

If you are a model builder, pay attention to the year of operation of the RC-135V/W you want to depict, because various antennae bumps and blades will appear and disappear depending on the latest electronic mission configuration.   It seems the older the plane gets the more skin growths it develops.

Somewhere in The middle East (South West Asia), 04MAR2010. USAF photo by Technical Sergeant Michelle Larche.

Refueling during the invasion of Iraq. USAF photo by Master Sergeant Dave Ahlschwede, 09APR2003.

Over Nebraska, 01MAY2000. USAF photo by Master Sergeant Dave Nolan.

01MAY2000, USAF photo by Master Sergeant Dave Nolan.

Don’t forget the bottom.

Departing from a forward operating base during the invasion of Iraq. USAF photo by Technical Sergeant Robert J. Horstman, 28APR2003.

11DEC1991, USAF photo by Technical Sergeant Scott P. Stewart.

Don’t confuse with the RC-135S Cobra Ball:

Not all RC-135S are covered in bumps and antennae. USAF photo by Senior Airman Amy Younger, 23MAY2020.

Variations of bumps and windows on RC-135S. Notice that the upper part of starboard wing, as well as nacelles, on some Cobra Balls are painted matt-black. USAF photo by Senior Airman Jeremy Smith, September 2001.

C-130: ONCE A RED COAT, NOW A BLUE ANGEL

Pandemic Overflight: KC-135

EC-135E FIRE-BIRD: 10329 COMES BACK TO LIFE, AGAIN! OR, WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR EXTRA KC-135 KIT.

Vehicle I-D: MLRS, BRITISH RED COATS INVADE U.S. ARMY BASE IN GERMANY!

2018: M777 artillery proof the Red Coats have returned!

2017: U.S. ARMY COMMANDED BY RED COATS?

Canadian Red Coats control U.S. NORAD: SHHH, DON’T “CROSSTELL”, BUT U.S. AIR MILITIA UNITS & CANADA PREPPING FOR TFR EMERGENCY!

New clothes for a Texas F-16

U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sergeant Jeremy Roman, 05NOV2020.

The 301st Fighter Wing, 457th Fighter Squadron, U.S. Air Force Reserve celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2019, yet only now has dolled-up one of its F-16Cs for the occasion.

USAF photos by Master Sergeant Jeremy Roman, 05NOV2020.

According to USAF reports the painting was delayed (official reason not made public so far), but the aircraft was finally unveiled at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, 05NOV2020.

USAF photos by Master Sergeant Jeremy Roman, 05NOV2020.

USAF photos by Master Sergeant Jeremy Roman, 05NOV2020.

Here’s some pics of the Texas Air National Guard 149th Fighter Wing F-16s.

Texas Air Guard F-16 in Chile, 14OCT2014. Texas Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sergeant Miguel Arellano.

Texas Air National Guard F-16 in Wisconsin, 16APR2013. Texas Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sergeant Miguel Arellano.

The aircraft is based at Joint Base San Antonio.  Here’s some pics from September 2011:

Photos by Staff Sergeant Phil Fountain.

Vehicle I-D: NEW F-16 WRAITH! NIGHT FIGHTER WW-2 STYLE!

C-130J: Retro Dayglo, and how neon paint helps keep airplanes from falling outta the sky!

Photo by Airman First Class Jayden Ford, 22SEP2020.

In September 2020, C-130s were painted in ‘heritage’ colors to represent some of the first aircraft flown by the U.S. Air Force’s 41st and 61st Airlift Squadrons.  The paint schemes included a camo tail, a pre-World War Two yellow tail, and a Cold War dayglo orange/red tail.

Photo by Airman First Class Jayden Ford, 22SEP2020.

The paint-job was handled by the 19th Maintenance Squadron on Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas.

Photo by Staff Sergeant Jeremy McGuffin, 08OCT2020.

On 08OCT2020, USAF and Arkansas National Guard C-130s showed off their new paint jobs, en masse.

Video report by Airman First Class Jayden Ford, explaining the history of the 41st and 61st Airlift Squadrons:

65th anniversary video by Master Sergeant Jason Armstrong:

Photo by Airman First Class Isaiah Miller, 08OCT2020.

USAF photo by Photo by Airman Joshua Maund, 04SEP2015.

Dayglo paint/oil is not only used to make things like vehicles stand-out, it’s also used to make defects in structural components stand-out.  It’s a type of non-destructive inspection (NDI).

U.S. Army photo by Ervey Martinez, 18SEP2020.

The ‘penetrant’ paint/oil soaks into any cracks revealing the defects.

Magnetic particle inspection using a black-light.

USAF photo by Master Sergeant Cecilio Ricardo.

This Airman is using a blacklight to inspect a bolt.

The term dayglo originates from the name of a paint company whose primary customers were retail advertisers, but that changed with a big boost from the U.S. Department of War (established 1789-1947) during World War Two, a military supply contract which lasted through the undeclared Cold War (and beyond).  Ironically during the Cold War decades, the company was not only getting business from the U.S. National Military Establishment (1947-1949) and U.S. Department of Defense (1949-present), but from the hippie-dippie peace movement by selling its neon paints to producers of peace posters and music industry advertising.  In 1969 the company first known as Fluor-S-Art, then as Switzer Brothers (in honor of the founders), changed its name to Day-Glo Paint Corporation.   In 1985, Day-Glo was sold to Nalco Chemical Company, and today it boasts of being the world’s largest producer of florescent colors.

C-130J: ONCE A RED COAT, NOW A BLUE ANGEL

ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON BEGINS EARLY, AGAIN,1ST WC-130J HURRICANE HUNTER LAUNCHED!

Pandemic Overflight: HERKS FOR HEROES

Bare Metal: C-130 PAINT PREP, OR THE EMPEROR GETS SOME NEW CLOTHES

Vehicle I-D: NORMANDY PAINTED C-130 HERCULES

Neon in Plastic:

BLACKLIGHT REVELL DEAL’S WHEELS

AMT WILLYS VAN RETRO ISSUE

MULTI-MAVERICK 

Idaho’s 1:1 scale fake news Russian radar tank

Idaho National Guard photos by Senior Airman Mercedee Wilds and Master Sergeant Joshua Allmaras

A member of the 266th Range Squadron, Idaho Air National Guard, works to off-load a 1:1 scale simulated 1S91 SURN tank at Fort Irwin National Training Center, California, June 2019.

The 266th played the bad guy (Opposition Force, OpFor) trying to shoot down Idaho’s A-10Cs.

This is supposed to simulate the 1S91 SURN radar for the 2K12 Kub (NATO code name SA-6 Gainful) missile system.  It’s made mainly of steel and aluminum.

The 266th also used a real radar to simulate enemy radar signals.

1:1 SCALE WIND TUNNEL MODELS?

HOW TO ASSEMBLE YOUR 1:1 SCALE F-86

HOW TO BUILD A 1:1 SCALE U.S. ARMY ‘FAKE NEWS’ BMP-2

Model kit E-8 JSTARS gate guard

Georgia Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Nancy Goldberger, 20MAY2020.

Personnel at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, volunteer to assemble a giant model of the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS), 20MAY2020.

Georgia Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Nancy Goldberger, 20MAY2020.

Georgia Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Nancy Goldberger, 20MAY2020.

The official reason for the giant model is “to inspire pride”.

Georgia Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Nancy Goldberger, 20MAY2020.

1:1 SCALE WIND TUNNEL MODELS?

U.S. MARINES USE ‘FAKE NEWS’ MIG-23

RETIRED USN CRAFTSMAN RECALLS DAYS OF BEING PAID TO BUILD GIANT MODEL PLANES!

1:1 scale Wind Tunnel models?

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)’s first wind tunnel, at Langley Field, Virginia, was an open-circuit wind tunnel completed in 1920. It was not ‘full scale’ and was a copy of a wind tunnel used in the United Kingdom.  It was considered a failure because it could not replicate ‘scaled down wind’ due to not being airtight, and due to not being able to compress the air to match the scales of the model aircraft being used.

Approval was given to build a Full Scale Wind Tunnel, also at Langley Field.

“The tunnel is of the double-return flow type with a 30 by 60 foot open jet at the test section…..  ….The tunnel is equipped with a 6-component balance for obtaining the forces in 3 directions and the moments about the 3 axes of an airplane. All seven dial scales of the balance system are of the recording type, which permits simultaneous records to be made of all forces.”-Smith DeFrance, NACA TR #459 page 291

However a reduced scale model of the Full Scale Wind Tunnel was also built: “The excellent energy ratio obtained in the new wind tunnel of the California Institute of Technology suggests that before proceeding with our full scale tunnel design, we ought to investigate the effect on energy ratio of such factors as: 1. Small included angle for the exit cone; 2. Carefully designed return passages of circular section as far as possible, without sudden changes in cross sections; 3. Tightness of walls. It is believed that much useful information can be obtained by building a model of about 1/16 scale, that is, having a closed throat of 2 ft. by 4 ft. The outside dimensions would be about 12 ft. by 25 ft. in plan and the height 4 ft. Two propellers will be required about 28 in. in diameter, each to be driven by direct current motor at a maximum speed of 4500 R.P.M. Provision can be made for altering the length of certain portions, particularly the exit cone, and possibly for the application of boundary layer control in order to effect satisfactory air flow. This model can be constructed in a comparatively short time, using 2 by 4 framing with matched sheathing inside, and where circular sections are desired they can be obtained by nailing sheet metal to wooden ribs, which can be cut on the band saw. It is estimated that three months will be required for the construction and testing of such a model and that the cost will be approximately three thousand dollars, one thousand dollars of which will be for the motors. No suitable location appears to exist in any of our present buildings, and it may be necessary to build it outside and cover it with a roof.”-Elton W. Miller, 26JUN1929

The wind generators for the model of the Full Scale Wind Tunnel.

Construction jig for the cowlings that will fit around the wind tunnel’s giant diesel motors.

“The propellers are located side by side and 48 feet aft of the throat of the exit-cone bell. The propellers are 35 feet 5 inches in diameter and each consists of four cast aluminum alloy blades screwed into a cast steel hub…..   …..The most commonly used power plant for operating a wind tunnel is a direct-current motor and motor-generator set with Ward Leonard control system. For the FST it was found that alternating current slip-ring induction motors, together with satisfactory control equipment, could be purchased for approximately 30 percent less than the direct-current equipment. Two 4,000-horsepower slip-ring induction motors with 24 steps of speed between 75 and 300 r.p.m. were therefore installed. In order to obtain the range of speed one pole change was provided and the other variations are obtained by the introduction of resistance in the rotor circuit. This control permits a variation in air speed from 25 to 118 miles per hour. The two motors are connected through an automatic switchboard to one drum-type controller located in the test chamber. All the control equipment is interlocked and connected through time-limit relays, so that regardless of how fast the controller handle is moved the motors will increase in speed at regular intervals.”-Smith DeFrance, NACA TR #459 pages 294-295

The above photo shows the twin tunnel funnel with diesel motors before the giant propellers were mounted.  This ‘cone’ sucked the air out.

Entrance cone, where the air came into the wind tunnel room.

Even though the wind was generated by diesel powered props, the Full Scale Wind Tunnel still required electricity from “Two 4000-horsepower slip-ring induction motors with 24 steps of speed between 75 and 300 r.p.m….” 

The completed building housing the Full Scale Wind Tunnel, also known as the 30×60 Tunnel: “The entire equipment is housed in a structure, the outside walls of which serve as the outer walls of the return passages. The over-all length of the tunnel is 434 feet 6 inches, the width 222 feet, and the maximum height 97 feet. The framework is of structural steel….”-NACA TR #459 pages 292-293

Testing nacelles for the U.S. Navy.

Vought SU-2 Corsair/O3U-4 in Langley’s Full Scale Wind Tunnel in 1934. The cowling around the engine is the less aerodynamic Townend cowling.

Testing of the lowly Brewster Buffalo was so successful in discovering aerodynamic inefficiencies that the U.S. Army and Navy sent most of their World War Two prototype and production aircraft to the Full Scale Wind Tunnel for similar examination.

Vought F4U-1 Corsair: This production F4U-1 underwent wind tunnel trials in an effort to find potential aerodynamic refinements.

MX-334 flying wing glider, 1943.

Bell XP-77 1:1 scale model, 1943.

The 30×60/Full Scale Wind Tunnel has undergone numerous upgrades since World War Two.

Mercury space capsule, January 1959.

Testing the proposed parawing landing system for space capsules.

Testing one of the proposed Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) models.

The scale model built to test the swept-wings of the Super Sonic Transport (SST) was so big the Full Scale Wind Tunnel had to be used.

In 1999, NASA (National Aeronautics Space Administration) decided to test a 1:1 scale model of the Wright Flyer, for aerodynamic data. However, the full-scale Wright Flyer was built stronger than the original for fear it wouldn’t hold up in the wind tunnel (it was tested at only 30mph/48kmh).

Despite being declared a National Historic Landmark, demolition of the 30×60 Full Scale Wind Tunnel began in 2010, officially declared dead and buried in 2014.

VEHICLE I-D: NASA CANBERRAS, B-57B ‘HUSH KIT’ & WB-57F RIVET CHIP/SLICE

BARE METAL: NASA’S MD-11 EXPERIMENTAL

IDAHO, KANSAS, UTAH HOME BASES FOR NASA’S DC-8 FIREX-AQ!

NASA ‘CLIMATE SPY PLANE’ PROVES CALIFORNIA’S STRICT ANTI-POLLUTION LAWS ARE A JOKE!

SUPER GUPPY BE OLD, BUT NASA STILL USES IT!

VEHICLE I-D: ‘NEW’ F-16 VISTA

VEHICLE I-D: F-8 DFBW, OR ANOTHER REASON WHY TODAY’S TECHIE GENERATION OWES THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX!

SALVAGING F4U CORSAIRS

How to assemble your 1:1 scale F-86

Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel, 26FEB2020.

Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel, February 2020.

During the last week of February 2020, the Oregon Military Museum decided to put together an F-86F Saber (Sabre).

Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel, 26FEB2020.

Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel, 26FEB2020.

Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel, 26FEB2020.

The volunteers, guided by a worried looking couple of employees from museum consultant Century Aviation, took care in piecing it together.

Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel, 26FEB2020.

Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel, February 2020.

It helps if you have a couple of forklifts, it took about a week for the volunteers to put together.

Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel, February 2020.

Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel, February 2020.

Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel, February 2020.

F-86 number 12892 served with the U.S. Air Force until 1956, then with the Republic of Korea (South Korea) until 1963. It was then acquired by the Oregon National Guard.

Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel, February 2020.

Oregon National Guard time lapse video, by Sergeant First Class Zachary Holden, of the assembly:

The Oregon Military Museum is located on Camp Withycombe, Clackamas.  The F-86, having sat in pieces since 2012 while the museum was being refurbished, was assembled in time for the museum’s grand re-opening.  (Unfortunately being negatively affected by CoViD-19 response.) 

OREGON MOHAWK FLIES AGAIN (SORT OF) & SOME OTHER MOHAWK NEWS

HOW TO PAINT YOUR 1:1 SCALE B-17 MEMPHIS BELLE WITH ‘PERIOD CORRECT’ (as in made the way they made it back then) PAINT

F-86H HOG GATE GUARDS

VEHICLE I-D: FURY VS MIG

POKEY AIRPORT 02 AUGUST 2014: FJ-4B FURY

PAINTING A P-51 WITH VINYL DECALS?

KIT BASHING: HELLER, FUJIMI & HOBBYCRAFT F-86 SABRE KITS COMPARED

U.S. Army/Marines use ‘fake news’ MiG-23 BAT

In 2005, the U.S. Marines, and other NATO members, launched what they called a MiG-23 Bandit, in Egypt.  It was built as a target drone for man-portable Stinger anti-aircraft missile training.

According to the info that came with these pics, five MiG-23 Bandits were launched, and all five were shot down during Exercise Bright Star.

According to the information that was issued with these pics, the MiG-23 Bandits were actually made and operated by a U.S. military contractor; Advanced Composite Manufacturing.  There are several companies and ‘research’ organizations that use the words Advanced Composite Manufacturing in their names.  There is also a company calling itself ACM/Advanced Composite Manufacturing.  None of them have any info about the MiG-23 Bandit.

Video, MiG-23 Bandit launch & shoot-down:

A ‘BAT’ being prepped for duty on Fort Campbell, Kentucky. U.S. Army photo by Marshall W. Woods, 20FEB2002.

The U.S. Army calls it the BAT (Ballistic Aerial Target).

USMC photo by Lance Corporal Constantine Sigelakis, 24AUG1999.

In August 1999, the U.S. Army used a MiG-23 BAT to demonstrate its vehicle mounted Stinger missile system, known as Avenger, on Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, in North Carolina.

USMC photo by Sergeant A. D. Gruart, March 1986.

This photo is dated March 1986. It shows a MiG-23/27 ‘BAT/Bandit’ drone along with two Mi-24 Hind drones, on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

HOW TO BUILD A 1:1 SCALE U.S. ARMY ‘FAKE NEWS’ BMP-2

Bare Metal: KC-135R gets stripped

Ohio Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Wendy Kuhn, 02MAR2015.

Ohio Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Wendy Kuhn, 04MAR2015.

Every five years, KC-135 Stratotankers undergo depot maintenance by the 564th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

Ohio Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Wendy Kuhn, 04MAR2015.

The process includes stripping off an aircraft’s paint, removing the engines, dropping the boom, removing and replacing deficient parts, and any upgrades as necessary.  It takes an average of 125 days.

USAF photo by Kelly White, 28APR2015.

Video, part one KC-135R depot work:

U.S. Air Force photo by Airman First Class Kiaundra Miller, 23NOV2019.

Tennessee Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Kendra Owenby, 19JAN2017.

Video, part two KC-135R depot work (no audio on slo-mo parts of the video):

Tennessee Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Kendra Owenby, 19JAN2017.

Video, part three KC-135R depot work:

BARE METAL: NASA’S MD-11 EXPERIMENTAL

 C-130 PAINT PREP, OR THE EMPEROR GETS SOME NEW CLOTHES

C-17 STRIPPED

 B-1B & B-52H

How to paint your 1:1 scale B-17 Memphis Belle with ‘period correct’ paint

U.S. Department of Defense photo by Lisa Ferdinando, 03OCT2019.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper gets a ‘walk around’ of the Memphis Belle at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB), Ohio, 03OCT2019.

After 13 years of rebuilding, the B-17F Memphis Belle was ready for unveiling in 2018.  Part of the restoration included painting the World War Two Boeing Flying Fortress with period correct paint.

U.S. Air Force photo by Ken LaRock, 13FEB2018.

Painting the bomb bay.

Boeing B-17F “Memphis Belle” rests inside a hangar at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, 01FEB2018. USAF photo by J.M. Eddins Junior.

U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez, official unveiling 16MAY2018.

Official video report about the ‘period correct’ painting process, January 2018:

Official video report explaining the confusion over what are ‘correct’ markings for the Memphis Belle (even as a beginning kit builder in the 1970s I heard/read many arguments between ‘adult’ builders as to what the correct markings were), includes lots of color war-time film:

Dramatic music video, how to paint and install your B-17 propellers:

Official video report, installing the tail gunner station into a ‘naked’ Memphis Belle, 2017:

Dramatic music video of completed Memphis Belle being moved in early 2018 to new location, just think how lucky the tow-truck driver is:

Here’s almost 13 minutes of silent color wartime footage of the Memphis Belle:

New York Air National Guard Photo by Staff Sergeant Christopher S. Muncy, 17SEP2017

This B-17F ‘Memphis Belle’ is owned by the Liberty Foundation, the pic was taken in 2017.  It is not painted correctly, can you see the boo-boo?  Compare it to the pic at the top of the article.  (clue: Blue on the driver’s left, red on the driver’s right)

Photo dated 1943.

In 1978 Revell tried to compete with Monogram’s excellent 1:48 scale B-17G, by issuing a 1:48 B-17F.  Dimensionally it was about the same size as Monogram’s but lacked the awesome detailing. It’s still periodically re-issued.

In 1962, Revell issued a 1:72 scale B-17F Memphis Belle.  As a child in the early 1970s, Revell’s 1972 rebox was the first World War Two bomber kit I built.

Hasegawa issued a 1:72 Memphis Belle in 2009, however, it is not a new tooling.  It’s their old 1976 kit with new decals.

Academy’s 1:72 Memphis Belle is much nicer than the ancient Revell, and the old Hasegawa, kits.

B-25 PANCHITO

VEHICLE I-D: C-47 DAKOTA/SKYTRAIN, DOUGLAS COMMERCIAL-3, R4D GOONIES! (with long kit shopping list)