#30daykitchallenge part 4 & wrap up

 

 Wrap up

Well thirty days of putting 1/72 kits together, completely over it actually, still have ten kits to go that have been started up to three years ago, but very happy with my results. A total of 56 kits assembled ready for undercoat, I hit my goal of 50, but run out of steam in the last week. 

Ok so more resin and plastic plus a few metal guns 

Airfix scorpion, the tracks were a pain in the A

Wespe resin Dutch Paag trekkers, fiddly kits

Mirage 2000 a nice fitting Helier kit

Skyhawk starfix kit a very old kit 

T55 enigma a mixed resin and plastic kit

DD Sherman’s Britannia I think 

SHQ 15cm Howitzer 

T-62b Britannia for my Egyptians 

Para motorcycles 

PT76 plastic a very nice kit for my Egyptians 

Airfix bofors 40mm for my Dutch 

More T-62b these need the Syrian upgrades 

British airborne locust and 6pdr SHQ

Britannia Churchill funny, I want to scratch build the which and add cable after painting 

Airfix Buccaneer awaiting pilots 

Total 25 kits 

Cheers

Matt

#30daykitchallenge part 3

 

30 day kit challenge build part 3

 Simple resin ready to roll kits for my British army 7 kits. More resin and plastic coming up soon. 

Month Total 38 kits

Cheers

Matt

#30daykitchallenge progress part 2

 #30daykitchallenge part two

I been busy putting resin kits together over the last 10 days, plus some plastics. I have 9 more resin kits I should finish in the next few days, with lots of filling and hand rails and bits to be added.

Primarily British army kits this week.

Week two 17 completed

Armourfast Cromwell tanks, almost feels like cheating.....I am thinking about adding better lights, light guards and tow cables.....we shall see

Resin Traction avant....parts are missing, so a search is required for the bumpers and lights

RAF Forward observer  

SHQ Polson

Humber A/C

total completed kits   31

I have hit my goal of 30 kits, but will continue building for the whole month as I want to complete my British and Egyptian armour

 

cheers

Matt

#30daykitchallenge progress week 1

 Progress week 1 

So it begins I have been cleaning up resin and plastic this week with a lot on the table. I managed to hurt my back ago on Easter monday in the garden lifting out shrubs so have been watching movies rather than getting kits together. However I felt good this morning so sat down at my desk and banged these out quite quickly, ready for undercoat. 

Have started the plastic kits and the drilling work on the resin T62b tanks, adding details and filling the resin air holes which is a lot of work. I also pulled out some more plastic kits and have put them aside for later in the week as I am confident I will hit thirty kits easy for the month. 

14 completed

Diamler SOD command cars

AEC armoured car, metal barel

crusader AA mkIII

Soviet AA, resin prints, not a lot of clean up and assembly

one will join my rebels on a technical, one Egyptian, one Russian

Dingo scout car

M3 scout car

Diamler armoured car

cheers

Matt

#30DaykitChallenge - My Pledge

 30 day kit build challenge 

The idea of the build is to finish unbuilt kits and new kits in the next thirty days. As suspected France goes back into lockdown again on Easter Sunday for 4 weeks, so a timely challenge. 

So I have put together the pile of unbuilt and unfinished shame and new kits I intend to build this month. 51 kits in total my plan is to complete 30 kits at least, a mix of resin-metal kits and plastic kits. I will also add some details to a few, tow hooks, aerials, crew and stowage.

I do need to paint the interiors of a few aircraft, plus the pilots to have the aircraft ready for paint. 

My Pledge

20mm ww2  kits

ww2 Resin, metal and plastic kits total 39 kits

 

started 1/72 aircraft kits x 4 I want to complete these the most

dassault Mirage 2000N

Buccaneer s2b

Skyhawk A4

Gotha 242 ww2 glider

Resin Britannia T55 and a OT-62 resin kit from Armo for my Egyptians

ww2 Radar 3d print, needs a alcohol bath and clean up, plus assembly

Wish me luck, I wish to complete as much as possible during our lockdown to undercoat stage at least. The goal is Thirty kits, ready for undercoat, I think If I work hard I may complete the lot. 

Cheers

Matt

#30daykitchallenge

 

April 30 day Kit build challenge!

So what is the 30 day kit challenge? Well, something I shamelessly copied from Gunbird and his blog "20mm and then some" back in 2017 when we chatted about doing something about our piles of shame.

When I moved to France I found I had a lot of unbuilt kits, particularly modern and ww2, plus some ww1 aircraft make up the majority plus all of the Perry and Warlord figures. I also suffer from half built kit syndrome, as I like to paint the interiors, the pilot then assemble the kit. So during the current lockdown looming in April in France due to rising cases of Covid in our region I have decided to have a kit build challenge to fix my problem in some way.  So with that in mind I'm starting the 30 day kit build, if you like join me and blog about it, steal the picture below if you like...........I have started the Prep sorting the kits that need finishing and then some new builds, building kits trying to stay within current build restrictions for my yearly goals but wherever the wind may blow of course!

Join me if you wish

Facebook, Blog and Instagram using the tag 

#30daykitchallenge 

RULES

Goals are simple, you will build your part built and new kits during the 30 day challenge:

• Any material (plastic, resin, metal, wood).
• New in the box or partially built, it matters not.
• Gun, tank, truck, aircraft, ship, figure animal? Your call.
• Kit must be basically finished, based if you prefer that, to qualify as a build.
• The completed kit must be ready for primer.
• Resin and metal upgradesets can be applied after the build.....the goal is to get kits built and ready for primer, not to finish them with paint and varnish etc.
• You decide how many kits/models you want to build in the 30 day period.
• You set the penalty for not meeting your goal (and after that it is the honor system)

Anything beyond that is up to you

My goal is the period from 1/4/2021 up to 30/4/21, each day I plan to work on a kit until I have completed my goal.  My goal is grand total of 30 kits, If I can build more kits n the month, then bonus.

My penalty is that if I don't make my target, is not to buy another kit for the rest of the year :(.

So, starting with Day #1 (1st April 2021), I'm starting with some 1/72 armourfast kits to kit off then onto some more tanks and aircraft.

Cheers
Matt

Argentine Dassault Mirage IIIe/a Build part 3

 

 Argentine Dassault Mirage IIIe/a Part three 

Out of the paint shop, I painted it with Vallejo colours using a camouflage guide from the net that a Argentine modeller had put on his 1/48th kit, plus some guess work looking as some paint guides on the net crossmatching Hakata to Vallejo, quite happy with my result.

Paints used

• Base surface primer Vallejo Israeli sand grey 70.614
• under belly Vallejo Air Pale Blue Grey 70.046
• base khaki Vallejo Air Khaki Brown 71.024
• dark green Vallejo Air Russian Green 71.017
• light green Vallejo Air Olive grey 71.015
• Black nose Vallejo Glossy Black 70.861

Gloss varnish done and black lining complete. When you paint things you do see bits you have missed and if it was going to be a display model I may of went back and fixed them particularly joints ... as the I have run out of Tamiya putty so had to resurrect some squadron putty that was not quite good enough....need a replacement putty. 

Next was my problem with Decals........Hannants are no longer shipping to Europe and with no European supplier with any decals in 1/72 I though I may of missed the build deadline for the Brexit Modellers build. My mate Robin saved me with a set of micro scale decals that he had is his stash, we swapped for a set of Mirage 2000 drop tanks.......

 I now need add the guide wire for a flying model, though the chassis, then touch up paint bits, add the squadron markings, add the pilot, missiles, drop tanks, antennas and canopy, then complete!

"walk the battlefield in the morning, wargame in the afternoon"™ 

From Caesar to World War Two

Cheers

Matt

Argentine Dassault Mirage IIIe Part two WIP

 

Argentinian Dassault Mirage IIIe WIP 

A work in progress shot, completed the pilot and painted the air intakes and exhaust, a few sinkholes and gaps to be filled then off to the paint workshop, hope to get a coat on it by the weekend.

Argentinian Dassault Mirage IIIe Falklands war build part 1

Argentinian Dassault Mirage  IIIe

A wet day today in Sunny Mayenne so not feeling like doing more trees or painting horses (big napoleonic cuirassier commission). I have been recently watching a documentaries on the Falklands war and reading Dougies wargaming blog on his Falkland war builds. With that in mind I ventured upstairs to the stash and found a old Frog Dassault Mirage IIIe kit.  

A very simple kit, but as a wargaming model that is a good thing, I should have it built and ready for the spray painting yard by tomorrow....I will wait until it warms up later in the week before giving it a once over. I will need to source some transfers from the UK I think, so a searching I go!

Not decided on which groupo I will build as yet, more research to be done.....

Allied Fighter Aircraft over Normandy P51-D 1/72

Allied Fighter Aircraft over Normandy IV P51-D 1/72

Sometimes I get the opportunity to model a relatives or friends aircraft. After chatting with one of my American friends he mentioned his father had served in the ETO with the 9th Airforce, 354th fighter group 355th Fighter squadron (pugnacious pups) predominately flying bomber escorts. I will pick up a P51-D then either buy, make or paint 355th FS decals so I can honour a friends family.

The Revell kit I will build

Below I have put together bits, predominantly from the now defunct 354th Fighter group history page, sadly no longer hosted.

COL. ROBERT B. CURLEE

A Tribute By Chris Curlee 

Robert B. Curlee was born April 20, 1915 in Ben Hur, Texas, one of twelve children. After finishing his primary education, he enlisted in the Army in 1936 and as a trooper served in the 7th Cavalry, F Troop. At the outbreak of the war he went to join the Army as an Infantryman, then joined the United States Army Air Corps as a flying officer. He would fly both the P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt in combat.

As a flight instructor at Luke Field, Arizona Lt. Curlee helped trained Nationalist Chinese pilots before volunteering to fly combat in Europe.

After passing basic flight instruction, he was assigned as an instructor at Luke Field in Arizona and helped train many pilots, including some Nationalist Chinese pilots. As D-Day approached 1st Lt. Curlee volunteered to fly combat in Europe.

On June 6, 1944, 1st Lt. Robert B. Curlee arrived at the Lashenden Advanced Landing Strip, in south eastern England. One of six replacement pilots assigned to the 355th Fighter Squadron. It would be six days after arriving that he would fly his first combat mission which involved dive bombing targets near La Mans, Pays de Loire, France.

On his third mission he flew in a long-range escort to Berlin, on this five hour mission Lt. "Bob" Curlee flying P-51B-7 Mustang GQ-O, SN 43-6559, made his only aircraft claim of the war an ME- 410, a twin-engine fighter damaged on June 21, 1944.

Lt R Curlee in a P51-D Mustang

For new pilots arriving into fighter squadrons it was standard procedure to be assigned wingman positions to gain combat experience. The wingman's job was to stick and cover his leader even through extreme High-G manoeuvring. This resulted in many lost opportunities for air kills, but he preformed his assigned job without a hitch. On one occasion, he did get to fire his guns on a ME-262, but speed allowed the advanced jet to escape combat. The Luftwaffe’s engagement rules insisting air combat with fighters to be avoided also played a role in the jet’s escape.

Captain R. Curlee

On January 5, 1945 he was to fly his last combat mission as Red Flight Leader. Capt. "Bob" Curlee led twelve P-47 Thunderbolts and successfully bombed the Schaafheim Airdrome without any losses.

During his combat tour, he participated in long-range escort of heavy bombers, ground attack missions, fighter sweeps and also one mission involved leaflet dropping near Nantes, France.

In January 1945 out of Rosières-en-Haye, France (A-98) a dozen tour-expired pilot went home among them was Capt. Robert Curlee. All during the war, he was a Reserve Officer, and one of the first Reserve Officers to be offered a Commission in the Regular Army Air Force. Capt. Curlee finished his tours in Europe and advanced in rank after the conflict had ended, finishing his military career in 1966 as a full Colonel.

Colonel R Curlee

Robert Curlee began to suffer from health problems in 1984. A doctor performing exploratory surgery on him found that he had an advanced case of pancreatic cancer. The doctors gave him six months to live and Col. Curlee passed from this earth on May 28, 1985.

354th Fighter Group

The Pioneer mustang group

The 354th Fighter Group was constituted on November 12 and activated on November 15th, 1942 at Hamilton Army Airfield in California. The Group trained with the Bell P-39 Airacobra, one of the principal fighter aircraft in service at the time. The group transferred to Tonopah Army Air Field, Nevada in January 1943, Santa Rosa Army Air Field, California in March 1943, and Portland Army Air Base, Oregon, in June 1943. The Group moved to RAF Boxted in England between October and November 1943 and was attached to the Ninth Air Force. The group was assigned P-51 Mustang aircraft and was the first to use them in combat.

In late November 1943, new P-51B Mustangs with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine began arriving at Boxted Air Station in standard USAAF ETO theatre camouflage scheme of Olive Drab on the upper surfaces and Neutral Gray on the undersurface. The 8th Ferry Service Command delivered the first five P-51 B's to the 354th Fighter Group on November 11, 1943 and by December 1st, the group had received 57 P-51's and flew its first operational fighter sweep with 24 planes over Knocke-St. Omer, near Calais, France.

The 354th was then used as an all the way escort for long-range heavy bombers of the Eighth Air Force. The Group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its activities up to May 1944. The Group then moved to RAF Lashenden in April 1944.

By Spring 1944, American fighter units began to exhibit their own unit identities by applying bright colour markings on their aircraft. The 354th Fighter Group was no exception, by D-Day combat aircraft were displaying brightly coloured spinners and distinctive nose band designs on olive drab and natural metal finishes.

On D-Day the flew in support of the US parachute and Glider Landings, then flew in the ground attack and support role throughout Normandy, Brittany and Pays de Loire.

The Group was the first fighter group stationed in France at Cricqueville Airfield A2 (south of Point de Hoc and Grand Camp Maisy) in France in June 1944, to Gael Airfield, Brittany in August 1944, Orconte Airfield, in September 1944, and Rosieres En Haye Airfield, in December 1944.

The 354th received a second Distinguished Unit Citation for destroying a large number of enemy aircraft on the ground an in the air in support of the airborne attack on Holland in September 1944.

The Group participated in the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945 supporting ground forces and supported the crossing of the Rhine between February and May 1945. The Group moved into Germany in April 1945 to Ober Olm Airfield (Y-64) then to Ansbach Airfield and to AAF Station Herzogenaurach in May 1945.

James Howell Howard (April 8, 1913 – March 18, 1995) the only fighter pilot in the ETO in World War II to receive the Medal of Honor. He single-handedly defending a formation of B-17 bombers of the 401st Bomb Group against 30 German fighters on January 11, 1944. Howard had the rare distinction of being an ace in two operational theatres during World War II, with over 6 kills with the Flying Tigers of the American Volunteer Group in the Pacific and 6 kills over Europe with the United States Air Force

The 354th achieved the highest record of 701 enemy aircraft destroyed in air-to-air engagements. 

MARKINGS OF 354TH COMBAT AIRCRAFT

This North American P-51B-1-NA Mustang is in the standard European Theatre camouflage finish, white squadron code letters and yellow painted serial numbers. "Peg O'my Heart" was assigned to Maj. George R. Bickell, Commanding Officer of the 355th Fighter Squadron, Boxted, December 1943.



All Fighter Groups in the European Theatre were ordered to paint their spinners white with a 12" white nose band and 12" bands on the upper/lower wing surface and elevator tailplane section to help bomber crews and other fighter pilots identify friendly fighters. The P-51B Mustang was often mistaken for a German ME-109. Mustangs of the 354th Fighter Group wore this colour scheme up to when they began receiving natural metal finished aircraft. This P-51-5-NA Mustang "DING HAO!", fitted with a Malcolm hood (a bulged Perpsex frameless canopy developed by R Malcolm & Co) was the personal mount of Lt. Col. James H. Howard, Commanding Officer of the 356th Fighter Squadron, Lashenden, April 1944. The Japanese kill markings are from his time with the Flying Tigers in 1941-42, officially destroying 2.333 in the air and four on the ground.





When natural metal finish Mustangs began arriving with 12" black nose bands from Air Service Depots, units applied black squadron code letters and black bands on upper/lower wing surface and elevator tailplane section. The top engine cowling panels were painted in olive drab to eliminate glare. This P-51B-15-NA Mustang "Easy Rockin' Mama", was assigned to Lt. James G. Burke, 353rd Fighter Squadron, Lashenden, May 1944.

P-51D MUSTANG MARKINGS - SPRING 1944 TO NOVEMBER 1944

The definitive colour scheme applied to 353rd Mustangs during this period on both olive drab and natural metal finish Mustangs was a yellow spinner with a wide yellow and black sawtooth nose band. Invasion strips were applied to all Allied aircraft for D-Day operations and would remain on aircraft through the rest of 1944. Other photographed colour schemes used before the one shown above saw a black spinner with a wide black nose band and another was a yellow spinner with wide black nose band. This P-51D-5-NA Mustang "Arsons Reward", was assigned to Maj. Wallace N. Emmer, Criqueville (A-2) Normandy, France, August 1944.




Mustangs of the 355th Fighter Squadron were painted with a blue spinner and wide blue and white checkerboard nose band on a natural metal finish with standard D-Day Invasion markings. Photographs also show Mustangs from this unit with the typical blue spinner, leading small blue nose band, followed by a blue and white diamond pattern on the engine cowling (Click the Reference Photos box below to view images). This P-51D-20-NA Mustang "KILLER!", was the mount of Maj. Robert W. Stephens, Commanding Officer of the 355th Fighter Squadron, Gael (A-31) Brittany, France, August 1944.



Mustangs of the 356th FS sported a white spinner with white stars on a wide black nose band on a natural metal finish. Note: Sgt. William W. Louie, the artist responsible for a significant number of the nose art on 356th aircraft stated that they began receiving natural metal finish Mustangs with existing black nose bands. It was Maj. Richard E. Turner, CO., who devised the design that would be used to identify the unit and so instructed S/Sgt. Mark Hanson and Sgt. Louie to paint a ring of white stars on the black band. The design would also be applied to P-47s in late 1944 (See Figure 9). This P-51D-20-NT Mustang "SHANTY IRISHMAN", was assigned to Capt. Franics P. McIntire, Jr., Gael (A-31), Brittany, France, September 1944.

P-47D THUNDERBOLT MARKINGS - NOVEMBER 1944 TO FEBRUARY 1945

On November 13, 1944 the Pioneer Mustang Group received word that they would have to transition from Mustangs to Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. The P-47s coming in were a mixture of bubble-top and razorback models.

It was at A-98 Rosières-en-Haye that the Group would begin using their "Thunderbuckets" as they became known on dive-bombing, strafing and supporting troops on the ground but that did not deter 354th pilots from aerial engagements against the Luftwaffe.



All yellow cowling with black cowl flaps and black winged skull and crossbones. This would became one of the most memorable designs on a Thunderbolt. This P-47D-28 Thunderbolt was assigned to Capt. Kenneth H. Dahlberg, 353rd Fighter Squadron, Rosières-en-Haye (A-98), Moselle, France, December 1944.



Leading blue nose band followed by a blue and white diamond pattern on the engine cowling identifies this Thunderbolt from the 355th Fighter Squadron. Some Thunderbolts painted a grinning bomb (see art work above) on the engine cowling. This P-47D-26 Thunderbolt named "Scatter Bain", was the personal mount of 1st Lt. Raymond P. Bain, 355th Fighter Squadron, Rosières-en-Haye (A-98), Moselle, France, February 1945. 1st Lt. George J. New and P-47 were lost in action on 10 February 1945. Lt. Bain's replacement aircraft was a brand new P-51D-20 Mustang, coded GQ-S (S/N: 44-63193) also named "Scatter Bain". On 21 February, Lt. Bain flying his new Mustang was hit by flak while pulling off the target. Trailing long vapor and a smoke trail his Mustang caught fire. He was forced to bail-out near the German town of Neustadt, becoming a POW. 


The 356th Fighter Squadron applied the same design as they had on their Mustangs, white stars on a black cowling band and white nose band. This P-47D-30 Thunderbolt "Shorty Miriam", was assigned to Lt. Norman E. Davis, 356th Fighter Squadron, Rosières-en-Haye (A-98), Moselle, France, December 1944.

P-51D MUSTANG MARKINGS - FEBRUARY 1945 TO END OF HOSTILITIES

In mid February the group returned to mustangs. Identifying colours placed on their Mustangs were very reserved and uniform and would remain that way through to the end of hostilities in Europe.




Yellow spinner with wide solid yellow nose band on a natural metal finish. This P-51D-20-NA Mustang "MARGIE MARU" in 353rd Fighter Squadron colors, was assigned to Lt Col. Jack T. Bradly, Deputy Commanding Officer, 354th Fighter Group Head Quarters, Rosières-en-Haye (A-98), Moselle, France, April 1945.





Blue spinner and wide solid blue nose band on a natural metal finish. Some 355th Mustangs had the "Pugnacious Pup" emblem painted on the vertical tail. This P-51D-20-NA Mustang "Wee Speck", was assigned to Maj. Lowell K. Brueland, 355th Fighter Squadron, Ansbach (R-45), Germany, May 1945.

 Red spinner with wide solid red nose band on a natural metal finish. This P-51D-5-NA Mustang named "Uno-Who?", was assigned to Maj. George M. Lamb, Rosières-en-Haye (A-98), France, March 1945.

354th Fighter Group videos

These are superb and worth watching as a lot of interviews and insights among the survivors of the group.

References and Books about the group

Modelers' Society Journal - Special Limited Edition: The 354th Fighter Group In World War Two; Walt Fink, Doug Gifford and Jim Pierce; IPMS/USA

THE PIONEER MUSTANG GROUP, The 354th Fighter Group in World War II, By Steve Blake

354th FIGHTER GROUP - Osprey Publishing: By William Hess

I HAD A COMRADE , By Paul M. Sailer (353rd squadron)

THE ORANGES ARE SWEET, Major Don M. Beerbower and the 353rd Fighter Squadron - Nov 1942 to Aug 1944, By Paul M. Sailer

ONE STEP FORWARD, The Life of Ken Dahlberg, By Al Zdon and Warren Mack

LIVE BAIT, WWII Memoirs of an Undefeated Fighter Ace, By Clayton Kelly Gross

ROAR OF THE TIGER, From Flying Tigers to Mustangs - A Fighter Ace's Memoir, By James H. Howard

BIG FRIEND, LITTLE FRIEND, Memoirs of a World War II Fighter Pilot, By Richard E. Turner

TARGET LUFTWAFFE, The Tragedy and the Triumph of World War II Air Victory, By William A. Ong

THEY ALSO SERVE, An Armorer's Life in the ETO, By John Henkels

HISTORY IN THE SKY, 354th Pioneer Mustang Fighter Group, By Captain Arthur F. Brown, 354th FG Public Relations Officer


Cheers
Matt