seattle chapter newspolikarpov i-16 racer 11 junkers monoplanes at war 15 looks like big doings...

Sea

ttle

Ch

apte

r N

ews

Seattle Chapter IPMS/USADecember 2008

PREZNOTES

In This Issue

Albatros Contest 3Why the Hurricane? 4Panzers of Kasserine 5Lofting 6Trumpeter MiG-3 7The Coincidental Tourist 8NWSM Model Show 10Polikarpov I-16 Racer 11Junkers Monoplanes at War 15

Looks like big doings going on at themeeting this Saturday. Don’t you dare missit!

First of all it’s our annual “eating meeting”where in more cases than not, all manner ofthings delicious will be on the tables for allof us to enjoy, most of it guaranteed toexpand our waistlines.

Secondly, our Second annual Decembermeeting contest, featuring the Albatros,will be conducted and for which, prizes willbe awarded.

Third, we’ll be talking about some excitingthings that will be taking place in thefuture to the benefit of the members ofIPMS Seattle.

Fourth, there will be a kit collection for salethat belonged to a late model builder thatwill be sold on Saturday. We are providingour venue as the best place to sell thecollection as a benefit to the family of thedeceased modeler. Bring cash.

Fifth, Emil is having a 14th anniversarysale with discounts on nearly everything.He is also having his open house startingat 4 PM at the shop. Bring lots of cash.Thanks for everything Emil!

Sixth, I received an email from Tracy andJeni Saulino, apologizing for missing themeeting this Saturday. Well, the reason

they are going to miss the meeting is thatthey were INVITED to bring their ClumberSpaniel “Briggs” to the AKC/Eukanubadog show in Long Beach this weekend,certainly a good reason to miss our littlesoiree. On behalf of everyone at IPMSSeattle, we wish you the best of luck at theshow!

Now, I’m going to get back to work on myAlbatros to attempt to finish it for themeeting. The label on the Eduard box,“Weekend Edition”, certainly is a misno-mer. I’ve been working on it for nearlyseven months now! Oh well.

We’ll see you at the meeting!

Terry

SEATTLE CHAPTER CONTACTS

President: Vice President: Treasurer: Editor:Terry Moore Marilynn K. Laird Spencer Tom Robert Allen3612 - 201st Pl. S.W. 1825 South 330th St. F-201 318 N.E. 81st St. 12534 NE 128th Way #E3Lynnwood, WA 98036 Federal Way, WA 98003 Seattle, WA 98115 Kirkland, WA 98034Ph: 425-774-6343 Ph: 206-491-0096 Ph: 206-522-8414 Ph: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

IPMS Seattle Web Site (Webmasters, Norm Filer & Tracy White): http://www.ipms-seattle.org

Public Disclaimers, Information, and Appeals for Help

This is the official publication of the Seattle Chapter, IPMS-USA. As such, it serves as the voice for our Chapter, and depends largelyupon the generous contributions of our members for articles, comments, club news, and anything else involving plastic scale modeling andassociated subjects. Our meetings are generally held on the second Saturday of each month, (see below for actual meeting dates), at the NorthBellevue Community/Senior Center, 4063-148th Ave NE, in Bellevue. See the back page for a map. Our meetings begin at 10:00 AM, exceptas noted, and usually last for two to three hours. Our meetings are very informal, and are open to any interested modeler, regardless of interests.Modelers are encouraged to bring their models to the meetings. Subscriptions to the newsletter are included with the Chapter dues. Dues are $24a year, and may be paid to Spencer Tom, our Treasurer. (See address above). We also highly recommend our members join and support IPMS-USA, the national organization. See below for form. Any of the members listed above will gladly assist you with further information about theChapter or Society.

The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the individual writers, and do not constitute the official position of theChapter or IPMS-USA. You are encouraged to submit any material for this newsletter to the editor. He will gladly work with you and see thatyour material is put into print and included in the newsletter, no matter your level of writing experience or computer expertise. The newsletter iscurrently being edited using a PC, and PageMaker 6.5. Any Word or WordPerfect document for the PC would be suitable for publication. Articlescan also be submitted via e-mail, to the editor’s address above. Deadline for submission of articles is generally twelve days prior to the nextmeeting - earlier would be appreciated! Please call me at 425-823-4658 if you have any questions.

If you use or reprint the material contained in the newsletter, we would appreciate attribution both to the author and the sourcedocument. Our newsletter is prepared with one thing in mind; this is information for our members, and all fellow modelers, and is prepared andprinted in the newsletter in order to expand the skills and knowledge of those fellow modelers.

IPMS Seattle Chapter Newsletter

Upcoming Meeting DatesThe IPMS Seattle 2008 meeting schedule is as follows. All meetings are from 10 AM to 1 PM, except as indicated. To avoidconflicts with other groups using our meeting facility, we must NOT be in the building before our scheduled start times, andMUST be finished and have the room restored to its proper layout by our scheduled finish time. We suggest that you keep thisinformation in a readily accessable place.

December 13


Hurricane Bookshelf:Why the Hurricane?

by Scott Kruize

This year-end wrap up starts with amagazine article, and a television program,each considering what were the greatestfighter planes. The Hawker Hurricane wonneither, so I decided I should at least givesome of the reasons for writing thiscolumn and justify the Hurricane’simportance.

The magazine was a Special Issue ofAviation History, counting down the topfighter planes of the European Theaterduring World War Two, finally decidingthe Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was thewinner. I read the whole article through,and at the end, said “Huh?”

Not that I dispute the choice of theThunderbolt itself. If not as glamorous aseither the Lockheed P-38 Lightning nor theNorth American P-51 Mustang, the P-47was made in larger numbers than any ofour other fighters, and justifiably so: thesheer destructive power it brought to bearon the enemy was without equal. Not onlyin aerial combat, but also against all typesof ground targets, it did more damage toNazi Germany than any of our other fighterplanes. No: I said “Huh?” because afterthe careful way the article’s author built hiscase, plane by plane, assigning each itsplace in the lineup, he arbitrarily bypassedhis own criteria to pick the winner! Herequired all the other candidates to beappraised for effectiveness in air-to-aircombat, ground attack, and tacticalreconnaissance…and the latter role wasone the Thunderbolt never fulfilled. Itfought; it didn’t carry recon cameras.

I conclude that the author “cheated” topick his own personal favorite.

The History Channel program had a similarflaw. It purported to be an objectiveappraisal of the greatest fighters all time,picking the top 10. The lineup included theF-4 Phantom, MiG-15 and F-86 Sabre (tiedfor 3rd place), and the Messerschmitt 262and Sopwith Camel. The P-51 was judgedthe greatest of all time. I have no quarrelwith any of these aircraft being judgedimportant, but the whole exercise still cameoff as being as arbitrary and capricious asthe Aviation History article.

When my friend Ken Murphy and I hadfinished watching it on his Tivo system,and wound down from a lively andenjoyable discussion, it didn’t ring true.Ken pointed out why: if you’re going totry to distill all of aviation history – notjust the Second World War—into pickingthe Top 10 fighters, your primary factorshould be: Historical Significance. By thismeasure, it was pointless to even includethe F-22 Raptor. We’re all in awe of it—andlight in the pocketbook—because of thisaeronautical engineering ‘tour de force’.It’s unprecedented: a plane molded ofcarbon fiber in such a subtly streamlined,aerodynamically-efficient shape that it can‘supercruise’…zip along at supersonicspeeds without firing up afterburners [Justlike the English Electric Lightning coulddo in 1954 – ED]. Its advanced avionics,coupled with its stealth qualities, meansit’s next to invincible. But where’s thethreat? Where’s the battle it’s supposed tofight? The supermachine hasn’t been

deployed in combat, and may never be.Unless and until then, it has no historicalsignificance whatsoever.

With the criteria of historical significance,let me come back to the Hurricane:

It was the first Royal Air Force fighter tothe modern formula: a low-wing all-metalmonoplane with an enclosed cockpit,retractable landing gear, and heavyarmament (eight machine guns in wing-mounted batteries), the whole pulled alongby a 1,000-plus horsepower engine.

It was in production from before the war tillalmost the end, and served actively incombat all the way through. Nearly 15,000were made: not a record setter, butcertainly in the top ten—and almost aslarge as P-47 Thunderbolt production!

Besides being the foundation for themodernization of the Royal Air Force, italso led the Royal Navy’s re-equipment,taking to shipboard and catapult deploy-ment when the Navy’s biplanes could nolonger withstand modern enemy airpower.

The Hurricane was the first aircraft that wewould refer to as a “tactical fighter” (theWWII term was ‘fighter-bomber’): meaninga machine that can deliver a significantamount of ordnance against groundtargets, yet still effectively engage anddestroy enemy aircraft.

From the start of the war till around mid-1941, it bore the brunt of the fightingagainst the Axis. It served all over the


globe, in every theater in which GreatBritain’s armed forces were engaged, and itled its more glamorous compatriot, theSupermarine Spitfire, by a year or two ineach of those theaters. In the Far East, theHurricane engaged the Japanese from thebeginning, and was the most numerousBritish fighter there till almost war’s end.

The Hurricane was a first aircraft in historyto seriously threaten tanks. It’s next toimpossible to hit tanks with bombs, evenwhen delivered by accurate dive-bombing,and aircraft guns were too light to do anyreal damage to armor. But in 1942 aHurricane version was introduced over theWestern Desert, armed with heavy 40-millimeter armor-piercing cannons, andproved deadly against tanks of the AfricaCorps.

Later, Hurricanes were the first to bringbatteries of rockets to bear against groundtargets and ships. Many experiments weretried with Hurricanes to extend the reachand destructive versatility of fighterplanes. Some worked, some didn’t…butthe Hurricane was never found wanting inthe many tasks it was called to perform…and during the war as a whole, Hurricanesdestroyed more Axis aircraft in aerialcombat than any other allied warplane.

SugarFest approaches, and I have to getback to the workbench if I’m to have anycontributions for Show-And-Tell. I’ll closewith a promise that in the New Year, I’llhave lots of new books and other things totalk about. I hope my readership will meetme halfway in agreeing that the HawkerHurricane—if sometimes left out ofsensational programs and articles—is aworthwhile star for a history-and-modelingcolumn.

Panzers of Kasserine: TheAfrika Korps in Tunisia, by

Claude Gillono

reviewed by Andrew Birkbeck

This book measures 11.75 by 8 inches insize, and consists of 32 pages enclosed ina soft card cover. Of the 32 pages, onlyone is print, the rest are crammed withblack and white photos, along with fourpages of color and marking drawings.Consequently, I would say it is a picturebook, and definitely not a written historyof German armored formations involvedwith the battles of Kasserine Pass. It is, asthe author himself admits, a “photographicessay”, covering German armored vehicles,along with captured US vehicles pressedinto German service. The units covered arethe 10th, 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions,along with the Tiger Is from PanzerAbteilung 501 and 504.

The photographs consist of 82 black andwhite pictures captioned “NARA”, which Ipresume means they are from the U.S.National Archives and Records Adminis-tration, and appear to have been taken bya series of German war correspondents.Lots of photos of German Panzers(Pzkfw.II, III, IV and Tiger I), together withvarious half-tracks and soft skins, and

armored cars. The captured equipmentconsists of US M3 half-tracks and the oddjeep. Each photo has a well-writtencaption. The color artwork is well executedand covers a dozen Panzer IIIs of variousmarks, together with four different Tiger Is,and a captured US M3.

This book will be very useful to anymodeler interested in this theater ofGerman WW2 operations. The photo-graphs are nicely reproduced and show togood effect the way the vehicles lookedkitted out for military action, loaded downwith spare tracks for extra protection, jerrycans, rucksacks etc. I feel the book offersgood value for the money, and recommendit unreservedly to anyone interested in theNorth African campaigns of WW2. Mythanks to IPMS/USA for allowing me theopportunity to review this title and to TheFactory Publishing for supplying thereview sample. Check out this and othervery interesting titles at the publisher’swebsite: www.thefactorypublishing.com

The Factory PublishingISBN 978-0-9804631-1-8MSRP: Australian Dollars 27.95 (US$17.50)


Lofting

by Wesley Moore

Being the 2nd episode of my adventures incyber-modelling.

If you’re going to build a model of someobscure object, first you gotta figure outwhat you’re building. I have always beenattracted to obscure scratch-buildingprojects, and my U.S.S. Washingtonproject (the 1906 armored cruiser, not theWW-II battleship) is no exception. Thistime, however, I have been blessed with anabundance of U.S. Navy drawings from theNational Archives (indirectly, mostly; seeend of article for sources).

But it is a mixed blessing- the drawings areof various members of the Tennessee class,with different drawings showing thevarious members; hull sections from theWashington, side and plan views from theNorth Carolina, deck views from theMontana, etc., etc. They were kept up todate until the Navy lost interest (~1920 inmost cases), so some of the geometry forthe “as-launched” version I want to domust be gleaned from photographs, oreven the erasures visible on the reproduc-tions!

And, with all due respect to those long-dead draftsmen, some of them are just flatwrong. After faithfully transcribing alovely set of hull cross-sections onto theCAD system at work, I discovered that thecorresponding longitudinal curves wereimpossibly wiggly. A great deal of “mas-saging” was required to end up with hullsurfaces that didn’t look like they were theresult of too many groundings. I evendiscovered that the drawings for NorthCarolina seemed to have a different“Station 0” (the point from which all framelocations are measured) than the drawingfor Washington. They did agree at the 10-inch turret stations, so I was able to comeup with a reasonable fudge. So it goes…

But the journey has its rewards. A projectlike this requires staring at drawings for along time before you can decide which

things are important, and which things arejust clutter (sometimes vital clues can behidden in the details). Do this longenough, and you find yourself imaginingthe lives of countless people - from thedraftsmen tediously drawing each hullframe (there were 125 of them, so they areforgiven!), the shipwrights poundingendless rivets, the stokers sweating in thebowels of the ship (on a coal-fired ship, thejob was so dirty they were given their ownwashroom!), the gunners in their crampedarmored enclosures, to the officers, leggingit from their “staterooms” aft to theirstations on the bridge when GeneralQuarters sound (and did you know thatone of those officers was Sen. JohnMcCain’s grandfather?).

In my previous article, explaining how thisproject started, I reveled in the prospect ofhaving little competition in pre-Dreadnought warships. Things change soquickly! There are now a whole passel ofresin Turn-of-the-20th-Century USNbattleships from the “Iron Shipwright”folks in 1/350th scale. Cute, but pricey. I findthose ships to be rather short and dumpylooking, but I.S. redeem themselves bydoing a Pennsylvania class armoredcruiser (the class immediately before theTennessees). There is also a Pennsylvaniaclass in 1/700th from Niko Model by way ofPacific Front Hobbies (reviewed in theIPMS/USA Journal, V-20 #04).

Speaking of scale, I suffer from one greatunresolved problem. There is enough

detail on the drawings I have (the originalswere 1/48th on a 500-foot ship!) and thereare enough “Hi, Ma!- here is a picture ofmy shipmates” photos out there such thatthe CAD “Virtual Model” I am making willhave detail down to the dogs on thecompanionway hatches*. On a 1/192nd

scale Real Model (that’s 1/16th inch = 1foot, a common ship model scale), that’spushing the limits of even photo-etch.And while photo-etch is good enough for1/350th railings, at 1/192nd, it is painfullyobvious that the railing stanchions*should be round, not flat. It has beensuggested that I move up to 1/96th scale,but that would be over five feet long!!

Oh, yes, I got my National Archivesdrawings from two sources:

If you ask the NA (via snail-mail only)they will e-mail you a list of what theythink they have, and invite you to engagea “vendor” to make copies (paper and/ordigital) at great expense - or:

You can go to the oddly named “MarylandSilver” web site and see that they sellcopies of NA drawings for many, manyUSN ships at a reasonable cost (theTennessee class showed up by Googling“USS Charlotte”). Strangely enough,there was NO overlap between the twosets (NA direct, and MS copies), so Isuspect the Archives doesn’t actuallyknow what they have.

(* I am learning to speak Nautical.)

The bow section of the hull - aft of here the 6-ich gun embrasures make thelofting "challenging."


Trumpeter 1/48th ScaleMiG-3

by Hal Marshman, Sr

World War II Russian airplanes fail tomove me overly much. There are however,a couple of fighters that I do like quite abit. One such is the MiG-3. This littlefighter looks more like a thirties racer, thana warplane. Streamlined nose, cockpit setback, large wing filets, and raked landinggear being visual hallmarks of the bird.Trumpeter’s kit is the latest entry into thefield, following the Classic Airframes andICM boxings. I’ve just completed con-struction on mine, although I’ve not putpaint to it yet.

Trumpeter has cast their model in paleblue/gray easy-to-work plastic. Surfacedetail is engraved, rivets and all, and isvery fine. The -3 had many small scoops,bumps, and louvers around the cowling,and these have been very well duplicated.All the scoops except a couple of tinyones are opened. The fabric coveredcontrol surfaces are just a tad overdone formy taste, but they do come off well. Whenone looks at the MiG-3, he has to bear inmind that the rear fuselage and outer wingpanels were moulded wood, and devoid ofmuch in the way of surface detail. The veryprominent underside radiator intake hasseparate grills for the opening, and theoutlet, being visible from the separateoutlet gate, which can be installed open,closed, or in-between.

The clear parts are quite thin and clear,except for the frame areas, which the mouldmakers have shown with a matt finish. Thisis a real aid in the masking process. Theygive you a windscreen, rear quarter light,and sliding hood, plus clear covers for thewingtip navigation lights, a gunsight, anda lens for a landing light in the leadingedge of the left wing.

The landing gear is petitely cast, exceptthat I believe the gear covers are a little toothick. None the less, the covers do showmuch in the way of cast-in detail. Thewheels are in two halves, and very welldone, although many will want to sanddown a section of tread to show weight.The tail wheel is very small, and the strutquite thin. Do exercise caution here. The

version Trumpeterhas catered toshows a retractingtail wheel withdoors. Many MiGshad their gearfixed, and a canvasor leather wrap-ping installed toprevent mud anddust from enteringthe fuselage rear.

The propeller ismade to turn to theleft, as is properfor this bird. Net

sources say the spinner is too rounded,while the real plane had a more conicalitem. I used the spinner from a discardedICM kit, and it looks just fine. There are nodrop tanks, or bombs included, and Idoubt this little bird evercarried much in thatdepartment. Trumpeterdoes provide a set ofthree rocket rails foreach wing, with theirload of small rockets,bodies and fins beingseparate items.

The cockpit consists ofa floor, stick, rudderpedals, two piece seat,

side consoles, and instrument panel. Theraised detail on the panel is quite fine. Be anice place for Mike Grant decal instru-ments, as they will show nicely when theplane is done. The radio area behind theseat is quite busy, and once painted, lookswell under the quarter light. As our friendsthe Brits would say, this area all goestogether well, but is quite “fiddly”, withlots of “bits”. A little patience here will doyou well.

Assembly goes along well, but be sureyou keep everything aligned, and get rid ofall those little nits from trimming off thesprue. Around the rather complex nose andwing root area, tolerances are close. Asidefrom that cautionary note, the constructiongoes along well, with all main assembliesfitting well. There are individual flaps forthe wing underside, and although theseare detailed, the area into which they fit isnot, so I elected to keep mine retracted.Another place where things seemed to getfiddly. You shouldn’t need much in theway of filler on this model.

How does it stack up as opposed to theClassic Airframes and ICM kits? Well, it’snewer for sure, and the latest technologyshows. In some detail areas, the ICM hadthe lead, but in ease of assembly, this kithas it all over the competition. Not Tamiyaor Hasegawa, but at least up to Eduardquality, and I’ll happily settle for that. I cansee a couple more of these in my future, asthere are a good many interesting schemesout there.


The Coincidental Tourist

by Brian Hennessey

I recently took a trip to the State of Georgia(The U.S. one, not the former Soviet) andwas surprised with an unexpected treat ofaviation museums and sites.

The real purpose of the trip was to seewhere my father-in-law was born andraised. My wife, afraid that I might becomebored, made it clear that on those dayswithout commitments I was free to findinterests of my own to pursue. Unfortu-nately, I didn’t have time before the trip tocheck-out my surroundings or plan anyside-trips, but my interest would bewhetted most unexpectedly. On a trolleytour of Savannah (OK, it was really a busthat kinda looked like a trolley) a commentfrom the tour guide sent me into action.Turning the corner the driver commented,“Down that street there is the old Savan-nah Armory, birthplace of the Eighth AirForce.” I just stowed that bit of informa-tion and kept rethinking about it. Later, Ichecked the tour maps we had and lookedfor any connection. Sure enough, just afew miles away was listed The MightyEighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, GA,just outside of Savannah. I had my firstside-trip planned and set out the next day.

Located near the Savannah/Hilton HeadAirport is The Mighty Eighth Air ForceMuseum (www.mightyeighth.org). Whilethere is no doubt that the official home ofthe Eighth Air Force is Barksdale AFB inLouisiana, apparently the Eighth Air Forcewas activated in Savannah on January 28,1942. The Mighty Eighth Air ForceMuseum is seeking to become the mainrepository for the history of the Eighth AirForce, especially concerning its involve-ment in WWII; it is also the nationalheadquarters for the Eighth Air ForceHistorical Society (www.8thafhs.org). Itisn’t really an airplane museum as such,but rich with history, artifacts, andmemorials.

The museum is a beautiful new facilityadorned with Eighth Air Force flags on theoutside, with a well weathered F-4CPhantom and MiG-17 in Vietnam Warcolors next to the parking lot. From thelobby, you are led directly into the mainrotunda. The first thing you notice aboveis the C-130 drogue parachute that adornsthe entire ceiling. The tour and history ofthe Eighth Air Force start with its activa-

tion, when the U.S. was finally drawn intothe war in Europe, originally formed toparticipate in operation “Super Gymnast”,the proposed invasion of French NorthAfrica. When that was cancelled, theprimary purpose of the Eighth Air Forcebecame to wage the air war in Europe. Thetour describes the hasty training andsubsequent transfer to Europe of theBombardment and Fighter groups.Through the help of the exhibits it isapparent early on that there were heavylosses during the first daylight bombingmissions. Through continued missions,improved escort fighters, and the eventualinvasion in Normandy the Allies started togain control of the skies. The tour thenopens into the main display gallery. Thereis a P-51D and Bf 109 (looks to be a G-model) hanging from the ceiling. There aresamples of every aircraft powerplant onstands, Allison, Wright Cyclone, Pratt andWhitney Double Wasp, and Rolls-RoyceMerlin. I guess that takes up less spacethan a sample of each aircraft. There is acomplete Stearman PT-17 trainer that looksto be flyable. There is the nose section of aB-24D adorned with the nose-art “Fightin’Sam”. An adjacent meeting room is filledwith original artwork. There are two large

photo by James Tainton


display cases (approx. 8’ X 8’) withdioramas filled by the Atlanta Chapter ofthe IPMS. One depicts the Ploesti oil fieldraid in what appears to be 1/72nd scale,and the other depicts daily life at anairbase in England in 1/48th scale. Thereare other individual models throughout themuseum, but nothing on that large scale ofan undertaking.

From the main museum floor you canaccess the reflecting pool and memorialgardens. There are hundreds of memorialsto individual flight crews on engravedmarble plaques. There are also largermemorials to entire Bombardment andFighter Groups, most were donated byindividual Eighth Air Force HistoricalSociety chapters. In the center is a largerectangular reflecting pool. In the garden isa chapel with beautiful and ornate stainedglass depictions of air crews and planes.There is also a static displayed B-47 off toone corner of the property. Back inside themuseum there are displays for minorities inaviation, life as a POW, and life at homecirca 1940s. The tour then flows alonghallways lined with display cases, one forevery Bombardment and Fighter Group inWWII, each filled with personal memora-

bilia that can only be found at the museum.There is a complete section on the femaleWASP pilots and the role they played inWWII. That leads to displays of Eighth AirForce operations from the cold war to thepresent, including a nose section of a MiG-21 with the interior and instrument lights

illuminated. The final section of themuseum is definitely the most stirring. Youwalk down a hallway that is lined with theprofiles of each Eighth Air Force Congres-sional Medal of Honor recipient. I havenever felt as patriotic as when readingeach story - most were awarded posthu-mously.

Finally the tour of the museum ends; youguessed it, at the gift shop adjacent to thelobby. Across the lobby is a restaurantmade to look like an English Pub. Thatsounds like it might be a corny motif, but itis very tastefully done and beautifullyconstructed.

I only got a brief glimpse of the library, butcan tell you how impressed I was by itsvoluminous size. I fully expect that there isinformation there that is unavailableelsewhere. I wished that I had more time toexplore it.

The staff of the museum, from beginningto end, was extremely helpful and friendlymaking my visit very enjoyable. I thor-oughly enjoyed my trip to Savannah; it is a

continued on page 16


Thoroughbred

Maximum Effort: ModelShow to Honor the Mighty

Eighth

by Don Conrard

Organizers of the NorthWest ScaleModelers show at the Museum of Flightare planning a maximum effort to honor thevalor and sacrifice of the men of the EighthAir Force during World War II.

Slated for 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturdayand Sunday, February 14-15, in themuseum’s Great Gallery, the show promisesto be the largest model exhibit in thePacific Northwest.

Last year’s show attracted nearly 2,000scale aircraft, armor, auto, ship and figuremodels from as far away as Vancouver,B.C. “We’re hoping the show will be evenbigger this year,” said Tim Nelson, one ofthe exhibit organizers. “With more than 100tables to fill, we’re asking modelers tobring everything they have. And we’d loveto have more modelers participate.”

Highlighting this year’s show will be amodel exhibit featuring many of the aircraftflown by the men of the “Mighty Eighth”during World War II, including B-17 and B-24 bombers, P-51 Mustangs and P-47Thunderbolts. As part of the exhibit, JeffBomstead will show his extensive collec-tion of Eighth Air Force models.

Also on hand to answer questions, signautographs and talk about their experi-ences will be Eighth Air Force veteransMel Schulstad and Ed Allen.

At 2 p.m. on Sunday, they and othermembers of the Seattle Chapter of theEighth Air Force Historical Society willparticipate in a panel discussion in theWilliam M. Allen Theater. The 8th AFHSwill also display artifacts and memorabiliaalong with the models.

“The men of the Mighty Eighth fought thelargest air war ever, suffered highercasualties than the Marines in the PacificTheater and helped bring the war inEurope to an end,” said Seattle ChapterPresident Greg Pierce.

Building on the show’sWorld War II theme,“there also will be anexhibit of approximately50 models built torepresent models usedduring the war to trainmembers of the USarmed forces to tell thedifference betweenfriendly and enemyaircraft,” said StephenTontoni. He and JohnNewcome are coordinat-ing the unique displaytable as well as aninteractive recognition

quiz where everyone can test theirknowledge of the WorldWar II aircraft.

The show is a pureexhibition, not a contest.It’s simply an opportu-nity to dazzle thousandsof people with thequality of your work,and perhaps bring a fewnew faces into thehobby. Everyone whobrings a model willreceive free admissionto the museum alongwith a 10 percentdiscount at the museum

store. This is in addition to the regular 15percent member discount.

The models again will be displayed(mostly) by modeler, which makes for easylogistics. The traditional working tableswill be available to ply your craft.

Jon Carr Farrelly is compiling a list ofmodel exhibitors in order to make first classtable signs. He has your name if youparticipated in the past. Please contact himat mailto:[email protected] if yoube a first time participant.

This year’s show will feature not one, buttwo free “Make and Take” model buildingworkshops – one on Saturday and one onSunday.

Sponsored by Galaxy Hobbies inLynnwood and the Skyway Model Shopnear Renton, the workshops will givechildren age 6 and up an opportunity tobuild a scale aircraft model under theguidance of skilled volunteers. Modelerswilling to volunteer 30 minutes or more oftheir time to help are asked to sign up theday of the show. All events are free withmuseum admission.

More information on the show will appearin the February issue of the IPMS SeattleChapter Newsletter. In the meantime,questions may be directed to Tim Nelson([email protected]) or StephenTontoni ([email protected]).


Polikarpov I-16 1949Schneider Trophy Racer

by Michael Morrow

In 2004, a special event was proposed forthe IPMS Seattle 2005 Spring Show calledthe 1949 Schneider Trophy Race. Theevent rules required only the following:

- Must be seaworthy (must appear to floatunattended an extended period, andtakeoff/land on water)

- Must be airworthy (must appear tomaneuver on the course and fly the racedistance of approx. 683 km (425 miles) withpit stop(s) at entrant’s discretion; nojettisonable equipment such as drop tanks,JATO/RATO bottles, etc.

- Corporate sponsorship(s) acceptable(associated signage must be appropriatefor era)

Models must also meet the followingrequirements:

- 1/72nd scale (for the widest range ofpossibilities, lowest cost, most rapidconstruction)

- Limited to 1940s or earlier technology

- Include a history of the development andracing preparation of the prototype

The choice of subject, nation, technologypilot, etc., is yours.

The event was enthusiastically received,and many models were built for this event.I decided that my entry was going to be aspare-parts box special, so I rummagedthrough my stash of kits and parts lookingfor a suitable candidate, and found astarted-but-unfinished Revell Polikarpov I-16, and a single float off an old Nichimo (?)M6A1 seaplane. Several sketches weremade, and I finally decided on an all-redracer with a gloss black cowl, and whiterace numbers.

The build started with the partiallyassembled Polikarpov I-16. The landinggear doors were glued in the retractedposition, filled, and sanded smooth. Alarge ventral fin was added below thevertical tail, filled in, and sanded smooth.All the rib and fabric detail on the wings,stabilizer, and tail was also filled andsanded to reproduce smooth racer-likeplywood-skinned surfaces. The model wasprimed, filled, and sanded several timesuntil a smooth finish was achieved.

Mounting pins were installed on the singlemain float and corresponding holes drilledin the fuselage. A hole for the auxiliaryboil-off cooling system was drilled on theupper forward fuselage.

On the Revell I-16 kit, the cowl comes inthree pieces so you can display the modelwith the engine visible. I glued all threepieces together, and sanded the cowlsmooth. The gun ports were filled in, andthe exhaust ports drilled out. All exceptthree of the shutter sections on the frontof the cowl were removed to aid enginecooling. The cowl was then painted a high-gloss black and set aside to dry. When ithad thoroughly dried, short pieces of thin-walled plastic tubing from Contrail ModelAircraft (which I purchased long ago at anow-defunct hobby shop in California)were inserted in the exhaust ports to makethe slightly extended exhaust stacks,which added to the impression of a racerwith a big engine. The finished cowl wasthen set aside to await final assembly.

After much fruitless searching throughvarious parts spares boxes, no tip floatswere to be found. I finally broke down andmade my own. A tip float was drawn up inCorelDraw, scaled to multiple sizes, printedout, and the most proportionate size waschosen for my model. A mold was carved,and four vacuum-formed halves weremade, two of each side. The halves weretrimmed, sanded, and glued together toproduce two identical tip floats. A strip ofstyrene was sanded to an almost airfoilshape, from which two tip float struts werecut. The struts were slipped into the floatsand glued in place.

With the tip floats finished, mountingholes were needed in the wings. Using asharp #11 blade, strut mounting holes werevery carefully cut in the bottom of thewings near the wingtips to match the tipfloat struts.

The spare-parts-box prop originally camefrom an old Hawk Curtiss biplane seaplaneracer. It’s a large blade fixed pitch prop ofthe sort used on most Schneider Trophyracers before the war, so it looks the part.The prop diameter was trimmed a bit toclear the main float, and then the spinnerreceived a coat of flat white, then InsigniaRed. I used Bare-Metal Foil on the front ofthe prop blades to give them a polishedmetal look, and painted the backs of theblades flat black to keep from blinding thepilot.

The spare-parts-box canopy was originallythe back half of an old Revell Ki-84 Hayatecanopy suitably trimmed to fit the turtle-deck of the I-16. Thin strips of Bare Metalfoil were added to make the canopy frame.I was really pleased with how the simpleaddition of the canopy made the modelreally look the part of a racer.

Early on in the project, I had decided on aparticular font that I wanted to use for therace numbers. I had no luck finding whiterace numbers anywhere near the style Iwanted, so I decided to cut stencils out ofTamiya Yellow Tape, apply them over a flatwhite base coat, and then spray the finalred color. Removing the tape would exposethe white race numbers that I wanted. Withthis in mind, I sprayed the entire model(minus the cowl), the main float, and bothtip floats flat white.

Several pieces of wide Tamiya Yellow Tapewere stuck down on a smooth, clean, hardsurface. The numbers were scaled to the 24inch high size required in the rules usingCorelDraw, printed out, and taped over theTamiya Yellow Tape. They were thencarefully cut out, lifted off, and applied tothe model in the appropriate positions. Themodel was then sprayed overall withModelMaster Insignia red paint andallowed to dry. The Yellow Tape numbers


were very carefully removed using a verysharp #11 blade, and “Voila” - white racenumbers that looked the way I wantedthem to!

With all the major components completedand painted, the parts were all givenseveral coats of future to provide therequisite glossy raceplane finish.

At this point in the project, I still hadn’tbeen able to find a suitable engine for theracer. In the spirit of an unlimited racer, thestandard M-62 nine-cylinder radialproduced far too little horsepower, so I setabout looking for an M-82FN 14-cylindertwo-row engine with nearly double thehorsepower to replace it. Many kits wereexamined to try and find a suitablyaccurate M-82FN engine without success.Finally a request was made to the membersof the NWSM group, and in short order, alink arrived via e-mail for an Engines &Things M-82FN engine, which I promptlyordered. This turned out to be the onlypart I used on the model itself that didn’tcome from my spares box, and one of onlytwo parts used on the whole project thatdidn’t come from the spares box, but it wasworth it.

Engines & ThingsP.O. Box 48013St. Albert, ABT8N 5V9Canada

e-mail:[email protected]/public/engthg

You can send them an e-mail, and they wille-mail back their catalog.

When the engine arrived, a test fit revealedthat the engine would have to be movedback quite a bit to fit inside the cowling.This would also be necessary to maintainthe Center of Gravity in the real aircraft.Most of the stock Revell kit’s enginemount was cut away so the engine wouldfit both lengthwise within the cowling, andcentered so the prop shaft was centered in

the hole in the front of the cowling. Withthe fit assured, the engine was painted,dry-brushed, and a propshaft hole wasdrilled into the front of the engine. Withmuch fiddling, the completed engine wascentered to fit inside the cowl and glued inplace on the remains of the kit firewall.

When the engine had dried, the cowl wasglued to the fuselage. The main float wasglued in place, and the model propped upto keep it centered while the glue dried.When the main float was dry, the tip floatswere installed, adjusted to the properangle, and glued in place. After allowingthe tip floats to dry thoroughly, thecanopy was positioned on the fuselageand its outline carefully marked on the topof the fuselage. The canopy was removed,and the area within the outline was paintedflat black. When the flat black had dried,the canopy was glued permanently inplace. The prop was slipped into thepropshaft hole in the engine, and themodel was basically complete.

I wanted to display the model on alaunching dolly, so I looked throughseveral books on Golden Age racers, anddiscovered that most seaplane launching

dollies were very crude affairs assembledout of what appeared to be scrap woodand spare wheels. The wheels ranged fromall-metal types that looked to have beenliberated from rail cars, to solid-woodwheels constructed out of wood blocks, towire-spoke wheels of the type used onWWI aircraft, to wheels that lookedsuspiciously like they had been stolen offan old Conestoga wagon. I searchedthrough a variety of model train shopslooking for suitable wheels, and was aboutto give up, when I found some HO scalecircus wagon wheels that looked perfectfor the task. With these little treasures inhand (the only other parts that didn’t comefrom my spares boxes), I set about makinga launching dolly.

I wanted the launching dolly to appearcrude, and to have been made from parts athand. The frame was made from plasticscale I-beams, and painted to look likemetal. The basic frame structure wascovered with thin balsa strips, and thefloat support was cut from pieces of balsasheet cut to match the profile of the floatbottoms with cross pieces cut to match thecross-section of the float bottoms. Thebalsa pieces were all given a coat of flat


roof brown paint to simulate old wood.The wheels were given a coat of flat white,followed by Insignia Red. When they weredry, the metal hoops and hubs werepainted gloss black. Axles were cut tolength, the wheels installed on them, andsmall pins inserted in the ends of the axlesto simulate wheel hubs and to hold thewheels in place. Further examination ofpictures of old dollies showed that therewere usually uprights on the float supportto keep the float vertical, so four uprights,two at the front and two at the back wereglued in place and painted to match therest of the wood parts.

After all the paint on the dolly had dried,the main float of the model was carefullyslipped between the float support uprightsand slid into place. The model was nowcomplete, but by a fortuitous accident, a55-gallon oil drum was found in approxi-mately the right scale. A spigot wasquickly constructed from plastic rod andglued in place at the bottom of the drum.The drum was painted black, and thespigot silver. Perusal of a Lonely PlanetTravel Guide for the USSR netted aRussian alphabet reference, and the word“VODKA” was crudely lettered on the side

of the 55-gallon drum. The drum wasplaced on the side of the launching dolly,and the model was finally finished.

With the model complete, the task ofwriting the aircraft “Development Historyand racing Preparation” was started.

Amazingly enough, the developmenthistory article was completed almostentirely in one sitting, with only a fewminor corrections needed after the fact.Here for your amusement then, is the“Polikarpov I-16 1949 Schneider TrophyRacer Development and Race History”.

Racer # 52 - 1949 Russian SchneiderTrophy Racer Unofficial Race Entry

When it was announced in 1949 that theSchneider Trophy Races were to berestarted, some members of the RussianAir Force were very excited. Here was anopportunity to showcase to the world thefinest in Russian Engineering. An excitedgroup of engineers and airmen presentedtheir proposal for a Schneider Trophy Raceentry to the leaders of the RussianGovernment. Expecting a quick approval,they were stunned to find out that thegovernment not only disapproved, butdisapproved strongly with the idea ofentering a competition with any of thedecadent bourgeoisie western govern-ments, much less all of them at once. Notonly were they told there would be noofficial entry, they were also denied accessto any front line aircraft as a basis of anentry.


A thoroughly disappointed group returnedto their makeshift Schneider Race head-quarters, a deserted railway building onthe Black Sea. While commiserating over a55 gallon barrel of Vodka, someone pointedout that they had only been denied officialentry, and that while front line aircraft wereoff limits, there were plenty of wreckedRussian aircraft littered across the coun-tryside over a wide front courtesy of theFinnish Fighter Group LeLv. 24’s BrewsterB-239s, and German fighter groups JG’s 3,51, 52, 53, 54, and 77’s Me 109s and Fw190s. The discussion turned to what couldbe achieved within the limits of theirmeager resources, and it was decided touse the smallest possible aircraft married tothe biggest engine they could squeeze intoit perched on a single float to minimizedrag. Thus was born the unofficial RussianPolikarpov I-16 Schneider Trophy Raceentry.

Looting Salvage teams were sent forth tothe Eastern Front to find a suitable aircraftand engine, while the problem of a suitablefloat for the aircraft was discussed. In afairly short time, a relatively undamagedPolikarpov I-16 was found, and trans-ported on a stolen liberated flat rail car totheir rail facility.

The tear-down and rebuilding of the I-16began immediately. Due to battle damagethe M-62 engine was junk, but a largerengine was needed anyway, and anotherlooting salvage team soon returned with arail car loaded with M-82FNV engines thathad been destined for a front-line La-9aircraft rebuilding facility. These enginesprovided nearly twice the horsepower ofthe old engine, and having a few extrasallowed them to experiment with differentways to get the best performance. Theengine was fitted, and with it a supplemen-tal boil-off cooling system that operatedonly when the engine overheated due toextended full-throttle operation. As itturned out, due to the small size of theaircraft and the oversize engine, this rarelyhappened. The boil-off exit for the coolantwas on the left side just behind the engine.In a further effort to increase cooling forthe air-cooled engine, two thirds of the

engine cowl cooling shutters wereremoved from the front of the cowl to allowmore cooing air into the engine. After someexperimenting, it was found that when acertain percentage of alcoholic beveragewas injected along with the fuel, substan-tially higher manifold pressures could bemaintained for a fairly decent period oftime without turning the engine into scrapmetal. Slightly longer exhaust stacks werefitted, resulting in a small jet effect and anincrease in several additional horsepower.Horsepower issues resolved, they turnedto the aerodynamics of the aircraft.

Guns and landing gear were removedduring the lightening process, and tanksfor the alcohol were installed in the emptylanding gear bays. In an effort to improvestreamlining and reduce drag, the entirewing and all the tail surfaces were strippedof fabric. With the structure exposed, themain spars were strengthened so theycould meet the much higher load require-ments of the racer. The wings and tailsurfaces were then sheeted with severallayers of thin plywood, which was sandedsmooth, and finished to a fine gloss inSoviet Red. Anticipating a much higherspeed from their hot-rod aircraft, theailerons were reduced in size to prevent

over-control of the aircraft. The additionalhorsepower would require more directionalstability, so a large ventral fin was addedbelow the tail.

Word filtered back that a Japaneseseaplane base had been captured on theJapanese front at the end of the war. Aftersome research, an exploratory trip, andsuitable discussions with the seaplanebase occupation team, several floats wereappropriated in the dark of the night andshipped by rail car to the Schneider Raceteam, whereupon the rail car was returnedto the seaplane base per the agreementcarrying large quantities of Vodka, foodstuffs, western style nylon stockings, andseveral crates of chocolate and Coca-Cola.

With all the necessary parts of the aircraftnow in place, building and testing movedat a rapid pace. Old pictures of pre-warItalian race planes brought to light theneed for a suitable propeller, and aftermuch eyeballing and guess work, a fixedhigh pitch metal prop was fabricated thatwas the biggest they could fit to theaircraft without hitting the main float. Aspinner was fitted, and the aft side of theprop painted flat black to keep fromblinding the pilot. For the high speeds


envisioned, a canopy would be necessary.After much fruitless searching, a conversa-tion with one of the seaplane baseoccupation members brought to light acrashed Ki-84 Hayate. Approximatedimensions were compared, and it wassuggested that when the aft part of the Ki-84 fighter canopy was turned aroundbackwards, it might fit the existing turtledeck of the I-16 quite nicely if appropri-ately trimmed. Another crate of foodstuffsand Vodka were dispatched, and shortlyafterward, the aft section of the Ki-84canopy arrived. It was indeed a good fit,so it was trimmed to size and fitted overthe cockpit, resulting in a substantiallycleaner aircraft.

As the racer neared completion, it was timeto fit the main float. Increased fuel andalcohol capacity would be needed due tothe bigger engine’s thirsty appetite, so fuelcells were installed in the main float and asmall pump installed to pump them up tothe engine. With a full load, it was esti-mated that the racer would have a nearly1,500 mile range! Tip floats were fabricatedby the age-old method of eyeball engineer-ing and fitted to the strengthened wingspars. Painting and finishing the floatsbrought the construction phase of the littlehot-rod to completion.

Team efforts now turned to flight testing.Pilot selection would be difficult, becauseno Russian pilot had ever flown a seaplanebefore, and this was not just any oldseaplane. Engine tests had shown asignificant torque affect, and it was clearthe little racer would be a handful even forthe most experienced of pilots. Afterconsiderable debate, and not a few heateddiscussions, a pilot was chosen. Taxi testscommenced, and the pilot slowly workedhis way up to speed until he was comfort-able with the aircraft on the float step.After making sure the engine was perform-ing as expected, the time came for the firstfull test flight. The pilot gunned theengine, made a smooth takeoff, circledseveral times, and brought the little racer infor a successful landing. Much vodka wasconsumed that night in celebration.

Late the following morning, after everyonehad stumbled out of bed, the pilot men-tioned that the aircraft had not been testedwith a full load of fuel, and that it wouldprobably be a good idea to do so to checkthe weight, balance, and trim of the aircraftat full gross weight. With the race only afew days away, the aircraft was fullyfueled, and the pilot climbed aboard for thelast test. The canopy was fastened closed,and with a snort, the engine started, andthe pilot turned the little racer into thewind. The engine roared to full power, andthe little racer leaped into the air, climbedrapidly away, turned west, and soondisappeared from sight. Russian fighterspracticing over a nearby Russian basegave chase to the unexpected intruder, butthe speedy little racer performed beyondall expectations. The pursuing Russianpilots could only watch in amazement asthe little racer climbed rapidly away fromthem. They reported that it was last seenheaded over the mountains of Greece.

The little racer was never to be seen again,and so ended the unofficial RussianSchneider Trophy Race team’s dreams ofentering the 1949 Schneider Trophy Race.Several months later, one of the teammembers got a postcard featuring a bikini-clad bathing beauty with the words“Wishing You Were Here” emblazonedacross the top of the card. It was post-marked Monaco, but on the back, the pilothad written to let them know that byselling off parts of the racer and usingsome money he had spirited away from thepaymaster, he had acquired a small villa inthe south of France, and was now on hisway to visit the lake district in NorthernItaly. Another card arrived at Christmas,and this one had an actual picture,featuring the pilot and a bathing beautynot much different than the one featuredon the first card, with a short note on theback indicating that he and his new bridewere settling down in his villa and startinga family, and that was the last they everheard from him.

Junkers Monoplanes atWar: Windsock Datafile

131, by Harry Woodman

reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl

The First World War saw the introductionof many aviation firsts, including the firstall-metal aircraft. The latest title in theWindsock Datafile series examines thesefirst metal aircraft, the Junkers mono-planes. While some components of aircraftwere constructed of metal, the majorstructural material was wood, with clothcovering. Hugo Junkers, in a dramaticdeparture from conventional design,decided to create an all-metal aircraft, and amonoplane to boot. In 1915, the firstJunkers monoplane, the J.1 was rolled out,marking a major turning point in aviationdesign.

The progression from the J.1 through tothe J.11 is thoroughly discussed by theauthor, Harry Woodman. While most of theaircraft in this line were prototypes, severalof these monoplanes achieved productionstatus, presenting some interestingmarkings and camouflages. In addition tothe well-written text, this book contains abroad selection of photos, showing aircraftin the construction phase as well asfinished production examples. The maindrawings cover the Junkers D.I (J.9) andCl.1 (J.10), while smaller sketches cover theJ.1, J.2, J.4, J.5, J.6, and J.7. Three colorprofiles round out the drawings.

This is a great addition to the Datafile line,and the subject of the first metal mono-planes at war has broad appeal. My thanksto Albatros Publications for the reviewcopy.

Albatros Publications, ©2008Softbound, 32 PagesAvailable from Albatros Publications for£10.80

[Thanks to Chris Banyai-Riepl andwww.internetmodeler.com for permissionto use his article. - ED]


Meeting Reminder December 1310 AM - 1 PM

North Bellevue Community/Senior Center4063-148th Ave NE, Bellevue

Directions: From Seattle or from I-405, take 520 East tothe 148th Ave NE exit. Take the 148th Ave North exit(the second of the two 148th Ave. exits) and continuenorth on 148th until you reach the Senior Center. TheSenior Center will be on your left. The Center itself isnot easily visible from the road, but there is a signpostin the median.

Mighty Eighth Museum from page 9

beautiful and interesting city. But the visitto the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museumwas definitely the icing on the cake. Sure,you get the feeling of history at otherWWII museums and displays, but becauseof the personal artifacts it makes you feel adeeper connection to the events thattranspired during WWII.

seattle chapter newspolikarpov i-16 racer 11 junkers monoplanes at war 15 looks like big doings...

Documents