Sept 2011 Corsair - the IPMS Phoenix Craig Hewitt Chapter

VOLUME 13, ISSUE 9
SEPTEMBER 2011
THE
CORSAIR
The Monthly Newsletter of the Craig Hewitt Chapter
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August „11 Meeting Pictures ............................. 2-3
Upcoming Events................................................. 4
Club Officers ........................................................ 4
AT-6 Sprayer Conversion by Brian Baker ........... 5
Mike Mackowski‟s “View” .................................... 8
Join IPMS/USA! .................................................... 8
Pueblo Warbird Museum Open House flyer ........ 9
TA-7 Corsair II Conversions by Carmel Attard .. 10
ModelZona 2011 Flyer ........................................ 12
US Airways 737-400 by Jim Pearsall ................. 13
An Interview with Wolfpak Decals ..................... 15
Surfing The Web ................................................ 16
Support Your Local Hobby Shop!...................... 16
This 1/82 scale Lindberg Tugboat by Jeffrey Seyk was the
winner in the Novice Class of the August “Wet & Wild” contest.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Ah, September. Leaves changing colors, cool, crisp evenings, the
smell of the first evening fires coming from the chimneys. Yeah, right.
Maybe where I grew up. Definitely not here. As I write this, it‘s 8:00
pm and it‘s still 108°. When you read this, I‘ll be enjoying 75° days
and 55° evenings while traveling in the Pacific Northwest. Yes, that‘s
right, you get to have another meeting without putting up with me.
As you probably know, last month was the IPMS/USA National
Convention in Omaha, Nebraska. It was a good road trip, a good
convention, and a good contest. Speaking of contests, several of us got
together and entered a group build entry. It represented a history of the
aircraft of VF-111, the Sundowners. And, through a lot of effort, we
managed to bring out a third place. The entry consisted of 19 aircraft
ranging from WWII props, through jets of the modern era. I would
like to personally thank Keith Pieper, Jim Beeson, Jim Fry, Bill
Sanborn, Carl Armelin, Jack Anderson, Mike Ronnau, Mark
Anderson, Dave Weitzel, Chuck Ludwig, Keenan Chittester, Dick
Christ, and Bill Dunkle for their efforts in completing the models and
Jim Clark for his last minute help in Omaha. And yes, it‘s true. More
than one of them has permanently sworn off building 1/72 anything
after that.
Speaking of congratulations, a hearty thump on the back is due to
Mike Mackowski on his appointment to serve as the Regional
Coordinator (RC) for IPMS Region 10. He will be the voice of the
R10 chapters to the IPMS/USA E-board and their voice to the
membership in the region. Thanks for stepping up, Mike.
This month, our speaker is Diana Nemetz, the Director of
Development for the B-26 Marauder Society. She‘s going to tell us
about the work the society does to memorialize this aircraft flown by
members of our greatest generation.
Our contest this month is Big! And by that, I mean it can be
anything that is big in relation to others of its kind. Heavy tanks,
battleships, 18-wheelers. That kind of thing.
Modelzona is coming up in about two months. I expect to see a lot
of really outstanding models on those tables. Should be a great show.
I have three things I want to leave you thinking about. All have to
do with service to the club in one form or another. The first is that our
biennial officer elections are coming up. Please consider serving and
supporting our club by volunteering to serve in one of the offices that
are coming available. I know at least three of the offices will be
vacated. Chuck Ludwig and I cannot run again for our current offices
because we‘ve held them for two terms. And Jim Pearsall and I are
both moving to other positions in the IPMS/USA organization. If
you‘ve ever thought about holding an office in our club, even if you are
currently in one and want to continue to serve, please let Mike
Mackowski or Ethan Dunsford know, as they represent the nominating
committee.
The second thing to think about is an appointed position that will be
vacant in November. As of the first of November, Dick Christ will
become the President of IPMS/USA. In that light, he believes he cannot
continue to serve as our Chapter Contact. So, we need someone who
would like to assume that role. The job is relatively simple, in that you
act as a conduit for information between the Regional Coordinator and
the chapter. You must be an IPMS/USA member and the hardest thing
you‘ll have to do is to perform our annual rechartering (fill out a piece
of paper and send it with a check to the IPMS office), and coordinate
the date of our annual contest with the RC to deconflict with other
chapters. All in all, a pretty easy job. Even Dick Christ could do it.
The last thing to ponder is a serious misquoting of JFK and that‘s
‗Ask not what my chapter can do for me, ask what I can do for my
chapter.‘ Yes, I‘m always harping about people volunteering for things,
asking you to give of your time to help the club. And usually, I get a
good response when I ask for help. We‘re a large, active club, with lots
of things going on. We usually have a speaker, or we present some type
of demonstration for you to learn from, and we always have a contest
for you to participate in, plus the ever-present excitement of the raffle.
You always get an evening of camaraderie with like-minded friends
tied to free entertainment that is generally more useful than your
average TV show. So, the next time the call goes out for someone to
give a demonstration, or the group is asked for a volunteer to head a
small project (like the Christmas dinner), or we just need judges for the
monthly contest, give it a thought, raise your hand, give back a little.
You‘d be surprised how rewarding it feels.
Enjoy this month‘s meeting. I‘ll be back to inflict myself on all of
you in October.
Steve Collins
President - Craig Hewitt Chapter
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SEPTEMBER 2011
August 2011 Meeting
The August meeting was our annual model swap
meeting, and there was considerable wheeling and dealing
going on. Most of the club officers were in Omaha for the
IPMS National Convention, so the meeting was capably
chaired by our treasurer, Keith Pieper.
The August contest theme was ―Wet & Wild‖. The
winner in the Advanced class was Robert Scott with his
1/72 Revell U- boat, and the winner in the Novice class was
Jeffrey Seyk with a 1/82 Lindberg Tug boat. As usual, each
winner received a gift certificate to a local hobby shop.
Way to go, gentlemen!
To see more of the awesome pictures that Jim Hough took
at the meeting, visit the Gallery on our website at
www.ipms-phoenix.org.
Robert Scott’s 1/72 Revell U-Boat Type VIIC.
Brian Baker brought in this very nice 1/72 Matchbox
Supermarine Walrus.
Gary Thomas used the 1/72 Anigrand kit to make this
Curtiss XP-62.
Dale Mickley built this 1/25 La France Pumper from
the Trumpeter kit.
This wonderful diorama by Craig Pierce features a
1/144 Academy Catalina.
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SEPTEMBER 2011
More August pictures...
This 1/32 Williams Bros. Caudron C.460 racer was
built by Charles Swanson.
Keenan Chittester built this 1/48 Italeri Spitfire IX as
the “Beer Truck” version.
Brian Baker’s 1/72 KP MiG-15bis.
Gary Thomas’ 1/72 Airfix LCVP Higgins boat.
This ferocious looking aircraft is a Latecoere 298D
built by Brian Baker from the 1/72 Azur kit.
Charles Swanson used the Hobbycraft 1/48 kit to build
this Polikarpov I-16 Type 10.
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PAGE 4
SEPTEMBER 2011
2011 Monthly Contests
January - Something Blue.
February - Tiny. Any scale, but things like light planes, mini cars, tankettes, PT boats.
March - Hollywood. TV or movie-related subjects.
April - Three Foot Models. Judged from 3 feet.
May - Prototypes and Famous Firsts.
June - Lost In Battle. Custer, USS Arizona, B-25 from the Doolittle Raid, etc.
July - U.S. Navy World War II.
August - Wet & Wild. Boats, floatplanes, amphibious tanks, fire trucks.
September - Big. Multi-engine aircraft, heavy tanks, over-the-road trucks. super dreadnaughts..
October - Strangers In A Strange Land. Markings or finish not normally associated with the type.
November - Out Of The Box. Don‘t forget your instructions!
December - Golden Age of Monogram.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 2011
Tuesday 6th, 7pm - Craig Hewitt Chapter meeting at American Legion Post #1. Contest: Big.
Saturday 17th, 10am-4pm - IPMS Day at the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum. See ad on page 9 for more info.
OCTOBER 2011
Tuesday 4th, 7pm - Craig Hewitt Chapter meeting at American Legion Post #1. Contest: Strangers In A Strange
Land.
Saturday, 8th, 8:30am-1:30pm - Cholewa Plastic Model Flea Market at the Postal Workers Social Club, 3720
W. Greenway Rd., Phoenix, AZ. Admission: $3. Contact Mike at 602-944-4096 for more info.
If anybody knows of an upcoming event that might be of interest to club members,
please let the Editor know so that he can fill this space!
The club meets at 7pm on the
first Tuesday of each month at
the American Legion Post #1 in
Phoenix. Check the club website
at www.ipms-phoenix.org for
more meeting info.
American Legion Post #1
364 N. 7th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85003
The post is located South of I-10
just a few blocks North of Van
Buren. Look for the huge American flag.
Chapter Officers
President .....................Steve Collins................ [email protected] .......................(623) 877-4631
Vice President ............Jim Pearsall .................. [email protected] ..............(623) 583-2308
Secretary .....................Chuck Ludwig............. [email protected] .......................(480) 982-0485
Treasurer.....................Keith Pieper ................. [email protected] .........................(480) 994-2263
Chapter Contact .........Dick Christ................... [email protected]............(480) 983-7131
Member At Large ......Sam Bueler .................. [email protected] ..........(480) 612-1257
Webmaster .................Don Crowe .................. [email protected] ....................(623) 872-6151
Newsletter Editor .......Keenan Chittester........ [email protected] .....................(480) 706-8178
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SEPTEMBER 2011
1/72 North American AT-6D Biplane Sprayer Conversion
by: Brian Baker
History
Although the AT-6
―Texan‖ advanced trainer
was widely used during
World War II, it is not so
well known that they type
continued in American and
foreign service long after
the end of the war, and
then became sought after
collectors‘ items when they
were finally removed from
the USAF and USN
inventories during the late
fifties. In fact, in the late forties, many early model civilianowned AT-6‘s were repurchased by North American and
rebuilt to T-6G/SNJ-6 standard for USAF and US Navy use
in the fifties. Many were to be seen on airports during the
late fifties and sixties with military markings painted over
and spray can ―N‖ numbers scrawled on the fuselage sides.
Some were used for skywriting, racing, and for other
specialized purposes, and a few were repainted in military
markings and flown as ―warbirds‖, with most flying
examples falling into that category today. While many
surplus types, including
Stearmans, Navy N3N‘s,
and BT-13‘s, were used for
agricultural flying, only a
few AT-6‘s were converted
for this purpose, including
one ( T-6G, N9604C) that I
recall back in the 1960‘s at
a local Phoenix airport,
which was modified by the
removal of the front cockpit
and replacement with a
spray tank. This particular
example was never actually
used as a sprayer to my knowledge, and I understand that it
was later reconverted back to two seat form, in which it is
reportedly still flying as N51KT.
Another more bizarre AT-6 conversion that I became
aware of recently, the biplane conversion, was rebuilt in
Selma, Alabama, by R.C. Stroop, for use as a sprayer. On an
agplane website, I recently acquired three photos of the
plane, apparently taken just after the conversion was
completed, but before any spraying equipment was installed.
This is where having a good library really pays off, as a
check of the US Civil Register on-line shows that number
currently assigned to a Cessna 172. This is common, as
when aircraft are scrapped and registrations are cancelled,
the numbers are thrown back into the FAA‘s ―open file‖
when they are reassigned to other aircraft. Years ago, I
began collecting paper copies and Microfische disks of the
FAA‘s US Civil registers, and my 1963 and 1964 issues.
Along with the Warbirds Guide, listed this aircraft,
N6435D, as c/n 88-17079, an AT-6D originally ordered by
the Army as 42-85295, but later assigned to the Navy as
SNJ-5, B/N 84995. It was probably retired from the Navy in
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the mid fifties, stored at NAF Litchfield Park, and then sold
as surplus in the late fifties. The conversion probably
occurred about 1964, and the airplane is also listed in as
being active between 1965 and 1970, when it disappears
from sight. Late in its career, it was sold to a J.F. Carter, of
Monroeville, AL, who used it for agricultural operations.
Having a ―Restricted‖ category license, it could be flown for
spraying only, a common situation for agplanes.
The airplane retained the basic configuration of the AT6D, with only the cockpit and addition of the upper wing
changing its appearance. The additional wing consisted of
two outer wing panels from another airplane, and enough
struts to stabilize the structure. The wing produced a
negative stagger, much like a Beech D-17S, probably to
move the CG back so that the spray tank could be made
larger, and a heavier load could be carried. Cabane struts
braced the center section, and large ―N‖ struts were installed
outboard. Ailerons were interconnected by a smaller strut,
and some bracing wires were installed between the cabane
struts. There were no landing gear doors, and the cockpit
was completely open except for the standard windshield.
Only the front seat remained. The entire airplane looks fairly
weatherbeaten, with an OD anti-glare which is badly
chipped, and a very faded ―N6435D‖ on the rear fuselage
side. At that time, although not visible in the photos, the
plane would have only had a fuselage number, with no other
markings on the wings or anywhere else, although there is a
hint of a small ―Restricted‖ underneath the cockpit window,
which would be regulation for this aircraft. The entire
airplane is silver or unpainted. It truly looks like a working
airplane.
My source of information on the airplane comes from a
set of three black and white photos of the airplane, showing
the plane from the front, side, and rear. Years ago, most
airplane photographers would shoot three to five views of
each airplane, and whoever shot these certainly was helpful
in providing the modeler with enough information for a
good conversion.
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SEPTEMBER 2011
The Conversion
I used the Heller kit mainly because I had two of them
available, and they are basically accurate although
somewhat dated with raised panel lines. The major problems
with the kit involve poor fit in the wing-fuselage assembly,
with the center section part requiring some extreme
trimming to get it to fit. The cowling requires a lot of work,
and the raised panel lines need to be sanded these down
somewhat. The engine is good, but doesn‘t seem to fit very
well inside the cowling. The wings do not have enough
dihedral, and this is obvious even in the photo on the
instruction sheet, although this is easily correctable. This is
an old kit, but with some effort it can be salvaged. I detailed
the cockpit with sidewall details, using the excellent seat,
control stick, and instrument panel. The cowling, however,
were hopeless, so I substituted one from an old Hawk kit,
which looks very good. The prop is OK, but I substituted a
better one from the spares box, although I‘m not sure what
kit it came from. I painted the insides in ―interior green‖,
leaving the rear cockpit section open. I did use the small
bulkhead that the kit provides, although I don‘t have
photographic proof of its existence either way. However, the
wing obscures most of the rear cockpit anyway, so it is not
really an issue. I did use the front windshield, cutting it off
from the entire canopy unit, and installed it after painting the
antiglare olive drab. Quite a bit of filler was required, and
some trimming was needed to remove the mounting lugs for
the rocket racks on the undersides of the wings.
Preparation
Although I became aware of another conversion of an AT
-6 kit in 1/72 scale after I started the preparation process, I
decided to do my research independently. It started with
constructing a 1/72 scale drawing of the aircraft. I have a set
of 1/72 scale three views of the AT-6, so I cut and pasted to
the point that a reasonably accurate drawing was made.
This was helpful mainly in getting the wing in the proper
location, as mounting the wing was probably the most
difficult part of the conversion. Mounting positions of the
struts were located on the drawings using the photos as a
guide. The photos and three view were used throughout the
building process to avoid guesswork.
Once the basic airframe was assembled, filled, and
painted, it was time to attach the upper wing. I marked the
points where the struts attached, and drilled small holes as
anchor points. I had planned to use Tenax, but ended up
using small spots of super glue, as this makes, I believe, a
stronger structure.
I didn‘t have any specialized strut material, so I used
plastic rod of the correct size. Cutting the cabane struts to
size, and measuring them with dividers, I attached these to
the fuselage in the proper locations, allowing them to set up.
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SEPTEMBER 2011
walks, which were black and quite worn. Then I attached
the bracing wires to the fuselage, and the project was
complete.
Since the airplane retained its roll bar behind the pilot‘s seat,
I used that as a sort of measure to help stabilize the whole
structure. I then attached the forward cabane struts, and after
letting the whole thing set up overnight, I began on the
outboard ―N‖ struts. These I cut to length and fitted
individually, a tedious trial-and-error process. But with the
mounting holes drilled, it was really fairly easy. The aileron
rods were also installed, but as the photos show some kind
of fixture on both upper and lower ailerons, I added these
first and then glued the connecting struts in place.
Once the upper wing panels were installed, I glued on the
engine cowling and exhaust stack from the kit, and then
attached the landing gear. There were a couple of other
small parts to attach, including a small part connecting the
leading edge of the upper wing to the windshield, and, of
course, the pitot tube, which broke off during assembly.
After a last coat of silver, I removed the masking tape from
the landing lights, as they show as being retained, although I
can‘t imagine that they were actually hooked up. I then
made the decal license numbers on my computer, spray
coated them after they dried, and applied them to the
fuselage sides. Also, I used decal stock to represent the wing
Recommendations
If I were to do this over again, I would probably want to
use a couple of Academy kits. For consistency, I wouldn‘t
mix kits, but that would work. Using the Hawk cowling
solved the main problem of the Heller kit, the marginal
cowling. Some strut material probably would have also
helped, but I‘m basically satisfied with the results using rod
stock for struts. Using older and available kits makes this
kind of conversion project fun, and if you screw it up, it
wasn‘t very expensive. Try this sometime—it is a lot of fun,
and it is guaranteed to tax your skills.
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SEPTEMBER 2011
The View from Space City
Commentary on the Hobby
by Mike Mackowski
Observations From Omaha
The Phoenix – Craig Hewitt chapter
had a good contingent at the IPMS/
USA National Convention in Omaha in
early August. By my count, we had about
14 people there, which is pretty good for a
show several states away, even a National.
Of course, the extenuating circumstances were
that we had four members running for national
office (but I think they would have been there, anyway).
I had a great time at the show, as I think most people
did. Prior to the event, the scuttlebutt was that it would be
a small convention, but that proved to be an inaccurate
prediction. The final tally was 2476 contest entries, 701
registrants, and over 1500 walk-in visitors. The model
room was packed, but still had plenty of room to move
about, and you couldn‘t ask for a better-stocked dealers
room(s). From my perspective, the show ran smoothly,
much to the credit of the host chapters. There were only
modest lines for convention and contest registration, and
they moved along briskly. The staff seemed to know what
they were doing and I did not detect any major problems
or gaffes. The only area they might have done better was
signage for the meeting rooms and a little more info in the
tiny pocket program.
Over the years that I have attended Nationals, I find
myself getting overwhelmed with the huge number of
models in the contest. Rows upon rows of tanks and Me109s make my eyes blurry. They all start to look the same.
So this year, I made a point to try to take more time to look
at more models individually rather than being overcome by
yet another table full of shiny racecars. That turned out to
be somewhat successful, as I got a better sense of the very
high quality of the entries this year.
But I am never able to remember to vote
for ―most popular‖ model.
There is often a trade-off of going on tours
and seeing the seminars. This year, a lot of
the seminars were the same as what we had in
Phoenix last year, but I did catch a couple on
airbrushing and the one by Dem Brudders, Bill
and Dick Engar from Utah. We also had a string of three
space-related seminars on Friday, including mine. I was
able to re-connect with Kevin Atkins from Colorado, who
back in the early 1980s was a promoter of judging
speculative real-space vehicles separately from science
fiction. If there was anyone out there in IPMS promoting
―real space‖ before me, it was Kevin. So it was nice to see
him and sit in on his presentation.
As usual, the best part of attending a National
Convention is to spend some face-time with the folks you
correspond with electronically over the course of the year.
In my interest area, the space modelers have a nice chat
community on Yahoo. This year some of our regulars were
not able to make it, primarily because of work
commitments, and we missed them. But it‘s always nice to
get together and go to dinner or have a beer with folks
from groups like that. I‘m sure that‘s true for other interest
areas, as well.
This hobby is not only about sitting along in your
workshop, gluing and painting. It‘s about a community of
people with common interests. And that makes for ―happy
modeling.‖
Happy Modeling!
Join the IPMS/USA!
$25 annual membership includes a one year subscription to the IPMS Journal. Visit www.ipmsusa.org to
download a membership form. Or you can write to:
IPMS/USA National Office
P.O. Box 2475
N. Canton, OH 44720-0475
Membership also gives you access to the online Discussion Forum, where you can exchange ideas and
information with other members of IPMS.
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PAGE 9
SEPTEMBER 2011
IPMS Day At The Museum!
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PAGE 10
SEPTEMBER 2011
1/72 TA-7 Corsair II Conversion
by Carmel Attard
History
LTV company had been
trying since 1966 to
interest both the Navy and
the Air Force in the
tandem two-seat version
of the A-7 Corsair. The
two-seat Corsair II was
converted from a standard
A7E airframe by LTV to
demonstrate the feasibility
of the configuration for
training and/or combat.
Work on Corsair Bu No
156801
started
in
February 1972 and first flight was 6 months later on the29th
of August. Since the first flight it was demonstrated on
many occasions to key USAF and USN personnel. The
conversion on the Corsair introduced two new parts to the
standard A-7E so that the fuselage increased in length by 34
inches, i.e. 16 inches forward of wing location and 18 inches
aft. The rear fuselage was given an upward tilt of a little
over 1 and 1/3 degrees. This will maintain suitable clearance
when the aircraft is in the take off run.
The TA-7, as it came to be known, was 500 lb heavier
apart from being longer than the ‗E‘ model. The rear
cockpit, which accommodated the instructor, was raised
above the forward one and a new upper fuselage and dorsal
fairing added. A housing was added to the rear fuselage to
fit a landing drag chute located at the base of the fin. The
forward cockpit was unchanged from the A-7E and the rear
has full primary and secondary controls for take-off,
navigation and landing on carrier decks or concrete
runways. The canopy is a one-piece moulding hinged on the
starboard fuselage. A rear protection shield is provided
between the cockpits to give the rear occupant protection in
the event of emergency ejection. The production version
was fitted with a standard radome. Following the success of
the TA-7 conversion and good performance, 24 TA-7 were
eventually converted from A-7B and 36 from A-7C that
formed two A-7 units.
Project Details
Long before the recent release of the 1/72 scale kit by
Hobby Boss there were two ways to produce the TA-7.
Either by building one from two Airfix kits and fit an
Airmodel cockpit canopy or by utilising the Falcon TA-7
vac-form kit conversion. In both cases it involves what can
be regarded as a major conversion. The Airfix kit was
basically used in each case.
Construction
Conversion A.
Two A-7 kits were
required to obtain the new
fuselage extensions. In my
case I used a brand new
Airfix A-7 and parts from
another scrapped one. The
two fuselage halves are
first cemented together
leaving out the ducting
part 1 and part 2, bulkhead
5
and
the
cockpit
components parts 3 and 4.
A razor saw cut out
marked lines on both halves of another fuselage into three
sections. These sections are placed on one side and the
intake ducting from both kits was cut into 4 sections (see
sketch). The ones shown in red are discarded and the
remaining parts are cemented together as depicted in the
sketch, which resulted into a lengthened duct of an overall
length of 2.04 inches long. At the rear of this duct bulkhead
5 was then cemented.
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The second part of the conversion consisted of
lengthening the fuselage by inserting the extensions at the
forward and at the rear of the fuselage, the rear fuselage
being at a slight tilt upward as mentioned earlier. Cutting the
rear insert section slightly wider at the bottom does this. The
four fuselage half inserts (these are shown in red, see
drawing) are now glued to the fuselage from the other kit,
which was also parted accordingly. The rest follows the kit
instructions and also involves building the second crew
accommodation, inserting a second seat, coaming, side and
front instruments and control stick. These are built up from
plastic card cut or bent to shape. The interior was painted
interior grey and detailed with touches of black. The drag
parachute housing at the base of the fin is made from a
shaped piece of sprue. Any blemishes or slight stagger at the
seams is corrected by fairing with Plasto filler followed by
sanding. The undercarriage is assembled according to the kit
instructions. The clear canopy came from a cockpit canopy
set issued by Airmodel.
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SEPTEMBER 2011
Construction
Conversion B
The second TA7 was a more straightforward build. This
involved using the Falcon TA7 vacform fuselage, which
was part of a triple conversion from a Falcon set. Detailing
the cockpit office was the only additional work needed and
the rest was assembled as per the instruction sheet.
Painting and decals
The TA7 in the first conversion represented a TA-7C
156795/204 trainer attached to VA-122 aboard USS
Lexington . This was completed in standard Gull grey/white
colors. The second TA7C 154424/466 AD was completed in
overall low-viz grey attached to attack squadron VA-174
based at NAS Cecil Field. I used Maintrack (UK) decals that
proved timely issued for this conversion.
Conclusion
Both conversion kit builds proved challenging but in each
case a fine model was produced of a high performance
trainer/multi role combat type. It was several years that had
to pass before an injection-molded kit of the type was
eventually released. Both kits were built prior to 1988.
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SEPTEMBER 2011
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SEPTEMBER 2011
Minicraft 1/144 U.S. Airways Boeing 737-400
Kit No. 14640  MSRP $27.99
by Jim Pearsall
THE AIRCRAFT
The Boeing 737 was
developed in the 1960s as
a low-cost development of
the 707 and 727. It‘s the
only Boeing ―narrow
body‖ airliner still in
production. There are 9
versions, ranging from 85
to 215 passengers. While
not approaching the Bf109 in numbers, the 737 is
the best-selling jet airliner
in history, with 6,638
delivered, and orders for
2,138 more.
The 737 in this kit is the
-400 version, with CFM-56 engines. Because of the low
wing and large diameter of the engines, the lower side of the
nacelle is flattened, giving a distinctive ―hamster pouch‖
look. The -300 and -500 versions differ from the -400 in
fuselage length, with the -400 being 10 feet longer than the 300 and the -500 is 8 feet shorter than the -300.
For the military modeler, there are 22 air forces that fly or
have flown a version of the 737. Unfortunately none of
these are -400s. The 737, in its 9 versions is operated by
over 500 airlines world wide.
THE KIT
This is about what we‘ve come to expect in a 21st century
plastic model kit. Engraved panel lines, minimal flash, and
parts that fit. There is a clear plastic part for the cockpit
which includes the cockpit roof and part of the nose.
There‘s no interior for the cockpit or passenger section.
CONSTRUCTION
The first part of the project
was the fuselage and
wings. The fuselage fit
pretty well, and the wings
fit OK too. My first
problem with this build
came at this point. The
instructions call for ½
ounce of weight in the
nose to keep the nose
wheel down. My metric
conversion gives ½ ounce
as 14.175 grams. A US
Nickel weighs 5 grams, so
they‘re asking me to put 3
nickels in the nose as
weight. I used lead sheet, cut into strips. As you can see,
there‘s not much room to put an interior in there. And that‘s
why I painted the cockpit exterior all white and used the
black window decal which Minicraft so kindly provides.
Another problem was that I had trouble getting the wings
to fit correctly. Actually the wings fit nicely one at a time,
but I had trouble getting the tabs (pink arrows) to fit through
the fuselage and into the slot on the far side. The first one
would work fine, and the second wouldn‘t, because I
couldn‘t finagle it. So I trimmed about 2 mm off one of the
sets of tabs and put it in second. This worked like a dream.
When inserted like this, the wings fit the fuselage
beautifully, needing no putty. A word of caution here. The
instructions are incorrect, reversing parts 31 and 33 on the
bottom of the wing. Test fit, test fit, test fit.
I assembled the engines, and had no problem getting
everything to go where it belongs, with no gaps, and only
light attention with a sanding stick to get clean seams.
This may seem premature, but with the fuselage and
wings assembled and the engines together, it was time to
paint.
PAINTING
The reason for painting before assembly is more complete
is that the really complex and time consuming part of this
project is the decals. And the horizontal stabilizers would
prevent or greatly increase the difficulty of putting on the
fuselage decals.
The basic painting is to paint the fuselage Floquil Reefer
White, the wings Testors FS16515 Voodoo Gray, the
bottom of the aircraft and the engine bodies are dark blue to
match the decals, then add the Corogard on top of the wings.
I lucked out on the dark blue. Floquil‘s Dark Blue is pretty
THE CORSAIR
PAGE 14
SEPTEMBER 2011
with the field to the front.
Another good decal fit
was the windscreen, which
not only fit, but had the little
―eyebrow‖ windows.
much a dead match for the darker blue on the tail decal. The
engine interiors are silver in front, with a silver lip on the
intake, and burnt metal in the back. The engine supports are
the same gray as the wings. I do wish the instructions had
included a bottom view of the paint job, as it‘s difficult to
really determine where the blue/white demarcation goes on
the bottom.
FINAL ASSEMBLY
With the decals on and a
second coat of Future to
protect them, it was time to
put on all those parts I know
I would have destroyed
during the decal process.
The horizontal stabilizers
are particularly noteworthy. Because that big honkin‘ decal
sits between the inner edge of the stab and the fuselage side,
there‘s only the tab and slot for glue application. Fortunately
these parts fit snugly, and the parts fit with no gap.
The instructions are a little vague about how the gear
doors are supposed to go on the gear legs, but a little test
fitting and guesswork left me with identical left and right
sides, if not 100% correct setup.
OVERALL EVALUATION
Well recommended. The plastic goes together well,
especially if you test fit all parts before trusting the
instructions. The decals are just outstanding, and the US
Airways color scheme is very attractive.
Thanks to Minicraft and IPMS/USA for this interesting
model project.
DECALS
The decals really take this kit from ho-hum to a real eyecatching model. The sheet says ―Printed in Italy‖, and if
they‘re not Cartograf, they‘re close to that brand in quality.
The vertical stabilizer decals are one on each side, and the
film has to be tough enough to stand up to the inevitable
handling as the modeler tries to get them aligned, but thin
enough to conform to the shape and allow the rudder edges
to show through. The decals on the sides of the fuselage
which include the windows go from the tail cone to the front
doors, again requiring toughness and delicacy. It‘s also
necessary to cut the fuselage side decal to install the
horizontal stabilizers.
The other question I had about these decals was accuracy.
A while back I built Minicraft‘s AWACS, and had to find a
replacement decal for the American Flag on the tail, as
USAF always puts the blue field toward the nose. The US
Airways ―flag‖ on the tail has the field to the left on both
sides, which means that on the right side it‘s toward the tail.
Yep, that‘s how US Air does it. The decal‘s right. They also
get the little US Flags on the lower rear fuselage correct,
THE CORSAIR
PAGE 15
SEPTEMBER 2011
An Interview With Mark Bilas of Wolfpak Decals
http://www.millcreekconsultants.com/WolfPak_home.html
Interview conducted by Mike Pabis
For those who are not familiar with Wolfpak Decals,
could you describe your products and what their focus
is toward?
Wolfpak Decals is a line of screen printed water slide
decals for the 1/72nd scale modeler. The focus of the
decal line is post World War II U.S. subjects.
How did you get started running Wolfpak Decals?
I was printing decals for my own use on my Alps printer
when a nephew asked for decals for an aircraft flown
during WWII by a friend of the family. After completing
the set for my nephew he suggested that I start printing
decals for others. When I looked around as a 1/72nd scale
modeler and the dearth of decals in that scale I said what
the heck I should start a line concentrating on that market
area.
In my opinion, one of the most notable differences
between your decals and others are that you have
several aircraft types in each set, rather than just one
aircraft type. Why did you choose to focus on multiple
aircraft in each set rather than the traditional model of
variants of the same aircraft?
I have plenty of drawers full of single aircraft type decal
sheets from other manufacturers at home with one subject
used and the rest consigned to the file cabinet. Thought if
I were to do sheets I would give the modeler the ability to
do several aircraft types like what Model Decal had done
in the past.
How do you come up with your subjects? What sort of
suggestions do you take from your customers?
I pick the subjects based on availability of reference
material, customer requests and personal ideas. I try to
respond to all e-mails and phone calls from my
customers. As you can imagine the requests are quite
diverse but with my format they are more easily done
since I don't need to find 3 or 4 of the same aircraft type.
What does it take to bring an idea to a finished product?
Weeks to months to sometimes years. Got a lot of
potential subjects out there and when I find enough
reference material I do them.
How do you go about getting the reference material for
your decals and getting them printed?
I use personal contacts, books, magazines and the
occasional airshow to get my reference material. The
decals like many of my competitors are printed by Fantasy
Printshop.
Why did you choose to recently expand into 1/144 scale
decal sets?
Customer requests. Incidentally the 1/144 scale line still
has to prove itself before I do many more. Would like to
see how sales go before committing to the line in a big
way.
What has been the most popular set? What was your
favorite set to make?
I have a lot of popular sets. No one release stands out. My
personal favorites are those which contain aircraft flown
by my friends.
Do you have any plans on re-releasing out of
production decal sets?
Yes, I have already reprinted four (4) sheets and plan to
do more in the future.
How many new kits do you produce a year and how
long does it take to make each? Are there any new
products in the pipeline you can share?
I'm taking a break this summer and haven't thought about
new releases for the fall and winter yet. As for the
number of new releases it varies from year to year based
on the time I have to draw the sheets. Fortunately or
unfortunately my engineering practice comes first.
You also have a sister company, Spectre Resins. What
can you share about those products?
Spectre Resins is a product line designed to provide
unique aftermarket items to the 1/72 modeler. So far it
includes a few conversion kits, a line of conventional
weapons and a line of nuclear weapon shapes. They are
designed using solids modeling software with masters
being made by a rapid prototyping shop and the kits
themselves cast in polyurethane resin. There are new
items in the works and I hope to have them on sale this
fall.
What do you like to build in your spare time?
Spare time? When I have the time I like to build subjects
that represent important historical events and
technological achievements. Aircraft like the A-1E flown
by Bernard Fisher and the F-22 with its unique paint
scheme or the latest variants of the F-16 with all iof
their weapon loadouts. If I have time this winter I plan to
build several special ops subjects from WWII to the
present.
Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share in
regards to Wolfpak Decals or modeling in general?
As long as there is interest I plan to continue producing
unique subjects in 1/72 scale. The toughest thing for me to
get is reference material so I would like to encourage your
readers who like to see 1/72 decals to contact me if they
have photos of interesting subjects they would like to see
done. Thanks very much.
THE CORSAIR
PAGE 16
SEPTEMBER 2011
SURFING THE WEB
Boneyard Pictures - Some really interesting pictures from the boneyard taken in 1968. About half of the
pictures are black & white and the other half have been recently colorized. Some really nice shots and
definitely worth a look. http://www.dhc-2.com/Monthan_Memories.html
Foreign F-104s - If you are a fan of the F-104 Starfighter, this site should keep you busy for a while.
Bunches of pictures of the Starfighter in foreign service. http://www.starfighters.eu/
Masking Tape Seatbelts - An excellent article from the archives of Hyperscale about making masking
tape seatbelts. http://www.hyperscale.com/2007/features/maskingtapeseatbeltsrf_1.htm
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