Posted by Matty on August 2, 2009, 23:24:36, in reply to "GARRY BEEBE TRIBUTE Build, '09"
Message modified by board administrator August 3, 2009, 9:06:31

Well, I did finish her: Note I had not yet put on the red-white-and-blue tail flash decal (and much more; see below) when this pic was taken. However, before getting into the finished appearance, let me wrap up this progress log with the following, Saga of the Markings - which I would sum up, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, as: Never before have so many, been so wrong, about so few facts! Pursuing the modest objective of determining the appearance of a typical SeaFire deployed in Operation Torch, November 8, 1942, I had the great misfortune to start with the following, ubiquitously falsely attributed - quite possibly the most misrepresented - SeaFire pictures in all WWII history: Click on Image to Enlarge At left, a drawing (top) depicts a real SeaFire; the same aircraft as in the photograph at right (top), published independently with the caption: "A Seafire MkI aboard HMS Formidable during Operation Torch...". And yet another source presented the computer graphic (CG) at right (bottom), depicting another plane from the same Squadron (identical code "Ø6"; signifying #885 Squadron), and identifying it as a "MkIb" - again, with green/gray camouflage; (conceptually) identical to the first drawing. Finally, a fourth source presented the photo at left (bottom), with the caption: "Seafires Mk. IB onboard HMS Furious...in support of Operation Torch...". So here are four independent sources, all mutually consistent in their depictions of MkI SeaFires deployed in Operation Torch, (at least some of them) in gray/green camo - so this must be correct, right? Wrong - on all counts! Firstly, to a plane they are all not MkI SeaFires, but MkIIs. Secondly - just as Donny tried to warn me (but it was already too late) - the green camo is almost certainly inaccurate; the correct colors should have been Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey. Likewise, the caudal stripe and light spinners apparently should have been sky blue, not white. None of which would have been "deal breakers" for my build (I like the green-and-white and may well have gone with them, anyway). But a final - and crucial - inaccuracy stems from the definitive fact that neither of the two photos above, are from Operation Torch; during which all RN planes had white US (Army) Air Corps stars painted over their roundels. And it was our own, prior post on RN CVBs that (unwittingly) provided the proof: > Click on Image to Enlarge At left and center, RN F4F ("Martlets") operate from HMS Formidable during Operation Torch; at left, the star insignia are clearly visible, while in both pics the RN tricolor tail flashes, left in place, are also clearly visible. At right (bottom), the Mission4today source also gets it right (though the green camo and tropical air scoop are still wrong). The Brits deliberately false-flagged their aircraft (to gain advantage over their French adversaries - as apprently they did; see below). But so rampant is the resulting confusion - among modelers and amateur historians still, today - over these markings, that one source states, "...American Spitfire Mk VBs were also used during (the Operation Torch) landings", and yet another, that, "...US forces also used Spitfire 5B's during these landings." - which is simply not at all plausible. Operation Torch was the combat debut of the SeaFire - from RN flight decks, not USN - for whom the Brits wouldn't have had any Spits to spare, in any case. The first SeaFire to score an aerial victory was one of HMS Furious' 801 Squadron; shooting down a French Dewoitine 520 fighter on the first day (11/8). Clearly, this is the aircraft I would have preferred to depict. But, trying even to determine just the 801 Squadron Code Prefix - let alone the ID for the individual aircraft - was well-night impossible; the closest I could get (somewhere on WikiPedia, IIRC) was that, earlier, 801 Squadron had gone through the prefixes "U6" and then "A7". And, assuming a continuing, regular progression through the letters ("wrapped" back around the alphabet to get to "A"), as well as the numbers, the next pair would logically have been "G8" - which, intriguingly, is consistent with the first shipboard pic, above, and its foreground SeaFire which appears to exhibit an "8", in exactly the right spot. However, when I went to "bash" some decal spares into the above code, the closest thing possible was "G9" - and the individual aircraft letter "O": Click on Image to Enlarge So that's how I came to finish this Operation Torch SeaFire; with Code "G9*O", and USAAC stars laid over the RN roundels - just exactly like the real thing. I took lots of pics - in both RN markings and then again, with the USAAC overlays, and will put 'em up in a completed-build post, soon. Cheers, -Matty

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Posted by Matty on June 7, 2009, 14:11:52, in reply to "GARRY BEEBE TRIBUTE Build, '09"
Message modified by board administrator June 7, 2009, 15:54:42

Having come time to paint the upper-surface camo pattern, the only clear drawing of the gray/green scheme I found was this: Click on Image to Enlarge ©2008, by Bjørnar Norås; I found it (via Google) on the SpitFireSite.com. Note it indicates white code-letters (inset); all (3) located aft of the fuselage roundel. More on markings below. For now, it was plenty sufficient to finish the camo pattern, for which I didn't see any safe way to simultaneously paint the dashboard area yet mask the interior and the inside of the windshield without asking for (big) trouble; the windshield went on afterwards: Click on Image to Enlarge Not liking the attachment with clear canopy glue - which isn't even sandable - I hit on a way to use of the CA putty; despite the danger of scratching the "glass". To protect against fogging the inside, I just flooded it with latex maskoid (top), and then could go ahead and mask with aluminum tape (bottom) - just like for any other plastic. The sanding/shaping was, of course, extra-carefully done - and it worked - including removal of the latex, which pulled out cleanly and easily. On to consideration of the markings. The above camo drawing is, by all indications, for a land-based plane - so I went in search of shipboard RN markings: Click on Image to Enlarge Both of the above found in "The Rise & Fall of The Aircraft Carrier", by Anthony Preston, both these hurricanes are clearly RN birds, and note both specify two characters to the left of the roundel, and one to the right. However the drawing at top (from P.56) depicts red alpha-numeric characters, while at bottom an actual MAC-deployed hurricane (from P.57) wears letters-only, and they are very light - gray, blue-gray or white - and a (doubtless) white caudal stripe. But I did finally run across two depictions of bona-fide, early-model SeaFires: Click on Image to Enlarge The bottom pic © "Crown Copyright, via HMSO Publications/Ashley Gates", also found at SpitFireSite.com, shows the real thing aboard HMS Furious during Operation Torch - and 100% consistent (what can be seen, anyway) with the drawing at top (Preston, P.104) - except for the (black) "D" under the nose of just one (the leader's?) plane. Note also the spinners appear to be (at least 3) different colors; I read them as probably being red (left-foreground), light gray or blue (center-background) and white for the other two. Meantime, the more complete coverage in the artwork depicts a near-perfect cross between the Hurricane markings, above: white caudal stripe, and both numbers and letters in white - except now with one to the left of the roundel, and two to the right. This is enough for me to proceed, if necessary, but I think I'll try to contact the guys at SpitFireSite.com, for any help possible. Speaking of which, IIRC someone(s) there wanted to ID the ships in the Torch pic, above. I have no clue which KGV-class BB that would be, but I definitely recognize the "tiger-stripe" camo of the Nelson-class BB following - I just can't remember now which one it was! Who can give me a hand here - little help, please... Cheers, -Matty

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Posted by Matty on May 26, 2009, 8:32:12, in reply to "Beebe Tribute Build, '09"
Message modified by board administrator June 8, 2009, 20:45:39

16:00 PM (Monday, 5/25):After yesterday's experience - about 8 hours, give or take, and still not completing this, simplest of kits - I guess it's official: I just can't build as fast as you guys! And also, that this build - this kit - just is what it is, I guess. Once having realized the above, I began today's building much more enjoyably, puttering (instead of pushing) for about 4 hours, off- and on. Although the parts box failed to produce a replacement windshield, I did score (I think) with an Accurate Miniatures spare: Click to Enlarge The donor kit was an early P-51 Mustang; a plane with nose very similar to the Spit, and - even more to the point - also providing some correct, 12-cylinder Merlin exhaust stacks to replace the kit's 6-cylinder heads (which, I realized, no Spitfire - even probably the original Thompson Trophy racer - ever had). And yes, I drilled out each and every little one of these, too! Again, you get a good look at how the wing-root seam has all but disappeared. For your interest, the following shows the even greater miracle wrought by the putty; on the underside: Click to Enlarge Note, at top, the underwing detail is preserved right up to the edge of the (almost perfectly smooth) fill. Again, the original gap (bottom) having been so wide that the putty had to fill significant "daylight" - and then hold up under strenuous grinding/shaping - all of which it is plenty strong enough to do; I just can't say enough praise for it! Again, while the putty was setting up I hit a couple more items: the prop/spinner and landing gear, which were completely pre-painted, and the latter fully assembled, by the end of the session. Basically I have only to mask and paint, now... 16:00 PM (Monday, 5/25):Another hour or two, devoted here and there, as opportune; beginning with "backing up" a step - after seeing the fantastic results puttying the wing roots, above - to redo the forward underside seam. And also the joint in the air scoop intake attachment, which was horrendous: Click to Enlarge It wasn't that the intake didn't fit - it did indeed fairly snap into place - only that it did so horribly misaligned; when properly positioned, a huge gap opened up in the joint. Again, the CA putty (more) than did the trick - on both joints - as you can see. OK, now proceeding to the masking, (actually done prior to) painting silver, as above, and then conservatively spattering with additional latex maskoid, to set up for minor paint-chipping, and the underside camo went on: Click on Image to Enlarge Again, not having a light blue spray color available - nor even a Tamiya rattlecan gray which was light enough - I resorted to Testors Camouflage Gray - which ended painting for the day, since the Testors takes so long to dry. Had I started earlier - or pushed harder, I suppose - I could in all probability have completed the painting - but not in any case the final details, decaling and touchup(s) as well. The moral of the story: I guess I'm just no Garry Beebe! But that's exactly why we miss you here, Garry. We will never forget you; GodSpeed, buddy! And this Spit, in your honor, will be finished...

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Posted by Matty on May 24, 2009, 21:43:35, in reply to "Beebe Tribute Build, '09"
Message modified by board administrator May 27, 2009, 12:02:34

9:45 AM (Sunday, 5/24): I happen to have available a perfect candidate kit for this quick, "Garry Beebe Build": Click to Enlarge The Revell 1/48 Spitfire, Mk2 - which appears to have only about 15 parts - plus, I've never built it, even as a kid. I picked it up cheap (of course ); figuring it must not look much if any different from the first Seafires - or, failing that, at least the deckload Spits delivered by carriers to Malta or Operation Torch... 11:45 AM (Sunday, 5/24): Two hours into it, and work has begun on practically all the kit's parts: Click to Enlarge Flash, though substantial, is certainly not the worst you've seen. The interior sub-assemblies have already been given a first color (black) and masked before spraying with the green. Trying not to scrimp on techinque, I am using latex for the above masking, and a thinned gloss-black wash to accentuate steel-finish rudder pedals, stick/yoke and landing gear struts. Nor am I scrimping on materials; using Tamiya spray cans, which happen to dry (without exaggeration) probably 10x faster than comparable Testors' anyway. I did cut one corner; using Tamiya Racing Green (TS-43) for the interior color, rather than the "blue-green" instructed by the kit - even though the former is rather dark, and clearly not all that bluish, either. Making good progress so far, I pushed "The Beebe Envelope", enhancing the exhaust stacks: Click to Enlarge Though their appearances really benefitted, it would all prove wasted time; they should be 6-port (12-cylinder) manifolds, and accordingly were later replaced. 14:30 PM (Sunday, 5/24):Basically another 2 hours in, progress is frustrating; slowed by several things, starting with the fit: Click to Enlarge Though minor in impact, pretty unforgivable in clumsiness is this complete miss - not even close - between the radio deck and fuselage locator tabs, which appear designed for a significantly different original part, now completely updated - but not fitted properly. Meanwhile, ironically the high quality of these presumed upgrades began to call the siren song for yet a bit more extra detailing: Click to Enlarge For example, who'd'a thunk this humble kit contains a gorgeous instrument panel, complete with gunsight! Dials on the former just had to be dry-brushed and sealed under clear glue, and the latter drilled out to accept white glue for the sight glass. The gunsight required repainting with flat black, as did several other parts encountered at this point; as Testors is the only flat black in my box today, this increased drying times for all. Though not regretting the above extras, I am definitely impatient to move 'er along, here... 17:10 PM (Sunday, 5/24): Another roughly 2 hours, beginning with sealing up the fuselage - to reveal another fit error: Click to Enlarge Again, very minor - but none of the (new) cockpit parts fits into this little notch! No problem just to fill it, but again wasting minutes - not least to carefully check that no parts actually insert there. And also a distraction, so that I forgot to put in both the seatbelt decals and yoke/stick! The latter was easily mitigated by simply dropping it in, with glue, after the fact. The former I may improve upon. I did indulge myself with the following pic, showing where this plastic actually comes from: Click to Enlarge Molded exposed on the underside, it was scraped off. (Note also, on the box above, Revell's trademark red/white stripes are now replaced with blue only...) The wings then assembled pretty easily - particularly the left one, which virtually snapped together. Under the right wing, I was bedeviled by the oil cooler (radiator) insert; finally realizing how it should look - both front and back - which required two repaintings, including the (slowest-drying) Testors Glos Black wash. The session did see wings and fuselage attached: Click to Enlarge All remaining parts (minus 4 clear parts) are shown here. But the already-assembled wing roots presented whopping gaps: Click to Enlarge Perhaps I could ignore the underside seam, but no way the topside ones, which could easily make the difference between a fairly believable finished model, versus an obviously assembled and painted (even if well-painted) one... 20:15 PM (Sunday, 5/24): Another approximately 2 hours devoted, starting with filling the wing-root seams, using a technique I've pretty much adopted as my absolute favorite: Click to Enlarge You (have to) mix it yourself; slow-set cyano-acrylate (superglue) and talcom (baby) powder; making a very strong, fast-hardening yet shape-able (when hard) putty. You do, of course, still have to protect surrounding surface detail - for which also I recently discovered heavy-guage aluminum tape as a real miracle worker, too: Click to Enlarge Applying the tape - tightly - is tedious for complex contours, but well worth the effort. This mold's tail stabilizers also did not fit well and - with zero panel detail on them - were accordingly glued straight in using the putty itself, which is plenty strong enough. Just great stuff! While the above hardened, I could only fiddle somewhat with the few remaining bits: Click to Enlarge I prepped the landing gear a bit more, and some other parts (not shown), before returning, after only about an hour, to a lot of sculpting and sanding on the puttied seams. I had attached the aft canopy extension without problem, but the windshield was another matter - in fact, a disaster: Click to Enlarge The windshield's left side appears to fit, but the right side is bona-fide deformed. And well-nigh impossible to fix; not only is sanding around clear parts extremely risky, but the CA putty can't even be used because it will fog the "glass". This demanded replacement - from the parts box, if available - and was very damaging to the "quick-build" plan. At least, from these pics you can see how incredibly well the wing-root gaps have disappeared (even if they are out of focus... !) This looks like it for today...

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