45 articles · 6.5K karma · 28 friends · active 12 months ago
I'm a long time (old) modeler that started building back in the early 50's. My modeling efforts eventually led me to aviation photography and that eventually led me to aviation writing. I have authored a number of IN ACTION books for Squadron/Signal Publications with a special interest in the F4U Corsair.
Here's my first offering for the Korean War group build. It's the good ole Monogram 1/48th F9F-5 Panther done in the markings of VF-51 which flew off the USS Valley Forge off Korea in 1953. The build was smooth with the exception of [...]
This Corsair is modeled in the markings of VMF-422 as seen on Engebi in May of 1944. The kit was great to work with and went together smoothly with the exception of the joint line where the wing outer panels mate with the wing center [...]
I suspect most any modeler who has been at it for a while decides to take on a challenge to do something a bit off the beaten track. I've always been attracted to the F4U Corsair and have lost track of how many of them I've built over the [...]
Built pretty much out of the box except for seat belts and TD wheels, this P-40N was a smooth, trouble-free build. After-market decals were used to mark the plane as one flown by the 8th FS Commander Ernie Harris. He scored 10 kills in [...]
I found the Minicraft PBM-5 to be an enjoyable build but not without its challenges. For the most part, the kit is nicely engineered with clean crisp parts and finely recessed panel lines. On the negative side, I found that the PBM-5 is a [...]
Here are a few of the models seen today at the IPMS Gastonia, NC Show. There were just over 450 models displayed including aircraft, ships, armor, figures, cars and more. Since I lean toward aircraft, most all of the photos I shot were [...]
More often than not I now find myself building a model based on some photo that grabs me. Such is the case with this Corsair build. I used the HobbyBoss F4U-4 with the curved windscreen or as HobbyBoss calls it, the early version. The [...]
To join the Hellcat parade, here are four from my shelves.
Pic #1 1/32nd Hasegawa built as a F6F-3
Pic #2 1/48th Hasegawa F6F-3
Pic #3 1/48th Eduard F6F-3
Pic #4 1/48th Hasegawa F6F-5
I Just finished this 1/48th Hasegawa F4U-5 in the markings of VF-41 as seen aboard USS Midway during a Med cruise in 1950. The model is finished in Model Master glossy sea blue over-sprayed with Testors clear gloss. The decals were dug out [...]
While bringing the F2G Corsair into production, Goodyear modified a number Corsairs with different components that would be used on their production F2G's. The R-4360 was test fitted and flown on a F4U-1. Some components tested on other [...]
