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The Day the Music Died – Part 2: The Aircraft

Started by James B Robinson · 69 ≡ · ↻ 4 years ago · C-64 Norseman, Glenn Miller, Modelcraft, RAF Twinwood

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Tom Cleaver said 4 years, 5 months ago:

Yer welcome! 🙂
James B Robinson said 4 years, 5 months ago:
Update 11/24/19

Thanks to the observance of Tom C, I had inadvertently missed the leading number for the correct year. So I had to sand down the first stenciling and replace with the corrected tail numbers. Here are a few shots showing the template I made and the resulting re-stencil job. I had thought I needed to go with smaller 6” numbers, but decided to try the larger 8” numbers to see how they looked. I’m happy with the results.
1. Missed the 4 in the year designation.

2. The leading and trailing '0's are for positioning.
1. 8" numbers just fit!
I retouched some of the horizontal surfaces getting ready to attach for final assembly. Here are a few shots of the diorama base beginnings and a mock-up of the Control Tower with one of the vehicles represented. Lots more planned to be added. We shall see what develops.
1. U.S. Staff Car that Major Miller arrived in.

2. Exterior walls of Twinwood ControlTower.
MTC………James B
Tom Cleaver said 4 years, 5 months ago:

I love the commitment to accuracy in this project. The result is going to be a diorama it's going to be easy to like a lot.
James B Robinson said 4 years, 5 months ago:

Update 12/07/19

After the last update, I started to apply the Star and Bar decals to the wings and fuselage. Major problem, they exploded once I tried to lift them on to the model.

Two options, Paint the Stars and Bars or order new decals. I have the stencils, but I do not have the correct color of the paint. I should point out that I do not trust the listed Vallejo equivalent for the color required.

I contacted Fundekals (http://www.fundekals.com/) and they were able to send some replacements in short order.

In the meantime, I have turned my attention to the construction of the Control Tower and the support vehicles.

Here is that article, https://imodeler.com/groups/imoder-at-the-movies-1964926360/forum/topic/the-day-the-music-died-part-3-the-diorama/

I’ll get back to the plane soon, I hope to post it assembled shortly.

MTC………James B
James B Robinson said 4 years, 4 months ago:

Erik @airbum, the mystery is solved.

While perusing the AirCorps Aviation website this evening, I found a plethora of information for the UC-64, https://aircorpslibrary.com/aircraft/c-54-norseman-noorduyn. They just added this information over the past few days.

You may not be able to view them without a subscription, but here are some screen shots of the elusive "Escape Hatch" or "Emergency Exit" as the documents state. Apparently the AAC solicited a change in the design of the hatch operation mechanism.

I'm still not certain that all of the A/C purchased had this "Emergency Exit" since I have several photographs showing otherwise. Also take note, these documents clearly state this was on a UC-64 A model. I'll have to go back and look at the listing for A/C delivered to see if I can differentiate between which model the plane he was lost in was.

Another interesting tidbit, looking at the Erection Manual, it shows that the plane was lifted with a 4-point harness attaching to the upper side of the fuselage at the leading and trailing edges of the wings.
4 attached images. Click to enlarge.
Louis Gardner said 4 years, 4 months ago:

This is the stuff of legends ! You are really digging into the background for this one...

Sorry to hear about the trials and tribulations with the tail numbers first, and now the US Insignias. Perseverance is what will show you through. Many would have called it quits, but I am so happy that you are still moving along...

I have a few in my display case that have fought me every step of the way... You will be so proud of your work once you complete it, and it's just as much about learning the history behind the man and the aircraft, as it is the actual modeling experience for me. Finding these little nuggets of information like you have shown with the escape door / emergency exit documents, is what sets your build apart from others.

I'll be looking forward to seeing your next installment.
James B Robinson said 4 years, 4 months ago:

You are too kind Louis @lgardner. Searching for facts is part of the fun. If all goes as planned, I should have a decent little reveal coming this weekend. No promises, but I'm hoping for the best.
Greg Kittinger said 4 years, 4 months ago:

Lots of elbow grease and sweat going into this! Enjoying the journey with you...!
John Healy said 4 years, 4 months ago:

This is an interesting project. Good pick. That Norseman kit has been tempting me from my LHS’s shelf for 25 years. I’ve always wondered what it built like.
James B Robinson said 4 years, 4 months ago:
Update 12/15/19

The Fundekals decals arrived and I was able to move forward on the build. Overall I was pleased with the quality of the decals, although they seemed a little thick.

Here’s a few shots of the build so far. I did run into a slight problem with the wing struts. They’re alignment was less than desirable. I will have to scratch build them to suit.
1. Neither wing strut aligns properly. Both are too short.

2. Prop and Cowling are only friction fit at this time.
1. Decals where a tad thick and took some TLC to lay flat in the valleys.
Stay tuned.
MTC………James B
James B Robinson said 4 years, 4 months ago:
Update 12/24/19

Addressing the wing struts, I realized that the vertical struts were way out of scale. Notice the size comparison in this photo.

And in this photo of the actual model.
1. Vertical Struts

2. Horizontal Struts
Here are a few photos of the scratch build vertical and horizontal struts.
1. Original kit struts

2. New struts
After first coat of paint.

Won’t be long before this one is finished!

Stay tuned.

MTC………James B
Tom Cleaver said 4 years, 4 months ago:

You are doing amazing things to that dogmeat kit (I had one, I tossed it), James. I really like what you have done.
Erik Gjørup said 4 years, 4 months ago:

What a change! - that small detail adds a lot to the plane!
James B Robinson said 4 years, 4 months ago:

Tom @tcinla & Erik @airbum, Thanks! That old saying about taking a sow's ear and turning it into a Silk Purse comes to mind, but with the limits of this kit, it ain't gonna happen. I'll do my best to get it close.

Cheers and Merry Christmas!
Louis Gardner said 4 years, 4 months ago:

These new scratch built strut items are just the ticket... and a worthy modification. It's amazing at how the little things like this can have such a significant improvement on the total picture. This is the best looking UC-64 model I have ever seen. Well done my friend ! I cant wait to see what's next...

I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas with your family. Happy New Year

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