Airfix MiG-17 #1

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this kit and thanks to friend of the blog, Jim “The X-Acto” Bates, I’ve now got one.  I was anxious to get going, so after a quick examination of the instructions, I started.  The cockpit on almost all MiG-17s is a mid-gray color.  I used a gray from the Colourcoats line.  The instrument panel is represented by a decal in the kit and the instructions call for the panel piece to be painted black.  I went with a dark gray for a little more visual interest.

MiG-17 cockpit pieces

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve already decided that I am not using the kit decals for the main markings.  Instead I am going to use marking off a new Xtracals sheet for the one and only MiG-17 operated by Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso markings

Pilot defections

Thanks to late night texting with Jim Bates, I came across this Wikipedia list of pilot defections.  Way cool.

Lysander

This should make Jim Bates happy.  I am surprised it has taken this long to get a new kit of this aircraft.

Neat websites

Courtesy of Jim “Cranky Canuck” Bates, here are two websites with extensive photos of two Japanese war museums, Yushukan – Tokyo War Museum and Kawaguchiko Aviation Hall (Zero Fighter Museum – Harada Collection).  Thanks for the pointers Jim.

Not my cup of tea

but I know people who are eagerly anticipating the Dora Wings Lysander. (ahem, Jim Bates.)

What makes a good blog post?

I’ve been wondering about this as I’ve watched the traffic numbers for this blog ebb and flow.  I really am not greatly concerned with traffic as this blog serves as much as a place where I keep notes on things I am interested in.  However, visiting the blogs of modelers like Jeff “Inch High” Groves, Jim “Cranky Canuck” Bates and Tommy Thomason, I realize that my stuff just doesn’t have the same quality.

Each of those blogs, and many others are different in their own way, but all have a mark of quality.  They make me muse on what makes a good (modeling related) blog post.  One thing these sites all do is make use of photos.  I don’t do that enough.  Also, all of these sites go deep on history in many of their posts.  Those are some of the best posts.  I’d like to find more time to devote to posts like that, but until I get better organized, I don’t know if that will be possible.

 

Another one for Jim

As Washington State’s leading libertarian lawyer, I am surprised that superlawyer Jim Bates is not heavily involved in this litigation.  I think an amicus filing is in order.

Happy 2019

2019 is here.  As far as the blog goes, 2018 was a good year. After viewership trending downward for 5 years, the number of page views went up substantially in 2018.  No where near the high reached in 2012, but a start on the road back. (BTW, I’ve been blogging since mid-2008, so I am going on over 10 years of this.)  I am hoping with the inspiration of friends like Jeff Groves and Jim Bates that 2019 will be a banner year both in modeling and blogging.  Come back often.

Notes on the MXY-7

Having been shamed by Jeff “Inch High” Groves and Jim “Crazy Canuck” Bates, both of whom have great blogs with actual content, and not just link farming, below is some research related to the Brengun MXY-7 Ohka I’ve been building.

I was surprised at how little period material is available on the MXY-7.  There are lots of shots of dubiously restored aircraft, (according to wikipedia there are at least 14 survivors) but very little in the way of contemporaneous photos. There are some famous films of Ohkas discovered on Okinawa and a few after the war still shots in Japan.  Below is a selection of shots from the internet with some notes.

 

This is a still from a color film on Youtube of the Ohkas on Okinawa.  What is interesting in this shot is the very light gray at the wing root.  The Okinawa Ohks are usually depicted as being overall light gray, but in this shot it appears that they are more of the RLM 02 type color usually seen on early Zeros.  Jim Lansdale has illustrated the Ohka as having the brown-gray body and light gray wings.

There are two retractable tube one on either side of the Ohka windscreen.  This photo, from the same film, shows one pulled out in the extended position.  I suspect these were used for something when attached to the mothership. (If anyone knows for sure, let me know)  The circular panel around the tube appears to be painted a different color.  I thought it might be red, but I am not sure.  You don’t see these tubes on all Ohkas.

Here is a screen capture from a grainy black and white allied intelligence film of the same aircraft. Note the tube in the retracted position and the darker circular panel surrounding the tube.

Here is a shot from a color film of a display of captured German and Japanese aircraft after the war.  Note the color of the fuselage and wings.  This supports Mr. Lansdale’s interpretation of the Ohka color scheme.

I’ll have a follow on post with more photos soon.

 

 

 

Neat find

Jim Bates sent me this link, in which NASA provides us with files for a lot of 3D printable models.  If these things are scaleable, and I don’t see why they wouldn’t be, then this opens up a bunch of opportunities for 72nd scale space modelers. (Post in memory of Mike Nofsinger)