Don’t want to take over my neighboring state’s thread, but pulled out a book that you might be interested in Gene. “Martin B-57 Canberra: The Complete Record” (Schieffer Military History) “It was the 461st Bomb Group (Tactical) that was the first to be fully equipped with the new bombers. After receiving their first B-57Bs in January 1955, at Hill AFB, Ogden, Utah, this unit moved to its new home at Blytheville AFB, Arkansas, over a period from July 1955 to April 1956.” I’d have to pull another reference to find out when TAC moved out and SAC moved in with the B-52s. Highly recommend the book for anyone interested in the B-57.
Mississippipivol,
Have seen the photos of the B-52G with the Razorback on the tail and have been tempted to build that one as well. Good luck with your project!
No worries about a takeover! I appreciate the information. If I get the primary builds done, I’d like to fill in the individual bases some more as they were active for awhile. Got the B-17 fuselage together, will get a pic up after the turret deletes are finished.
Finally got to do some work on her. Wings are about ready to go on and the turrets are covered. It will look like the one in the background, but I need to verify the cheek window arrangement.
I know we have a book on B57’s around here somewhere, I just can’t put my fingers on it at the moment. I know my Dad had one. I remember seeing some pictures from 'Nam of some pretty-battle-damaged birds that made it back home. One missing most of a horizontal stabilizer, the other with a huge flak hole in one of the wings just outboard of the engine. Scary stuff. I’ll have to look around a bit for it, since I have a B-57 kit in my stash.
Got no2 done. This is the first B-17F that rolled off Boeing’s line. It was mistaken for another plane that crashed in Washington state in 1943, but was in fact in Dyersburg, TN as late as 1945 before being scrapped. This is the ROG 1.72 “F” kit with the turrets blocked out as it was pictured, otherwise box stock.
Thanks, y’all, I had been wanting to build a Dyersburg marked plane for a long time. Pulled out the RoG Stearman for the third build. Boy, is it a far cry from the 1.48 version.
Finished no3 today with the Revell of Germany 1.72 Stearman. It’s based off of a picture on McKellar-Sipes airport’s website, included below. I left the serial off as it would have been a wild guess, but marked it up as I have seen others from around the same time frame. Scratch built the cockpit, but used the kit engine until I can get a proper one together. I made the rigging from .015 wire, but it looks too thick for the scale, and it’s not 100% correct, but it’s there. Thanks for looking!
Excellent job on the F model, but you need to add a 1 in front of the serial number as the first F-1 was from Fiscal Year 1941 appropriations. It should be 124340 instead of 24340 which denote FY 42-4340 which is the serial for a P-39K-1.
Rich, thanks for the feedback. I forgot about the one being mentioned as part of the tail code at this site: http://www.aerovintage.com/b17news13.htm. I couldn’t make it out that it was there, and these aircraft from the same base had a 5 digit code I do believe you are correct on that point, and I have some decals to fix it. Thanks again.
Thanks. I use Joe Baugher’s site, joebaugher.com, to track aircraft serials. The second photo is of a F-55-DL, meaning it is a Douglas built block 55, serial Fiscal Year 1942 serial 42-3419. The 4 is dropped.
After a half year of doing other things, I’m coming back to this. It is Sword’s 1.72 T2V-1, which comes with markings for a Millington trainer. It was twenty dollars at the lhs, and it has resin seats and photo etch! The metal is quite tricky for me to line up properly as this is my first pe cockpit, but it provides fine detail. I really wanted the C-17 for the ANG unit in Memphis, but it eludes me still. I may get Roden’s C-141 instead. I also found information on a P-63 from Dyersburg that crashed southwest of Hernando, MS in October, 1944. I know the serial number and the colors and markings, but there is no information about the buzz number on the nose. I hate to leave it off.
Thanks, y’all. There isn’t much in way of fighters, but training and logistics provide an abundance. A few places like Memphis, Millington, and Blytheville have some deep history that will allow some fleshing out the group. It just occurred to me that I haven’t touched on modern Army aviation yet. I’m getting ready to close the fuselage. It sure would have been easier had Sword made the cockpit tub in one piece. The rear tub went on ok, but I had to glue the nose gear well on before I could mount the front.
I was stationed at NAS Memphis in 1966-1969, Thats where I learned to fly Cessna 150’s, Memphis had the largest Military flying club in US Military at that time. We used the old WWII Wagon Wheel east of the base as our call in point for Memphis tower. These WWII Wagon wheels were all around and were used during WWII to train pilots. I was also briefly assigned to NARTU Memphis where we had the following ac. P2V Neptunes, T-33,C-54, A4a & A4C, C45J. Back then the Memphis Bell was parked inside the fence in Memphis near the BSA Headquarters building. Learning to fly there was a trip because the Crop Duster pilots were something you had to keep aware of. I later served at NAMTRAGRU HQ, then finally moved on to my second flat top USS America CVA-66 back then.
