Subject: Re: Trumpeter F-105's Article
From: "Steve Bamford ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Robert Bartolacci" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2004 12:13:48 -0700

Hi Bob,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks for sending it in.   

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com
 
Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Robert Bartolacci 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2004 9:54 PM
  Subject: Trumpeter F-105's Article

  Gallery Template #09

  "1/32 Trumpeter F-105G" 

  by "Bob Bartolacci"
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  The Republic F-105 was the proud descendent of a long line of sturdy, reliable Republic aircraft that provided the USAF with faithful, war winning service. Aircraft such as the P-47 of World War Two and the F-84 of Korean fame were loved and trusted by their pilots and had a reputation of absorbing combat damage and coming home.
  The F-105, affectionately known by her crews as the "Thud" served her tour of duty in the Viet Nam War, being the main fighter bomber for most of the war alongside the F-4.
  The F-105 was very fast and stable down low, a job for which it was designed. It could carry a large bomb load, and carried an M-61 Vulcan cannon, an item that allowed it to knock down many Migs despite not being very maneuverable compared to the Mig-17, 19, and 21's it encountered.
  The Thud flew many of the most dangerous missions over the North, Laos, and other sensitive locations, had an impressive record of success, and also encountered the highest percentage of losses. In fact just around half of the total production run of the F-105 was lost in the Viet Nam War.
  As a result, an F-105 Hundred Mission Patch is one of the most respected of all Air force patches to this day.

  Of all the models of the F-105, the single seat "D", the two seat "F", and the two seat "G", the "G" was used as the Wild Weasel and flew the most dangerous missions. The Weasel flights were the first ones in on a strike and stayed until the last strike aircraft departed, offering themselves as targets to the SAMs and AAA. Their weapons were Shrike and Standard anti-radar missiles, which would ride the radar beam down to the offending site. These crews offered themselves as targets in order to flush out and knock out sites to protect the strike force. Very few of the crews completed 100 missions and men like Leo Thorsness with Big Brass Ones won the Medal of Honor for their actions over the North. Leo himself was shot down soon after his Medal of Honor mission and spent the rest of the war as a "guest" of the North Vietnamese.

  Recently I built a pair of the Trumpeter F-105s for a friend that was a sheet metal repair tech at Tahkli, Thailand, during the war. He spent a year there repairing battle-damaged F-105's and still has a love for the massive aircraft, with many fascinating stories to tell.

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  The Trumpeter kits are huge, and well detailed. They build into very impressive models , not without their faults, but overall good kits. Both versions offer fully detailed bomb bays, gun bays with the Vulcan cannon, and refueling probe doors & interior. The cockpits are detailed and offer good replicas of the original complete down to film instruments that are visible through the openings in the instrument panel on a white background.
  Control surfaces are hinged to allow movement, but the hinges do not work well, especially the ailerons that have a single hinge and tend to flop around. I ended up sealing them on both aircraft except for the flaps and rudder. The spoilers can be installed either open or closed.
  Two items are unfortunate. Due to the weight of the model, the landing gear struts are an Achilles Heel. They are very unstable and will barely support the weight - side motion is very likely to snap them off. I used the new set by Scale Aircraft Conversions. SAC32001 at Meteor Productions. They are much stronger but by the time enough nose weight is installed it is wise to be Very careful with the finished model.
  The other disappointment is that although Trumpeter gives you a nicely detailed J-75, the way the fuselage is assembled it is barely visible once the model is completed. With all the detail they include on the kit, it would be great to see a removable tail section to show an engine on a cart or undergoing maintenance... 

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  Both kits give you a massive weapons load of almost every weapon that the F-105 carried, along with the pylons, launch adapter rails, missiles and stenciling for them. The only item missing were the three thousand pound bombs that my friend says his unit often carried when going against bridges and other hardened targets. Supposedly Meteor is going to be issuing those, but it seems to keep getting pushed back in time.
  For the single seat "D" I used the Cutting Edge decal sheet with the "Cherry Girl" markings from a unit at Tahkli, with the kit markings for "Bam Bam" for the "G".
  Over all a very enjoyable pair to build and very impressive in size and detail. Just be ready with lots of space!

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  Photos and text © 2003 by "Bob Bartolacci"

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  There are only great challenges
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