Subject: Re: Article For ARC (Please Post on 13 October if possible) US Navy Birthday
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Blair Hall" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:11:56 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again 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: Blair Hall 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Monday, October 08, 2007 8:41 PM
  Subject: Article For ARC (Please Post on 13 October if possible) US Navy Birthday

  Gallery Template #05
  "1/32 Academy F/A-18C" 
  by "Blair Hall"
  --------------------
        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here  

  Much has been said about this model so I will not bore you all with the details of fit and the likes. This is by far not one of my best models (refer to my 1/32 F-14B in Jolly Roger markings in the gallery section), but not my worst either. Unfortunately when I built this, there were not many upgrade parts available such as the seamless intakes, cockpits, exhausts etc. I built this model to be presented to then CAPT Mark Fox back in 2002. Many years back, I was building a 1/48 Hasegawa Hornet in honor of LCDR Michael Scott Spiecher and managed to contact CAPT Fox to collect many details such as the weapons load and flight deck spotting for LCDR Spiechers bird the night he was shot down over Iraq. His help and advice was invaluable in the completion of that model. As my way of saying thank you, I modeled this aircraft configured exactly as his was the day he shot down an Iraqi MiG-21 on his way to H-3 airfield in Western Iraq on 17 Jan 91.
  The only aftermarket part that I used other than the bombs and instrumet placards was an ejection seat from the old Paragon kit. The pilot figure had to be modified to get the proper placement of the head to look down towards the V-1 director, and cocked to the side to look around the canopy bow. I used flexible oxygen hose obtained from Meteor Productions and used thin thread to simulate the communications cord coiled around the delivery hose. In addition, I used flexible hose and wire to model the CSU-15 (anti-G garment) and aircraft to seat oxygen connections. The parachute risers and inertia reel straps were made from tape. The bombs only needed a coating to simulate the thermal protective coating required on all Navy bombs after the Forrestal incident off Yankee Station during the Vietnam conflict. This was crudely done using Testors Red Putty.
  Click on images below to see larger images
        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 05.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 05.jpg  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 06.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 06.jpg  

  The landing gear was pretty straight forward and I only added some thin copper wire for the hydraulic lines, and more flexible tubing for electrical wires. One of the last notes that will catch the eye of any Navy airdale (especially the ordies) is the gun door detail. There is always markings on the gun door of any Naval jet equipped with one. It will include the number of rounds loaded, the type of rounds loaded, the date verified and the signature of the QASO (Quality Assurance Safety Observer). In this case, it was loaded with 500 rounds of HEI (High Explosive Incendiary) on 17 Jan 91, and since I didn't know who loaded it for Mr Fox, I simply put my own name. If a gun has been downloaded and contains no rounds, there will be a large M/T (sound it out "em-tee") on the side.
  The base is made simply of plexiglass and brass strip for the catapult details. The plaque on the front says "Into the Belly of the Beast". When asked later what it was like flying into Iraq on the first day of the war, he was quoted as saying "it was like flying into the belly of the beast." The rank insignias in the upper left corner of the base showed his progression, from Ensign to Captain. The gold oak leaf for LCDR is larger than the rest to symbolize his rank the day of the shoot down.
          
        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 02.jpg here  

  Sadly, this model was never presented due to FedEx being unable to comprehend "Fragile" and "This Side UP", since when it arrived at my father's house after I shipped it from Hawaii, the box was beat up looking, and standing on end. Horrified, I opened the box to discover what appeared to be a Class A mishap contained within the dust cover. Even with brass rods epoxied into the wheels and through the base, the aircraft had broken loose from the main mounts and was destroyed beyond repair. No time to retry it yet, as I still have a 1/32 MiG-29 and a 1/35 H-60 (which I'm still working on for 4 years now) on the table. Maybe someday I'll rebuild the Hornet and give Steve another article to post! :)
  Click on images below to see larger images
        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 07.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 07.jpg  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 08.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 08.jpg  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 09.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 09.jpg  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 10.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 10.jpg  

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 11.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 11.jpg  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 12.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 12.jpg  Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 13.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 13.jpg   

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