Message

Sent: Thursday, January 22, = 2004 2:30=20 AM

Subject: RAAF CAC CA-13/19 = Boomerang for=20 Australia Day

Steve

Here = is the=20 Boomerang I promised, sorry about pic quality. I took these when I = first got=20 my DC290 camera and they are a bit shabby. Hope they will suit.=20

Cheers

Michael=20 Johnson

LTD CAC CA-13/19=20 Boomerang

The only aircraft = that was=20 completely designed built and operated exclusively in Australia during = WWII.=20 The Boomerang was not an exceptional fighter; it spent most of its = career as a=20 ground support aircraft and a feared one at that. Boomerangs were the = only=20 plane available to the RAAF at the beginning of the war, but were = quickly=20 replaced with Spitfires from Britain and the P-40 from the = USA.

After Japan's = attack on Pearl=20 Harbour, Australia found itself ill prepared. The only real fighters = the RAAF=20 had were a small number of the US built Brewster Buffalo, which were = later=20 found to be no match for the Japanese Zero fighter when flown by the = RAF=20 defending Singapore. To overcome this shortfall and the distinct = possibility=20 that Australia could not get fighters from overseas, design work was = started=20 on the CA-12 Boomerang. Using parts from the CA Wirraway, the = Boomerang was=20 designed and built in only three months. 105 airframes were built = during=20 1942-3.

In 1943 a second = batch of 95=20 improved CA-13 Boomerang mk II's were built. The most obvious change = was the=20 addition of two 20mm cannon.

This was my first = experience at a=20 limited run kit and two enjoyable evenings in front of the TV were = spent=20 cleaning up all the parts, removing flash and remnants of the heavy = sprue=20 gates.

Construction was = trouble free in=20 the main, with only the Vacuformed clear parts causing any worry as I = had no=20 experience with vacuform canopies before. The only addition to the kit = were=20 Eduard PE harnesses.

Paint was Gunze = H302 Dark Green=20 (the closest match I could find for RAAF Foliage Green) and Aeromaster = White.=20 Never use Gunze over Aeromaster acrylic paint, they are not = compatible!=20

As these fine = little ground=20 attack fighters were used in the tropics, I heavily weathered the = paintwork,=20 with dry brushing, paint chipping, oil washes and chalk = pastels.

Great kit to = do and it is=20 great to have Australia's only home grown fighter on the shelf.

Madmike

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