1/48 Hasegawa/RVHP RF-8G Crusader

catching the 3-wire

by Darius Aibara

--------------------

 

This is a model that I recently built for a former US Navy airman that was responsible for this aircraft in the early to mid 1960s.  We had entered into a correspondance following my earlier "Crusader Trio" article on ARC which led to my offering to build a 1:48 VFP-63 aircraft for him.  We wanted to display the aircraft with everything hanging out and the best way to do this was to depict it at the moment of "trapping".  How to do this?  Neil Burkill's excellent 1:72 Skyraider article showed me how it could be done
and so I proceeded apace.
The Maintrack FR-8G conversion that I had used earlier is no longer available and so I utilised the RVHP resin conversion set as advertised on
Hannant's website.  I had intended to convert one of the many Monogram/Revell F-8E kits in my stash but the RVHP kit is intended for the Hasegawa kit and this had a different canopy construction that would have made using the Monogram kit very difficult.  Thus the Hasegawa kit was obtained, which did have the advantage of separately moulded flaps and slats and finer engraved detail.
With the RVHP set you get two resin fuselage halves, a replacement top central wing part, a new instrument panel, an F-8E type nosecone, the underside camera blister and a nice decal sheet for an early 1970s VFP-63 RF-8G.  The parts were cleaned and the "tailhook" added to one half as shown in the photo above.  I used wire cut from a coat hanger as it is stiff enough to support the weight of the completed model without bending.  Additional reinforcement was provided in the form of sprue "struts" to prevent the wire from levering off the tailhook bay and lengths of laminated plastic card to form an anchorage for the wire in the top of the fuselage.  Incidentally "Spongebob" gave the trap a "no grade" when I posted some pictures in ARC's Critique Corner - clearly I didn't put enough bend in the wire!

Click on images below to see larger images

The rest of the construction was as per the kit.  I used Humbrol grey filler between the fuselage halves and to blend in the nosecone.  Halfords white primer was used for the white underfusalge, wing lower surfaces and tailplanes and Humbrol light gull grey was brush applied to the appropriate surfaces.  The Hasegawa ejection seat was assembled as well as the pilot figure (a first for on of my models).  I painted the figure as per illustrations in the Osprey book "RF-8 Crusaders over Cuba and Vietnam" for
a 1960s era pilot.  Unfortunately to get the poor chap to fit in the cockpit major lower limb amputation was necessary!  The main and nosegear were extended with plastic rod to depict a pre-landing oleos extended stance.

A mixture of the Hasegawa, RVHP and spares box decals were used to depict Papa Papa 909 Bu No. 146878 as occasionally flown by  Lt. "Burner Bill" Wilson.  The latter was made from individually cut letters sourced from a SuperSCALE EA-6B sheet!  I sealed in the decals with a couple of coats of Johnson's Clear varnish.

Click on images below to see larger images

The base is a length of laminated chipboard with a plastic card deck glued to the surface.  The wires are elastic - I tried using real wire but could not get the required tension.  The model is due for shipment to its new owner in Anchorage Alaska in the next few days.  Judging from the response to the photos that I have sent it is eagerly awaited!
The following are some of the reminiscences of the model's new owner as related to me by e-mail.  I liked them and obtained his permission to share them on ARC:

In looking at the second batch of photo's I'm smiling about an incident where we sent a three plant Det. TDY to some little base in Maine or Delaware over on the East Coast as we sometimes did to interact training wise with other units.  We sent the aircraft, service crews, the whole nine yards back East and, over our only weekend Liberty while there were invited to a local Indian potlatch where they share the harvest of their first catch of the season. Steamer clams, salmon as well as other varieties of fish, crab....and lobster. Lots of lobster. All cooked in a long narrow ditch on hot coals covered with seaweed, and with fresh corn, potatoes, onions, carrots; you name it thrown in for good measure.  As we prepared to leave their Exec remarked, "Too bad you don't have a bomb bay of those guys or we'd fit you up with a CARE package for the rest of the squadron.

So, behold, all camera's from the main camera bays were removed, crated and shipped back to Miramar in San Diego; then the bays loaded with fresh frozen lobster. LtCdr. Tucker and Lt. Rivist took off as normal, but Ltjg Ray had to be the smartass and stand her on tail and do a climb out Liberty roll on take off in A/B.....thereby causing 1/2 ton of lobster to EXPLODE all over the camera bays (and costing him a "lead by example" cleanup detail once back at Miramar; and a couple cases of beer EACH for the clean up crew). 
"The Tuck" was furious!

We were during normal launch configuration and my plane was sitting on the Starboard Cat. I noticed a glitch with the aileron and ran out to check for any fluid leakage, on the off side of the air-plane. Interim, as I'm jiggling the aileron, they start the wind up sequence to launch. The pilot 'tightens' everything up and the slack comes out of the aileron....clamping firmly down on my wedding band. I can't get my finger out! The damn thing is clamped down solid (I've seen a photo of a pair of ChannelLoc pliers that were clamped to an aileron to hold it while the glue dried that were shown via advertisement by ChannelLoc for several years. They'd survived a flight and stayed in place for the duration.) 

Now, here am I, sitting there, about to be launched of the catapult, waving frantically with my free arm for someone, ANYONE, to notice me when the 'Checker' came around my side of the airplane, saw me and frantically shut down the operation!. I got my butt chewed out properly and, the only reason that I didn't get put on Report was the stupidity, and humour of the situation. Remember, ALWAYS remember Murphy's Law when around aircraft. I've never worn a ring, wedding band or otherwise since then.

So, you see, not all military memories are horror stories although, the bad ones you do encounter too stay with you for life....every time I see lobster pate` I HAVE to laugh!

Darius 

Click on images below to see larger images

Note: Please do not send any requests for model building.  I do this as a
hobby and only occasionally build for others as is my wont.

Photos and text © by Darius Aibara