US Navy and USMC Between The Wars in 1/100

[Rata]

Thanks for the kind words folks.

I just checked that link Don- terrific images.

[Vinalssergio155]

Awesome work of both again. Very well done!

[scissorsandplanes]

Originally Posted by Rata

Another example of an aircraft allocated to David S. Ingalls in his capacity as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Air). This is a repaint of Bruno's Lockheed Altair into a XRO-1. The landing gear is a simple scratch build which does the job.
Hope you like and here's Mr. Boose with his usual illuminating info on the full size. Over to you Don.....

Very nice undercarriage (As long as I don't say that to a woman, it's OK, I guess )
B

[Rata]

Originally Posted by scissorsandplanes

Very nice undercarriage (As long as I don't say that to a woman, it's OK, I guess )
B

Only say it from a distance and an escape route planned out.

[Rata]

Very pleased with this little bugger. Grumman F2F-1 of VF-7 flying from U.S.S. Wasp. No real glitches with this S&P model but changed the specific subject choice from Bruno's original plus the pilot.
Hope you like and now over to Don.

[Kevin WS]

Nice model Rata!

[Don Boose]

This paper model by Garry Gillard is of Grumman F2F-1 carrier fighter, Bureau of Aeronautics Number (BuNo) 9627 of U.S. Navy Fighting Squadron 7 (VF-7), in 1940 when two F2F-1s served aboard USS Wasp (CV-7) on Neutrality Patrol.

The F2F-1 (Grumman Model G-8) was the second fighter designed for the U.S. Navy by Grumman. It was a single-seat refinement of the earlier FF-1(see Garry’s model of the FF-1 at http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/aviation/41534-us-navy-usmc-between-wars-1-100-a-13.html) with a closely-cowled 650 horsepower Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp Jr twin-row radial engine, a fully retractable landing gear (an improved version of the FF-1 landing gear) including a retractable tail wheel and tail hook, and a watertight compartment under the pilot’s seat instead of floatation bags to keep the aircraft afloat after a water landing. On 17 May 1934, the Navy ordered 54 of the small, highly maneuverable F2F-1s.

The first unit to take delivery of the F2F-1 was VF-2B serving aboard USS Lexington (CV-2). The F2F-1s that would eventually be assigned to USS Wasp were initially issued to VF-3B when it was assigned to USS Ranger (CV-4) in the spring of 1935. In late 1936 or early 1937, VF-3B and its F2F-1s was transferred to USS Yorktown (CV-5) and renumbered VF-7B. Later that year, the squadron was renumbered VF-5. In late 1938, VF-5 re-equipped with F3F-1s and its F2F-1s were reassigned to VF-7 aboard Wasp. By 1940, VF-7 still had two F2F-1s, including BuNo 9627, and 15 F3F-1s. By 1941, VF-7 had become VF-71, equipped with F4F-3s.

Garry’s model of BuNo 9627 has the black tail surfaces that identify it as part of Wasp Air Group 7. The blue burglar wasp emblem of VF-7 appears on the fuselage just forward of the cockpit. Ahead of the wasp and behind the cowling is the star insignia applied to aircraft participating in the Neutrality Patrol instituted in September 1939. The aircraft code on the fuselage, 7-F-13 identifies it as the 13th aircraft (lead aircraft of Section 5) of VF-7. The color of the 5th Section was Willow Green, and as the lead aircraft of the section, BuNo 9627 had a solid green cowling and green fuselage stripe. It also has a green upper wing formation chevron, as did the other two aircraft of the section. The second aircraft in the section (7-F-14) would have had the top half of the cowling painted green, the third aircraft (7-F-15) would have had the bottom half of the cowling painted green. Only section leads had fuselage stripes in the section color. Image 2, below, shows the second aircraft of Section 6 (7-F-17) with the upper half of its cowl painted the Lemon Yellow section color.

F2F-1 BuNo 9627 ended its Navy career as a station aircraft at Naval Air Station Miami, where it was stricken off charge on 30 August 1941.

A note on the identification of this aircraft: Published illustrations of VF-7 F2F-1 7-F-13 have the BuNo as 9367. This is not possible, since that BuNo was assigned to a Grumman FF-1. Garry and I have based our conclusion that the actual BuNo was 9627 on a photograph of 7-F-13 taken at the Parris Island Marine Corps Air Station in March 1940 (Image 1, below). Although the first two digits of the BuNo on the vertical stabilizer are obscured, the final two digits are clearly “27.” Since all the F2F-1s were numbered between 9623 and 9676, plus replacement 9997, the first two digits have to be “96,” hence, we conclude that the BuNo was 9627. We will be happy to hear from anyone who has more authoritative information based on evidence.

Images

Image 1 is the aircraft that Garry modeled, BuNo 9627 (7-F-13) at Parris Island Marine Corps Air Station in March 1940, when it was one of two F2F-1s still serving with VF-7 aboard USS Wasp (CV-7) along with an F3F-1 that appears to be BuNo 0248 (7-F-10) when the aircraft were assigned to USS Wasp. The Burglar Wasp insignia can be seen forward of the cockpit and the Neutrality Star is further forward, just after of the cowl. I think the aircraft in the rear is a Grumman JF3 in Reserve markings. Dann, p. 28

Image 2 - Color image of another VF-7 F2F-1, BuNo 9631, 7-F-17, with the yellow upper half of the cowl denoting the second aircraft of Section 6. The Neutrality Star on the forward fuselage indicates that the photograph was taken between September 1939 and late 1940. Source: Axis and Allies Paintworks, available at Forums / USAAF / USN Library / Grumman F2F - Axis and Allies Paintworks

Image 3 - Blue Burglar Wasp insignia of VF-7. Source: The U.S. Militaria Forum. Disney Studios designed a wasp insignia for the aircraft carrier USS Wasp that was adapted for the VF-7 (later VF-72) insignia.

Inage 4 – An image that shows the appearance of the stubby, maneuverable F2F-1. BuNo 9672, 5-F-1, lead aircraft of VF-5 of the USS Yorktown air group photographed in flight in July 1938. It is notable that although the F2F-1 had a closed cockpit, it is rare ever to see an image of the canopy closed while the aircraft was in flight. Source: Axis and Allies Paintworks, available at http://www.axis-and-allies-paintworks.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?4331.post

Sources:

Joe Baugher, “US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos, First Series (A6002 to 9999),” available at http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/firstseries2.html

John Daley, “Disney Insignia from World War II,” United States Naval Institute USNI News, July 31, 2013, available at https://news.usni.org/2013/07/31/disney-insignia-from-world-war-ii

Richard S. Dann, Grumman Biplane Fighters in Action, Aircraft Number 160, Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal, 1996.

Thomas E. Doll, Berkley R. Jackson, and William A. Riley, Navy Air Colors: United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Camouflage and Markings, Vol. 1 1911-1945, Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal, 1983.

John M. Elliott, The Official Monogram US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft Color Guide, Vol. 1, 1911-1939, Boylston, MA: Monogram Aviation Publications, 1987.

---, The Official Monogram US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft Color Guide, Vol. 2, 1940-1949, Boylston, MA: Monogram Aviation Publications, 1989.

René J. Francillon, Grumman Aircraft Since 1929, Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1988.

William T. Larkins, U.S. Navy Aircraft 1921-1941, Concord, CA: Aviation History Publications, 1961.

Mitch Mayborn, Grumman Guidebook, American Aircraft Series Book 4, Dallas, TX: Flying Enterprise Publications, 1976.

J.V. Mizrahi, “Grumman FF-1, SF-1, F2F,” Carrier Fighters Volume 1,Northridge, CA: Sentry Books, 1969, pp. 43-48.

Richard Thruelson, The Grumman Story, New York: Praeger, 1976.

[gomidefilho]

Another fine work my friend!

[southwestforests]

Gotta love those Grumman biplane barrels! Great-grandaddy of the F4F. Nice pilot figure, especially in that size.

[Butelczynski]

Nice work.I remember this plane starring in "Dive Bomber" 1941 film.It was shown very prominently along with Vindicator and Yellow Peril . There must have been quite a few of those still used in training in first couple of years of WW2.