US Navy and USMC Between The Wars in 1/100

[Rata]

Originally Posted by birder

...... (too many projects ugh)

Tell me about it Glen. At least with Bruno's 1/100 subjects modifying would have to be easier than the big-scale jobs.
I've converted this F3F-2 to an earlier -1 and hope to present it down the track. But as of now it's a B&W sitting in the test-build pile. One day.....

[Butelczynski]

I always enjoy looking at your models.You have really good hand and eye for biplanes and they always come out spectacular.Very nice work.

[Rata]

Thanks Karol. Two wings rock!

[Wyvern]

Your F3F is a gem.

Wyvern

[Rata]

Thanks Wyvern!

[Rata]

This is a Curtiss F11C-2 of VF-1B flying off USS Saratoga.
Usual mods to Bruno's original with some added markings extras.

And now over to my partner in crime, Don.

Thanks for viewing.

[Don Boose]

Garry’s model is of Curtiss F11C-2 Goshawk Bureau of Aeronautics Number (BuNo) 9282, in the markings it carried in 1933 as the lead aircraft of Section 6, of Battle Force Fighting Squadron 1 (VF-1B “High Hats”) aboard USS Saratoga (CV-3).

The F11C-2 was a development of the Curtiss Hawk series of fighter aircraft that began in 1925 with the Army P-1 and the Navy F6C Hawks. It was essentially an Army P-6E airframe with a 700-horse power (hp) Wright single-row radial SR-1820f Cyclone engine. It mounted two forward-firing .50-caliber machine guns and could carry a 500-pound bomb or a 50-gallon fuel tank under the fuselage or four 112-pound bombs under the wings. F11C-2s served with Fighting Squadron 1 (VF-1B) aboard Saratoga beginning in February 1933. In March 1934, the aircraft were redesignated as “Bomber Fighters” with the designation BFC-2 and modified to have a raised rear fuselage and a half-canopy over the cockpit. VF-1B was renamed Bombing Squadron 2 (VB-2B). In February 1938, when all carrier units were renumbered to coincide with the hull numbers of the carriers to which they were assigned, VB-2B became VB-3 and all aircraft assigned to Saratoga had their tails repainted white. In 1938, VB-3’s BFC-2s were replaced with Vought SB2U-1s. Background information on the F11C-2/BFC-2 aircraft is covered in the write up of Garry’s earlier model of F11C-2 BuNo 9279, available here: http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/a...-wars-1-100-a- 23.html#post652818

BuNo 9282 was delivered to Saratoga on 10 July 1933. It served in the colors shown on Garry’s Model (red tail; yellow cowling, fuselage stripe, and wing chevron; black aircraft designation of 1-F-16) until March 1934, when the squadron became VB-2B and BuNo 9282 was modified to become a BFC-2. In 1937, its red tail would have been repainted white and the aircraft number changed from 2-B to 3-B (the individual aircraft number after 1934 is unknown). BuNo 9282 continued to serve aboard Saratoga (except for periodic transfers to the San Diego Battle Force for overhaul or repair) until 16 June 1938, when it was transferred to Fleet Air Base Pearl Harbor. It was stricken on 30 June 1939.

Images

Image 1: Curtiss F11C-2 BuNo 9282, 1-F-16, lead aircraft of Section 6, VF-1B, USS Saratoga Air Group sometime in 1933 or 1934. The cowling and fuselage band are lemon yellow, designating the Sixth Section. A red pennant, indicating award of the Machine Gunnery Trophy, is visible just above the machine gun breech fairing on the forward fuselage. Naval History and Heritage Command image available at https://www.history.navy.mil/content.../NH-94812.html

Image 2: Painting by Don Greer of Curtiss F11C-2 BuNo 9282. Source: Bowers, Curtiss Navy Hawks in Action, page 26.

Sources:

Joe Baugher, “US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos, First Series (A6002 to 9999),” available at US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos--First Series (A6000 to 9999)

Peter M. Bowers, The Curtiss Navy Hawks, Number 116, Leatherhead, UK: Profile Publications, 1966.

---, Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947, Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1979, pp. 274-277.

---, Curtiss Navy Hawks in Action, Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1995, pp. 16-18.

John M. Elliott, The Official Monogram US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft Color Guide, Vol. 1, 1911-1939, Boylston, MA: Monogram Aviation Publications, 1987, pp. 67, 120, 123.

Thomas F. Gates, Fighter Squadron Fourteen “Tophatters,” Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1993.

Roy A. Grossnick, United States Naval Aviation, 1910-1995, Washington, DC: Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center, 1997, available at: https://archive.org/details/UnitedSt...ation1910-1995

E.R. Johnson, United States Naval Aviation 1919-1941: Aircraft, Airships and Ships Between the Wars, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2011, pp. 81-83.

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

Phil H. Listemann, Curtiss F11C/BFC & BF2C, Allied Wings No. 11, Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers, 2011.

Paul R. Matt and Bruce Robertson, United States Navy and Marine Corps Fighters 1918-1962, Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, 1962, reprint of the Harleyford edition of 1962, pp. 34-40, 164.

J.V. Mizrahi, “Carrier Fighter: Curtiss and its Sea-Going Hawks,” Airpower, Vol. 2, No. 5, September 1972, pp. 18-29.

Gordon Swanborough and Peter M Bowers, “Curtiss F11C, BFC, BF2C, Goshawk,” United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911, New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1968, pp. 135-137.

U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 14 website available at The Oldest and the Boldest

[Butelczynski]

As always excellent work Garry.

Coincidently I'm reading (again) Osprey book on Chinese Aces in Sino-Jap war and export version of this Curtiss is mentioned there very often.It was called Hawk II (Hawk I and III were also sold to China).It has seen some hard fighting,few pilots achieved ace status and it flew combat missions until spares run out.

[Vinalssergio155]

Excellent, other great yellow wings. Another great job of both.

[gomidefilho]

Superb build and research as always my friends!