Joe Hegedus

Correct. No GBU-39 on USN/USMC jets.

Revell’s 1/48 kit was pretty much typical of what they were producing ~ 20 years ago when it first came out. As someone noted, some fiddling required with the nose fit but overall it’s not bad. The biggest gripe when it came out was that the leading and trailing edge flaps were molded “up”, and I seem to recall that some were unhappy with the shape of the spine but I didn’t see anything that put me off building it.

Sorry, no, I don't have any images of Navy PB-1s in that scheme. There are several images of USCG PB-1Gs, but those don't have any of the turrets installed (the typically have an ADF "football" where the top turret would have been) and also usually have a lifeboat carried on the belly for SAR work.

The Navy did get some B-17Gs (redesignated the PB-1 when in Navy service). As far as I know, they were received in natural metal and had the nose turret replaced with a radar. The ball turret may have been removed as well but I won't commit to that. After the war, at least some had a belly-mounted radar (like that on the AD-5W or TBM-3W) and were painted blue.

There were still some FPU-6 tanks laying around at SATS/VX-23 at Pax in the early 2000s, but I don't recall ever seeing one on a jet at that point.

That photo was, I believe, in the original F-18 Detail and Scale book. It was a VFA-125 jet, IIRC, on display at an airshow, but it didn't fly like that. Back in the day (early 80s) a much younger me built a TF-18 in Australian markings with 30 MK-82s on MERs, because at the time I assumed that if the kit instructions said it was OK, it was OK, and there was that cool picture of an F-18 with that load... it never occurred to me that they might hang stuff on the jet that it couldn't actually fly with or use, or that the kit manufacturer would provide incorrect info in the instructions.

Probably because 40-odd years ago when the Monogram kit was released, the corporate lawyers had yet to go guano loco over the perceived infringement of their intellectual property. It was still seen as a positive PR move at the time.

The presence or not of resin, PE, and/or canopy masks, as well as the number of marking options included.

Short answer is, "I don't think you'll find a comprehensive list." The longer answer is that given the variety of stores available, and the number of store stations on the jet, the comprehensive list you seek is a very large matrix. That matrix is not public information. Your best bet is to find a photo of a load you like; in general all loads for the A/B will be allowable for the C/D, but not necessarily the other way around as the early versions didn't have the ability to use certain types of "smart" weapons without being upgraded (the A+ pretty much has all the weapon capabi

I think you're right there; interesting variation in components on those missiles!

I don't have a specific source for an overview, but VMFA-323 operated off USS Coral Sea in 1986 and participated in the Libya Raids. One of the load configurations was AIM-9M (in white) on the wingtips, AGM-88A on the outboard wing pylons, tanks on the inboard pylons, and a single Rockeye cluster bomb on the centerline. The right intake station carried an AIM-7, the left intake is not visible in the photo I found but I would suspect it was another AIM-7 at that point in time. AK tail code, and VMFA-323 was the 4XX squadron on board then. Of course, by this time it looks like the 3-gray sc

Can’t help you with details of the B weapons bay, but there is a significant size difference between the bays of the B and those of the A and C versions, due to the presence of the lift fan for the B model to facilitate the STOVL capability. The CV and CTOL versions can take 2000-lb JDAMS internally, whereas the B’s bay is too small for those weapons.

For a VFA-125 jet, probably the most likely things to see would be a CATM-9s on the wingtips, or MERs with MK-76 practice bombs on the inboard pylons with the outboard pylons removed, with a centerline tank and empty missile stations, but I suspect clean with a centerline tank was even more common. 125 was the RAG for the West Coast Hornet squadrons, so its mission was to teach guys how to fly the jet.

Correct. The LEX fences weren't added until c. 1988, any scheme prior to that would not have them. Same for the "L" braces - they were also part of the effort to reduce buffeting on the fins (same as the LEX fences). In the Spanish Hornet image you posted, you can see 2 of the 3 braces for the left fin just behind the right rudder at the base of the fin.

For the early 3-gray scheme, you also want to make sure you don't use the LEX fences, and don't put the "L"-shaped external braces at the base of the fins.

😃

I followed the kit instructions. That's where it came from on my model, (and I'm not going to rip them off the airplane now to change the color).

That's a GBU-12 next to the JDAM. A GBU-10 is built on the MK-84 bomb body, same as a GBU-31 JDAM.

Most of what I build is OOB, or very close to it. Other than replacement/alternate decals, I don't use much aftermarket in general and if I do use any it is usually just a replacement seat. There are exceptions, but they're just that.

According to the Detail and Scale volume on the F-5, the F-5E and F-5F used by the Navy at the time of publication (1982) did not have radars installed. Navy F-5F of the period also did not have a weight under the tail, between the engines, that was present on Air Force F-5Fs to maintain the CG with the longer nose and radar that those jets carried. Whether or not any of the former Swiss F-5s that the Navy got as F-5Ns retained radar, I don't know.

I have a pair if you're still looking. Shoot me a PM.

I may have a set of the Hasegawa ones, I'll check when I get home.

Pirateship.com is your friend. Discounted shipping via USPS, UPS, and maybe other carriers as well. Can print shipping labels from the site when purchasing postage, and can pay via Paypal or credit card. You need to create an account/register on the site but it's free.

Cool. PM on the way. Thanks!

I'm in need of a few 1/32 bombs from Trumpeter kits: It's an either/or request, so: 250-lb bombs from the Trumpeter 1/32 TBF/TBM Avenger, part nos. J1-12 and J1-13, and J2-37 and J2-38 (there are 4 total in each kit, two pair of each set of parts), I'm looking for a total of 8 bombs (to go with the 4 I already have to hang under a 1/32 Skyraider) OR 500-lb bombs from the Trumpeter 1/32 Skyraider kit, part nos. M6, M19, and M20. I'm looking for 2 complete bombs of this type, again as an alternate to hang under the Skyraider. Preferen