GW8345

Just as an FYI, the "Brian" in this episode is full of CRAP!!! I was in VF-143 at the time (from Sept 96 to Dec 2000), we did not "lower someone into the front cockpit" to shutdown 123, they did not lower the JBD on that early morning launch (it was a normal launch and it was launched off of CAT 1, I was standing on the cat when it launched) and the reason why it didn't go with the rest of the squadron is because when we went to do the fly off it's nose gear would not go into kneel so we had to change the strut that night, we did swing the gear and launched it at first light off th

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The only time I saw striping on the stingers was when the birds were in hi-vis paint, all the low-vis birds had solid colors.

For low-vis A-7's, the hook "stinger" was a solid grey, same color grey as the aircraft.

I would say RLM 05 is the closest you're going to get. https://www.cybermodeler.com/color/rlm_table.shtml http://www.rlm.at/cont/archiv01_e.htm https://www.cybermodeler.com/color/rlm_matrix.shtml

Yes. There were times we thought of the "book" as mere "guidelines" than as actual rules, this would be one of those times. 😉

No, that's a CNU-188C/A that is missing the tail completely. Not everyone follows the book all the time, that's a pic of one such time.

Some additional info; More pics to show you what the bob tail looks like https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FhElolB6.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fforum.largescaleplanes.com%2Findex.php%3F%2Ftopic%2F85502-evaluating-trumpeter-aero-1d-external-fuel-tanks%2F&tbnid=7nRHHeRRzQCBOM&vet=12ahUKEwiVoM-C9eLsAhWMIN8KHd_WD40QMygKegQIARA9..i&docid=-XA3fw1wmAdaeM&w=2048&h=1398&q=AERO 1D Bobtail&hl=en-US&ved=2ahUKEwiVoM-C9eLsAhWMIN8KHd_WD40QMygKegQIARA9 https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgu

For the Hornet, the correct baggage pod is the CNU-188C/A, basically a modified AERO-1D drop tank. The CNU-188C/A will have the short "bob tail", the tail on the AMS Resin CNU-188 is the long tail so you will have to cut it down. Here is a pic of a "bob tail" (centerline tank on the A-6); https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skytamer.com%2F1.2%2F2001%2F1260.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skytamer.com%2FGrumman_A-6E.html&tbnid=jQ-shIK6tKMWkM&vet=12ahUKEwjdrPz47-LsAhWMIN8KHd_WD40QMygXegUIARDTAQ..i&docid=x3PR57S0O1CYcM&w=3000&

Yes, that is a legal load. D/T on inboard, HARM on midboard and AMRAAM on outboard

As state above the chaff/flare "buckets" are black however, it was common in the 60/70/early 80's for squadrons to paint the exposed side of the bucket the squadron color for easy identification.* Examples; VA-82 - Blue VA-86 - Orange VF-41 - Red VF-84 - Yellow So you can either paint the bucket black or whatever the squadron color, your choice. * Loaded buckets (called built up buckets) were stored in the "chaff/flare locker" down below the flight deck, all squadrons stored their buckets in the same space so to facilitate quick id

If I may, I think that dark tan/brown is actually Amlguard (a corrosion preventative compound that is dark tan/brown in color) on the intake lip. In the above pic posted (VA-147 A-7A), the dark tan/brown looks to be amlguard. Here is the cruise book for VA-147 68 cruise on the Ranger; https://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv61-68/157.htm Some of the pictures show what looks to be amlguard applied. In the pics posted on the Seaforces website linked in the OP post, it looks to be amlguard. My experience with amlguard is that i

Yep, got that book too and looked in it, nothing in there about a blue tailed KI-61. I also have "Fighters of the Imperial Japanese Army 1939-1945" by Eduardo Cea and it states for the majority of Sentai Hombu (Headquarter squadron) the color was blue so there may be some validity to a KI-61 having a blue tail. One would have to research more to find a definitive answer, I know just enough to be dangerous (researching Japanese markings gives me a headache).