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Francis Gary Powers' U-2 scheme?


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Hi all,

After watching Bridge Of Spies on Saturday I have a sudden urge to build Article 358/56-6693, the U-2C Francis Gary Powers was flying when he was shot down in 1960, in 1/72. I'm looking at using the Airfix kit as, apart from a Rareplanes vac, it seems like the only real option.

But what did it look like? In the movie it was overall matt black with no apparent markings, and Google isn't helpful except to show me photos of the wreckage.

Would it have had a serial painted on the tail, or any exterior markings at all?

I'm at a total loss so any advice - even suggestions of books/magazines etc - would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Edited by K5054NZ
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Hi all,

After watching Bridge Of Spies on Saturday I have a sudden urge to build Article 358/56-6693, the U-2C Francis Gary Powers was flying when he was shot down in 1960. I'm looking at using the Airfix kit as, apart from a Rareplanes vac, it seems like the only real option.

But what did it look like? In the movie it was overall matt black with no apparent markings, and Google isn't helpful except to show me photos of the wreckage.

Would it have had a serial painted on the tail, or any exterior markings at all?

I'm at a total loss so any advice - even suggestions of books/magazines etc - would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

My guess is 35042, which is a nonspecular navy blue: http://www.colorserver.net/showcolor.asp?fs=35042

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I'm working on the same project. Depending on which kit your working with (Hawk vs. Testors) you may need to change some things. Norm Debuy has some resin bits that will help in the shape of some scoops, intakes, and a belly camera pack. Search over on Hyperscale to see his U-2"s and resin. In the mean time, these may help:

CED48149_GaryPowers_U-2C_Instr_zpsdmnqcbrl.jpg

CED48149_GaryPowers_U-2C_Info_zpsxejvnmtn.jpg

Sincerely,

Dave

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Thanks all, especially Dave and Jennings. Interesting to see the different views of 25044 and 35042 being used.

Dave - I'm thinking 1/72 with the Airfix kit (I really should've put that in my first post!). I'm keen to do the aircraft in flight on a stand of some kind, without going too over the top with details. But every piece of info is greatly appreciated!

Nice photos, Ken. I'll have to add the museum to my list of ones to visit one day.

Edited by K5054NZ
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Sorry, my mistake. There is no disagreement. I just typed the color number wrong. It ***IS*** semi-gloss Sea Blue. The other one is Insignia Blue, which is incorrect. It is 25042. Typing on my phone.

Also, according to the latest research, it did not carry the article number on the tail. Just the basic safety/maintenance markings. I believe it also had the small 'canoe' (about 4' long) on top of the fuselage in 5/1960.

Edited by Jennings
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I've received a couple of messages from very well-intentioned members, and because of this I need to say again:

I'm looking at this project in 1/72.

I've updated my first post. Thanks all :)/>

Edited by K5054NZ
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I am also very interested in the same project.

I'll print 1/72. Decals for this particular airframe, share the artwork from here for your confirmation before printing.

Few questions;

It looks like there are no white walkway lines on wings like other CIA operated u2s.?

Do you think "sugar scoop" plate attached in nozzle area?

Any photos or illustrations available to replicate system 3&6 antenna.?

Some early c models have a bump at under the aft fuselage, do you think this particular airframe has that ?

Best

Omer Erkmen

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Few questions;

It looks like there are no white walkway lines on wings like other CIA operated u2s.?

Do you think "sugar scoop" plate attached in nozzle area?

Any photos or illustrations available to replicate system 3&6 antenna.?

Some early c models have a bump at under the aft fuselage, do you think this particular airframe has that ?

Three partial answers to your questions:

- most photos of blue CIA birds show white walkways, see for example the photos on my Seminar 1/72 U-2C page. The Wolfpak Decals sheet 72-045 contains them. But I don't see them in the photos of the Powers' wreck.

- as far as I know, the System 6 antenna is a circular 'radome' in the Q-bay hatch, as drawn in the Cutting Edge instructions shown above.

- note that two versions of the sugar scoop exist, that mask a different portion of the exhaust, expressed in degrees of the circumference. I'm guessing that the rather early CIA birds had the smaller version. I don't know whether Powers' aircraft had it.

Rob

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  • 5 years later...

I'm building three U-2s!! All Francis Powers version. First, the card model buy Schreiber bogen, second, the old HAWK version and third, the radio control version by Jack Bale. For the first two, I haven't been able to find some information on painting wheel well doors, inside, also wheels, not tires, and cabin interior. Both the original Hawk and Testors kits make no mention nor the Round 2 version. I haven't seen the Airfix or other kits.  Anybody of you guys out there can provide me with some accurate information on this? Thanks, greetings from Colombia. EDUARDO

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On 11/10/2015 at 4:08 PM, Ben Brown said:

IIRC, it was actually a very dark blue, possibly Insignia Blue. There was a discussion a while back, either here, or on Hyperscale, and there were some color photos of some of the wreckage. Cutting Edge made some decals for Powers' jet: http://www.kitreview.com/reviews/u2decalreviewds_1.htm

Ben

midnight blue is the correct color and it was a flat color surface. Why? Black turns into a grey in bright light, but midnight blue shows a black in the bright light (think sun light hitting it). What I find interesting is a statement made during an interview many years back by Kelly Johnson. He said no two U2's were identical in panels and surface detail. How much different I have no idea, but that was his comment.

gary

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15 hours ago, Edubarca said:

My three U-2s will all be Powers' ship. But I need please the interior colors of landing gear doors and wheels, also cabin interior. Was it zinc chromate? 

 

I just posted the same on Hyperscale:

 

I have some photos of a NASA U-2C under maintenance, with the seat and instrument panel out. The color scheme is green down to and including the top longeron, and gray below the top longeron. This includes the rear bulkhead. I recon that this is the standard Lockheed paint scheme for the U-2A/C cockpit.

I downloaded the photos in 2010, but I did not make notes who made them. I made a zip that you can download here:

https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/various/u2maintenance.zip

Rob

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I'm good friends with Chris Pocock, the acknowledged historian of the U-2 program. Chris and his wife, Meng, live near Heathrow and I used to spend my last night in country at their place when I went to visit my daughter. Chris is a great historian, but not a modeler, so I decided to make him a model of the Power's jet. In his various books, there was not a definitive description of the jet so I started asking him questions about antennas, color, intakes, etc. He was getting fairly annoyed with me towards the end. 8-D

To make it easier to transport, I didn't glue the wings on and fortunately the fit of the wings to the fuselage on the old Hawk kit is quite snug, so that wasn't a problem. He was quite surprised and pleased with my efforts and I understand he often uses it in talks he gives around the UK. I've scanned through what's been posted above and the main thing that is missing is the intake used. Between the original A-model intake and the much larger C-model intake there was an interm intake that was sized between those two--that was the intake used by the Power's jet. So far as I am aware, the only source of those inlets was in 1:48 scale and made by the long defunct Cutting Edge/Meteor Productions. Also, FWIW, the sunscreen area on the Hawk kit is way too big, but etched into the inside of the canopy and too hard to get rid of. Good luck on your 1:72 scale kit. BTW, I have decal artwork I can size to 1:72 for the various flush antennas. PM me if interested.

110303-138_u2c_model_top_lfq.jpg

110303-142_u2c_model_bottom_rrq.jpg

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Your photos are a big help. But I see that your model has the "coke bottle" engine intakes.  I've seen elsewhere, just as you say, that the Powers' U-2 had the smaller intakes.  I have both the original Hawk U2 and the Round2 (Ex Testors/Hawk) So I have both ready to be adapted as the Power's U-2. Finally, which one is  correct, the big or small intakes, or nobody can fully assure which one is the definitive. Thanks again!! EDUARDO

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Thanks again. My U-2s will come out real nice, thanks to your comments and photos. Two more questions, Those gray roundels and under the nose, are decals? What were they? And Powers' U-2 was finally black or dark blue. If you have any insignia or decals, if you can scan them I would like to have it. I print my own decals. I do appreciate your help. EDUARDO

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If you've got U-2 references, take a look at Thornborough and Devies 'Lockheed Blackbirds'. Page 32 has photos of two U-2Cs, the upper with bulged inlets ('Coke bottle'), the lower with straight inlets ("interim"). I'm pretty sure they have the same opening, only the exterior shape aft of the actual inlet is different. I think they wanted to reduce 'spillage drag' and made the inlet duct more bulbeous.

 

Rob

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