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1st LT David Waldrop III's F-105D 61-0132 'Hanoi Special' double Mig Killer...


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August 23rd 1967, 45 F-105s of the 388th TFW and 12 8th TFW F-4D's, covered by one flight of MIGCAP lead by Col. Robin Old's attacked the Yen Vien Railway Marshaling Yards. The strike group was bounced by VPAF MiG 21s and MiG 17s, resulting in 7 USAF aircraft being shot down. Much of the flight had ditched their weapons and the engagement turned into a MiG Melee, but Crossbow flight, with 1st LT Waldrop flying as 'Crossbow 2' managed to break through the dogfight and drop their ordnance on the rail yard. Rolling out, Waldrop spotted an F-105 with a MiG on it's tail and despite an inoperative gunslight, dived on the attacking MiG, hitting it with two bursts of 20mm cannon fire, setting fire to the right side wing and fuselage before the pilot ejected. This kill was witnessed by Col. Old's himself. Having downed the MiG 17, Waldrop chased another, firing on the MiG 17 from 3000ft behind, observing hits before the MiG pilot rolled into the clouds. Waldrop was not finished with him though and positioning himself below the target, reacquired at a range of 2000ft. A second burst of 20mm saw the MiG 17 explode and roll into the ground. 

 

The 388th TFW's Enemy Aircraft Claims Board credited Waldrop with 2 kills, while Crossbow Flights leader was credited with a third probable kill. Although Seventh Air Force Claims Board later rejected Waldrop's second kill and Crossbow Leaders probable credit. 

 

David Waldrop would complete 100 missions in the F-105 over Vietnam, nearly half of those over Hanoi. In combat he was awarded 3 Silver Stars, 3 DFC's, 12 Air Medal's and was forced to eject once over South East Asia. After a distinguished career in the USAF, he joined Delta Airlines, flying with them for 32 years. As for F-105 61-0132, she was lost in a fatal mid air collision in May 1968.

 

I picked up this Trumpeter kit at a local swap and sell last year for a measly $5, couldn't walk by at that price. Upon looking up the serial numbers of the decal options provided, 61-0132 is an option. However, I'd like to build the kit as it was during Waldrop's MiG killing mission, which means I need to find 6 Mk 117 demolition bombs, 1 Sidewinder and 1 ALQ160 ECM pod.

 

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I made a minor start tonight on the cockpit and jet pipe, but mostly I was scouring through other kits and the spares box for weapons. The Trumpeter kit doesn't give you a load out of an aircraft that would go into a MiG and/or SAM protected area. In mid 1967, the MiG threat was serious, thus the Thuds always carried  a jamming pod and a Sidewinder when venturing North.

 

I sourced the Mk 117 bombs and a better detailed ejector rack from the Hasegawa weapons set, the Sidewinder I pinched from an old Matchbox Phantom that will require a little clean up, the launch rail is from a MiG 21 but the QRC 160 jamming pod presented a problem; there really isn't one on the market for 1/72. My solution is to use a rocket pod from the Hasegawa weapons set and I'll fit it out with some antenna pinched from an F-18. That should give me a decent approximation of the thing.

 

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Well it's stinking hot tonight, it's 1:30am and I've pretty much finished with main construction. A couple of other bits and bobs to glue on then it's time for checking all the joints with some paint. I don't think I'll get to airbrush over the weekend, it's going to be 35C+ in Melbourne with high humidity. 

 

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Great progress...

I built the same kit some years ago, and remember the rivets was too heavy but personally I think it look nice in the end.

I got another one I'm planning to build as "Cherry Girl" which also a Mig killer..

Any plan to modify the nose gun camera? I believe the kit supply the later version, while your reference photo showed the early version.

 

 

Cheers,

Mario 

Indonesia

Edited by lifeline
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Yeh I wasn't sure about the rivet detail, but in the end I can live with it, even if it's a bit heavy. I might just leave the nose as is, the reference picture of her is shortly before her loss and sometime after the MiG engagement. It also shows a forward looking strike camera, but I don't know when it was installed.

 

Good news, the weather finally broke today with it being 20C, some paint was applied to the aft end and the cockpit. I also sanded back the joints. My weapons sets also arrived so I attached the sidewinder launch rail.

 

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