(DONE..FINALLY, sheesh! LOL) F/U-2 H.A.W.K., Vietnam era warbird (Pics page 14)

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks for stopping by!   I, too, am glad to see this come off the shelf and continue down the air corridor to completion. I was worried for a while that I wouldn't get to it in time!

Progress report consists of the 1st phase of masking being brought to conclusion and I now have the majority of the undersides of the wings masked. I broke off a horizontal stabilizer when I jammed the plane into my leg to steady it for masking. I had to stop and glue it back on and now I have a ridge of "slag" I need to file and sand away then I'll need to hit it with some more black paint. I'm going to let the glue set up for at least 12 hours before I touch it again. Still, I got a GOOD amount of the most tedious masking done so no worries yet!

[TheChronicOne]

I figure if I make an update that I'll feel obligated to follow through and actually get some things done on this. This thing just keeps kicking my butt, man!  I just got done filing and sanding down the repair (the repair went well, I'm glad to report!! Pretty happy about that.. I guess I AM learning some things hehe ) on the tail plane and it's ready for paint. I'm going to wait until after I get the bottom half masked to do it though so I don't mess up whilst handling it. 

It shouldn't take me too long to wrap up the err... wrapping up of the bottom of this and the forward sections that will remain black.  I might try the first color of camo today, it just depends. It's a good deal below freezing outside and quite windy. I think even if I warm my can of paint up to around 75-80 degrees, once the stuff travels through the air,it could still not work right so we'll see.

No pictures this time around, sorry. Just trying to keep everyone apprised and trick myself into doing something with it.   

[RAFF-35]

I hate it when you brake something off while you're painting.... why can't paint and glue be friends??

[TheChronicOne]

Yeah we need a new cousin acronym for PSR called BSRR  for Break Stuff, Repair, Repeat.   

I think this is either the 3rd or fourth time I've broken off this particular tail plane. 


ANYWAY....I have this thing about 90% masked now.  All I've left is the bit up front around the cockpit and intakes. I think I have the borders set in my mind how I want them to go..  Before I get too carried away, however, I need to open up my reference pictures and grab the transfers to this to make sure I'm not shooting myself in the foot by having bad colors in wrong places.


Also, I changed my mind on my Romulan ship being white. At this scale and considering the way things looked on screen in the 60s it would have been a good representation of what we SAW but not necessarily correct. The more I look at the picture on the front of the box the more I like the silver color so I'm going to go ahead and do that instead of white.

[DogfighterZen]

BSRR... Genius!! I get that a lot, pitot tubes being the main victims...
Good luck with the rest of the work, can't wait to see this one loaded up with some Go get'em sticks... and i bet they could fit quite an air2air loadout on those wings.. twin launchers and all...

[TheChronicOne]

BSRR... Genius!! I get that a lot, pitot tubes being the main victims...
Good luck with the rest of the work, can't wait to see this one loaded up with some Go get'em sticks... and i bet they could fit quite an air2air loadout on those wings.. twin launchers and all...

Yeaaah buddy. When I first got to dreaming this up I had visions of, like, 12 Phoenix missiles, 6 on each wing then I was like... 12 "made up" missiles and this and that...  LOL!  It would look flippin' sweet but the folks here saved me from my delusions and I realized I'd like to keep it "more accurate." But hell yeah she's armed! I'm looking forward to seeing it, too.

Pitot tube.. YUP... this one here in fact came with it molded on one half of the fuselage. I actually managed to keep it intact for a good while before the inevitable. I lost it to the carpet monster but miraculously found it again after a week. I think I put it in a zip lock bag somewhere but I ain't holdin' my breath..   

[TheChronicOne]

Heck, that sounds pretty good!  Ditch the guns like you said and load up them bombs. Move the pitot or not also like you said but I'm digging the no guns aspect. 

[RAFF-35]

Here's what the USAF were considering for a maritime patrol version of the U-2, might give an idea to wing loading?

[PR19_Kit]

Here's what the USAF were considering for a maritime patrol version of the U-2, might give an idea to wing loading?

Jeepers, seven pylons on each side, as WELL as the pinion tanks! 

Odd that it's the later TR-1 airframe but it uses the older U-2 style pinion tanks.

[TheChronicOne]

That thing looks glorious!!      Armed to the teeth.  Navy? Awesome.  Imagine if they built a carrier that could launch and recover one.....    a really wide carrier.. ..

[Rheged]

That thing looks glorious!!      Armed to the teeth.  Navy? Awesome.  Imagine if they built a carrier that could launch and recover one.....    a really wide carrier.. ..

They did!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8HMPMYL19E

https://warisboring.com/yes-the-cia-flew-u-2-spy-planes-from-aircraft-carriers-ce2b020bfab6#.gejbjhho7

https://theaviationist.com/2015/06/28/u-2-carrier-operations-story/

[TheChronicOne]

Ha!!!   How cool is that?!   I watched the video and am going to continue the reading here in a few minutes when I eat lunch. Speaking of the video, I think I saw at one point them sending a pogo or two overboard upon launch...      Seems they corrected that problem soon after...   

[TheChronicOne]

That was fun reading! Good stuff...  So not only was it not just a test but they actual flew a couple missions (albeit against the French).  I have an uncle that served aboard the Ranger but stuff was before his time.   

Thanks for the links. 

[TheChronicOne]

This thing is taking some paint today whether it likes it or not.   

Numerous problems breaking things and having to PSR but I'm going to just go for the gusto and start in with my paper masks.  It's not real windy YET so it should be a good day to paint.  If everything goes off without a hitch I plan to have the camo painting done and coat of gloss clear applied by sun down.  If I get this done, tomorrow I can start in with the transfers.

Wish me luck..   

[RAFF-35]

Will it be done in time for the 2017 whiffies??? The tension!!!!!