**** DONE: 1/48 F6F-5P VF-88 Yorktown - Jet/Recon/Transport GB

[N4521U]

User Name: N4521U
Name: Bill
Category: Advanced
Entry: F6F-5P
Kit: 1/48 Eduard ProfiPACK F6F-5 Late

Another CV-10 Yorktown addition.

***added Eduard Brassin rockets... resin bombs from my spares bin.

Extras? This will be mainly OOB, yeah right, except for some scratch building. I'm going to try to fold the wings, NOT cabinet space is limited just like a hangar bay. I will have to add the hole for the camera, and perhaps scratch a camera to put outside the A/C with a Photographers Mate working under the camera hatch. Detailing on the engine, and whatever I can come up with for the cockpit.

This will be modeled as a VF-88 F6F-5P conversion during October 1945, Operation DOWNFALL. This was the first phase of Olympic/Majestic Fast Carrier operations. During this period, TF38 would conduct softening up airstrikes on the Japanese coastline from early July to around mid-August. This phase was under way when the war ended.

CTG 38.4 – Rear Admiral A. W. Radford (COMCARDIV 6)
CV-10 Yorktown – Captain W. F. Boone
Carrier Air Group 88 (CVG-88)
VF-88 (24 x F6F-5, 6 x F6F-5P, 6 x F6F-5N)
VBF-88 (37 x FG-1D)
VB-88 (11 x SB2C-4E, 4 x SB2C-4)
VT-88 (14 x TBM-3, 1 x TBM-3E)

I sailor on.

 

[Crimea_River]

Good one Bill. Nice kit that. Goes together real nice.

 

[Rogi]

Very cool

 

[meatloaf109]

Outstanding! Looking forward to what you do with this one. Particularly the figure painting. AFAIK, I'm the only one that has included figures in the builds, at least from GB#13 forward. (F-80, P-51, and my 3rd place award winning F-8, cough, cough.) Anyways, figure painting has been a thing of mine for years now. If you want any 'elp I'm here.

 

[R Leonard]

After 28 July 45 - - - that makes the ID code easy, a simple "RR". VF-88 was commanded by Dick Crommelin up until 14 July 45 when he was lost in a mid-air collision near Hokkaido. Chris Cagle, the XO took over and Johnny Adams moved up to XO. Cagle, USNA '41, was only a lieutenant at the time, so one wonders, had things dragged out, if he would have retained command. My guess would be yes, Cagle was recognized as a pretty good operator. Crommelin was one of my father's USNA classmates ('38) and they shared a cabin when in VF-42 on Yorktown (CV-5). Adams, another VF-42 veteran, was my father's wingman at Midway.

Attachments:

VF-88 F6F-5 August 1945

Dick Crommelin after Midway

Johnny Adams around the time he was in VF-88

Message from Yorktown (CV-10) to ComTF38 on Shangri La (CV-38) reporting Crommelin's loss

Apropos of nothing else, the other two gents named in the message . . . from VB-85 . . . Folks on Shangri La already knew they were missing, VB-85 was a Shangri La squadron. Seems there was a mountain inside the cloud. The pilot, Eggleston, was killed in the crash. The rear gunner, Rasmussen, was only banged up. He evaded capture for the rest of the war, and longer, by raiding small farmsteads. He finally turned himself in around the end of September 45 when he saw USN forces in a small harbor and figured it was safe to come out of the hills.

Rich

 

[N4521U]

Thanks for that Rich. I have that same photo. My CV-5/10 lists of operating squadrons during their lifetimes has the RR on all aircraft at the end of the war. As the little excerpt above, VF-88 was the only one listing the 5P as operational.

I am having difficulty in finding an aircraft number for a 5P, and haven't a clue where to start looking. Any chance you know of lists of A/C numbers in VF-88 and what serial number any 5P might have had??????

Cheers,
Bill

 

[N4521U]

Outstanding! Looking forward to what you do with this one. Particularly the figure painting. AFAIK, I'm the only one that has included figures in the builds, at least from GB#13 forward. (F-80, P-51, and my 3rd place award winning F-8, cough, cough.) Anyways, figure painting has been a thing of mine for years now. If you want any 'elp I'm here.

I may just send them to YOU to paint for me!!!!!!!!
Better not send me your address!
wink wink.

 

[rochie]

nice one Bill as Andy says this is a great kit to put together

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Up, Ready and OFF…………………….nice one Bill.

 

[ccheese]

Good one, Bill, looking forward to this build. BTW, I fixed your bo-boo.....

Charles

 

[N4521U]

Thanks for that Charles. Posted then did some editing and tried to change title, and booboo is my uncle.

Finally found some details in a cutaway I was looking for. Now I can do some scratching in the tail.

 

[N4521U]

Taking a creative break from the F2b, cogitating about the stringing actually and have a plan.

So to get this going and doing some scratching I probably would not do if all else was done, I'm tackling the round engine. I will plumb it next.

 

[rochie]

looks good Bill

 

[Wayne Little]

Beauty Bill!

 

[Rogi]

Looking real nice Bill

 

[ccheese]

Coming along nicely, Bill...

Charles

 

[Crimea_River]

I've always found your use of card to be exceptional Bill. Really good work man!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Looks like your bumping this one up to be something special Bill………………….yet again!

 

[meatloaf109]

Yep, love the thingies and stuff!

 

[N4521U]

Thanks fellas. Just can't help myself. Comes from working in engineering and fabrication I guess.

I'm looking for a photo of the tail end of this thing, where the tailhook hides. How it looks when it's parked.

Here's the new improved tail wheel. It just looked a little dorkey to me....... and the 49ers are not looking too good at the moment, twenty something to 6 and the lights are out in half the stadium.