1/48 Tamiya F4-F-4 Wildcat VMF 112 Jefferson DeBlanc
Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 1:13 am
Here's another one of my latest endeavors. It's the 1/48 Tamiya F4F4 Grumman Wildcat, one of my favorite kits. This was one of the first kits I tackled when I returned to the hobby and it played a huge part in my continued addiction to scale aviation modeling. This kit is so easy to build you really have to try hard to screw it up. After a disastrous Monogram P-61, I saw this one at Hobby Lobby and had to try it. I said..."well, maybe I can do this". 20 years later...here I am with you fine folks.
Anyways, it's black 29, flown by First Lieutenant Jefferson DeBlanc of VMF112 on Guadalcanal. On January 31st, 1943, Deblanc lead 8 Wildcats on an SBD Dauntless bomber escort mission over the Solomon Islands. He quickly sprung a fuel leak and knew it was a one way mission. He considered turning back dereliction of duty, so he pressed on. He told the other to send out rescue because he'd be "down there with the sharks". Well, DeBlanc then proceeded to shoot down 2 FM1 Petes and 3 Ki-43 Oscars in a matter of 5 minutes. He was ultimately shot down himself and managed to evade capture for 3 days. In his ordeal he was eventually bartered from one tribe to another for "1 ten pound sack of rice" and eventually made it back to base. Deblanc would win the Medal of Honor for his selfless actions on that day and shoot down a total of 9 enemy aircraft in 2 tours during the war.
"My job was to protect the dive bombers. Now I'm not a hero, but I have to live with my conscience. If I didn't do what I was supposed to do I was derelicting my duty". Jefferson DeBlanc
....he said as he went on to shoot down 5 enemy aircraft on a one way mission with a leaking full tank. I wholeheartedly disagree, you are a hero. Lesser men would have turned around. Here is my homage to DeBlanc and the rest of those brave men who held the line in those early days in the Pacific.
This is the only kit I've ever been able to do this with.....nice effects ehh?
Some in-progress pics. I used some Photoetch in the cockpit, an Ultracast seat, wired the engine and drilled out the fifties. That's about it.
Anyways, it's black 29, flown by First Lieutenant Jefferson DeBlanc of VMF112 on Guadalcanal. On January 31st, 1943, Deblanc lead 8 Wildcats on an SBD Dauntless bomber escort mission over the Solomon Islands. He quickly sprung a fuel leak and knew it was a one way mission. He considered turning back dereliction of duty, so he pressed on. He told the other to send out rescue because he'd be "down there with the sharks". Well, DeBlanc then proceeded to shoot down 2 FM1 Petes and 3 Ki-43 Oscars in a matter of 5 minutes. He was ultimately shot down himself and managed to evade capture for 3 days. In his ordeal he was eventually bartered from one tribe to another for "1 ten pound sack of rice" and eventually made it back to base. Deblanc would win the Medal of Honor for his selfless actions on that day and shoot down a total of 9 enemy aircraft in 2 tours during the war.
"My job was to protect the dive bombers. Now I'm not a hero, but I have to live with my conscience. If I didn't do what I was supposed to do I was derelicting my duty". Jefferson DeBlanc
....he said as he went on to shoot down 5 enemy aircraft on a one way mission with a leaking full tank. I wholeheartedly disagree, you are a hero. Lesser men would have turned around. Here is my homage to DeBlanc and the rest of those brave men who held the line in those early days in the Pacific.
This is the only kit I've ever been able to do this with.....nice effects ehh?
Some in-progress pics. I used some Photoetch in the cockpit, an Ultracast seat, wired the engine and drilled out the fifties. That's about it.
