Tag: 506th Fighter Group

Photo(s) of the Week; 627 “Funny Face”; 462nd Fighter Squadron; 506th Fighter Group

On By acarothersvlrmIn Photo(s) of the WeekLeave a comment

Funny Face was a 462nd Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group P-51D NA-20 Mustang (44-72623) assigned to 1st Lieutenant John “Jack” G. Rice.

627 “Funny Face” on Iwo Jima (506th Fighter Group Association via Dr. John Benbow)

A few things to note from the above picture. First, is that the black paint on the back sides of the propeller blades below the cuffs are showing wear from being on Iwo Jima. The sand and black volcanic grit were tough on paint. This wear was more pronounced on the back sides of the propeller blades than the front sides. Second, please note that the openings to the engine compartment are covered. The air intake on the lower cowl is covered, and there are small “boots” covering the exhaust stacks. The carburetor intake below the spinner and gun openings on the wings were also covered. These measures were taken to prevent the sand and black volcanic grit from entering the engine compartment and gun bays where it could fowl the engine and machine guns. In addition, the factory installed canvas covers in the wheel wells were retained for the same reason.

1st Lieutenant Jack Rice in the cockpit of 627 “Funny Face” (506th Fighter Group Association via Dr. John Benbow)

As the photo above suggests, there might have been another pilot assigned to fly 627 “Funny Face”, but I am unaware of any photos or squadron/group records to indicate who that pilot was. All of the photos I have in my collection of 627 “Funny Face” do not show any pilot names on the lower canopy framing.

1st Lieutenant Rice was a replacement pilot and not assigned to the 506th Fighter Group when it was formed in October of 1944 at Lakeland Army Air Force base in Florida. He was initially assigned to 53rd Fighter Group at Fort Meyers, Florida, where he underwent replacement training in anticipation of going oversees. 1st Lt. Rice would join the 506th FG by January of 1945 as he appears in a photo of 462nd FS officers taken at that time at Lakeland.

1st Lieutenant Rice was not credited with any aerial or ground victories during his time with the 506th FG. By the time the 506th FG arrived on Iwo Jima in May of 1945, the opportunities to engage their Japanese counterparts in the air had dwindled considerably.

Jack Rice would devote 32 years of his life to the United States Army Air Corps/Air Force and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He would also serve in the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam Nam War as a Civil and Electrical Engineer. Lt. Colonel Rice passed away on July 19, 2015 at the age of 93.

I had the honor and pleasure to interview Jack Rice at the 506th Fighter Group Reunion in Chino, California in 2013. A very kind, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic individual, he sat for more than an hour with me answering all of my questions. Definitely part of the Greatest Generation.

There are no aftermarket decals for 627 “Funny Face” in any scale.

Thank You Veterans!

On By acarothersvlrmIn History, Intro/Miscellaneous1 Comment

Today, November 11th, is the federal holiday in the United States to honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

78th Fighter Squadron pilots pose for a picture with one of their Curtiss P-40K Warhawks while stationed on Midway Island in 1943 (Mark Stevens/7th Fighter Command Association)

Veterans Day coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which are commemorated in other countries, marking the anniversary of the end of World War I. Major hostilities of World War I ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of 11th month of 1918, when the armistice with Germany went into effect.

Ground crew and pilots assigned to 640 “The Shawnee Princess/Empire Commuter” pose for a picture in front of their 462nd Fighter Squadron P-51D Mustang. From left of right: Cpl. Sheetz (armorer), Cpl. Riley (radioman), 1st Lt. Seale (pilot), Capt. Zagorsky (pilot), and Sgt. Jackson (crew chief) (506th Fighter Group Association)

Originally known as Armistice Day in the United States, it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 at the urging of the major organizations representing veterans in the United States.

Crew members of “Thumper” pose for a picture in front of their Boeing B-29 Superfortress on Tinian Island in 1945 (870th Bomb Squadron, 497th Bomb Group, 73rd Bombardment Wing)

Veterans Day is distinct from Memorial Day which is observed in May of each year. Veterans Day commemorates the service of all those who served in the United States Armed Forces, while Memorial Day specifically honors those who died in military service to our country.

457th Fighter Squadron pilots pose for a picture along side 642 “Fighting Lady” (506th Fighter Group Association)

Thank you to all veterans who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Your service and sacrifices to protect and preserve the freedoms we continue to enjoy are greatly appreciated!

Kit News; Eduard Announces the Future Release of 1/72nd Limited Edition P-51D Mustang “Very Long Range: Tales of Iwo Jima” Kit

On By acarothersvlrmIn Kit/Product NewsLeave a comment

In their special Eday 2024 edition of Info Eduard e-magazine, Eduard announced the future release of a limited edition “Very Long Range: Tales of Iwo Jima” boxing of their excellent 1/72nd North American P-51D Mustang kit. The kit will be released in the second quarter of 2025, and will most likely contain the same decal options as their 1/48th limited edition “Very Long Range: Tales of Iwo Jima” boxing.

Eduard

Nice to see Eduard providing those who model in 1/72nd scale with 12 different decal options covering all three Iwo Jima VLR Mustang groups. Consistent with their other limited edition boxings, it is anticipated that Eduard will include a photo etch cockpit detail set, Brassin 3D printed parts (seats, exhaust stacks, wheels, etc . . .), and a lapel pin. If you are reading this Eduard, it would be nice if the lapel pin has the 7th Air Force logo on it.

In other exciting news, Eduard is getting back into the 1/32nd scale market and has announced the future release of a 1/32nd North American P-51B Mustang. Nice to see Eduard announce the future release of a quality 1/32nd P-51B. While the Trumpeter 1/32nd P-51B kit is a decent kit, it has a large number of inaccuracies.

Eduard

Kudos to Eduard on both accounts!

Photo(s) of the Week; Iconic Iwo Jima VLR Mustang Photo

On By acarothersvlrmIn History, Photo(s) of the WeekLeave a comment

516 “My Girl”, a 457th Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group P-51D-20-NA Mustang (Serial No. 44-72580) loaded with 110 gallon drop tanks awaits a signal from a ground crewman to take off from North Field on another VLR mission. This is a well known photo taken by Loomis Dean who was known for taking photos from unique angles during his time as a USAAF photographer.

USAAF/Loomis Dean/National Archives via Fold3

While the photo is well known, it is unknown who was assigned to fly “My Girl”. One would think that either 457th Fighter Squadron or 506th Fighter Group records would document who flew a particular plane, but often that is not the case. Most of what we know about who was assigned to fly a particular plane is based on photographs and recollections of pilots and ground crew. If those recollections were not written down, they are now lost as there are no surviving 457th FS pilots or ground crew.

I am unaware of any decals which were produced for “My Girl”.

Kit News: Eduard Now Taking Pre-Orders on Their New Royal Class 1/72 North American P-51D Mustang Dual Combo Boxing

On By acarothersvlrmIn Kit/Product NewsLeave a comment

Yesterday, I received an email from Eduard that they are now accepting pre-orders on their new Royal Class 1/72 North American P-51D Mustang Dual Combo boxing. From the CAD drawings and the information posted on Eduard’s website, it appears they have done an excellent job of scaling down their 1/48th scale kit to 1/72nd scale.

Eduard

The box art for the 1/72nd Royal Class Dual Combo boxing is similar to what it was for the 1/48th Royal Class Dual Combo boxing except for the orientation of the Mustang drawing and the color of the background. Like the 1/48th Royal Class Dual Combo boxing, the 1/72nd Royal Class Dual Combo boxing includes the exact same 14 decal options, which means that decals for two Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs are included, both from the 506th Fighter Group.

Iwo Jima VLR Mustang Decals: The first set of VLR markings is for 555 “The Ole Lady/Little Anne/My Darlin Betty Ann” (P-51D-25-NA, 44-72628), a 458th FS Mustang flown by 2nd Lts. James E. Coleman and Ralph R. Coltman, Jr.

Eduard

The second set of markings is for 528 “The Enchantress” (P-51D-25-NA, 44-72671), a 457th FS Mustang flown by 2nd Lt. William E. Saks. 2nd Lt. Saks was one of the pilots lost on the June 1, 1945 “Black Friday” mission, but he was not flying 528 on that day. “The Enchantress” is popular amongst modelers because the nose art and pin-up girl that adorns the fuselage.

Eduard

Like its bigger brother, you can build any variant of the D model from a D-5 to a D-25 with this kit. All the parts to make an accurate Iwo Jima VLR Mustang are present. I have included drawings of two sprues for the kit that Eduard posted on its website. It appears that the fuselage floor and fuel tank (Part E24) will be one piece, and the SCR-522 radio transmitter, SCR-695 IFF transmitter, and the rack they sit on are one piece as well (Part E27).

Eduard

A major difference from their 1/48th kit is that all of the different drop tanks that Mustangs carried (75 gallon, 108 gallon, 110 gallon, and 165 gallon) are included on one sprue. In the 1/48th kit, the 110 gallon and 165 gallon drop tanks carried by Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs and their sway braces were produced on a separate sprue, and only included in the Royal Class Dual Combo and Limited Edition Tales of Iwo Jima boxings. Now, as shown below on the drawing of sprue F, they will be included no matter what boxing of the kit you purchase. Nice touch on Eduard’s part.

Eduard

As is customary, Eduard includes a lot of goodies in their Royal Class Dual Combo boxings. This boxing is no exception and will include two sets of resin cast main wheels and tail wells, 3D printed shrouded exhaust stacks, un-shrouded exhaust stacks, and seats. While there are no photos yet, the information on Eduard’s website about this boxing indicates there will be two color photo etch cockpit sets included.

Eduard

In addition, Eduard will included a set to solid masks for painting around the wheel wells. They appear to made of some form of a foam material, and are designed to be placed into the wheel wells to protect your already painted wheel wells when you are painting the bottom of the wings. Again, a very nice touch on Eduard’s part. They appear to be doing that for their 1/48 kits as similar solid masks are included in their P-51B Mustang Royal Class Dual Combo boxing.

Eduard

According to Eduard’s website, pre-orders will be accepted between April 26th and May 8th, and kits will ship in the second half of June.

Kudos to Eduard for producing a 1/72 P-51D Mustang kit with all the necessary parts to build an accurate Iwo Jima VLR Mustang. Let’s hope that they follow suit and release a limited edition boxing dedicated solely to the Iwo Jima VLR Mustang groups in 1/72nd scale.

Here is a link to the 1/72nd Royal Class Dual Combo boxing: https://www.eduard.com/eduard/p-51d-mustang-dual-combo-1-72.html?cur=2&&force_sid=fcq1jtinhf1a75u1rb33jsl6so4dups8