The 2 the Max Project

[matt glascock]

Agreed Captain. Two Pratt and Whitney J58-1 engines each producing 34,000 lbs thrust. Mach 3.3 speed. It flew at the edge of space in pitch blackness where the pilot could appreciate the curvature of the earth. When a SAM launch was detected, it simply outflew it. One of my greatest experiences was seeing one take off at full afterburner at dusk at the Oshkosh Air show. 60 foot long blue inferno out of each engine. You could clearly see the "shock diamonds" on the jet flames. Face melting, eyeball cracking loudness. It made your entire body vibrate. Awesome!! Fun fact: First flight of the SR-71 AND Hodaka Ace 90 - 1964!!

[matt glascock]

Oh, another fun fact (sorry I'm such a total geek, but hey, these things are insanely cool). On the ground the planes fitment was so loose it actually leaked JP-7 on the tarmac. Once airborne, at it's typical cruise speed of Mach 3.2, the air frame heated and expanded about four inches thus sealing the aircraft. How cool is that. Kelly Johnson's crew at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works did some amazing stuff.

[hodakamax]

Ah, more fans of the Blackbird, I thought it was just me! My favorite story was when a Mig-25 Foxbat tried for an intercept on the Blackbird at over Mach 3. Even the though the Foxbat was almost as fast, its engine life at that speed was only seconds. The Mig-25 limped back to its base with both engines destroyed and never flew again.

I'm a lucky guy. My love of Aircraft and profession has brought me into contact with many famous aircraft. Sat in a Blackbird cockpit. Photographed and stuck my head in Apollo 13 after opening the hatch. Touched three Blackbird variants and viewed six. Some museums, some work as a photographer. Saw two of the three X-15s, one within two inches. I was instructed not to touch it! Visited the third X-15 crash site and got to hang out a day with X-15 pilot and two time Shuttle pilot Joe Engle. What could be better for an aircraft nut?

Matt, I'm envious of your experience of seeing a flying Blackbird. I was always a day late on a shuttle launch but did see them on the pad. Here's my shot of the Enterprise in transit. The one I missed and regret missing was a Saturn V moon launch which was on my bucket list but just wasn't possible at that point in life. Exciting times and I really did get the breaks for my childhood dreams.

Maxie--Aircraft enthusiast!

[matt glascock]

Ooh, I'm green with envy Maxie. I'd love to get to sit in a Blackbird cockpit. You might enjoy this story. At the "Thunder in the Valley" air show we have here a featured performance was a P-51 Mustang. It was put through its paces with aeorbatics and strafing run demonstrations. Little did I know at the time it was flown by its original pilot. It had four swastikas painted on its fuselage. The pilot was an 8th airforce veteran who flew fighter escort missions during WW2. He let me sit in the cockpit and pointed out to me several bullet holes in the cockpit and firewall. It was a life-changing moment for me and completed the process of solidifying my love for all things that move through the air (including dirt bikes) . I never got to see a shuttle launch, but I was at Cape Canaveral for the launch of a Titan II rocket back in the late 80's. They were still being used as a satellite delivery vehicle through the turn of the century. The sound of the launch was indescribable. Nothing but pure POWER. Awesome. Great shot of the shuttle in piggyback transport by the way.

[hodakamax]

Strange Matt, While working in Florida in the 80's we watched my one and only launch of a Titan II. I wonder if our paths were crossing! I concur on the launch sound. Cool story on the P-51! I'm still kid at heart and this Air and Space thing has been with me as far back as I remember. Dayton USAF Museum is a must see for people like us and I crossed it off the bucket list two years ago. Everything was there! Hundreds of examples. X-planes, nukes, missiles, captured things like Mig 29 and Me 262 and all the weird attempts of Flight. OK, I'll quit for now but you did get me started!

Maxie

[matt glascock]

I'll put Dayton on my list, Maxie. I did get to the Smithsonian though. Its stunning seeing the "Glamorous Glennis" Bell X-1 hanging next to an example of the X-15. Another fun fact. On the day of the X-1 maiden flight, Chuck Yeager had to have one of his colleagues rig up an extension for the lever that secured the hatch using a sawed off broom stick because the pain from a few busted ribs prevented him from teaching the lever. The official line is that he broke ribs during a fall from a horse. There is ample evidence he sustained the fractures during a bar fight. Talk about the "Right Stuff". Where do men like that come from?

[hodakamax]

Number two is the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola Florida. Definitely Bucket list. Hands on! Sit in Phantoms and such! Wow!

A few teasers---

[Bill2001]

"Where do men like that come from?"
And where have they all gone?

Long time aerospace enthusiast, too.
The museum at Dayton is on my bucket list. I've been to Pensacola, but it's been decades. My fave there was the PBY and the ginormous seaplanes out in the back lot. Locally we have the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham and the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. The SRC has a fully restored "for real" Saturn V in a building. And an SR-71 in the parking lot. Plus a lot of other goodies inside. I've not been to either in years and need a revisit.
If you're through Ala, holler at me and we'll do museums and lunch.

[hodakamax]

Thanks for the input Bill! The Naval Air Museum has quite the addition since you've been there. Check it out!

Maxie

[Larry S]

Back in the "olden" days, when I worked for a living, I drove petroleum tanker out of Sacramento, Ca. One of my favorite deliveries was to Beale AFB, home of the SR71.

Beale has two gas stations for military personnel and civilian employees. The main station is near the flight line. I loved watching SR71s, U2s, T38s and KC135s taking off or landing while I was unloading.

I was making a delivery early one winter morning - it was still dark. I heard a roar coming down the flight line. I stopped what I was doing to see what was going on. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched. There was a pilot standing beside me. I knew he was a pilot because he was wearing flyer's coveralls and a fancy neck scarf. The Mach 3 patch on his sleeve didn't mean anything to me at the time. He had a lot of burn scars - I didn't ask any questions, I assumed he once had a landing that didn't go well.

The roar came from a SR71 in full afterburner with the harmonic balls in blue flames. When it lifted off, it climbed out at a near vertical until it disappeared into the sky. You could no longer see it, but you could still hear it. I had seen SR71s take off many times, but never like that. I asked the pilot where the SR was going in such a hurry. He replied, "I don't know. That's secret, but if I were to guess, I would guess he's going to Libya to take some pictures. He will be home for supper."

I later found out that the pilot was Brian Shul who after retiring, became an author and motivational speaker. (If you want to see a good Youtube video check out Brian Shul talks about piloting the SR71.

And, don't even get me started on the T-38 -the flying version of a Porsche. There is one escorting the space shuttle in Max's photo.

Larry S

[matt glascock]

OOH... I love the T-38 Talon. Supersonic plane that after nearly 60 years remains in service. How cool is that?!?

[Bill2001]

News of a double treat for us.
The Southern Museum of Flight has outgrown it's 30-year home and plans are in the works to build a new expanded Museum out in the vicinity of Barbers Motorsports near Bham.

[matt glascock]

Bikes. Planes. HEAVEN!!

[hodakamax]

The model display is finally settled in our local Library for a month. The Blackbird seems happy along with my favorite hat as a prop. Here's a couple more shots.

[matt glascock]

Masterful work, Maxie. If the Ju-87 model is a Tamiya/Italeri 1:48, I built the same kit. I studied all source material I could find regarding the Jericho Trumpet and found confusing information regarding the small drive propeller construction. The conundrum was wood vs metal. I detailed it to represent wood, but I'm not sure if that is correct. If you know this detail, please let me in on the dope. Remarkable plane. I really dug the automatic dive recovery system. Can you imagine awakening behind the stick after blacking out from the automatic 6G pull-out? Yikes! Just for fun, its such a cool plane that I built the Hasegawa JU-87G-2 1:48 kit as an homage to Hans-Ulrich Rudel's last "Tank Killer" version Stuka. There were a few molding issues on the wings and spats that required a bit more shaping with the sanding pads than I'd like and I had to spend a million years creating a rivet effect with a 22ga needle I converted into a cutting punch. Wing and fuselage surface detail was disappointingly lacking for what is otherwise a reasonably high-end kit so I also had to improvise that with a No. 11 blade and straight edge. And I did have to supplement the decals with some aftermarket additions to really get the Rudel details right. All in all a cool kit to build if you are interested in another version. Great work, Maxie!

[Bill2001]

Wonderful work, Maxie.

Matt, much attention to detail is needed for good scale modeling.

I'm currently working on a series of scale spacecraft. Apollo-Soyuz, the Apollo 13 explosion and the Mir space station.

[hodakamax]

Matt, you never fail to amaze me with your information and like-minded philosophy! Master modeler, air and space fellow, Philosopher and motorcyclist all in one! My scale modeling has really slowed down recently as I find these 1/1 Hodaka projects much more satisfying and more hands on. I had similar W.I.P. builds on the Fine-scale Modeling site forum with the same fun social interaction which is always the fun part on all my builds to entertain me.

Back to the Stuka. 1/48 Hasegawa which was a good kit. It didn't show the sirens but that seems part of Stuka story. Wooden props on those I think, some painted black. As a kid my uncle who fought against Rommel in north Africa told me stories of screaming Stuka attacks. This is the reason I built this example and it had to have sirens! A few years back, two English ladies and sisters visited our house and upon seeing the Stuka they giggled and told of a childhood Stuka attack in London. They were coming home from school and both jumped into a muddy ditch. Their mother was furious with them when they arrived home for soiling their new school clothes. They giggled again! Funny. I often think of that story when I look at the model!

Maxie

[matt glascock]

Maxie, that is a spectacular model! Just perfect in every detail. My understanding is that the Nazis removed the Jericho Trumpet from the Stuka because the drag slowed the plane down in level flight. At nearly 200 MPH slower than the allied fighters it faced, I'm not convinced the improvement in speed gained any meaningful advantage . Thanks for settling the score on the drive propeller. I am going to repaint them black. Its so cool that you had the opportunity to share in the experiences of people who directly experienced facing this plane in combat. That connection to another time and place is one of the most enjoyable aspects of modeling, Hodaka building/riding, and the historical study of air/space flight for guys like us. I too feel we are a pair of kindred spirits, Maxie. That is why I enjoy following your projects so much.

[matt glascock]

I agree, Bill. That is one of the things that make modeling so enjoyable. There is almost no end to the detail you can pursue. Especially when one begins detailing realism such as battle damage, dirt and grime, and wear and tear. For these reasons, the Apollo 13 blast damage should provide a target rich environment. Better fire up that air brush

[hodakamax]

Thanks for the comments, Matt, Bill, Larry. We have gotten off the subject but it's not often I can find victims to look at my models! I post often on finescale.com forum. Visit or better yet, join us so we can see your work!

Ok Matt, one more of my favorite models that you might like. Check it out! Now that this model show thing has stabilized, I really am dragging the 2 the Max project back to the assembly line today!

Maxie

[Larry S]

Max - One more comment before we get back on topic. The next time you run out of projects and get bored, you need to add a Hellcat, Zero, and Mosquito to your collection.

Larry S

[matt glascock]

Nice!! Dual cannon ports make that an ME 262 A-2a, the "Sturmvogel" - I think - I can't see the bomb load on yours but i recall it carried 2x500Kg bombs. I built the Schwalbe ("swallow" ) rendition. I really like how you interfaced the ground and sky camo. I did mine with an airbrush and although it looks cool, its not all that accurate. Your rendition looks much more legit. Did you sponge on the ground camo? Just excellent, Maxie.

[hodakamax]

Ah, right again Matt! You could probably catch me on a few things for accuracy as I sometimes build a generic model to show the best features of the craft with mix and match. As for the paint, I imagined the painter with a bucket and giant sea sponge. Mine was done with a brush but not without quite a bit of practice and was still scary! Here's the bottom and a side view. Like I say, I don't often find victims to show models to. lol. Thanks!

Maxie

[matt glascock]

Now that you've posted the undersurface detail, I think you've nailed the A2-a in fine detail. Maxie, I look at modeling the way you look at bike building. The "kit" is merely a blank canvas and it is up to the builder to make it unique. I dig that yours features the RATO booster rockets aft of the wheel wells. Very cool. I ended fabricating my own out of a parts stringer.

[hodakamax]

While we're on the subjects of museums, I need to show everyone our little Kansas gem, the Kansas Cosmosphere, a first class space artifact museum and restoration shop for space displays. This is where I stuck my head in Apollo 13 while photographing the restoration. I was stuck behind a glass wall trying to record this and the technician saw me and let me in. He let me operate the hatch and peek around inside! There's a Blackbird in the lobby that I always touch when I arrive and when I'm leaving! My wife and I took her son and grandson to see the place recently. I almost lost my voice while giving the tour! What a place.

Maxie