David;
you do more in a day after work than I can even put on my to-do list
Karl
It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus
I'm sure you and the elves will find other things to occupy the time.
Karl
It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus
I love the smell of Marauders in the morning...
Just great, Dave!
Those are super! I couldn't wait either, way back when, before there even was a WWII side to this game. Minicraft Martin Marauders were one of the first trios I built in 1/144 scale.
When I was in grade school, my grand mother used to teach the 3rd grade at the school I went to. The principle of the school, a man of whom I was afraid of, still being in about the 2nd or 3rd grade at the time, called me to the office one day. My grandmother had told him of my love of airplanes, and so he decided to call me in to see him one day. I thought I was in big trouble at the time, getting called to the principles office and all. To my amazement, he took me into his office and began to show me his scrap books from his days as a B-26 Marauder pilot in WWII.
I will never forget him telling me how they called the plane "The Widow Maker", he said because of the many crashes during landing due its high landing speed. His eyes teared up as he told me about his best friend, a pilot in another B-26, who, while practicing low level flying over water, crashed into the sea after turning too tightly, and being too low to the water. All aboard were killed.
After that visit, which was so sobering, even as I think back on it today, some 40 years later, as a young boy back then, I decided to build "Mr. Hinton" a 1/72 scale model B-26. I was very young, and had just started to build models, and thought I was pretty good at it already, but I remember thinking at the time, that I wanted this model to be my best. I built one, and took it back in and gave it to Mr. Hinton.
My grandmother told my Dad, that Mr. Hinton's wife told her that Mr. Hinton kept that model on his dresser until he passed away.
Last edited by kaufschtick; 07-06-2014 at 22:10.
Rob;
Was it the Revel B-26? That was one of the first I built when I was mowing lawns on Saturday morning, and riding with my Father to the railroad hobby store in the next town over, and buying a model to build the next week.
Karl
It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus
Wonderful story Rob. To me there are the minis, the game, the fun, but it really all comes down to these stories and the fellowship. Thanks for caring and sharing!
Dave,
Firing arcs for these? I assume they are B-26-20?
So:
Fixed and flexible nose guns: 1 @ .50s
Fixed fuselage mounted guns: 4 .50s
Dorsal turret: 2 .50s
Waist guns: 1 @ side .50s
Tail turret: 2 .50s
Mike
Yep! Those are the stats, looks like I forgot the gun pods : ( hmm, maybe when I mold the props!
Here's what FW says about the guns:
front gun A/A, front 90 degree level.
top turret: B/A 360 higher except the 6:00 line
left and right waist guns: A/A, 3:00 to 5:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 level to low (only 1 gunner for both waist guns)
tail gun: rear 90 degree high to low
nose gun (fixed): standard front arc, pre-APR-43 A/A, after B-B-A/B Has no gunsight (House rule?).
I'll work on some stats soon (have to deal with a mouse invasion this week).
Karl'
Last edited by Jager; 07-08-2014 at 00:47.
It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus
The work so far...
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I have an OD version, as well as this NMF one. The D-Day strips are an add-on layer.
Shading and firing arcs to do, which will take a while. Adjusting the stats will take seconds.
Mike
Just another wonderful partnership between yourself and Clipper Mike.
Very impressive as usual.
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
This is one of those threads that gets better and better by the time. Rob's story the B-26's becoming so wonderful in Dave's hands and Mike's amazing cards. This is what makes me come here again and again every day, several times a day. Thank you all for this.
Here's my take on the stats:
Maneuver deck: XB; (the initial version [200 or so] were a bit faster (315mph);
Hits: 34; ceiling: 8; climb: 7; guns: nose: front arc, A/A; dorsal turret: 360 high w/ tail BS, B/A; tail: rear arc, A/A
B-26A: same; add ventral tunnel gun: rear arc low only, A/A
B-26-B: Same, hits: 35: guns: tail guns to B/A; add fixed nose gun, A/A.
B-26-B-4: delete tunnel gun; add waist guns, 2:00 to 5:00 and 7:00 to 10:00 level to low, A/A each; add fixed front guns for strafing: B-B-A/B (house rule: no gunsite, so B-A/A).
B-26-B-42: delete single fixed front gun.
B-26-G: essentially the same.
Karl
It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus
Great job David. Your planes ever surprise me for the quality of detail.
Thanks
Nick
Plane Card done:
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The blind spot on the tail will have to be assumed, as the image gets too cluttered.
[Edit: I don't see the waist gunners being able to aim to the front of their positions. They'd be on their bellies to shoot, and in each other's way trying to get the guns to swing to the sides, let alone forward. But I was never in a B-26, so what do I know.]
Only one gunner, either on his knees or belly controlling both waist guns. They were on articulated arms, but even so, I would think aiming forward would be difficult to impossible. Certainly not very good aim.
[Edit 2: Updated and approved below]
Management card sometime...
Last edited by OldGuy59; 08-28-2014 at 16:42. Reason: Card obsolete, updated below
Mike
"Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
"Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59
Can't grab the attachment Mike.
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
And for those who are actually going to fly this in a mission:
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The number 2 firing arc can be fired from the left seat, and if the pilot is incapacitated, the co-pilot can switch seats to continue firing. House rule the seat swap, at least a maneuver or two with straights only, I would suspect.
Arcs 4 and 5 were one person in the same location, but using pivoting mounts. On their knees for lower and rear targets, but they would have to be on their belly to hit anything at the same altitude. Shooting forward of their position would require some gymnastics. A continuous arc of fire would be impossible to do on a target moving from the rear to the front, as the gunner would have to be crawling to the rear, turning his body, and going over the opposite gun mounting. I've seen a picture of the mountings, and it looks pretty sketchy.
Photos of the Marauder Waist Gunner Position: Link
Last edited by OldGuy59; 08-27-2014 at 15:19. Reason: link to waist gun picture
Mike
"Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
"Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59
Beautiful, Mike. I need a pair of Marauders.
I will be uploading a few green ones in my Album, but here is a match to Dave's above:
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Mike
"Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
"Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59
OK, I re-read the FW rules on arcs and looked at the 3 different pages in 3 booklets (sometimes wargames just aren't easy).
You're right about the difficulty in aiming the waist guns. The arcs should be 4:00 to 5:00 and 7:00 to 8:00 level to low.
The arc lines for the waist guns nearest to 6:00 could double as the top turret's tail BS.
Nice looking cards, Mike.
Karl
It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus
Karl,
Another try at the Firing Arcs:
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Better?
Mike
"Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
"Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59
Once again, beautiful, my friend.
Thanks.
This is off topic here, but I was just browsing by today on a day off from work (beautiful summer day today), and reading your kind words reminded me of another "story" that is near and dear to me, if I may indulge for a moment or two.
My grandmother in the above story, who used to be a teacher at the elementary school I went to, was a wonderful woman. She was, of course, married to my grandfather, who was also near and dear to me.
My grandfather, during WWII, worked for the Fisher-Guide division of General Motors, and served those war years at Wright-Patterson, which was at that time, an Army Air Force base. Among the many things he told me about those years, one was being a flight chief on the flight line, and of working on all the battle damaged B-17s that they used to try to repair there. He used to brag that he and his crew could change an engine on a B-17 in 15 minutes. He did many other things, including being in at some level, in the design process of the Fisher P-75 Eagle, an experimental fighter that was unsuccessful. My Dad told me of a time when my grandfather was supposed to be taxing a P-38 Lightning somewhere on the flightline, and got in big trouble because in the course of "taxing" the P-38, it seems that it was frowned upon to taxi at 200-300 feet; for a flightline chief anyway. Anyway, needless to say, there are a lot of stories there that I don't have time here to go into.
When I was a young boy, my grandfather used to like to go to the now, National Museum of the United States Air Force, or just Air Force Museum as we called it back then. I live in Columbus ohio, and the AFM is in Dayton, about a 90 minute drive away. My grandfather went on to work for the General Motors Fisher Guide plant here in Columbus after the war, and did very well for himself. Every year, he would buy the latest model Cadillac, and it was one year, and a trip out to the AFM, that my grandfather and one of his best friends were on, with me in the back of my grandfathers Cadillac.
I was about 9 or 10 maybe, just tagging along because I liked to go see the airplanes at the AFM.
My grandfather and his friend were in the front, and at some point, my grandfathers friend turned to me in the back seat and asked me if I would like to have a small metal disk, that he had been carrying with him ever since WWII. He had it wrapped in a paper towel, and he pulled it from his wallet. He asked me if I could take care of it, and with wide eyes I told him I would. It was a small disk that he told me he had taken off of a japanese kamikaze plane when he was stationed as a garrison troop at a japanese airfield after Japan surrendered. As a little kid, I had a wallet, but never had any money, so I was all too happy to put the disk in my wallet, just as my grandfathers friend had kept it, and took good care of it. The year was roughly 1975 or there abouts.
As the years drifted by, my grandfather and I began to make several trips a year from Columbus to the AFM in Dayton. I carefully packed away that medallian, and after several years, I got it out and asked my grandfather if he remembered which friend of his had given it to me, and what the writing on it meant. Unfortunately, many of my grandfathers friends made trips with us out to the AFM, and my grandfather had no idea who had given me the medallion by then. On one trip to the museum, we went in to see the research staff to ask if they might be able to help us identify the medallion, and the writing on it. They were able to tell us that it was called a "Cherry Blossom", but couldn't interpret the inscription on it.
As the years rolled by, the mystery of the cherry blossom faded, and I packed it away again. Time doesn't stop for anyone, and those passing years for me saw duty for myself in Desert Shield/Desert Storm, a return home, and the begining of a young family, and life as a department manager in a super market. My grandfather passed away, my kids began growing up, and suddenly I wasn't a young buck any longer.
Fast forward to a day in the summer of 2006-2007. At work one day, I was called to speak to a customer in the store who wanted to speak to a manager about a complaint. I began speaking with an older gentleman, who was riding in one of our motorized carts for folks who have a hard time getting around, and as I was listening to him, he mentioned something about having been on his way to the GM retirement dinner. I chuckled and happened to mention my grandfather used to go to those, and this gentleman bluntly told me that his best friend Bob and he started and organized the retirement dinners/get togethers. I told him that was funny, because my grandfathers name was Bob. He looked at my name badge, which back then had our last names on them, and I saw his eyes start to tear up. He began to well up, and he asked if Bob Moffitt was my grandfather, to which I proudly said yes. He introduced himself as Mel Swanson, best friends with my grandfather, and we had a nice chat and parted ways that day.
In the coming weeks, he made trips into our store just to say hi to me, and while talking to him one day, I began to think of that old cherry blossom. I asked him one day if by chance, he ever remembered going to the AFM museum with my grandfather, and he said that they had once. I asked him if he remembered having gone with a little kid, and he said he thought that my grandfather and he had gone with a small child, a little girl possibly! I chuckled for a moment upon hearing that, and then I asked him if ever remembered giving that small child a cherry blossom.
Again the tears began to well up in his eyes, and he looked at me and said, "That was you?" I was stunned. My eyes began to tear up. I told him I still had that cherry blossom.
I'll try to speed things up here; Mel Swanson was a United States Marine stationed aboard the battleship USS Massachusetts in WWII. So in the weeks that followed, my best friend paid to have an American Flag flown on the USS Massachusetts (a floating museum now) in Mel's honor, and gave it to me to give to Mel the next time I saw him. Unfortunately, I was transferred to a new store location. I only saw Mel one time after that, and I didn't have the flag with me to give to him when I saw him, but I told him I had something I wanted to give to him. He told me that he had something that he wanted to give to me as well. He told me that he had taken not one, but a pair of cherry blossoms off the japanese kamikaze plane way back in WWII. He said that since I had done such a good job of taking care of the first one he gave me (I brought it in one day and showed him it), that he wanted give me the second one. That last time I saw Mel, he was walking on his own power. He was a tall man, and he was wearing what looked like a brand spanking new leather flight jacket, kahki dress pants with what looked like brand new uniform dress shoes. He always wore a large wrist watch, with the disk decked out in USMC colors. That last day he also wore a brand spanking new USMC ball cap style hat. For his age, he still looked like he was quite capable of kicking some serious ass.
Mel passed away sometime after that, before I could get the flag to him; complete with its certificate of the day and year that it flew, once again, on the mast of the USS Massachusetts, in honor of Mel Swanson. I kept that flag at work with me in the hopes of seeing Mel again, but I never did.
One day about a year and a half ago, while I was helping customers during a busy time at our store, I helped a gentleman who was so appreciative of my time that when I had finished helping him, he stopped and introduced himself to me... as Jerry Swanson. I asked him by chance if he were any relation to a Mel Swanson, and he said that was his father, and that's when I found out Mel had passed away. I asked him to wait one moment, as I went to my office to get the flag, which I still kept at work with me. When I returned, and gave him the flag & certificate, and told him the story, we were both all choked up. In talking, it also turned out that Mel's son Jerry to whom I was speaking with, and my father were good friends! We talked for a while, parted and I have not seen him since.
It felt so good to get that flag to the Swanson family for Mel. That flag, and that little tiny plastic B-26 model all those years ago...two of the most cherished memories I have.
It sure is a small world sometimes.
My middle son now serves in the United States Marine Corps, I hope Mel would be proud of that. I've already told my son that I think those Cherry Blossoms need to return to the care of a guardian in the USMC. Who knows, maybe one day my son will complete their trek around the world, and return them to Japan, where they belong.
Last edited by kaufschtick; 08-29-2014 at 15:43.
Thanks once again for your memories, Rob. It's a honor to be able to read them.
Rob,
I can't see well enough these days without you making it harder. You could get me electrocuted by my keyboard, too.
Mike
"Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
"Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59
I have no words Rob. No words. Maybe beautiful (although I already used).
Thanks
Nick
Last edited by kaufschtick; 08-29-2014 at 15:26.
Great stories, thanks for sharing.
Dave, those models look great.
Rob, that is a fantastic story. Looking through old threads finds some hidden gems!
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