Grumman J2F Duck

[Derek B]

Just getting a feel for this amongst the LSP collective. I don't know about you guys, but the Grumman J2F Duck is one of those strangely appealing aircraft to me (as well as along lived warbird to boot!). I can't seem to find much out there, apart from a 1/48 kit, so does anyone know of anything in 1/32 scale?

 

If there isn't, how how much interest is there for one? (I am looking for advice on good reference material here at the moment, as I would like to make one in the future for myself at least, but if I am going to put that much effort into doing this, I may as well go the whole hog and make a pattern.

 

All advice/comments welcomed

 

Thanks

 

Derek

[Hubert Boillot]

There's a 1/33 paper kit by Polish producer Orlik ...and that's about it.

 

It can be found here

 

Hubert.

[Derek B]

Thanks Harvey, and thanks Hubert for the link - I shall check it out later

 

Derek

[Jeff Herne]

Derek,

 

I have a restored Duck not far from here, let me know what you need.

 

I can probably get cockpit and interior shots if you need them.

 

Here's some shots taken with a cheap point-and-click, I have a hi-end DSLR now so I can get you some good pics if you need them. I left these images on the large side so you can zoom in on the details.

 

J

 

http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/jherne/duck/

[Hubert Boillot]

PS : please read Modelik rather than Orlik ...

 

Hubert.

[Derek B]

Derek,

 

I have a restored Duck not far from here, let me know what you need.

 

I can probably get cockpit and interior shots if you need them.

 

Here's some shots taken with a cheap point-and-click, I have a hi-end DSLR now so I can get you some good pics if you need them. I left these images on the large side so you can zoom in on the details.

 

J

 

http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/jherne/duck/

 

 

Jeff,

 

Great shots - thank you very much (now well and truely saved!).

 

If there really is enough interest out there, then I will certainly consider adding this to my future projects list, in which case, those photographs will be crucial to getting the cockpit (and other) details as correct as possible.

 

Cheers

 

Derek

[LSP_Ray]

Hello Derek! I think the Duck would be an interesting choice; I know I would buy one!

 

I am curious though: how long is your to-do list getting?

 

I hear you; so many aircraft, so little time!

[Derek B]

Hello Derek! I think the Duck would be an interesting choice; I know I would buy one!

 

I am curious though: how long is your to-do list getting?

 

I hear you; so many aircraft, so little time!

 

Hi Ray,

 

Wellll...You're right, However, there are plans afoot for the 1/32 P-61 Black Widow, but I cannot really say too much about that at the moment , and once I have completed the 1/32 P-40F/L nose conversion, I am pretty well free to start on my own patterns, which will focus on the smaller Beaufighter, F4U Corsair and Phantom accessories initially. These will be followed up with the larger and more involved conversions for these aircraft, then will come the full kits, but I need to know what to concentrate on?

 

One of the main reasons I am thinking of this one is that I feel that it will be one of those utility aircraft that did everything very quietly, and would therefore be dear to the hearts of many Americans.

 

Derek

[Kaeone57]

AHHHH, a Duck in 32nd scale, YESSSSS!!!! I see 1 in Yellow Wings, and 1 in 3 tone counter shade/shadow scheme already. 2010 looks to be a good year for ya' Derek, a P-61, Beaufighter bits, Corsair bits, P-40F/L... I thought I was broke now, shhhh..........t. By the time you read this, I will have made it to the corner, and begun my pan handling, Thanks Derek...

 

 

Peace,

 

Alfonso

[ssculptor]

Some years ago I picked up a carved and painted hard wood model of the Duck made in the Philippines for a very low price on ebay. It is very close to 1/32 scale and it was quicker to just get that and hang it in my library than to make it from wood myself.

I love this model because they made a couple really silly errors on it and every time I look at it I just start giggling. There are struts running from the horizontal stabilizers to the vertical stabilizer. That is, there are on the real airplane. But on this model they run from the elevators to the rudder! A very funny impossibility! Duh!

Another minor flaw is the fact that they put a load of 5 rockets under each lower wing, but the plane is painted with the yellow wing paint scheme of the 1938-9 era, about 4 years before they produced these underwing weapons! Another duh!

Maybe that is why I got it so cheap. But I certainly got my money's worth in merriment just looking at it. Also, I like the model and its color scheme so I'm pretty happy with it.

Like many of us say, "too many kits and not enough time." So if I can get one of these carved wood models of a plane that will never appear as a 1/32 injected molded kit at a low enough price, I'll buy it.

 

I once picked up a U-control flying model kit of the Navy AJ-1 Savage made by Berkeley back in 1958. The kit is 1/32 scale and one of these days I'll build it. Back in the day when we all flew either free flight or U-control, that kit was pefect for the aircraft carrier event, where you took off from a raised wooden "deck" of a carrier and landed back on it, trying to catch an arrester wire. It will make a nice static model, all painted in dark navy blue. Yeah, one of these days when I have time. They sell on ebay these days, when you can find one, for as much as a high priced Trumpeter kit.

 

Its a hobby and I have always tried to really enjoy my hobbies. Otherwise, why have them? If I want stress and strife and misery I can go out and get another girlfriend. Then both she and my wife can be mad at me. So instead, I'll just stay at home and play with my hobbies and try not to upset my wife. Well, not much, anyway.

Stephen

[Derek B]

Some years ago I picked up a carved and painted hard wood model of the Duck made in the Philippines for a very low price on ebay. It is very close to 1/32 scale and it was quicker to just get that and hang it in my library than to make it from wood myself.

I love this model because they made a couple really silly errors on it and every time I look at it I just start giggling. There are struts running from the horizontal stabilizers to the vertical stabilizer. That is, there are on the real airplane. But on this model they run from the elevators to the rudder! A very funny impossibility! Duh!

Another minor flaw is the fact that they put a load of 5 rockets under each lower wing, but the plane is painted with the yellow wing paint scheme of the 1938-9 era, about 4 years before they produced these underwing weapons! Another duh!

Maybe that is why I got it so cheap. But I certainly got my money's worth in merriment just looking at it. Also, I like the model and its color scheme so I'm pretty happy with it.

Like many of us say, "too many kits and not enough time." So if I can get one of these carved wood models of a plane that will never appear as a 1/32 injected molded kit at a low enough price, I'll buy it.

 

I once picked up a U-control flying model kit of the Navy AJ-1 Savage made by Berkeley back in 1958. The kit is 1/32 scale and one of these days I'll build it. Back in the day when we all flew either free flight or U-control, that kit was pefect for the aircraft carrier event, where you took off from a raised wooden "deck" of a carrier and landed back on it, trying to catch an arrester wire. It will make a nice static model, all painted in dark navy blue. Yeah, one of these days when I have time. They sell on ebay these days, when you can find one, for as much as a high priced Trumpeter kit.

 

Its a hobby and I have always tried to really enjoy my hobbies. Otherwise, why have them? If I want stress and strife and misery I can go out and get another girlfriend. Then both she and my wife can be mad at me. So instead, I'll just stay at home and play with my hobbies and try not to upset my wife. Well, not much, anyway.

Stephen

 

Very amusing Stephen...Thank you for cheering me up! (I also used to make scale free flight and control line ('U' Control) models in years past, so I know what you mean).

 

Cheers

 

Derek

[LSP_Ray]

Its a hobby and I have always tried to really enjoy my hobbies. Otherwise, why have them? If I want stress and strife and misery I can go out and get another girlfriend. Then both she and my wife can be mad at me. So instead, I'll just stay at home and play with my hobbies and try not to upset my wife. Well, not much, anyway.

Stephen

 

That reminds me of a line from a comic I watched last night: "Did you ever have sex so good you had to run home and tell the wife about it?!!"

 

Derek, any updates on the Tempest? I assume that is on the list somewhere too...

 

Back to the Duck, I do seriously think that would be a good subject; small, lots of colour schemes, interesting and purposeful shape, important a/c for the job it did, and obscure enough that it probably won't be done anytime soon in injected plastic. I wish you well in creating one!

[Derek B]

That reminds me of a line from a comic I watched last night: "Did you ever have sex so good you had to run home and tell the wife about it?!!"

 

Derek, any updates on the Tempest? I assume that is on the list somewhere too...

 

Back to the Duck, I do seriously think that would be a good subject; small, lots of colour schemes, interesting and purposeful shape, important a/c for the job it did, and obscure enough that it probably won't be done anytime soon in injected plastic. I wish you well in creating one!

 

 

Thanks for the encouragement Ray (I shall PM you wrt the Tempest).

 

Cheers

 

Derek

[Derek B]

I'm starting to get a warm feeling about this one (I fully agree with Ray's comments). So, my next question shall be this; Can anyone recommend to me the most accurate drawings I can use as my base reference for the kit please? (and possibly which existing kit engine/prop combination and wheels to use as starting point as well please?).

 

Many thanks

 

Derek

[LSP_Ray]

IIRC, the 1/48th scale Classic Airframes Duck was well received and might make a good 3D basis for scaling up to 1/48th. Unfortunately, I don't have one to look at to see what would work in 1/32nd. It is a Grumman, so hopefully has some parts common to the F3F or maybe early F4F? It appears the engine for instance was a Wright R-1820 Cyclone, so I would start with a Vector engine(would be best to simply supply the Vector kit with it - it's gorgeous!!!).

 

Here is the bibliography from Wikipedia:

 

* Allen, Francis J. "A Duck Without Feathers". Air Enthusiast. Issue 23, December 1983—March 1984. Bromley, Kent UK: Pilot Press, 1983. pp.46—55, 77—78.

* Hosek, Timothy. Grumman JF Duck - Mini in Action 7. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., 1996. ISBN 0-89747-366-3.

* Jarski, Adam. Grumman JF/J2F Duck (Monografie Lotnicze 98) (in Polish with English captions). Gdańsk, Poland: AJ-Press, 2007. ISBN 83-7237-169-0.

* Nuñez Padin, Jorge Félix. Grumman G.15, G.20 & J2F Duck (Serie Aeronaval Nro. 15) (in Spanish). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Museo de Aviación Naval, Instituto Naval, 2002.

 

Unfortunately, I have none of those books!!!