Beyond The Sprues
Modelling => Completed GBs => Group and Themed Builds => Gunships GB => Topic started by: Acree on March 25, 2016, 08:42:02 AM
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All I'll say for now is: JRB + M1A1 @ Guadalcanal
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What is JRB? ???
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What is JRB?
Carlos,
More information at this link: Construction Eqauipment.com (http://www.constructionequipment.com/company/jrb)
Company web page at this link: Paladin Attachments (http://www.paladinattachments.com)
***Disregard the above. Acree has an explanation of his plans in the reply below mine. :)
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Not exactly the JRB I had in mind, Jeffry! I was thinking more along the lines of the Beech 18 in Navy (and Marines) service: some were designated SNB (S=Scout, N=Trainer, B=Beech), whilst others were designated JRB (J=Utility, R=Transport, B=Beech). The one I have in mind was (in scenario) the recently former personal transport of Major General AA Vandergrift of the 1st Marine Division.
For those who wonder how I would combine an Abrams tank with that, M1A1 was also the designation of the 75mm pack howitzer used by the Marines in the Pacific (as well as others, elsewhere).
Now, the whole thing should make more sense. More, including pics, once the GB starts.
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Starting points...
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That is going to be a tight fit :)
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A bit, but I've done a fit check, and I think it will just work. The backstory involves a bit of desperation. Discarding major bits of the carriage make all the difference.
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If you have to have a lot of the barrel sticking out of one side, you could always do the Italian turret trick and have a length of aluminium pipe sticking out of the opposite side window to even the drag up.
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Ok, I'm still alive and still working on this one. The C-45 I got from eBay actually came with two complete kits (well, I can't find one landing gear leg). One kit was still on sprues and in plastic bags. The other had been sprayed overall silver, with the big parts off the sprue but not cleaned up in any way (still sprue scraps on the parts). I (foolishly) elected to use the painted one for this build and save the pristine one for later. So, I spent a lot of time sanding the silver off, but in the end, not enough of it, so I have paint-sticking issues. Still having a little trouble with my airbrush technique, too. s Then, the carpet monster claimed a small but vital part of the M1A1 (the barrel, no less!). After four days I finally found the barrel in the carpet, then mauled the muzzle trying to drill it out. So, I replaced the muzzle with appropriately-sized plastic tube. Then, I could not find 1943 US insignia (no red-dot, nor bars) small enough for the fuselage. I finally resorted to cutting the centers out of 1944-style insignia - but the circles are not perfect. So, all in all, it's been a pretty frustrating build, but I am finally in the last stages, so I will try to post some photos late tonight (US Pacific time). Should be complete by the beginning of next week.
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Here are the promised pics. Still a few details to finish, paint touch-ups, etc. The M1A1 still needs to be mounted. In one of the photos you can see the M1A1 on its truncated carriage ready to be mounted. In the other you can barely make out the ammunition stowed on a rack inside the fuselage.
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Oh this is cool. I like where you're going!
Re the paint and decal issues: whenever I think of WW2 Marines, I think "rag-tag, resourceful, use anything and everything they can find"...perhaps this was a squadron hack liberated by your unit, hastily repainted for use in this new role? Just an idea to ease your pain :)
I look forward to your progress!
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Thanks for the encouragement, Zac! I don't have much experience at weathering, but my plan is to try to show the wear and tear of a tough pacific campaign with this one. And your assessment of the Marines is right in line with mine!
Thanks again!
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Looking good :)
... my plan is to try to show the wear and tear of a tough pacific campaign ...
Yup, relentless sunshine, salt air, and a sandblasting on every take-off and landing ... fun ;D
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Well, work on the JRB is pretty much done. Just a little clean-up, better photography and the backstory to go. Here are a couple of pics for now.
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During the Battle of Guadalcanal, US Marine Corps forces found themselves facing Japanese forces dug in in fortified positions along the slopes of Mount Austen. The terrain made it extremely difficult to effectively use the available artillery (primarily M1A1 pack howitzers) heavily armed up-slope positions. 1Lt Preston Jamison was in the planning cell of the 1st Marine Division as the staff discussed options for neutralizing these threats. Jamison was the staff pilot assigned to General AA Vandegrift, CG of the 1st Marine Division. As they men considered options, Jamison thought back to his high school aeronautics class, and recalled page 23, where the text discussed on=pylon turns.
He remembered that, in a properly executed on-pylon turn, the lateral axis of the aircraft pointed constantly at the pylon. If he could mount a gun along the lateral axis of a plane, he felt sure he could aim the gun at a ground target by flying an on-pylon turn around it. After much discussion, General Vandegrift's approved the plan and assigned Capt TJ Smithers of the 164th Regiment to assist him in modifying Maj Gen Vandegrift's personal transport (a Beech JRB) for the operation.
Jamison and Smithers requisitioned an M1A1 75mm pack howitzer and proceeded to modify it for mounting in the JRB. First they removed the wheels, brakes and axle, then they cut off most of the trailing carriage portion. They then removed all interior equipment from the passenger compartment of the JRB, including the entry door. They then mounted the modified M1A1 in the doorway. The length of the 75mm shell dictated that room be left behind the gun to load, so a large portion of the gun extended outside the cabin. It was soon discovered that this caused the JRB to turn left unless significant right rudder was held - however, turning left was the main idea, anyway!
Jamison and Smithers also recognized the need for a way to check the aim without wasting a 75mm shell, so they mounted a .50-cabliber M2 machine gun to fire out of the circular window aft of the main gun.
The modified JRB went into action in on Jan 4, 1943. It was briefly an effective weapon against hardened positions in difficult terrain. However, the heavy gun took its toll on the airframe and after 7 missions, the JRB had to be scrapped. In the meantime, Beechcraft engineers in Wichita heard about the modification and were horrified. They declared the whole thing impossible and refused to cooperate with a program to build more. However, this experience may have influenced the design of the XA-38 Grizzly which had just been contracted for.
Because the JRB had been Maj Gen Vandegrift's personal transport, the Marines nicknamed the aircraft, "General VandeBoom."
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Awesome. I like everything about this project.
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Very good! :)
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That's turned out beautifully, well done! I love the story, very believable.
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Thanks, gents!
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Love it! Nice work on the weathering and brilliant backstory :)
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Well done Acree. I like the fact that it's not OTT and it's improvised nature resulted in a price to be paid in the long term: very credible. :) 8)