Conversion Work

Admittedly one of the easiest conversions to tackle....

I picked up a mix of items from a fellow historian who also happens to be a gamer. In the mix were eight Messerschmitt Bf 109E models, metal castings from Raiden. On three of the planes some of the wing 20mm cannon barrels were broken off, and I could not decide what to do with them. Yes, I like my barrels to be present, thank you very much. After a little thought I have decided to convert them into the earlier E-1 variant, one that was equipped only with four 7.92mm MG 17 machineguns (two in the fuselage and one in each wing).  The wing machineguns were flush with the leading edge of the wing, so the lack of barrels is a good thing. While the Raiden castings are the later E-4 variant with a squared off canopy, removing the cannon barrels as well as the underwing bulge created by the cannon, provides a "good enough for government work" version of the E-1 variant. The E-1 was used during the Spanish Civil War and stayed in service into late summer of 1940. 

Clean up phase

Using an X-acto knife, a flick of the wrist removed the remaining barrels. I also removed both barrels from a fourth Messerschmitt so that I could have a schwarm of converted models (think I will do the other four as Romanian Messerschmitts as Sieben Schwaben Spiele have decals for the E-3 model). The X-acto knife also did a decent job cutting off the cannon bulges, and the remaining nubs were then filed flush with the underside of the wing.

While the planes already had a coat of primer, the filing took some of the paint off of the wings - and I did some cleanup work on seam lines and the like - so a new coat of primer was applied. Next was to start painting the proper RLM colors to the miniatures. As I already have some decals for the Bf 109 in Spain (Scale Specialties Code 300AC-GER006 on the I-94/Raiden site), and the fact that the scheme is relatively simple, I had decided to do four Legion Condor versions, but then I also realized that I could just go with German markings to use them in 1940 - the E-1, E-3, and E-4 models were used in France and the skies over Britain.* 

Regardless of how I use the E-1s, the undersurfaces are all painted in RLM 65 (hellblau - light blue) went on the undersurfaces.

Vallejo Model Air 71.255 applied and the removal of the 20mm barrel and bulge.

As I make a final decision on what theater to use these modified Messerschmitts I will post more on this conversion.

* I am working on a 1940 booklet that feature scenarios of Swiss neutrality violations and also included will be scenarios that highlight Groupe de Chasse Polonais I/145 flying the Caudron-Renault CR.714.

The North American A-36

Those Operation Torch styles roundels are pretty cool...

No, not the Apache, not the Invader, not the Screaming Helldiver - the North American A-36 Mustang. Contrary to common parlance, the official name of the A-36 was the Mustang, North American Aviation's dive bomber version of the P-51. It was North American Aviation that called the A-36 the Apache, while in the 27th Fighter Bomber Group it was known as the Invader. To add even more confusion, much like "fork-tailed devil" and "whistling death," allegedly the Axis called it the Screaming Helldiver - not certain if I buy that story even if historical accounts indicate that it made a louder screeching noise than the Junkers 87 Stuka.

Michael T. Russo

Much like the early P-51 Mustangs, the A-36, using the Allison V-1710 engine, delivered poor performance at higher altitudes, but at the altitudes that dive bombers would start their run (typically 12,000 feet or less) the Allison performed well. The top speed of the A-36 was 365 miles per hour, while in a nearly vertical dive it needed air brakes to limit the dive speed to 390 mph, otherwise speeds would become excessive and lead to the A-36 not being able to pull out of their run. Carrying up to 1,000 pounds of bombs with six .50 caliber Browning M2A2 machineguns, the A-36 packed a decent punch. The gun arrangement was unique - four guns in the wings, and two under the engine firing through the propeller. And when the A-36 was not carrying bombs, it could hold its own against enemy fighter aircraft - eighty-four kills were claimed against Axis aircraft. And the 27th FBG even produced an A-36 ace - Michael T. Russo, who shot down a variety of aircraft (including Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Messerschmitt Bf 109, Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, and even a Junkers Ju 52). Russo is called by many the first Mustang ace.

I have been able to cobble together about a dozen scenarios that mostly feature engagements in the Mediterranean, but also one action in the China-Burma-India theater. I will get a few of those into Check Your 6! format and post them in the future.

Ratings - With the Allison engine and issues with the single stage supercharger at higher altitudes, here is my take on the P-51A and the A-36 for CY6!:

Miniatures - Flight Deck Decals and Table Top Flights make the A-36 while Raiden has a P-51A which would work as a good proxy especially if the casting has the fuselage guns (most P-51As had only the wing guns). For some excellent decals that cover the A-36 specifically, check out Scale Specialties available from I-94. There is a sheet that covers early P-51s and A-36s in North Africa.

...but the red outlined star and bars add some color.

Paint schemes for North Africa and the Mediterranean are simple (and I like simple for my own painting) - Olive Drab 41 upper surfaces over Neutral Gray 43 undersides. The propeller hub was usually painted red with yellow identification stripes on the wings (and included in the decal sheet mentioned above). National insignia could be the white star on blue circle with yellow surround (Operation Torch style) or the 1943 star and bars with red outline - later the blue outlined star and bars would be used. Add in some yellow aircraft numbers and tail codes usually found in white and you have a fairly utilitarian scheme, but one with some color with the nose and national insignia outlines.

There are a few books on the A-36, but one that I would recommend for a deep dive (pun intended) is Straight Down! - The North American A-36 Dive-Bomber in Action, written by Peter C. Smith in 2000. While out of print, and on the pricey side on the aftermarket sites, it details the development and use of the A-36. Most other titles on the A-36 include sections dedicated to modeling, which I do not find useful.

Blue Falcon Hobbies Decals

While designed for the FJ-3 Fury, these will be used to enhance my FJ-4s

Yowsa! Yet another company making some high quality decals for our toys! I placed an order with Blue Falcon recently - only having heard of them from a post on the Check Your 6! discussion group - and I must say the decals look spectacular. 

This sheet will save me from having to paint the wingtip and rudder markings!

Blue Falcon produces over one hundred decal sheets, most based on specific squadrons, from World War Two up to the modern era. The print quality is crisp, and I believe that each decal is a separate decal (think Beacon from I-94 or Scale Specialties from same), which means not a lot of trimming around the decal has to be done I'll will update this post once I actually apply some of these decals).

Yeah, I got a thing for those Hellcats of VF-27.

Ordering was a breeze on the Blue Falcon website. Service was good as well - about a week from date of order to date of receipt. However, I also reached out to them about some custom sheets I would like to have completed, and to date, no response had been forthcoming.

A very useful sheet for Korea.

Regardless of my pending inquiries with Blue Falcon, I am rushing back to their site to buy more decals, and some of their paints! You should head there, too! Blue Falcon Hobbies

Yakkety Yak After Action

A pair of Yak-7s, nicely painted by Misc. Minis

Yesterday for the Check Your 6! Southwestern Ohio group I ran a strictly hypothetical encounter, which featured the Yak-7 vs. the Heinkel He 100 (and found on the Downloads page and entitled Yakkety Yak). 

The scenario calls for five players, but since this encounter is a figment of my imagination, one could remove two of the Yak-7s, or add a pair of Heinkels, just to have a little fun or to adjust to the number of available players (we usually give a pair of planes to each player).

It is a bit of a bounce on bounce scenario, with four Heinkels closing on a pair of Yaks. A few random turns later four Yaks drop down from the clouds practically on top of the Germans.

The first game's initial setup

We ran the scenario twice as the first game was a rather short affair. The aircrew quality really showed through, but also the poor robustness rolls led to the destruction of three Yaks within the first handful of turns. So we changed the aircrew qualities with random die rolls, which yielded a result of all crews being skilled. This, on top of the Soviet "rabbits" changing tactics in the second game from running to turning into his foe, made for a heck of a game. The German players really danced about the board, and they had to due to being outnumbered 3:2. One turn saw the Yaks clustered together, and I thought the Germans would have a tough time the next turn. I took my pair of Heinkels and dover through and below the reversing Soviets, which also brought the other pair of Heinkels into a pair of perfect firing solutions. Our dice were fairly meh, but it did scatter the Yaks, and caused some damage. After seventeen turns, with one Yak shot down and another suffering an airframe damage (and one other running out of ammo) we called the game. No damages to the Heinkels resulted in a German victory.

The "rabbits" - my pair of Heinkels, have dove through the Yaks...

...setting up a pair of nice opportunities for the remaining Heinkels

And then the dance really begins with a decent amount of separation

Jamie obtains another great firing solution, but Mr. Robusto (Matt) makes his rolls

I tweaked the aircrew ratings a bit and have uploaded the revised version of Yakkety Yak. It was a fun game (both games for me - I had three kills in the abbreviated first game).

Yak-7s - Raiden Miniatures painted by Misc Minis.

He 100s - Table Top Flights painted by me, decals are Scale Specialties.

Mat - Deep Cut Studio.

Blog Slows

Just a little update - after a prolific 2025 my blog posts in 2026 have slowed to a crawl. I've had a few Civil War presentations and tours already this year which require some preparation time, including a trip to the Fort Donelson Symposium where I led a tour and did a talk, and then there is the dad issue. About a month ago he was hospitalized. After a week of clearing his lungs and controlling his blood pressure, he spent nearly three weeks in a rehab facility to work on strength. Now he has been in an independent living apartment for almost two weeks, and it has been a chore. Not only organizing the move and getting him settled, but his memory, almost overnight, has been severely impacted. The facility is beautiful - new, with plenty of excellent amenities, but dad seems to also find the negative in every aspect. And the incessant phone calls (called me over 60 times when I was in Tennessee, always wanting to go "home" even though he knows he can't due to his need for having others around) and worn me, and more importantly to me, my wife down to a frazzled edge. So I have not had the energy to paint, decal, or post, let alone to get a game or two in. There is the constant running to his house (45 minutes away) and then visiting him. By the time I get home, I'm done mentally for the day. Also, the weather has prevented me from priming many planes over the winter, but now the weather is improving I at least will be able to work on that task.

I do keep working on research, having created scenario outlines featuring the F6F Hellcat, including a few featuring VF-27 as I have the excellent Scale Specialties decal sheet which includes the distinctive cat face of the squadron. What I also like about VF-27 is the fairly late war use of the three color scheme before morphing into the overall glossy dark sea blue, and they were using both schemes the day the USS Princeton, their carrier, was sunk. The three color paint scheme is not so daunting to me, having worked on some early war Wildcats and Buffalos - same colors, with the addition of the band of dark blue to the upper surfaces.

To pull off the seven VF-27 scenarios I only need four Hellcats (more accurately it would be four -3 and four -5 models, but at 1/285 scale who is counting?), six A6M5s, four Oscars (I already have several later model Ki-43s), four Judys, and six Jills. Flight Deck does make all the planes needed (well, they offer just the -3 Hellcat, but at this scale...).

Zekes Off the Production Line

 As I am hosting another Check Your 6! Pearl Harbor game this weekend, and as I need Zekes for my Darwin and Wake Island scenarios as well, I finally completed nine A6M2 Model 21 Zekes today. 

I like how they turned out, although I do not have the dexterity, whether through paint or decal, to add the blue fuselage stripe for aircraft based on the IJN Soryu. Oh, I do have a long stripe decal to be used, but trying to come up with the exact place to cut it for the correct length, and to have it actually be straight around the fuselage - well that ain't happening! Anyway, the IJN Ash Grey seems to be the perfect color for ame-iro. 

Sieben Schwaben Spiele do make decals for Zekes in 1/200, so eventually I will ask to have some scaled to 1/285 as they are curved to adjust for the fuselage and they should be in the correct length.

• Miniatures - Flight Deck Decals
• Paints - Vallejo IJN Ash Grey, NATO Black, Natural Steel, and Foundry Bavarian Cornflower Blue, Shade C.
• Decals - Scale Specialities
• Varnish - Vallejo Matt (brushed on)

Heinkel Completion

Ready for the table, my hack job on the never used in combat but a really damn cool plane: the Heinkel He 100D!

A schwarm of Table Top Flights Heinkels are painted and decals applied. I am happy with the end result for the most part - the color choices worked well for the schwarzgrun and the hellblau, but the Vallejo dunkelgrun seems a bit off (the planes are slightly less dark in person). The Army Painter Satin sheen is a bit much, so I will hit the planes with some matt varnish. The decals are all Scale Specialties, sourced from I-94, and intended for early war Bf 109s, but they did the trick rather well on the Heinkels, although adding the swastika on the tail was a pain in the arse as there as not a lot of room to work with.

I have two additional Heinkels that are nearly completed, but one has a bent wing to straighten out, while the other has a less than smooth engine cover from the original print. But all they need is to have the badge insignia added, a bit of decal softener, then a coat of varnish, and then my Heinkel He 100 project is complete. Oh wait, I need opposing aircraft as well! UPDATE (11/4/25) - I completed the last pair of Heinkels - the wife's hairdryer did the trick on the warped wing.

I now have created two scenarios to use with the Heinkels, the latest being "Propaganda Jager" which can now be found on the Downloads page that features some French planes my gaming buddy Matt has. Look for some after action reports in the future.

I-94 Decals

For my next batch of decals I ordered a few sheets from I-94 Enterprises. I believe I am turning into a decal hoarder, but that's another post....

For my order with I-94, I was looking to pick up some items to help complete some projects and move forward on others. I have used I-94 decals before and they are quite good, and quite affordable. From what I gather what I-94 offers is mostly from the older Beacon range. I-94 also carries the Scale Specialties range, which includes some very unique and useful items, at a higher price point, but the sheets contain markings for numerous aircraft in most cases.

My first sheet is simply blue lettering, which also includes blue numbers. The blue letters are needed to complete my Swedish J 29s for my 1950s Baltic Encounter scenario. Not certain how much additional use I will get from this sheet, and while I could have simply left the letters off the miniatures, I wanted to have a "more complete" looking set of Tunnans.

The second sheet, having black lettering and numbers for United States naval aircraft, pushes me closer towards my Operation Torch project, the sheet also having some letters and numbers for Coral Sea USN aircraft. One of the items I have been working on is a small scenario book and guide to the American Atlantic portion of Torch and have about eight scenarios in mind.

A number of planes can be decaled with just this one sheet

The next two sheets are Scale Specialties offerings. The first is one I need for Japanese naval aircraft for Wake Atoll - I went with the Hiryu/Soryu sheet as that will work for both the Pearl Harbor Second Strike scenario and a few scenarios I have put together for my Wake scenario book. The sheet includes insignia and aircraft marking for Zekes, Vals, and Kates.

While not having a lot of Spanish Civil War decals, there are plenty for the early WWII period Messerschmitts

The second Scale Specialties sheet I ordered is catered to Bf 109s for both the Spanish Civil War and early WWII. However, I will be using these for my half dozen Heinkel He 100s. As these planes were never used in combat, taking a few oddball squadron insignia from the 109s doesn't really feel that off to me.