Hello Friends, I'm a History Professor who loves to build scale models. Join me as I represent important pieces of history through little scale models. I love to experiment too, so you may pick up a few tricks and hacks as I figure out what to do, and often what not to do!
I served aboard two Knox Class Frigates, 1977-79 USS Brewton FF-1086 in Pearl Harbor and 1980-81, USS Hewes FF-1078 in Charleston as an STG. Hello to my shipmates out there!
You're going to have fun! I used masking tape for the seatbelts (just cut into tiny strips, glued into shape, and painted), and the ejection handles are copper wire bent around a toothpick. I demonstrate the technique in my F-18 video if you want to check it out ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-emefUGXBRos.htmlsi=qHvFouotLlAEww1_
I served as a GMT 3 onboard the USS TRIPPE DE 1075 ( FF) from 1972 to 1975. We were home ported in Newport RI, then reassigned to Charleston SC. It was later sold to the Greek Navy. Do to damage caused by a fire, thus they decided to use it for target practice
Thank you! I would love to review the Roma, but alas, I don't have one. I have looked at the kit online, and it did look very good. What did you like about it? You may inspire me to purchase one. . .
@@professorbellbuilds i liked the details, the fact that It was pretty Easy, It has a lot of movable guns with an adjustable range and It has a hull and a flat parte for dioramas, so you can display It as you want. It has also some options (like of you want to put a seaplane or a fighter on the catapult. A 8.5/10 for me because It has some very delicate Pieces like the antennas and the anchors that were a hell to put on (im not an Expert so It was probably Just my fault) Ps:Sorry for bad english
@@RN_Roma No sweat on the English. I've gotten worse from Brits and Aussies! It does sound like a typical good Trumpeter kit. I think one hesitation I have is that if I get it, I'll probably go down the Italian Navy rabbit hole, spend several hundred dollars on books, and gain 50 pounds from all of the delicious Italian food I'll be craving! Do you have a good pair of tweezers? If not, that's probably the biggest help for the delicate parts.
I served on board the USS Brewton FF-1086 station in Pearl Harbor, HI and attached to DESRON 33 as a Fire controlman in the Weapons Division. Nicked named the Bubba Bee by the crew in honor of Lt. John C Brewton, US Navy SEAL from Alabama. I served form 85' to 89'. The Brewton also transported the remains of the Unknown Soldier from Hawaii to California. The Brewton is still in service today in the Taiwanese Navy as the Fong Yang FFG-933.
The FH-1Phantom was actually developed at the tail end of World War II, and theories suggest it may have flown very early in Korea. The Soviet counter part to the FH-1 was the MiG-9 Fargo. This flew mostly in testing with the Russians, but may have seen combat in Korea, when the Chinese bought MiG-9 Fargo. If this were true, it would have made for a very interesting jet to jet aerial engagement. Sixty two FH-1s were produced, including the two initial prototypes. Six hundred ten MiG-9 Fargo fighters were produced, but many of these were lost during Russian test flights due to accidents. There is actually one FH-1 that is well preserved, and on display at the Pima Aerospace Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
@@professorbellbuilds Same here. I would also love doing a detailed youtube video on this aircraft. Hopefully my comment gives a good perspective on this.
@@howardg2435 Certainly! Pretty soon, I'll be posting parts of a lecture I did that touches on this plane briefly. The focus is more about technological advancements and doctrine in a broad view from WWII to Vietnam, so it's not hugely detailed on any particular aircraft, but you may find it interesting nonetheless.
@@professorbellbuilds I would love being in your class. i loved history when I attended college, even though I studied Aviation Science. The history classes were my favorite, and I still enjoy history. I actually have extensive experience in military aviation for twenty two years. I was a jet engine mechanic in the Navy for eight years (1990-1998), and I was an Air Transportation Specialist in the Air Force for fourteen years (1998-2012). I love anything relating to Aviation and Railroading.
I was on board USS Badger FF-1071, between 76-78 . Right around 1980, the ships received that "hurricane bow. The forward-most 30 (or so) feet where the foc"sle was raised up another 4 feet from the flush deck. Previously , none of the Knox class had that. Also, they didn't have Phalanx CIWS, on the fantail. Most had BPDMS. (Basic point defense missile system) . A box-like launcher that held 8 sea sparrow misses. Some Knox class also had IVDS. A hatch opened from the transom, and a Sonar on a cable was towed.
Served aboard the USS Marvin Shields FF-1066 from Feb1977 until Sep1981 out of San Diego. Did two WestPacs on Mighty Marv as well as a year in Todd Shipyards in Seattle (now live south of Olympia.) Gun Fire Controlman on the MK 68/AN-SPG53F Radar Set and Mark 47 computer. In Gun Plot for GQ. Mighty Marv was sold to Mexico, renamed the ARM MARIANO ABASOLO F-212. She sailed for many years and last I knew was tied up along with the other three frigates sold to Mexico. My understanding is there are two Knox museum visit ships in the world: one in Turkey at the İnciraltı Maritime Museum and another in Asia...possibly Thailand? My ship did not have a hurricane bow until after 78 and never had the "Chr__t It Won't Shoot!". Only Basic Point aft. We deployed with a SeaSprite and in '77 it was flown quite often when the hanger wasn't closed over it. And by the way...that "stacky" thing is the "Mack"....combination mast and stack. Lived on board and did/saw a lot (plane-guarding wasn't much fun.) I'm a Shellback and still have my certificate. I too have the model and the photo-etch kit...and font and printable decal sheets to make the name...but haven't put it together yet. Wish you and your Dad "Fair winds and following seas!" Thanks for the video!
I was a storekeeper on USS W S Sims FF-1059 right out of A-school 1977-1980 good times about 3 years ago i looked up my skipper CDR. Reaves thru his daughter who was 3 years old in our 78 med cruise book it was a trip talking to him on the phone after 40 plus years were getting old.
I served aboard USS Moinester FF-1097 in the late 70s as an Operations Specialist.The Knox class was one of the most beautiful ships ever put to sea by the US Navy. That bow could cut through anything. Too bad your dad's ship didn't run helo ops. We sure did. Lots of chasing Soviet subs around the Med. And as far as seaworthiness, once coming back across the Atlantic, we got into a BAD storm ... she took an 89-degree roll! Came right back up. I think Chief Lynch even got a little green around the gills on that one!
I agree, the Knoxes are good looking. I might go so far as to say the coolest looking ship in the Cold War Navy. I do remember Dad telling me stories about helo ops, but I think it was just touch and gos. If I remember correctly he liked volunteering for firefighting during those because most of the time he got to sit around and work on a pile of gedunk. By the way, how easy/hard was it to track Soviet subs?
I picked up one of these yesterday at a boot fair, £5 for this, the HS123 and Sdkfz 234, in bags with decals! One technique I found works quite well if you dont have an airbrush, is to use make-up sponges to build up layers of very thinned down paint. That way you can build up the translucency over pre shaded areas
Good Day Professor. Just watched this recording of your lecture. Im sorry i missed it. I would have loved to attend. WWII naval aviation is my fascination, and scale modeling is my passion. Just finished reading Mr. Toll's trilogy of the Pacific war. I have one question for you, when did radio communication technology come into play with naval aircraft? Im not sure myself when exactly radio's started being used in naval aircraft. Thank you for this recording. Ive sub'd to your channel. Looking forward to the next installment. PS. I live in the north valkeys of Reno, so maybe i will get chance to attend a future lecture of yours in person.
Hi, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I should have part II coming to youtube soon. Ian Toll is good, but have you read "Shattered Sword" by Tully and Parschall? That's a really good one if you're my kind of nerd! As for radios, they started to come into aricraft during WWI, but they were mostly used for spotters, and often could only send since receivers were too heavy. Around the 30's radios started to be integrated into most planes, and fun fact, American radios were better than Japanese ones. The Famous Zero had a famously unreliable radio, so most pilots relied on hand signals, waggling the wings and so on. There was one pilot (I forget which one) who actually sawed the antenna off his zero! His reasoning was that he didn't use it anyway, and it just produced drag!
I served on USS Marvin Shields. DE/FF 1066 from 1973-1977 as a machinists mate. Over 2 westpac cruises was the helo fueler, gq was after steering, underway watches were either engine room top watch or throttles. Marvin Shields was equipped with BPDMS missile launcher on stern and IVDS(independent variable depth sonar) under the launcher.
I too served on the Mighty Marv from 1977 to 1981. Two Westpacs, stood after-steering for a very short time, then on the bridge as Lee Helm during Unreps. They finally figured out that an FTG shouldn't do that. Also got down in the Engine Room and Boiler Room as the DCPO and cleaning before LOE prior to OPPE. GQ was Gun Plot on the 53F Radar. We may have run across one another as I stood POOW or Asroc Roving Patrol in my first year on-board. What I learned was: Snipes had a hard life and they earned my respect. Had a few good friends there (one being an MM3.) Fair winds and following seas to you!
I served the board the USS Downs DE 1070 reclassified to FF 1070. I was stationed on the Ff 1070 Downes in 1975 and 1976 - Home Ported at 32 St, San Diego Naval base. I was a boiler technician on the ship. One thing that stands out to me is that the lifeline are not that large. They were cables and not these large white lines that I see on the model. Another difference in the 1970s was there was no phalanx system on the fan tail. It was a 4 x 4 rocket launcher for Sea Sparrow rockets.
I hope so! I've been in a model building mood. Unfortunately my hobby table had to be repurposed into a seed starting table, and work is keeping me busy. I'll have to finish up some of my projects I've been working on and get them posted.
I am a beginner, and I am currently in the process of building the same model, and so far, I am struggling to hold everything still and not to break them. Unfortunately, though, I have already broken the seat and the structure underneath it, and just those have already riled me up that I just couldn't continue without cursing at myself. So, my question for you is how can I not break the entire structure without cursing at myself?
Well. . . prayer helps. For one, you should be aware that this is a pretty advanced kit, so if you remind yourself of that, it will probably make the screw-ups easier to take. Is it the photo etch that's giving you the trouble?
My first ship, USS Whipple FF-1062 out of Pearl Harbor. Arrived there as a push button E-4 Sonar Tech in 1980 and left 5 years later as STG1 and LPO of AS Division. Made 3 Western Pacific/Indian Ocean/Persian Gulf deployments on her, I was single and when not deployed, hanging around Hawaii. What great memories.
ALBATRAI! R'D' fought them so he should know! R.I.P. brother(try not to be too disgusted with the way your country has sold it's indigenous people,that you gave your life to protect,down the river for a pound. ☮️🩵🖖🏻✝️♾️🕉🪬⚛️
I served on a Knolx class frigate from 89 to 92. She was decommisioned. Seeing this model and her profile brings back so many memories...all the men I served with on her. Thank you for this. I need to find a model kit for her...USS DOWNES FF 1070. FFH (Frigate from Hell) as our captain nick named her.
I was a Quartermaster on board the USS Fanning (FF-1076) Knox class until 1986. You didn't find much info about the Knox but it was the cold war, and we were keeping Typhoons away from the US coastlines. (Always remember, Frigate Sailors Do it Better with 1 screw)
This kit may have been a tough challenge, but your build came out beautifully. Model ships from this era are tough builds, in my opinion, and especially the rigging. Regarding the original Mayflower, my u nderstanding is that no one knows for sure what it looked like because there are no contemporary illustrations. A historical survey in the 1950s (MIT, I think) determined that the Mayflower was a fairly common design for the time, and a type of ship used to transport commodities such as grain and wine around Europe and the Mediterranean. It was a tired ship when it left for the New World. A smaller companion ship, the Speedwell, left with the Mayflower but was also in poor condition. It was in such rundown condition that it had to turn back. Again, a very nice build.
Thank you! I was happy with it. I think you're right that we don't know what it exactly looks like, but I think to a modern eye a fluyt is a fluyt. Not only was it a common design, but the name was pretty common too, so even if we did get an illustration of "the Mayflower" there would only be something like a one in thirty chance that it was the one that carried the pilgrims. Now that you mention it though, I wonder what sorts of things the mayflower would have carried beside religious dissidents. . . Certainly grain and wine, but it would be cool to get a sense of the different products that the holds may have been crammed with. Did the pilgrims smell Riga tar, or find old strands of wool in the oakum?
That is a fantastic little model tbh m8.I'd like to put mine alongside it!🔎I'm not sure whose would be better though😉. Mine has realistic looking streaking camo but yours has the Eduard photoetch parts. (Mine was an Airfix kit and I had to scratch build my 'realistic extras'). Mmm🤔
Hah! you meant to say no gophers YET! I hadn't even thought about it. Of course in Nevada we have all sorts of burrowing creatures beyond the gopher. I bet you haven't got ground hogs, or prairie dogs either. I even used to walk amongst the famous yellow bellied marmots! Here's something else weird though, our rabbits don't dig warrens in the US. By the way, aqualungs? How high is your water table?
USS Bowen, FF-1079. I was in the weapons dept. in the mid 70's. My primary duties were with the gun director. Really enjoyed the travel but the work was much harder than I expected. Once you set to sea everything switches to port and starboard duty, 12 hours on 12 off, plus all the watches and drills. It was lonely business for a naive 20 year old.
I never really thought about it, but I suppose it could be a bit much (or not enough) for a young man. I haven't ever sailed on anything bigger than a tallship, and have never been at sea for more than a few days at a time, we also had 3 watches, so we were 8 on 16 off with dog watches while under way. Can I ask how the gun director worked? Was that for the 5"54, or the Ciws?
I served on the USS Valdez FF1096 (76-80) in the Enginering department as an EM2. We did have a helicopter on board when we were on a major cruise. The cruise's I made with the USS Valdez were the Med, North Atlantic, Africa (Morocco, Dakar Senegal, Djibouti, Kenya) Caribbean readiness training Guantanamo Bay. I did cross the equator and I am a Shellback. We also had a full bird Captain that was in charge, and we got to pull into a lot of nice ports because of his rank. Those were some good times.
I really like that you brush painted this. I'm assuming this was painted with acrylic, and apologies if I'm wrong. I would love to see you brush paint with just oils.
Thank you, yes, I used Tamiya acrylics. I usually get good results with them, though I've heard they're more formulated for airbrushes. Do you mean paint a model with oils? I'm not sure about a plane since oils tend to accentuate brushstrokes. I actually took advantage of that with my viking longship to mimic wood grain, and I commonly do that with propeller blades for WWI planes. Here's a link to the longship if you want to see that, just ignore the fact that I put the crew in backwards. . . I'll have to fix that someday ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-i43KKgNM1wY.html
@@professorbellbuilds Very welcome. And thank you for the link. I'll take a look now. One of the things that brought me to your channel was I heard you used brushes for top-coats. I'm about to complete a 1:48 F4U in all oils, including weathering and rendering. It can be done, and looks quite unique. Any way, the reason I mentioned it is if you were still using brushes for your top-coats, you might like to give it a try in one of your videos. Paints like 502s would be perfect. That said, its taken over a month on the pain work alone :).
Great. Thank you for the link. One of the things that brought me to your channel was I heard you were doing brush work. I am about to finish a fully brush/oil painted F4U. It can be done without streaks and looks really well faded in and dynamic :) Really enjoying the videos so far and I look forward to watching more. @@professorbellbuilds
@@countmacula530 Well, I do need to build some more models. . . I bet that F4U looks great. Could you send some pictures to my X account @ProfBellbuilds? I've never shelled out for the fancy oils, but now that I think about it, I'm not sure why I wouldn't. I assume they're much better suited to models, like how Tamiya acrylics are significantly different than artists acrylics. Just so you know, if you're emotionally invested in Corsairs, you probably ought to skip my F4U video. . . It turns out that people get really upset when they find out I don't think they look cool. . .
Ha, your Corsair was one of the first i watched, lol. I tried to access your X account but I was not able to. I'm not a member. is there another way to send you a pic of my Corsair?@@professorbellbuilds
I was a sonar technician on the USS Truett (FF-1095) from 1984 - 1987. Stationed out of Norfolk, VA, during my time, we completed two Med cruises, one Yankee Box tracking off Bermuda (1985), an overhaul (1985 - 1986), GITMO (1986), North Atlantic NATO exercise (1986) and a second Med cruise in 1986-1987. I wouldn't say she was a fearsome ship, we had the 5", the ASROC, a CIWS and a couple of mounts for 50cal. With a top speed of 27knots, we were not going anywhere fast. But, we had a really good sonar system (AN/SQS-26CX; AN/SQR-17; AN/SQS-35VDS & the AN/SQR-18 TACTAS). More importantly, during my time aboard, it was the sonar group that did excellent work in tracking. And, we were able to do our job because of all the other crewmen I served with that kept that ship up and running. WIth out them, we could not have done our job. During my time aboard, we tracked the following Soviet class submarines: Yankee 1; Tango; Victor 1, 2,3; Echo 2; and at least one other.
I served as as corpsman on the USS Thomas C Hart (FF 10929) from 1976-1979. The ship was only several years old when I checked aboard so it was a great ride. Many fond memories of my shipmates and ports of call in South America and the Med.
I served on USS Vreeland FF-1068 from ‘86-‘90. Vreeland was the only Navy ship involved in Operation Just Cause, the invasion of Panama in Dec. “89. Great job on the model & thanks for sharing.
Thank you! That's nuts about Panama. I've never really done any research about it, but just at first glance it seems weird that there would be only one ship for the operation. Did the Coast Guard do most of the work on that one, or was it just a smaller operation than I'm imagining?
Thank you so much for posting this lecture as it covers a fascinating time period and some of my favourite US Navy aircraft. I assume that you were giving the lecture "off the cuff" as your reference to rotary engines even after you had corrected yourself made me smile. I hope we get to see part 2 and perhaps your WW1 lecture too? There are a number of observations that I would like to make but I will restrict myself to just one. Before the attack on Pear Harbor, the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm had attacked with torpedo bombers, from an aircraft carrier, the Regia Marina's "fleet in being" at Taranto on the night 11/12th November 1940 - the first time such an operation had been performed. According to Admiral Cunningham it "should be remembered forever as having shown once and for all that in the Fleet Air Arm the Navy has its most devastating weapon." The successful employment of air-launched torpedoes in shallow waters would prove to be of interest to the Imperial Japanese Navy, something they had been working on since 1939.
Thank you for watching! After having done the research for this lecture, I think the FF-1 is up among my favorites, even though it looks kinda silly! I actually had notes that I had earlier prepared, but I wasn't paying attention to them too carefully at that moment. I actually mix up those terms a lot when I'm dealing with later aircraft, because I have primarily studied WWI aircraft, and I think my brain is hardwired to say rotary, even when I see a radial engine! I don't think you need to limit yourself to just one observation, especially since you're correct regarding Taranto. Certainly had I been offering the lecture to a British Audience I would have mentioned it. In fact it was one of the things that inspired Yamamoto, and also strengthened his argument for attacking Pearl Harbor. The reason I didn't mention it was because only a few people at the time understood what it meant. That is, it didn't sway people away form the battleship mentality apart form an adroit few. Pear Harbor, however was so much more dramatic and shocking, and effectively crippled the entire American Battleship fleet meaning that the only weapon left the the United States was aircraft carriers. I could have also mentioned that the Japanese sinking of the Prince of Wales and Repulse put paid to the idea that ships at sea might be safe against air attack.
