ReccePhreak

@canberra kid John, Thanks for that info. Was it from the http://aviationarchives.blogspot.com/ website? Larry

Trying your link, I get the message "OOPS, THIS SITE HAS EXPIRED" Larry

Thanks, I just added them to my Hannants shopping cart.

Thanks Troy, for that link. I didn't find anything similar by Microscale, so I will have to order a sheet from Hannants. I DL'd that Corsair book, found two photos of F4U-5P Corsairs and 2 color profiles. Even with those decals I will probably have to cut out my own tail markings for whatever bird I decide to do. There is absolutely NO WAY that anybody will do the photo mission marks like were in that photo on TSgt George Clauser's plane. If it ain't kill markings, the decal companies aren't interested in doing it, IMHO. Larry

I am wanting to convert my Monogram/Promodeler 1/48 F4U-5/5NL Corsair to an F4U-5P recce bird. I have been unable to find ANY aftermarket decals for an F4U-5P. Does anybody know of any aftermarket decals that I can try to get? I am not particular as to specific markings. Larry

A sad day. I worked on the cameras on the RF-4C Phantom II for 13 years out of my 24 year USAF career. Even though I also worked on the SR-71 and the U-2C & U-2R, the Phantom was my favorite airplane to work on. Larry Phormer Photo Phantom Phixer

Hi John, I compared my kit tanks with your scale drawing, and the dimensions are spot on. If I have to modify the rear shape, I think it'll be easier to do that with a plastic tank, instead of a resin replacement. Plus, the plastic tank will stay more securely fastened to the kit's wings than a resin one would, IMHO. Larry

@canberra kid John, One more question on the Classic Airframes B-57B kit, does it really need replacement tip tanks? The ones in my kit measure out to the size posted on your website, but there may be some other errors in the kit tanks. The only ones on Hannants is the Loon Models tip tanks, are they okay? Scalemates lists tanks by Belcher Bits and Lone Star Models, but I don't know which is more accurate, and even which ones are readily available. Larry

Hi John, I think since the RB-57B Canberra was an interim version until the units got the dedicated RB-57A, that they probably did not use the single K-22 nose-mounted vertical camera for night missions, thus not needing photoflash equipment. I could be wrong, but "That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!" If you do find any info (drawings, etc) of the photoflash equipment, I still would like to see it. I just sold my Airfix 1/48 B-57B/RB-57E/B-57G Canberra kit, so now the only 1/48 Canberras I have are the Classic Airframes B-57B and my pride & joy, the Airfix 1/48 Canberra PR.9 (With LOTS of aftermarket!). Of course, I still have 2 Italeri 1/72 B-57B kits and one Italeri 1/72 B-57G. One of my Italeri B-57B kits is started, making it into a nuclear equipped bird based in France (NATO). I am scratch-building the nuke for the bomb bay. It's a kit I started probably 20 years ago (It's the 1985 initial issue). Larry

@canberra kid John, thanks for the info from the Tech Orders. I only have Flight Manuals for the RB-57A & RB-57F, as well as the Aircrew Non-Nuclear Weapons Delivery Manual - B-57B, C & E. None of them have any useful (Modelling-wise) information on the camera installations. Looking at your scans, I think I will stick with just the K-22 vertical camera in the nose. I definitely won't be doing the side oblique installation with 2 Maurer P-2 Aerial Strike Cameras. I find it hard to believe that the aircrew would would need optical sights in the cockpit, so they can line up those wide angle lens equipped cameras. In the RF-4C we only used optical sights for big cameras with very long focal-length lenses, so we didn't miss the targets. I guess in the RB-57B & C, the backseater needed all the help he could get in order to hit his targets. Larry

Thanks for the reply. After I posted my topic, I started doing some research. I also looked in B-57 Canberra at War by Robert Mikesh, and didn't find anything of help. When I looked through Martin B-57 Canberra - The Complete Record by Robert Mikesh, I saw that the tail number on my decal sheet "21536" was a B-57B 52-1536. There are no RB-57B versions listed, even though the book mentions some were modified by the 154th TRS - Arkansas ANG with one reconnaissance camera. They were replaced by the RB-57A, which was more suited for the reconnaissance role. Of course, it doesn't mention where the camera was mounted in the modified B-57Bs. Larry

I have decided I want to do my Classic Airframes 1/48 B-57B Canberra as an RB-57B assigned to the 154th TRS - Arkansas ANG, using Superscale decals MS481229. I want to add the camera windows (and maybe cameras), and possibly any photoflash gear, if the aircraft was used for night reconnaissance. The aircraft was reportedly painted overall gloss black. I looked all over the Canberra SIG website, but could only find recce info for all the other PR Canberras, but NOT the RB-57B. @canberra kid can you help me? Or anybody else? Larry

When I get back to working on my AMTech 1/48 Ta183, I will be converting it to an Aufklärer (Photo reconnaissance) version, of course. It's the bottom image. Mods, you can delete the image if it violates your policies. Larry

Thanks for the info on the books and the scans. They will help a lot. As @ChocolateCrisps has said, I will have some scope for creative license since I am trying to represent a 'production' tank. What I find interesting is that the resin fuel tanks from Mastercasters appear to have fins on the rear, while all the drawings show no fins. All this info has encouraged me to keep the kit and actually build it someday, instead of selling it. Before anybody asks me to post my WIP on it, I have a few hundred kits ahead of it in the queue. Larry

Thanks @Space Ranger & @canberra kid , The one photo helps a bit. I have a partial set of Model Alliance decals (MA-48172) which include tiny (Compared to the kit size) side & bottom profile drawings showing the tanks. I tried making enlarged copies (+400%), but I have no idea if they are based on actual BAC drawings, or just the imagination of the decal company. I was thinking of using some "spare" 1/35 Soviet fuel tanks, and cutting & splicing them together to get a reasonable representation of the TSR-2 tanks. Since I am using the Cammett Ltd. resin reconnaissance pack, I don't need to add the underfuselage slipper tank. Larry