Candy Clipper

[oldgit]

Chaps,

Can anyone please confirm the identity, colours and markings of the Grumman J2F Duck

known as the ‘Candy Clipper’ that was reputedly the last US aircraft to fly out of Bataan?

I understand there was a restored Duck flying in the markings of this aircraft at one time

but I’m not sure if the colours it carried were representative of the ‘Clipper’ when it flew

out the final time.

Also, which 1/72^nd offering of the Duck would be best?

Any info would be gratefully received.

Thanks, as always,

Tim

[MilneBay]

Well the Airfix example IIRC is a later version which has a different cowling. As to the colour I have a dim memory that it was a sort of pale grey - possibly weathered Neutrality Grey? Not certain though.

[JWM]

On a well (perhaps) know art it is painted in interwar camo with yellow uppersurfaces:

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/start-to-finish-builds/1-72-airfix-grumman-j2f-duck-wip-22438.html

And it looks like having late variant cowling

Cheers

Jerzy-Wojtek

[Graham Boak]

I recall this being done in an old Scale Modeler, which presented it in a very worn scheme with primer showing through. I suspect it was overdone. However it certainly should have had the long cowling, and I suspect it should have had the light grey overpainted on the uppersurface. Whether it did or not is another matter.

One question I have about the Airfix Duck: I recall having problems with the struts being too short and hence the upper wing ending up too close to the fuselage. This doesn't seem to have been mentioned in more recent builds, but it looks as though it would have been difficult to fix on the tools (as well as I recall them). Any comments?

Edited June 9, 2015 by Graham Boak

[JWM]

Hi,

If it would have early cowling (Towdent, not NACA) the name will be written in very small lettering. Is there any photo for this?

Thank you for the hint on struts - I have it in stash. I think it is not only flaw of Airfix kit. I have not compare it against drawings, yet, but I've herad some rumours...

Regards

J-W

EDIT (1)

PS>

I start to google it and found that it was J2F4 version

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/between-the-wars-1918-1939-a/usaac-pre-war-aircrafts-32635-3.html:

2Fs of the utility squadron of US Patrol Wing 10 were destroyed at Mariveles Bay, Philippines, by a Japanese air raid on 5 January 1942. The only Duck to survive the attack had a dead engine but had been concealed at Cabcaben airfield during the Battle of Bataan, to be repaired afterwards with a cylinder removed from a destroyed J2F-4 submerged in Manila Bay. Following repairs the J2F-4 departed after midnight on April 9, 1942, overloaded with five passengers and the pilot, becoming the last aircraft to depart Bataan before the surrender of the Philippines to the Japanese only hours later. Among its passengers was Carlos P. Romulo (diplomat, politician, soldier, journalist and author) who recounted the flight in his 1942 best-selling book "I Saw the Fall of the Philippines" (Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York 1943, pp.288–303) for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Correspondence.

EDIT (2):

Here is somone model

http://fighters.forumactif.com/t46281-grumman-j2f-5-duck-airfix-bamboo-fleet-philippines-1942, but made as F5, F4 had Towdent cowling indeed

Edited June 9, 2015 by JWM

[Graham Boak]

According to the Putnam "Grumman Aircraft since 1929", there were two J2F-5s involved. These should indeed have the long cowling - I was working under the assumption that Candy Clipper was a J2F-4. Upper posting edited.

You might like to wait for confirmation of any strut problem, particularly as it doesn't seem to be mentioned any more. Or check for yourself, of course.