Page 14 - Sept 2020

Movie Pick of the Month
Mission to Rabaul
This is one of the all time classic documentaries from
World War 2 -- an action packed epic! Rabaul, a large
natural harbor on the eastern end of the huge Island
of New Britain was an essential strategic linchpin for
the Japanese from which they could project their
forces throughout the region. They poured tens of
thousands of troops, hundreds of airplanes, and
thousands of tons of supplies and material into this
base to make it a mighty fortress.
The Allies' brilliant solution to the Rabaul conundrum
was to isolate it, slowly starve it, and bypass it --
rather than assault it directly. This dramatic, high
impact documentary film shows some of the most
memorable, exciting, and extensive footage of 5th Air
Force B-25G bombers conducting tree top level
attacks with machine guns and delayed action bombs
to come out of World War 2 . The first step in the
reduction of Rabaul was the seizure of a string of
Japanese bases along the Northeast coast of New
Guinea.
The film focuses on the decisive and revolutionary
impact of the air component in the strategy, including
high & low level attacks, parachute drops, and
resupply, accompanied by a magnificent musical score
drawn from Holst's "The Planets." You're literally
sitting in the cockpit or in the tail gunners seat
watching amazing low level attack runs. You'll also
see P-38s, A-20s, B-25s and B-24 cooperating with US
Australian and New Zealand Forces securing forward
air bases to strike against Rabaul and for the invasion
of New Britain.
"Mission to Rabaul" shows how each piece of this
classic strategy culminated inevitably in the first
escorted, massed bomber strike on Rabaul on 12th
October, 1943 an essential goal in the reduction of
Japanese defenses.
Filling Seams and Sanding Scale Model Aircraft
Removing the seams and joint lines is necessary when building
model airplanes. Many assemblies often result in unnatural
gaps or cracks in the fitting. Among the most common
problem areas are the wing roots and the mating lines
between both sides of the fuselage. To produce an authentic
looking aircraft model, I recommend the following technique.
To begin, you will need various grades of sandpaper, including
600ALO, 400ALO, 320SIL and 150SIL. Other necessary tools
include; a sharp hobby knife, a paintbrush and a container
with a small amount of water. We will also cover the use of
model putty and Tenax-7R, a fast-dry formula used for welding
plastic scale model parts.
I should remind the reader that when building model airplanes
using hazardous materials, it is very important to have plenty
of ventilation around the working space. You should also pay
close attention to all the warnings that come with each
chemical, usually found on the product container.
This technique will be illustrated using the fuselage parts of
the aircraft model. You can begin by welding the left and right
sides using Tenax-7R. With medium pressure, hold both sides
of the fuselage together and simply touch the entire seam
using a paintbrush. Once you have completed the application,
gradually increase your hold pressure over the next 10
seconds until you have a firm bond. Tenax-7R will actually fuse
the plastic scale model by slightly melting the parts together.
Allow about 5 minutes for the weld to dry and lightly scrape
off any excess chemical using a hobby knife.
Should there be any imperfections on the aircraft model, such
as gaps, pits or scratches, you can apply model putty (filling
material) using a toothpick. Be very careful not to smudge or
place it on areas where it is not necessary as excess putty will
go a long way in hiding surface details such as rivets and panel
lines. If possible, mask off the crack or opening to be filled
using tape. Then, apply a thin coat of putty and allow about 30
minutes for drying time. Once the putty has dried completely,
sand the area down to the level of the tape using 600 ALO
sanding paper. If the gap has not filled, or if the putty has
dried and contracted to a groove between the parts, re-apply
more putty and repeat the dry time and sanding process. Once
you have a level surface, remove the tape and begin fine
sanding your work.