Brewster Buffalo 239 (Finnish) - Special Hobby 1/32 + some AM

[Landlubber Mike]

Thanks for looking in PW.  Yeah, I agree - pretty cool reading about the successes of the Finns!  

[PanzerWomble]

3 minutes ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Thanks for looking in PW.  Yeah, I agree - pretty cool reading about the successes of the Finns!  

They stand alone , are frightened by no one and will flup you up if you mess with them . A lot to be admired in a nation of 5 million . And they produced the most successful sniper of all time , who was "just a gifted hunter " .

[Landlubber Mike]

Tough people for sure!

[FullArmor]

2 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Tough people for sure!

Sisu!

[FullArmor]

Brewster Model 239 (BW-372) in Finnish Air Force Museum:

https://airforcemuseum.fi/museum%20objects/brewster-model-239-bw-372/

[Landlubber Mike]

@FullArmor thank you for that link.  I believe this is the aircraft that was pulled from a lake in Russia.  This picture is wonderful - I've been struggling with what to do with the pilot's seat:

The kit includes two seats - one with a rounded top like in the picture, and one with a squared off top.  The instructions tell you to use the rounded top one, but I came to learn that the BW239s had armor plating - the display to the right of the seat - which extends above the seat with the top connecting to a frame directly behind the pilot's seat.  The kit's instructions have nothing on the armor plating, but have some parts that are not used that seem like they would be used for the upper part of the armor plating but seem too small as if they were for 1/48 scale.

I couldn't quite figure out whether the armor plating went behind the seat or was inset inside the seat.  One modeler, and a couple of other kits (as well as the CMK 1/48 interior instructions) had the armor inset into the seat.  From this picture, it looks like the armor plating indeed sat inside the seat, with a shoulder harness included and what appears to be a leather seat pad.  The other kits (and CMK aftermarket set) use the squared off top seat, but it looks like I could use the rounded seat as well.  From the bullet hole in the seat, my guess is this seat isn't necessarily the same seat that went with the armor plating next to it.

 Anyway, thanks again!  This really helped.  I spent an hour a day or two ago trying to figure out how the seat was configured, and now I think I have a better sense with this picture.

[FullArmor]

1 hour ago, Landlubber Mike said:

@FullArmor thank you for that link.  I believe this is the aircraft that was pulled from a lake in Russia.  This picture is wonderful - I've been struggling with what to do with the pilot's seat:

The kit includes two seats - one with a rounded top like in the picture, and one with a squared off top.  The instructions tell you to use the rounded top one, but I came to learn that the BW239s had armor plating - the display to the right of the seat - which extends above the seat with the top connecting to a frame directly behind the pilot's seat.  The kit's instructions have nothing on the armor plating, but have some parts that are not used that seem like they would be used for the upper part of the armor plating but seem too small as if they were for 1/48 scale.

I couldn't quite figure out whether the armor plating went behind the seat or was inset inside the seat.  One modeler, and a couple of other kits (as well as the CMK 1/48 interior instructions) had the armor inset into the seat.  From this picture, it looks like the armor plating indeed sat inside the seat, with a shoulder harness included and what appears to be a leather seat pad.  The other kits (and CMK aftermarket set) use the squared off top seat, but it looks like I could use the rounded seat as well.  From the bullet hole in the seat, my guess is this seat isn't necessarily the same seat that went with the armor plating next to it.

 Anyway, thanks again!  This really helped.  I spent an hour a day or two ago trying to figure out how the seat was configured, and now I think I have a better sense with this picture.

There was an interview of the now-retired Col. Pekuri on Finnish TV on 2 September 1998 where he told the account of his forced landing. Here's what he said:

"We were engaged in combat next to the Russian airfield at Sekee (Segeza). There were eight of our Brewsters and more than ten Russian aircraft - in the end seven Russian fighters met their fate.

My wingman was sgt. Anttila, a young fellow in his first fight. When I gave the order to disengage, Anttila couldn't comply. I looked and saw a Russian aircraft - it was a Hurricane - behind him, firing from a somewhat long distance and scoring hits. Anttila's aircraft caught fire, black smoke started to pour out, his engine stopped and he began to glide down. I managed to shoot down the Russian fighter and thus prevented him from completing the damage he had done.

After this I disengaged from the fight. I flew on the deck at full power for some 40-50 km, but then a Russian fighter managed to surprise me. I was awakened by bullets hitting my aircraft - they made quite a racket - and my left wing tank caught fire. The Russian, I believe it was a Hurricane, overtook me at high speed just a few meters higher, and suddenly I found him right in front of me, practically filling my whole gunsight. Instinctively, I pulled the trigger, and the Russian aircraft caught fire and crashed into the woods.

A patrol of Finnish soldiers behind the Russian lines saw this crash from a distance and took the news back to our side. They had no way of knowing whether the crashed aircraft was Finnish or Russian, so their story started people guessing that the crashed plane was either Anttila's or mine."

The interview didn't tell the rest about Pekuri's forced landing, but it seems that his engine was badly damaged and he was at low altitude, so he ditched his Brewster into the lake without more damage and walked back to the Finnish lines.

In the end he accumulated a total of 18.5 confirmed kills. He went on to fly Messerschmitt 109's until he was shot down another time in June 1944 and spent half a year on a POW camp, from which he was released after the hostilities between Finland and Russia ended.

[FullArmor]

Here is more detailed pictures.

http://www.virtualpilots.fi/feature/photoreports/bw-372_photos/

[FullArmor]

"From the bullet hole in the seat, my guess is this seat isn't necessarily the same seat that went with the armor plating next to it. "

If i have undestood correctly this is indeed same seat and armorplate which saved pilots life.

[Landlubber Mike]

2 hours ago, FullArmor said:

"From the bullet hole in the seat, my guess is this seat isn't necessarily the same seat that went with the armor plating next to it. "

If i have undestood correctly this is indeed same seat and armorplate which saved pilots life.

Oh interesting, so the bullet must have gone through the back of the seat and was stopped by the armor plating.  That looks to be the case from the picture.  That confirms that the armor plating sat inside the seat as opposed to behind it.

Thanks for posting the interview and the pictures.  Very interesting account!

[FullArmor]

6 minutes ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Oh interesting, so the bullet must have gone through the back of the seat and was stopped by the armor plating.  That looks to be the case from the picture.  That confirms that the armor plating sat inside the seat as opposed to behind it.

Thanks for posting the interview and the pictures.  Very interesting account!

You're welcome. Glad to help fellow modeler

[Peterpools]

Mike

So glad to see the Buffalo is back on the bench and underway again. Some very nice work on closing up the fuselage as it was  so apparent how badly the fuselage halves actually mated up - a ton of work for sure.

Flaps area looks so nicely detailed and well worth all the work that you have done on it.

Agreed, deepening the hinge line for ailerons works well and a lot less work then cutting them out.

The links lead to a wealth of detailed photos and should be a terrific help in answering questions such as the seat. 

 

[Landlubber Mike]

Thanks Peter!  Always appreciate your support as I fumble my way through on things.  After my last Super Hobby kit and now this one, I feel like construction wise, I'm pretty far up the learning curve and can handle most anything.  It's certainly extra work when the parts don't fit, there are no locating pins, etc., but in the end it probably makes you a better modeler - at least that's what I'm telling myself.

[FullArmor]

 

[FullArmor]

visited this museum today. Here is some detailed pictures.

[Landlubber Mike]

18 minutes ago, FullArmor said:

visited this museum today. Here is some detailed pictures.

Oh wow, thank you very much!  Really appreciate it!