Tim Mee Cold War Jets

Tim Mee Toys Cold War Jet Fighters set includes two jets from the early Cold War era.

The first one is this F11 US Navy fighter plane.

The F11 Tiger was in service with the US Navy from 1956 to 1966.

They were the Navys second super sonic fighter plane, and carried four 20mm cannons.

This toy jet has only four parts, three wheels and the rest of the plane.

The real jet was almost 50 feet long and the model scales out to a hair over 1/72nd scale.

The model is a bit underpowered!  The plastic is very durable and the light gray works great for Navy planes.

The size of the jet works well with 1/72nd scale figures. The model comes with stickers that I did not apply.

Looks like I may have to start collecting Navy Cold War jets.  Thanks Tim Mee for the review sample.

Armistice Day

November 11, 1918 was the day the War to End All Wars ended, 100 years ago today.  This photo is a Ford three ton tank that was just about to enter mass production.  Over a thousand of them would have been fielded had the war gone on just a bit longer.  Only six were actually constructed.

The First World War was in my opinion the worst war to have had to fight in.  On top of all the usual privations of war, there was widespread use of machine guns, poison gas, and massive artillery, and the generals took several years of trial and error to figure out ways to defend against these weapons. The photo is an eight inch Newton Mortar, HaT makes one with their American WWI troops.

The War of the Nations also was one of those turning point wars.  Here we see a light tank driving past horse cavalry.  The first time mechanized armies went to war and the last time both sides used millions of horses in the front lines.  The horse had been used in war since before Biblical times.

The Great War saw an American Army transported overseas to fight in Europe for the first time.  The US Army expanded so fast and the European armies had sustained so many casualties that Americans wore not only American, but British and French uniforms, and carried British and French rifles, machine guns, used their tanks, artillery and flew their airplanes.

World War One was also the first of the two World Wars, with essentially the same nations fighting each other only a generation apart.  In both wars tanks were an important part of the war, and this photo shows an American tank built in California.  I have read that 50 were ordered but most sources say only one was ever built.  It was used for training the California National Guard and in recruiting.

Confederate Army Captain (former) Edward Camden, Volusia County, Florida April 1917.  He rode with Stonewall Jackson in the American Civil War.  He put on his war veterans uniform and tried to register for the draft on the first day of the War to Make the World Safe for Democracy.  I pray that our nation will be so united as it was on that day, and that we won't have a need for soldiers.

Missile

MPC soldier and rocket launcher with rocket.

It also works well with the 1/72nd scale Airfix USAAF Ground Crew set.

Which for some odd reason also came in the same blue/gray they used for their Luftwaffe Ground Crew.

So I use the blue/gray ones as US Air Force for the early Cold War.

Apart from the color the uniforms looked about the same as WWII.

They fit well with this rocket too.

Makes a nice launching pad.

Makes a good surface to air missile.

Click on the photo to enlarge it and see how detailed these figures are, they are 40 years old!

Prepare to fire missile.

Fire!

Guns and Spiders

Artillery and poison gas, great for the First World War.

The Strelets troops are British, but in a gas mask and greatcoat they look like Americans.

I use the gas trailiers as gas generators.  Not used as often as artillery because they really needed a favorable wind direction to deploy the gas on the enemy.

This spider is on my front porch.  He is the largest spider I have ever seen that was not a tarantula.  The body is at least one inch long.  According to the Allen County Cooperative Extention: "This looks to be a Yellow and Black Argiope garden spider. They will bite if disturbed but their venom Is harmless."  The builders say he has been around for a few days and they just leave him alone.  I saw him move, he is very fast.  I may have to rewatch Them! and the Beginning of the End for some tips.