A Project Memory
As WWII Weekend approaches at the Mid Atlantic Air Museum, I was reminded of a project I had done for a lounge located near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Designed to resemble a vintage WWII pilot’s lounge. The owner had a collection of newer aircraft parts and cowls that needed some artistry and paintwork to help convert them to the proper vintage look. He commissioned me to turn them into warbird parts and wreckage to use as decor.
Felix the cat was shipped to the front
Not only were famous actors and athletes inducted into the military to fight the axis powers, so were cartoon figureheads!
Felix the cat became the iconic logo for the Naval Aviators of the VF-31 “Fighting 31” Squadron.
This one was fun to paint!
I based out the cowls with the proper historic blues and grays, Then I painted the artwork, checkers and aged them for an authentic and realistic look. I loved the way this art came out.. it was the bomb.
Sorry.
wings and things
Modifying the tail from a modern light aircraft was enjoyable. Adding machine guns that I crafted from PVC tube gave this a convincing warbird feel. Historically accurate paint, faux bullet holes and weathering gave this piece the realistic look of a Zero wing that the client was looking for.
the underside
The underside of the wing displayed the classic “Meatball” and some faux bullet holes.
PVC gun barrel
Here is a blurry look at the gun barrel I crafted from PVC tubing.
I obtained photos of the real thing to make sure it was historically accurate… well..mostly.
A tale of a tail.
This tale replicated the paintwork that was applied to U.S. Navy torpedo bombers.
The Eyes Have it
This cowl was painted with the proper base colors including the gray underside.
Then the artwork exactly replicated the historic photos supplied by my client.
Angry teeth and eyes screaming down on you from above would certainly have a psychological impact on the enemy.
I never had the opportunity to visit the finished lounge, However, my client was elated by the finished product. What more could I ask.
This project was just plain fun.. or is that plane fun?
I have added the pictures into the gallery below, if you wish to take a closer look
