Warbird Information Exchange

G'day folks,

I'm working on another A-2 flight jacket painting project. I've settled on 42-75508 HV-B “Pistol Packin’ Mama” flown by Praeger Neyland of the 61st FS. I
m wondering whether anyone might be able to help with pics of the noseart?

I've found the following pic;



It came from the following page at Littlefriends.co.uk;

http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/gallery. ... le&Item=23

Any more pics which give more detail (especially of the head) would be appreciated. I've searched without much luck.

Cheers,
Matt

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Matt Austin - playing with warbirds since the early 80s.

See my Lee-Enfield videos at - http://www.youtube.com/user/Jollygreenslugg

There are some other shots of this ship in that same gallery... the second image on THIS page shows all of the gal's head and the cap she's wearing.

It's not as clear as the image you posted above, but it does give you something to start with.


Fade to Black...

G'day Peter-Four-Oh,

Thanks very much. I'd missed those shots in my excitement! I've used them with a couple of otherts for reference, and the jacket painting is well underway. I found that playing the Bing Crosby/Andrews Sisters version of 'Pistol Packin Mama' to put me in the right frame of mind while I paint.

Pics to come.

Cheers,
Matt

_________________
Matt Austin - playing with warbirds since the early 80s.

See my Lee-Enfield videos at - http://www.youtube.com/user/Jollygreenslugg

Groovy, looking forward to seeing the finished piece!

I too will often listen to period soundz... music, news broadcasts, radio shows... while doing this kinda stuff, and while modeling or doing other types of artwork.

What kind of paints do you use on jackets and how do you prep the leather? I've used acrylic craft paints to do leather patches and wooden plaques, and they work AOK for that kinda stuff. But so far I've tried an actual jacket only once, and had a bad flaking problem with the acrylics. Maybe I didn't clean it well enough... I dunno.


Fade to Black...

G'day folks,

Well, I had a crack at painting a jacket. I couldn't find an exact closeup of the face, so I painted a face which fitted the era closely enough for my liking.

The areas to be painted were lightly touched-up with thinners to reduce some of the oil in the jacket. I then used acrylic paints, claimed to be formulated for use on fabric. The patches and nose-art were then sealed with a matte sealer which has given them a smooth and scratch-resistant finish. Some small cracks have appeared, in line with the grain of the leather, which is to be expected.

I'm happier with my patches than I was with the last jacket I painted. I think I'm slowly getting there. I inadvertantly got the dimensions wrong and she ended up with an elongated torso, which I had to disguise somewhat, but it's only really noticeable when one compares original pics with the jacket.

The jacket is sized 42, so it's a good size too big for me. It's a good practice though, and I have a size 40 Cooper on the way. That'll get the 'Flak Bait' treatment.

Again, advice is always welcome.

Cheers,
Matt

_________________
Matt Austin - playing with warbirds since the early 80s.

See my Lee-Enfield videos at - http://www.youtube.com/user/Jollygreenslugg

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Curator - EAA Aviation Museum, Oshkosh, WI
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