Cuban Missile Crisis Diodrama

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Dear VFP-62 Webmaster,
I am currently buidling a 1:48 scale model of an RF-8A from VFP-62 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The aircraft is number 906 (146886). Apparently this was Cmdr. Ecker's wingman on one of the first Blue Moon flights (as depicted in the painting on your web page done for the film "Thirteen Days"). I hope to depict aircraft 906 having just landed in Jacksonville with the pilot and some ground crew figures next to it on the tarmac. One or more of the ground crew will be opening the forward lower camera bay as though beginning to remove the film.

Thank you very much for any assistance you might be able to provide.

Paul Crawley
Atlanta, GA

p.s. God willin' and the creek don't rise, I hope to have it at the International Plastic Model Society's national convention at the Disney Contemporary Resort the week of Aug. 8-11. As I probably told you, one of the special categories is the 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. If I have time, I'd also like to build a Soviet cruise missile on a mobile truck launcher hidden in the jungle.

[Webmaster's Note: Mr. Crawley is representative of many who have a love for the Crusader and has taken the time and effort to get details correct, too many to list here, but he asked questions that relate to the color of uniforms, details on the plane, including the canopy hold-down strap and more. Richard Flake was on the Key West Det sending off RF-8s to Cuba and helped with his research as well.]


Updated 10/5/12: Unfortunately, neither my Blue Moon RF-8A nor the Soviet tactical cruise missile won the IPMS 50th Anniversary Cuban Missile Crisis category at last month's competition. There were many entries and the sole winner for that specific award was a 1/35 scale Soviet Sam anti-aircraft missile on a trailer. Both of mine have won "best model" awards at our monthly IPMS club meetings here in Marietta, GA.

But all of that pales in comparison to your new book.

[Webmaster: see updated photos below]

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Note above is an U-2



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Created on ... July 07, 2012