SeaBee made P-38 model,cast in the south pacific

[agent86]

I might be in the wrong place but since it is a P-38 and was cast in theatre I'll give it a go
One of my families best friends was a SeaBea in WWII ,he went all over the south pacific.He cast this model and a few others from scrap aluminium.They had lots laying around.I always loved it and when he died his widow gave it to me.sorry for the bad pics but my kid has the good camera




kinda cool huh?

[tom d. friedman]

that's a piece of "trench art" & a darn nice piece too!!
soldiers / sailors did hobby stuff like that to alleviate bordom & stress. yours looks like my p- 38, except mine is made of scrap brass & 30 & 50 caliber shell casings. no base to mine though, it's hanging from my office ceiling & it's a beauty!! i wrote an article on trench art in military trader magazine some years ago.

[seabee1526]

Is there anything a Seabee can't do?

Wonderful piece of art you have.

[agent86]

Is there anything a Seabee can't do?

Wonderful piece of art you have.

over the years I've found it to be true.there's nothing the Seabees cant do

[armyjunk2]

I have this little guy, fuselage and tail all one piece cast brass, wings and landing gear sheet brass stock. WWII vintage

[Tiger Tim]

Impressive stuff. How would guys be casting these things out in the field?

-Tim

[agent86]

Impressive stuff. How would guys be casting these things out in the field?


-Tim

The SeaBees were the guys who built the airfields all across the pacific.They were in civilian life carpenters,machinists,heavy equipment operators.They had tools and machinery to build what they built.These guys could cast these with a bon fire,steel helmet to hold the molten metal,and a hole dug in the sand for a mold.Its not like they were casting these in a foxhole while storming the beach at Iwo Jima.after building the airfield,they had some time off while waiting for the next job.lots of crashed planes for material,time on their hand,talented guy.and a hand cast P-38 was born

[tom d. friedman]

good point 86!! my p -38 is assembled w/ the shells, tail & wings were obviously smithed. i have a german v-1 buzz bomb made the same way. fuselage 20mm shell the rest 50 cals. the soldier / artist even had the panache to put a bullet slug in the exhaust port for simulated flame, it's sweet. it's on my ceiling too. i'm amazed how the mold was made for yours, the melting of the metal i can comprehend, making of the mold must have taken real talent. both of mine were hand assembled with what was lying around as usually was the case.

[sdennison]

Being of the foundry persuasion, it would be fairly easy for a talented lad. The "pattern" would probably have been carved from wood, driftwood, or the like. Brass/aluminum was readily available. Torches as well. A crucible could have been made from many materials. The mold would have been made from densely packed sand. A cope (top half) and a drag (bottom half) would have been made by packing sand around the pattern inside a wooden frame. Then a riser or sprue would have been cut into the cope where the molten brass or aluminum would have been poured.

This is really a fairly simple process going back thousand of years. I'd love to see what may have been made by all these guys throughout the war.

[tom d. friedman]

thanks scott!! i learned something today!

[Django]

My Dad has a brass P-38. Next time I go back home, I'll get a pic.