This past spring I kept seeing a huge wasp foraging around the yard and
picking at the asphalt shingles on my roof.  AFAIK it wasn't a Vespa
crabro, because I did get a close look at it once and it had a somewhat
wider shape and wasn't of crabro coloration.
 
What it looked like was a Vespula yellow jacket,  usual bright yellow and
black pattern on abdomen, etc.  But it was huge!  Perhaps 2X the size of a
bald-faced "hornet" queen, fat and heavy, and certainly way bigger than any
Vespula queen.  What I did notice on the one close view was that the cd
eyes were big and RED; and apparently the face was red as well.  Does
anyone know what it might be?  Perhaps some spider hunter-wasp?  It really
was fascinating to see.  I was hoping to locate some V. crabro for my
collection, but according to Roger Morse they are extremely rare up here
(so far).  ............Tnx,   Joel