mtaylor

The image is the link, Jean-Pierre. If you want it be just a link, down near the bottom of the box is black that will say something like "this is rich text, to post as text click here".

That's rough on the nerves and mind. You were doing so well too. Is anyway to do damage control and recover?

The Viet Cong were very superstitious and the Ace of Spades was the ultimate evil/death symbol to them. For several years, the big playing card company here in the States (I forget the name.... sigh) would send cartons of playing card decks with only Aces of Spades. The grunts would place an Ace of Spades card on each dead VC. It apparently really shook them up.

We had a pilot, a co-pilot, 1st mech and the crew chief here in the States. In 'Nam, it depended on the mission. We would have at least one door gunner and the crew chief would man the other. If we knew it was a "hot" LZ, then two gunners 9 (one was the 1st mech) and crew chief would stand by the ramp with M-16. Yeah... wasted efffort using an M-16. That paint was only a test. Thanks Denis. No primer here nor do I have an airbrush. Well.. painting will start tomorrow. We'll see how it goes. I had to make another trip the hobby shop... I know, every job requires 3 trips to the store... one to get what you think you need, the second to get what you forgot, and the third to by replacements for what you screw up. This was more of the screw up trip. The olive paint that I bought was so light it was almost a Christmas tree green. So went back, picked up the olive I needed, some odds and ends like 600 grit sanding sheet and some filler putty... just in case. I looked at the airbrushes and then choked at the price... I quietly asked if they "rented them".... more as choke. Not about to spend that much money on one model. I'm finishing up on cutting out the upper door for the machine gun. Taking my time and getting "right" not close. Hopefully, tomorrow, I'll take all the parts down to the kitchen and wash them and let them try. I should be painting by late afternoon which is when the real fun begins.

Looking very good, Kevin. BTW, for the picture problem. Use the chose files (lower left) and upload them. Then move the cursor to where you want the first pic and click on the "+"of the one you want there. Rinse and repeat. Move cursor, hit the "+" on the next one you want.

Thanks OC for the idea. I'm not worried about drying time at this point as this is more of an adventure or road trip where I need to pause and absorb everything.

Back to the build log for me.... picked up assorted paints, had a long talk with the guy at the hobby shop. Answered questions, calmed me down a bit as the painting part was stressing me out. I ended up buying my colors I needed but forgot some 1000 grit sandpaper... tomorrow or Saturday. I tested my interior color (light gray) (see photo below). Per him, as long as everything is washed and well dried, the acrylics shouldn't be a problem. They should work fine as long I don't handle it a lot. I won't, it's going in a case. As it is, primer would cover a lot of the detail according to him... no primer. Current work in progress is removing the top part of the door (it's basically a dutch door). I'm just about done. Once done.... I start painting and assembling.

No stress here Lou, Ken, or anyone else. Like you, if someone want's to talk 'Nam or whatever, I'm open to it. Part of what's driving me on this kit, and apparently my shrink agrees, is that maybe some healing will come... who knows. I saw the ones in Akron as a kid. My dad took on road trip. Those are larger than ones at Santa Ana. As for blimps, we did the Goodyear blimp stationed on the west coast to come in, park in the hanger and deflate for maintenance once a year. The hanger just made that blimp look like small toy. A little memory from the first time I flew in a CH-34. It wasn't a "normal" flight. I had signed up flight pay when I got to the squadron (it was encouraged for all us avionics types as well as all the mechs). The goal was be able to actually flight test our flight critical repairs. Anyway, about two weeks before our CH-34's were to be replaced by the '53's, I get sent to the paraloft for a flightsuit, helmet, and gloves. At that point in time, our flight suits/gloves were nomex which the Air Force didn't have. We used to get offers from the AF guys up at Norton at the bone yard to trade us anything they had for a nomex flight suit. But I digress. Anyway, I get back to the shop and am told to suit up, there a bird needing testing. WTH? I've not flown yet? So nervous, I suit up and go the bird and the pilot (a Captain) is standing there. After a salute and some small talk where he found out I hadn't done this before, we started pre-flight. He was one our instructor pilots, btw. We walked around the exterior, checking things. He had me do the reading of the pre-flight and actually doing the inspection with him and bird's crew chief overseeing. Then inside and the same thing. We get done and he tells me to take the right seat and then we strap in. We start running through the checklist, getting the APU started and then I'm sitting waiting. The crew chief is out front with a fire bottle and waving his hand over his head (the signal to start her up)... Captain says "Clear Left" then bumps my elbow... "you need to check and if all clear is report "clear right". He nudges me and says "Your the pilot, start her up". Oh.... okay... how do I do that. He walked me through everything, startup, getting clearance to taxi, taxing, getting me on the runway, and clearance to take off. Big gulp... "take off"? He walked me through that with his hands on his controls so I wouldn't over power or do something stupid. We did it... we got off the ground in one piece, flew around for about 30 minutes and got a feel for the plane. The he walked me through landing, taxing, and parking along with shutdown and post flight. Wow... I did it. I saluted him and thanked him (that was the last I saluted on the flight line. It's just not normally done.) and we went to the hanger to fill out the paperwork. His parting shot... "next time, I'm not telling you what to do...." and laughed. Footnote... unlike fixed winged aircraft, the pilot sits in the right seat in helicopters. I never did learn why. If I'm being too long winded, let me know. I know how to be quiet.

Nice observation, Ron.

We've all had that learning experience, Kris. It's a rite of passage.

Thanks, Ken. No yellow or red here. I've been following their logs so I guess I need to ask questions.

No diorama, Denis. No room. The model is going onto my case that holds the Constellation. I've done wee bit of testing of paint and I'm pretty sure I'll need primer and in a rattle can. The acrylic I have ends up with too many "thin" spots where the plastic color bleeds through so it's off the hobby shop tomorrow. And I'll pick up a newspaper for use in turning a spare bathroom into a paint booth. I'll check the paint I've point on during testing before I head out. I think I'll use the rattle cans for the olive drab as it's a pretty large area also. When I first got the squadron, we had CH-34's. Lovely little hauler, all aluminum and magnesium with a Wright radial for power and a belly fully of high octane Av Gas. And by belly, I mean it. The fuel tank was between the deck and the bottom of the bird. Made a nice racket once that engine fired up. We enlisted types knew that if we were going to sit with our legs hanging out of the big door on the side to make sure we had gunner's belt on and it was securely attached. It was a wonderful place to sit but some pilots liked to flip the chopper just bit to see if they could shake us up.

Lou, Are you getting your parts from 1001Hobbies? They do seem to be slow. Maybe it's the long lunches with wine? Be careful with that link to Cybermodels. For the CH-53 they show the same colors as for the E model and older which was desert colors. Yes, coming home to the States. I home for not quite a week, afraid to drive, etc. My buddy from 'Nam stopped by on his way home. So we go downtown and walking around, a bus backfired. We both looked up rather sheepishly from the gutter to see cop grinning at us. All he said was "you boys just got back from "Nam, right?" and helped us up. Nice guy, he was a vet too. I had more problems at the college I went to than anywhere else. We vets ended up sticking together and if the entitled kids spit, we spit back.

Gabe. What Edward said is the best way. The plans may be 100% spot on but wood breathes and humans's sometimes aren't 100% exact in cutting, etc.

Yeah...my scrapbooks went MIA at some point after my first one broke up. Those pics are all off the web. The were/are huge. We had GU-11's* and other birds that living in the rafters. Oh,... and bats. We had to keep one set of doors closed at all times (or at least one on each end) as the F-4 and certain others would fly through the hanger. Too dangerous to leave them open as it was a temptation. *Gulls to civilians.

I understand. I have my guns coming from France.. finally shipped after a month. Now being patient but it's no big deal as I won't need them for quite a while.

Beautiful work, Michael. My dad (the woodworker in our family) always said the first time was the "proof of concept".

I'm going to start a plastic kit since I need better weather to continue on my Belle Poule. This model is something I wanted to build for a long time but never had the time or could find one. I picked or maybe it picked me (thanks Lou). In Marines from '66 to '70, I was a electronics tech, avionics test flight member, and whatever else they could find for me do them. I'm building it as a D-model as that was type. I have two choices, I could build as one of my squadrons from the States (Santa Ana Air Facility, California) or Vietnam. I picked the State side version as I served in the stateside squadron for a bit more than 2 and half years. In 'Nam, I was only there for the last 8 months of my enlistment as the Commandant issued an order that ALL marines would serve in Vietnam, even with those who had a couple of weeks left. Here's a picture of the kit I'll be using: I'll be using minimal PE and aftermarket items as there just isn't much out there. I will be adding the .50 machine guns to the doors such as we used in training flights here in the States and in Nam for protecton. So... state side chopper it is. The squadron was HMHT-301 which was a training unit at the above base along with two CH-46 squadrons. I'll put pictures of the aircraft and base below and then start the build log probably in day or so as have to buy some paints from the hobby shopl First a couple of bird. Color photos from the '60's havent' aged well.... And a few of the base. Santa Ana was old blimp base during WWII with (if I recall correctly) the third largest blimp hangers in the States. In the first picture, our hanger was lower one of the two pictured.

Hmmm.... good info. So maybe brush painting might be the way to go then. Plastic would still need to be primed though, right?

You beat me too it, Lou. I'll be making my first post tonight. Door gunner.. much needed skill. It could have been if the traffic copters flew over bad parts of town. Ken is right about boredom and terror......

When I mentioned laying it flat, on it's side like in the post on Saturday where you show us it's "bent".

Don't go vertical. Lay on the side of the keel and on a piece of glass (if you have it) or a very flat surface. Then glue everything together. Lay another flat piece of glass on top or weight it down with bricks, books, heavy objects.

I'm almost embarrassed to ask this. I have a couple of questions about painting using rattle cans. I'm starting a plastic build and haven't used rattle cans in about 40 years. Is there any difference in using acrylics compared to the enamels and lacquers from back then? What about thinners for brush painting... special thinner? Do they dry faster than the old enamels. Lacquers used to dry pretty quick as I recall. Yeah, basic questions but I have no knowledge of this material so thanks for any help.

The F-15 was one of my favorites to watch. When I moved out here to Oregon, they were in the hands of the National Guard (I think) at Klamath Falls. They'd fly into Medford (my office was just across the street from the airport), do some touch and goes, sometimes a complete stop, turn around and take off again. I loved it when they lift off, pull the wheels up point nose up and hit the afterburners... darn things climbed straight up until they were out side. Your doing a bang-up job, Craig. Love it.