Gator52
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Posts posted by Gator52
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Is KC-10 a straight reprint, or is there an appetite for revision? Thinking Desert Storm-era Shamu jets with nose art-
Chris
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Don, I have 3 1/2 bombs from 2x A-37 kits...I think the missing half is gone forever but will send what I have.
Chris
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I can donate however many are in the kit I have...
Chris
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Model represents KC-135R 63-8004 "Gunfighter Express/City of Mountain Home" of the 22d Air Refueling Squadron, 366th Wing around 1999.
This is my sixth completion of the Minicraft KC-135 and second of the R-model. Built OOB, mostly painted with Model Master enamels. Decals are a mix of Caracal, kit, spares box, and custom. Intake covers were cut on a Silhouette Cameo.
Last couple of photos taken with my 366th Wing B-1B that I finished a couple of years ago (Academy kit).
Thanks for looking-
Chris
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Very nice Rick!
Chris
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Thanks Dutch; my sample's windscreen part was wider than the fuselage, especially on the lower edge...sounds like exchanging clear parts might have smoothed the way for both of us 🙂
Looking forward to the GWH C-130 also; I am not a Herk expert but believe it should be easy to backdate the H to an E...?
Chris
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Represents C-130E 64-0495 of the 41st Airlift Squadron, 23d Wing, during the brief time when Air Combat Command operated much of the USAF's CONUS-based slick C-130 fleet.
First build of the Minicraft Herk for me, I used C-130H boxing no. 14649. Only additions were the SATCOM antenna and what I presume to be a blade antenna just above the cockpit. Paint is Model Master enamel FS 36173. Decals are a mix of kit, spares box, and custom ALPS-printed markings. The walkways and some common markings came from one of Minicraft's more recent C-130J boxings. The tiger mouth & eyes are from TwoBobs no. 72-025.
Thanks for looking,
Chris
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FS 36320 vs FS 36173:
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9 hours ago, AD-4N said:
I got that off Etsy from a vendor names trulyloveus. It's made of hard plastic and works great.
Thanks
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23 hours ago, AD-4N said:
Waiting patiently.
Where can I find a work stand like yours?Chris
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The Revell KC-10 includes an optional extended boom-
Chris
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A couple of years ago I ran across the "International Color and Camouflage" article in the July 1992 issue of FineScale Modeler describing the then-recent paint changes to the USAF tanker/transport fleet. An interesting tidbit caught my eye: some months before Air Mobility Command established FS 36173 as the standard finish, SAC painted one KC-10 in FS 36320 as an experiment. The author (Dana Bell) was kind enough to include the tail number for this one-off, so after a quick Google search I found several good photos of 83-0082 wearing a noticeably lighter shade of overall gray than the 36173 I've been accustomed to seeing on the Extender fleet for the last 30+ years. A couple other details make this scheme stand out compared to the standard AMC treatment: no black radome, and painted engine inlets (vice natural metal).
In addition to the unique Dark Ghost Gray finish, this model also represents the transition of the KC-10 fleet from SAC to AMC. When the post-Cold War USAF restructuring took effect June 1, 1992, Barksdale's two KC-10 squadrons were reassigned to Air Mobility Command, while the base's B-52s and KC-135s remained assigned to the 2d Wing under Air Combat Command. The 458th Operations Group was activated to oversee KC-10 operations at Barksdale on AMC's behalf until both squadrons transferred to McGuire AFB in 1994.
AMP kit...fought me every step of the way, but it's done! Reminded me of the old joke: "What do you call the person who graduates last in their class at medical school? Doctor."
Surface detail is good, and the engines are probably the single biggest improvement over the Revell KC-10 kit, though the compressor blades for the #2 engine are significantly too large and require some carving/grinding to get the cowling halves to properly join. AMP missed several of the tanker details, as no cargo door is provided, the fuselage-mounted drogue housing is missing, as are the lights on the upper leading edge of the fin. I cut up one of the wing-mounted drogue pods to represent the fuselage-mounted drogue. The boom is well done, though the boom operator housing seems too narrow and doesn't fully represent the profile of the real thing. The prominent antenna fairings on the upper fuselage are also missing; a friend designed/printed a pair for me (Thanks Shaun!). The aft/lower fuselage joint was the toughest, as the alignment is quite tricky and there is little mating surface to work with. The precut paint masks for the windscreen were great. I broke the nose gear strut early on; in the unlikely event I tackle another AMP Extender, I'll figure out how to add it last. I added a brace between the nose gear well and the cockpit floor to hold the gear well firmly in place.
Decals are a mix of kit (pretty nice!), custom, Caracal, and Draw. Paint is Model Master enamel FS 36320.
(edit--I should have taken a photo of it alongside my FS 36173 KC-135 to better show the paint contrast...will do that next time I'm set up for photos)
Thanks for looking,
Chris
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And it was reboxed by ACE-
Chris
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The Revell kit has the strakelets, I plan to use it for my builds of the Barksdale Secret Squirrell options. If you go with the Revell kit, you'll likely want to fill the windscreen and use the decal--the kit windscreen framing is the kit's weakest point.
Chris
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According to my references, 58-0195 and 58-0241 are the only non-ALCM B-52G options on the sheet-
Chris
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I have one copy of the Minicraft tall-tail kit...might need to acquire 17 more!
Chris
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Thanks!
Chris
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Looking for the C-135 family tree referenced in the first post, or something similar-
Thanks
Chris
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Planning to modify Minicraft's EC-135C kit to an OC-135B...looking for info/close-up photos on the Open Skies sensors, particularly the modifications around the boom pod.
Thanks
Chris
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30 minutes ago, John54 said:
So this image is from the September 1965 issue of National Geographic. I’ll do a proper scan tomorrow. Great article on the United States Airforce and well worth seeking out.
Really nice shot; I believe the 2 BMW was flying B-52F models in the mid-60s.
Chris
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49 minutes ago, engineman said:
I have always wanted to do a RB/B-52B conversion . New wing tanks , different main gear wheels , the 20mm tail gun and perhaps a recce pod . Maybe in tbe era of 3d printing somebody can come
to the rescue
Click2Detail scaled down his early wheels to 1/144 for me; they look pretty good. I was thinking of representing the 20mm cannons & fire control radome with leftover B-36/B-47 parts, and perhaps modify the external tanks from Revell G/H kit, but would love to see a comprehensive conversion set.
Chris
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Fantastic, thank you!
Would you consider adding extra 24" subdued ACC emblems, and also the sawtooth-pattern RAM panels? Some have the lighter-colored element, and some are just the brown:
Chris
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Super!
Chris
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Thanks Dutch...where'd you find the drogue pods?
Looking forward to seeing what GWH offers...I've just about finished up my first Minicraft Herk (a slick E), and there is certainly some room for improvement and of course many other variants that Minicraft didn't get to-
Chris
May & June 2024 releases
in Caracal Models
Posted
Sounds good, thanks.
Chris