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Charles, Thanks for the pictures, those are some nice shots. I'll try to take some pics as I go along, I'll have to play around with the camera. Most of my close ups don't come out very well. Nice job on your Huey by the way! Regards, John

Just starting my Dragon UH-1 and I'd like to use the Cobra Co Toilet Bowl exhaust kit with it. My question is: Where there any late-war US Army Huey's fitted with this? I know that a good number of South Viet Hueys had this but I want to do a US Army version. Any links to a pic would be wonderful but even just confirmation that there were Army Huey's with this mod would be a big help. If this doesn't pan out, I'll have to look into modeling a more modern army Huey or even possibly an Air America late war version, I think I remember some pix of AA Huey's with this modification. Also

I second that. I placed an order with Cobra a few days after they re-opened. I ordered a whole slew of Huey items, got them 2 days later. Chris even helped me out with a special request. Truly great service. John

I second that. I placed an order with Cobra a few days after they re-opened. I ordered a whole slew of Huey items, got them 2 days later. Chris even helped me out with a special request. Truly great service. John

Hopefully the first Herc at the top was your wife's aircraft and not the wreckage below it?? What is the story behind those pix? John

Is that a live weapon or just a training shape? Also, what is with that support structure? It almost looks like it is a lift from an underground storage area?

More pixs!! I'm starting the Dragon UH-1D next. Your cockpit looks great. John

Thanks for the shots of the C-2. There is something about that plane that I really like. Can't but my finger on it.... I've seen E-2's in flight, they are suprisingly agile for such a large "clunky" aircraft. Regards, John

Quite interesting, thanks for the link. The black manta patch is especially noteworthy. John

I thought the same thing when I saw your pix. The metal finish has a very authentic weathered appearance. Nothing is worse than seeing a nice model with a NMF finish that is close to the chrome on my toaster. Real unpainted aircraft have a much duller finish which (at least for me) is very hard to duplicate. Nice job!! John

That works for me. Appreciate the quick response. John

That is quite the Littlebird. I read about that mission, the aircraft was so shot up and overloaded with Delta and a rescued hostage that it couldn't get airborne. Instead the pilot bounced it down the street, away from the prison. It was hit again and finally crashed. I'm glad that this one avoided the scrap heap and was restored. Jon - on another semi-related note: Would you know if the planks that come with the Cobra Co MH-6 set are based on ones that are actually in service? I've never seen pix of anything that looks even close to what CC has. Any info is greatly appreciated.

Wow, that was some pretty impressive flying. Hey Cobra Historian, how would that go down in the US Army? Is it acceptable to put on a little buzz job for the troops, or would they yank the pilots wings over something like this? I know that the USAF has a very low tolerance for these things, not sure about the Army. John

Go to the Finescale helo forum, they have a link to mutiple Huey related threads, including a couple that deal with the seats. This should give you all the info you are looking for. http://cs.finescale.com/forums/809205/ShowPost.aspx Regards, John

Elmers White Glue always worked for me on this part. It dries nice and clear. There is a superglue that won't fog clear plastic but for the life of me I can't remember what is was called.... Regards, John

Any update on how Chris is doing? Hopefully ok? If so, I finally was able to track down the Dragon UH-1 and will be looking to order some items from Cobra. John

Hi Charles, I'll have to look at my photo stash but to the best of my memory, there was nothing special about MassNG hueys. Overall helo drab, some had the the circular national guard logo on the pilots door, some didn't. Other than that, I think just standard markings with MA-NG on the tail. Hope this helps a bit, John

Hi Alby, Sorry but I'm fixed on the Hotel version. Having spent much time in the back as "cargo", it is near and dear to me. Also spent a fair amount of time in Blackhawks but there was always something special about the Huey. If I go with the Dragon version, has anyone seen this kit for sale? As mentioned before, I can't seem to find anyone who has it in inventory. Regards, John

After seeing the awesome Huey in the other posting, I am really getting the Huey bug. However, I was wondering which kit has best potential - the 1/35th Dragon UH-1H or the old Revell 1/32 one? It seems like the Dragon kit although newer, still has some issues. It looks like I can get aftermarket decals in either scale so that is not a concern. Any suggestions? Also, if the Dragon kit is the way to go, does anyone know where I can buy one? No luck at the local hobby shop, Squadron is sold out, as are a few other on-line retailers. Thanks in advance, John

It is so cool seeing the Huey in current service. Anyone know how long they will be around in active service? Is it me or are the US Army Markings on the tailboom gunship grey or just faded black? Also, any info on whether the Fireball ASE kit will work with the 1/35 Dragon kit? I'm thinking about making a late 80's H model with all the ASE gear added on (assuming I can ever find the Dragon kit in stock anywhere). John

And a couple more. They're not the greatest. Aaron The LY coded aircraft was from VP-92. It used to be stationed at NAS South Weymouth, MA. I used to see them flying overhead all the time (along with Marine helos, A-4's, C-130's etc). BRAC shut down the base a few years ago, they got moved to NAS Brunswick, ME. BRAC finally caught up with them for good this year. VP-92 is now defunct as is the entire base. 20 years ago we had Ft. Devens, NAS SoWey, the 101st FS F-15's at Otis ANGB. All gone. Not much to look at if you live in Eastern Mass these days. Pretty sad driving

Wow, between all the new lumps added on and the new exhausts, the Apache has a whole new look. Very cool indeed. Hope Jon or Cobra comes out with a nice resin upgrade for all the new gear. One side note, I am suprised that the Apaches in Iraq still mount the laser detectors. I thought that this was mainly for high intensity combat, didn't think that there were any laser guided threats in Iraq. Figured that they would just leave them off to save weight and some maint headaches.

There is no way that the manufacturer would have spent the time and money to design this into the aircraft just so they can pull off a cool stunt at an airshow. Most aircraft have fuel dump systems. If they get into an emergency situation after take off with full tanks, they will need to rapidly dump fuel to get down to landing weight. Otherwise they would have to circle for a long time and burn off fuel. Not exactly a good solution when you have an engine on fire or some other major emergency. Not sure why they chose to route the fuel dump valve next to the engines though. Maybe it

This paint is supposed to decrease the radar signature of the F-16. If you were flying this plane into combat would you really be b****ing about the fact that it looks dirty? If it was me, I'd be fighting the other pilots to get one of these planes assigned to me. I guess we should just paint all the F-16's a nice glossy grey so they look nice and pretty in the airforce press releases. Maybe add some hot yellow pinstripes to them while we are at it. That should keep everybody happy. Personally , I like it. It looks like the plane works for a living.

I also agree!! Those are some great shots. Makes me want to start a new phantom kit! Do you have any more pictures?