Loach Driver

Very tidy work. LD.

Very tidy build so far. Can't beat a prototype build! LD.

A couple of weeks ago I started to read back over this thread in its entirety. It contains a huge amount of information and I wanted to see if I'd missed or forgotten anything interesting. One little snippet of information that I found fascinating was a reference to the AH-6 gun birds by Killing Stone. He mentioned that the guns used during Operation Just Cause were fitted with 19-shot rockets pods. The configuration he mentioned was a single minigun on the left and a single 19-shot pod on the right. Basically the same configuration as the AH-6F but with the bigger pod fitted. I p

Interesting. Who would the helicopter be contracted from and by whom? Is there a company that has a history for supplying helicopters to special operations units for training? I’ll check my Blackwater photo file to see if the ship or similar is there. LD.

I found this photo online. The gentleman featured in the photo is or was a member of Delta and the photo is believed to date from 2002 or 2003 and was taken at Fort Bragg. The aircraft behind is most likely a 530F and appears to have a people plank and fast rope frame fitted. Of real interest is the paint scheme. It looks like it has a black and metallic blue and grey paint scheme. Would love to see a full shot of this helicopter! It is, most likely, a Flight Concepts Division 530F. LD.

Great model from a basic kit! LD.

It’s coming together nicely. LD.

More stellar detail. LD.

Found on the web today. An MH-6H doing some State-side training, fitted with the low-rider platform. This photo is from the Night Stalkers Foundation website. It looks like a group photo of the initial cadre from TF158. Looks like an AH-6C hovering in the background with an OH-58C included, for some reason. LD.

Yes, for some reason the link doesn't work. The Heliops website seems to be down completely. You will find Heliops on Facebook and Ned Dawson is the guy to contact there. They generally print a batch of posters from initial orders with a deposit but they might have a few left over. Hopefully you can get one! LD.

Oliver, you are correct. I'm back building something for the first time in a few years. About the only good thing to come from the pandemic. Hopefully others are getting back to the modelling bench too. LD.

I have seen this picture before in the past but never paid it much attention. After we finally discovered a photo of the EH-6B in late-2019, I noticed a few similarities and it appears this was also an EH-6B. It has the radar altimeter and antenna box under the belly, similar to the other EH-6B photographed. The Batwing SATCOM antenna is missing from the tailboom but the antenna base is there. Add the SATCOM antenna and you'll have a full-spec EH-6B! The serials commonly listed as being EH-6Bs are 68-17301, 68-17358 and 69-15977. The serial on this ship isn't

Thanks. That what I thought. Not sure why Academy specified a different colour. Maybe they were factoring in the grease & gunk! LD.

Does anyone know what the correct colour is for the main rotor head? It looks like it is Helo Drab, similar to the airframe colour but the instructions are calling for 40% black mixed with 60% Olive Drab. The blades themselves seem to be a weathered flat black. Thanks. LD.

I think the two items on the horizontal stab are two protective pads of some kind to protect the tail when loaded on an aircraft for transport. I didn't realize the FAV in the Somalia photo was a member of the MUTT family. I thought they'd have been long retired by 1993. Thanks for the info. LD.