Rob Mignard

Can’t wait to see it!

Does anyone have an idea what color the spinner is on this 7./JG54 Bf-109 G2? It appears to be a solid color. It doesn't appear to be green and seems to match the red on the 7 Staffel badge. Thanks, Mig

Curt, give me a call; I’ll show you what I’ve got. Rob

Thanks Ray. Mig

Actually, it's against the right cockpit wall (sorry, senior moment). Mig

Here's my solution to the ECS Manifold issue. I carved this out of a piece of .125" styrene. I still need to finish shaping it. Notice that it's right up against the left cockpit wall. You'll also see the improved pilot's collective. Mig

Ray, I'm not familiar with later model Cobras, so perhaps what happened is ICM didn't understand what they were looking at. Your TM drawing, #11 shows the manifold/port leaving the pilot's bulkhead horizontally. This is correct. It then angles downward through the shelf behind the pilot's seat. As I mentioned, you can't see the flanges. If you look at my photo (and yours) you'll see that we're looking at the curved portion of the manifold/port. It then follows the angle of the lower aft part of the pilot's canopy panel, and the flexible hose comes out almost perpendicular to the manifold/port

Ray, I agree completely. It’s visible in the photo I posted. I simply called it a manifold vs. a port. The later port/manifold, as depicted in the kit, is not there on early Vietnam Cobras. Mig

Stefan, in anticipation of your next question, here's what I did to make the soundproofing blanket. I used a piece of K&S Engineering SSM-84 mesh and embossed a piece of kitchen aluminum foil over it. I then cut it out and glued it in place (after removing the molded in detail). A little fussy, but looks really good. I'll be doing another one since I stuck my finger in the middle of this one. Mig

Stefan, I hesitate to disagree with Ray, but you are correct; that piece needs to be removed for early Cobras. If you look at Ray's tech drawing, #11 shows the flex hose and the manifold. You can't see the manifold flanges in the cockpit, but you can see the manifold. Also, the junction box depicted on the kit is where the First Aid kit goes on early Cobras. Mig

Skyraider.org

Yes, they are. Typical field repair for plexiglas.

And here's the other side.

Here's what the looks like.

Here's an article from "The Hawk" magazine (published by 1st Aviation Brigade Public Affairs). It shows early Cobras deployed in Vietnam. There's LOTS of interesting detail in this article. All of the Cobras have blue canopies; no ECS inlet, TAT 101 single weapon turrets, faired skid tubes; "headlights," black/red/white tail rotor, and the original pusher tail rotor. Note that there is no standardization of markings. The white stripes on the top surface of the main rotors, and the orange on top of the synchronized elevators are "Conspicuity" markings; note that here also there is no standardiz

I bought the Eduard T-28 set.

As far as I know, all Cobras in Vietnam had the shields. To your earlier question, the engraving is very nice. The tailboom has raised rivets, and the forward fuselage is smooth; just like the original. Mig

Here you go. They protect the advancing part of the rotor head. Mig

Fantastic!

Here's a follow-up to my earlier posts. One of the problems you face when modeling Cobras is time and place. Not surprisingly, most of the photos you see of Cobras in Vietnam have shark-mouths, cool names, and other artwork all from later in the conflict. When I flew in the Central Highlands in 1969 and 1970 there wasn't any of that. The Cobras were basically as delivered from the factory. They had conspicuity and unit markings and little else. Occasionally, you'd see the crew chiefs' name. Here’s an example: . This is 68-15051, the 594th Cobra built; a 361 Aerial Escor

Floyd, I missed the IR strakes, thanks for pointing that out. I flew in the Central Highlands (II Corps) in 1969 and 1970. All of the Cobra photos I took have blue canopies and don’t have the ECS inlet. Many of them still had the clear plastic nose, but the twin lights had been removed and the single landing light installed on the belly. I don’t know when Bell switched to clear canopies, but it was well into the production run. If you look through John Brennan’s Helicopter Art/Nose Art books (which are excellent and highly recommended) you’ll see that about half the Cobras have blu

I received the new ICM Cobra today. There's a lot to be happy with here. It completely eclipses the old Revell kit (but don't throw it away just yet). Overall, it looks great in the box. The shape appears to be right on (even the nose is correct; something we haven't seen in some other Cobra models). Parts are included for both early and late G models. Both vertical stabilizers are provided. Weapons include XM-157, XM-158, XM-200 rocket pods, XM-18 minigun pods, and Tow missile tubes. The M-35 Vulcan is not included. The canopy is great; clear, thin and distortion free. Both clear and solid no

Looks great Curt!

Curt, here's my Eduard FW-190A-4. I painted everything. Worked out OK for me. Rob

Looks wonderful! You hit the color spot on. Always glad to help. Mig