BMH

You may be thinking of the fuselage art on one of the Mountain Home OEF F-16Cs, which is on Two Bob's 32-019 F-16C Mountain Home's Gunfighters sheet. The only other art like that is on the Israeli F-16Cs--Isradecal does a nice sheet in 1/32 and so does Sky's. Can't think of any USAF F-16s like that, though it's possible there is.

If you can't find the Air Doc sheet, the original kit decals were Alabama ANG--you may be able to score them from someone who used aftermarket. CE did a set, but it's OOP and was for orange & white or gray & white birds.

1/32 Vietnam Huns (since Cutting Edge went OOB), 1/32 Thunderbird Huns and 1/32 natural metal (not silver paint) Huns.

If anybody has either of the SEA options leftover from using this sheet for their Hun build and would like to sell or barter it, let me know what you'd like ($ or trade) and we'll wheel & deal. Either option is fine. Thanks, BMH PS--also posted in Jet Modeling

If anybody has either of the SEA options leftover from using this sheet for their Hun build and would like to sell or barter it, let me know what you'd like ($ or trade) and we'll wheel & deal. Either option is fine. Thanks, BMH PS--also posting in Arms Trading

I defer to any experts, but as far as I can tell, all you need to do to make the gray over white from the CAM sheet is to use full size star-n-bar insignias on the fuselage rather than the small ones on the sheet and paint white as usual. Other than overall gull gray and mini-star-n-bar, the scheme looks identical to the classic scheme. The yellow on the Tamiya kit decals looks a tad orange--the CAM Pro sheet is the way to go.

"Does Israel use a low vis version of markings, especially star of David?" I've never seen shots of anything but the standard blue & white on Israeli jets. On helos, they use 36375 rather than white as the background for the star and the insignia is pretty small, but it still uses the blue star. But it's a what-if, so feel free to design your own subdued star. The way the USMC uses contrasting camo colors rather than gray or black to make numbers and insignia looks cool.

Were they always open on the ground, or did they slowly open by themselves after hydraulic pressure bled off after shutdown like P-51D flaps and main wheel covers? Most of the pix I see on the web show them open on the ground, but a few show them closed. I'm working on the Hasegawa 1/32 F kit (cutting off the extra wing span and using Cutting Edge's 120 gallon combat tanks) and want to build the Kinetic kit as well to do Korean war Sabres I'd rather depict them closed both for the appearance and not having to deal with cutting the star-n-bar. Models being snapshots, would the speedbrakes b

It's the Hasegawa kits that include the missile points. I'm building my Revell D as an Israeli bird, and using the surplus Sparrow wing racks from the Hasegawa F-16 kits as the basis for the F-15D missile points. Upside down and trimmed to the right depth and length, I think they'll look pretty close shape-wise to the CFT missile points, and I'm using the Hasegawa parts as a guide. The Hasegawa F-16 racks were only used for the demonstrator birds, so there should be plenty of them floating around for experimentation. They're leftovers for anybody not building the R-W-B demo F-16A. Inciden

Nigel Tufnel said "well, it's one better than the P-51D, isn't it?" About the kit, I've read that the spinner, windsheild and canopy are a little too wide, but it still looks OK. It's from the early 70's, so raised & recesed panels and spartan detail in the wheel wells & cockpit. Surf around and you can see plenty of great looking build ups here and other sites. Makes a nice Mustang OOB and none of the overdone trenches and rivets of the Dragon kit, but both kits have inaccurate wheel wells. Most older boxings have Hasegawa's off-white whites for decals--you'll know if you can liv

How 'bout a really well done Thunderbirds decal sheet--is one yet in the works?

I have the Pan Am 1/72 707 sheet--haven't used them yet, but they look really nice on the sheet if that helps. Colors look great, sharp printing and no registration misalignment problems. http://www.airline-hobby.com/shop/index.cf...amp;ItemID=9474

I was going by the shots I've seen on the web (until the one you posted)--they were all of the 5 bladed, high skids. Revell used one of these shots for the box art, but what you get is the 4 blade, short skid OH-6A with small passenger door windows (a Vietnam Loach), not what's shown in the picture on the box. Been a long time since I've seen the show, but it figures they'd have used more than one 500, figuring most viewers wouldn't notice--just like the Corsairs the Blacksheep flew. Remember on Hawaii Five O when a United 747 would be shown on approach, then we'd see B-52 landing gear biti

The Hasegawa ASW version of the 500 has the high rise landing skids like TC's did as well as the regular ones you get in the Academy kit. The Hasegawa CHiPs kit and Academy kit are pretty much identical. The parts look identical but are arranged differently on the sprues, and the Hasegawa left fuse half fits the Academy right fuse half perfectly, so one company copied the other. The ASW kit has an extra sprue with the high skids, ASW gear and military looking pilots, and I think they omit the motorcycle & officer. TC's chopper is a later 5 bladed 500 with a T tail, but the Revell 1/3

Paragon did a resin Sky Shadow and laser ranger--used them to make the German issue of the Tornado kit into an RAF bird. With Paragon back in business, they'll probably be available again.

Hang in there Chris--you know we'll still be here frowning at kit manufacturer's goofs and grinning when we get our Zactoman correction sets when you get real life in order. Good luck on selling the house and maybe we can buy enough Zacto stuff so you won't need another day job.

The info doesn't get any better than that! Good to know.

I read somewhere that AMRAAMs were carried (and not fired in combat) toward the end of DS (all 6 weeks of it) only on the rear fuselage flanks, with AIM-7s on the front and the old AIM-9 only rails (and a full load of AIM-9s) on the wing hardpoints. The CAP load would be 2 each AIM-7s & ARMAAMs and 4 AIM-9s, plus 3 bags. I of course defer to anyone with better info (read it on the web, so it MUST be true).

If these are your choices, go for the Monograms--Lindberg kit is much older and less detailed. The Monogram kits date from the 80's and are typical Monogram of the period--pretty good detail and fit, but raised panel lines. If you're just looking for nice shelf sitters for a reasonable price, the Monograms are fine, but the new Hasegawa Starfighter series are truly state of the art (and priced accordingly) with very fine detail, recessed panel lines and excellent fit.

I'm working on an A-4F, and modeling being a snapshot, I'm building it closed canopy, loaded and ready to open the throttle for take off (runway, not flight deck). I know the leading edge slats should be fully down, but what about the flaps? Is there a take off position, or is take off with flaps fully down? Thanks for any info, Scooter experts.

I think all Israeli single seat A-4s started life as E/F models, but I defer to the experts. Yes, the Hasegawa can be used to an H using Cutting Edge's sets CEC32072 (everything but the larger intakes) and CEC32065 if the AC you're modeling has the larger intakes. Lots of aftermarket for the Hase kit, but the above are all I know about specific to Israeli scooters other than the Sky's decal sheet, which lets you model just about any Israeli scooter, including 2 seaters and unmodified E/F models, and the instructions also specify which IFR probe to use and which AC need the extended jet pipe

The best kit for a Saudi (or Israeli) F-15C is the F-15J kit if you can find it. The only external difference is the fin tops--on USAF Eagles, the left fin is topped with a bullet shaped pod that houses part of the ECM systems, while the right fin has a spike shaped mass balance. On export Eagles, both fins have identical spikes. Not a big deal if you can only find the F-15C kit. The J kit also has an MSIP instrument panel and an extra pilot's head wearing what looks to me like an HGU-33 series helmet as used by the JASDF. The exhausts are featherless as on USAF & Japanese Eagles. Th

Just as well--the SS sheet makes you mask and paint the stripes on the tops and bottoms of the fuselage, wings and tails (those are easy enough but the fuse is a bear to mask just right), even the tail number, which must be a 1 since it's the CO's jet from 1987. You also have to match the paint to the decal sheet, and it's a little more orange than the CAM sheet, which the article says is a perect match for Testor's Bright Yellow. I see the CAM sheets on Ebay now and again FWIW. I'd grab a reprint--the old one could be made into either a McDonnel Douglas or Boeing era BA and included. 1-7.

I'd like to use the TwoBobs Mountian Home Gunfighters OEF F-16C sheet, and the planes are Block 52. I have the CJ kit, which is a Block 50. If I used the small intake and P&W exhaust from the T-bird kit and use the CJ kit parts for everything else, would that make an accurate 52? I understand the 52 uses the same bulged gear doors and tires as the 50. And would the big mouth intake and GE exhaust added to the T-bird kit make any actual block? Thanks for any info.

Got my set Saturday--they look even better in person!! Very, very impressive and they'll make a world of difference on the model along with the Zactoman canopy and proper nose. Vac tray worked like a charm--thanks a lot and happy belated, and I'll be ordering another set down the road. Hope we can make you a rich man, Chris!