aircommando130

I like it so far! Cheers...Ron

The story about the RAF getting the probe end off the Vulcan for the Falkland war is true...Read Vulcan 607...a great book about the Vulcan in it's final years with the RAF. Air Museums....Been to several listed here. Really like the PIMA Air Museum...not a far drive from where I am. Nice airplanes and the boneyard across the street...unfortunately all my C-5's and MC-130P's and a few C-130E's and now the MC-130H are all sitting over there. Have to go to In-n-Out Burger to feel better after that.... Cheers...Ron

With the 50th anniversary of the moon landing generation a renewed interest in the space program do you think they will reissue the 1/72nd Shuttle with the ET and SRB's??? Saw some on ebay but whew...very pricey! I would like one to go with my 72nd Saturn V and Saturn 1B. I did score an Airfix 1/144 scale shuttle stack...the later boxed version off of ebay. Cheers....Ron

Very nice Phantoms!! ALL actually are very nice! Love that "I have not been to fighter weapons school" patch!! Cheers...Ron

Looking at the national insignia that jet is really dehydrated! All joking aside...really nice job! Cheers...Ron

I may not be able to participate but I'd love to follow you guys and your great builds! "Failure is not an option" Cheers...Ron

If you google "Praetorian Starship" It's the history of the Combat Talon...written by Col. Jerry Thigpin (my group commander at Kadena) and it has a bunch of pictures of the airplane mods along the way. It's an online book so you can download it.

Yes...The MOD-90 added the H model air conditioning scoop on the right front. The wheel well AC intake was the same 64 model E. They had Dash 15 engines and the air refueling slipway door over the flight deck. They had an air data probe at the top of the tail as well. The flight deck had the flight engineer in the center seat between the pilots and dual navigator seats on the right side of the flight deck. The bunk area was removed from the MC-130E. In the cargo compartment just behind bulkhead 245 was a EWO/Radio Operator station that pretty much took up pallet position 1. The also had the high speed tail so you'll have to add the stiffener bar from behind the paratroop door up to the stabilizer. They also had ramp air deflectors and ADS arms that didn't have to be disconnected to put the ramp on the ground. The HF antennas on the Fulton airplanes didn't go from the tail to the top of the fuselage. They came off the wing and went to the fuselage and over to the horizontal stabilizer. After 1996 the Fulton system was removed and the forks removed from the nose. They were all basically 1964 C-130E cargo airplanes that were modified for the "special mission" as needed by the Air Force. Cheers...Ron

Thanks for that link to the NASA images! Cheers...Ron

Phil...welcome aboard! I bought the 72nd Dragon Saturn V prebuild and yes it has some errors but in the cabinet with the Launcher base and the 3-D LUT print behind it I must say it's pretty awesome! I'm 5'9" tall and it's almost as tall as me. I did order some replacement parts from Martins-Models (a guy in the UK) for my 72nd unbuilt Saturn and his 72nd scale Saturn 1B using the Dragon SLA upper stack. I'm a big Apollo fan...my dad worked in that program. When I was stationed at KADENA AB, Okinawa we'd fly to Australia about 4 times a year. Primary spot was Townsville but did make it to Perth for about 3 weeks of flying in a joint exercise with our SF guys and the Australian SAS. We moved them around the Outback in the MC-130 and would transload with the MH-53J guys that came down from Korea. Lots of Castlemain XXXX and Strongbow if I remember correctly! LOL! Cheers...Ron

Apollo 10 was the only launch from PAD-39B...after 9 launched they put 10 on PAD-B so they could PAD-A set back up and repaired for Apollo 11. My dad was at the viewing area by the VAB and mom and me and my sister watched it from Patrick AFB on the beach. I was amazed how something 363 feet tall could "clear the tower" that fast! And then as it climbed through MAX-Q the crackle of those 5 F-1 engines was something to hear. I later grew up and went in the Air Force and was a loadmaster on the C-5A and I hauled a bunch of "payload items" for the shuttle down to the Cape. But I never saw a Shuttle launch live. I was just lucky to be at the right place at the right time with my dad being assigned to NASA at Houston and witnessing history being made with every launch. Where did you get that Saturn V hi-res library CD? That looks really interesting. Cheers...Ron

Rural Kansas....be glad you didn't see a Titan II coming out of a silo from a Strategic Missile Wing on it's way to the Soviet Union! When I was stationed at Altus AFB in Oklahoma there were abandoned Atlas missile silo's out in the middle of nowhere. Cheers...Ron

Wow! Excellent work...I think I see Dr. Von Braun walking around admiring your work! Cheers...Ron

50 years later the Saturn V is an impressive rocket. Saw Apollo 9, 10 and 11 launch. Even miles away it felt like somebody was beating me in the chest with a hammer. I'm glad "Our German's are better than their German's". Cheers...Ron

Great job on the A-10! I always liked the Warthog...it earned it's place during Desert Storm. Unfortunately the AF is trying to get rid of the best close air attack airplane ever! Love those old monogram kits...I think I have one in my stash. Cheers...Ron