longmc

Oh Yeah, good point! You get some of the best AIM-9s around! Add the steel beaches accessories and you've got a great looking Tcat for still half the price.

Will they be retiring the 181st FW then? If so, you gotta let me know when that happens. Thankfully, we are retaining a flying mission and the rumors sound like we may be coming out ahead. I hope I didn't just jinx the whole thing.

that depends what you are looking for. The Revell kit is not a D out of the box. You will need to correct the cockpit as it's the standard revell/monogram parts. It's not nearly as detailed as the hasegawa and is a tough build. So is the hasegawa though. It's not a bad kit and can be built into a good looking model (check out the gallery). It's also about 1/4 the price of the hasegawa kit. An eduard PE set will make a ton of improvement on the revell kit (and provides the correct cockpit parts). I would recommend it.

Scott, thanks for the update! I had heard the panel was weak, and figured the eduard set with sandwiched PE would look good. Maybe I'll start with the interior set and go from there. thanks again! Mike

I was thinking about ordering the eduard sets for it. I want to stay clear of resin, just something to spruce it up. I need to order decals anyway... thanks for any advice! Mike

Dave, I've got a ton a pics of 261 both from the deployment and after. yeah, that would be awesome if there were some of the other weapons. I'm about ready to shoot it with some paint. I tried to make stiffener plates for in front of the canopy and at the wing roots, but they didn't turn out so good. Oh well, at least it's almost done. If you could dig that log book out, that'd be a gold mine. Was that for "Speedy"? I think I'm building that one next. I've got a generic block 30 small mouth I've put a BB pit in and haven't decided beyond that. Mostly just practicing with the BB pit and the

Just use the little rhyme, Down on the ground...

Pat just got back to me on this. He said they were definitely M129's. I remember going into work that night with all the chem gear, etc. thinking, "Wow, this really is just like an exercise!!". Especially, the sitting around waiting part. Brit Tent - "I know Nothing"

Dave, It happens to all of us. We have the best intentions of getting those kits, etc. to the post office first thing. But things happen. People need to understand that. It's a hobby, and a bunch of guys (and gals) swapping plastic. Just be patient.

Wouldn't happen to remember what color they were and how many were on it, would you?? the PDU-5's are white I believe and the M129s are green or grey. I was never out when they were loaded that way. They usually down loaded the GBUs and upped the Leaflets pretty quickly. I remember one night they spun around about 3 times changing loadouts back and forth and then scrubbed the whole thing. Those were some worn out loadies! Brit tent, huh? :(

That's a great reference Murph. I could spend hours in there just looking at greys!!

Chappie, What scale you need for the lantirn? I have some spare 1/48's.

Thanks for the links! I have a couple of pics of VFA-147 bird carrying a rockeye with an "X" on it. I was wondering what that signified. Now I know. thanks!

they're like in the picture link. It's the canvas cover that goes around the outside of the intake. Most units use this type of cover. here's a link so you can check them out yourself. http://www.spruebrothers.zoovy.com/c=orgqI.../product/SBA109

thanks for the info! that helped!

Bucky, thanks for the info. I just found a document that stated how much of each type of munition was expended. For the dates we dropped, they used the M129. I had no idea (not being a munitions type) what that was. Now I know! I would assume by the size these were loaded singly on each station. Does the book you mentioned show any pics of them loaded or just mentioned? thanks, MIke

www.spruebrothers.com my friend. It's Gordon Kwan's shop. He is very good to deal with and quick turn around. the steel beach line is done by our own Darren Roberts and are top quality. I have about 4 kits in the works with his small and large mouth covers.

Erik, What scale are you looking for? The seamless sucker 1/48 small mouths are nice. the big mouths (that I have) are too big for the kit and don't look right. However, the cutting edge BM's look really nice. As an alternative, Steel Beaches make nice (and easy to use) resin intake covers for both style intakes. Mike

I'm planning to build one of my viper kits armed with leaflets like we dropped at the end of ONW. I think they were CBU-87/89 canisters loaded with leaflets, but not sure. can anyone provide me with some info and possibly pics of what they would look like, how they would be marked? IIRC they had a special colored band or something to signify what was inside. any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Mike

I'm planning to build one of my viper kits armed with leaflets like we dropped at the end of ONW. I think they were CBU-87/89 canisters loaded with leaflets, but not sure. can anyone provide me with some info and possibly pics of what they would look like, how they would be marked? IIRC they had a special colored band or something to signify what was inside. any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Mike

It's the same boxing as their regular C/D kits. you'll need to add the extra hump under the chin (provided in the kit, but may not be referenced in the instructions). It doesn't need a whole lot of PE, and there's not much out there as stated before. The airwave cockpit set would work nicely for the canopy framing. The 48th had standard D models (not herpes mod'd). We had a few left on base that were used for BDR training. regards, Mike

Pig, Just finalized a deal for a 32nd Tbird viper. I should have it by next weekend. If you're still interested, I'll pull out all the PW stuff and swap you for the GE stuff. Then I'll score a set of Fox One decals and be able to do one of our jets. They just build a nice display case too!! Let me know if you're still interested. Mike

Does it come with the same markings or different offerings? something other than VFA-14 would be nice!

Pig, PM sent. Mike

Scott, HA HA! I've got one I've got one! Yes, South Carolina Deployed for OIF. IIRC they were with Colorado. Not stuck in Turkey, like us. :unsure: