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Hi All, I am going to enter with a US clandestine C-130A. I haven't picked an exact airframe, yet, but I only opened the box today, so I don't think I need to rush! Here's an abridged history taken from the excellent research notes created by the Air America archive at UT Dallas: http://www.utdallas.edu/library/specialcollections/hac/cataam/Leeker/aircraft/c130.pdf In late 1961, E-Flight was established within the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron / 315th Air Division at Naha, Okinawa. Unlike other C-130As of the 315th AD, the four or five E-Flight C-130As were uncamouflaged. They had very small USAF insignia, and had skate-wheel rollers installed on the cargo-compartment floor over which cheap wood pallets could be moved. That made handling easier at locations without forklifts and made it unnecessary to recover the pallets. Initially, 4 five-man Air America-crews (including a navigator) were trained to fly the C-130. From the second half of 1965 to the spring of 1971 Air America used USAF C-130As from Takhli, Thailand to fly large supplies of ammunition into "forbidden territory under cover of darkness". Those flights ended at Long Tieng, Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Sam Thong, Pakse, Savannakhet, or Saravane. In 1965 the Takhli-Long Tieng service (CIA logistic support pipeline) was opened. Since 1967 at least one of the two C-130As at Takhli flew into Laos every day; and since 69, C-130 missions from Udorn to Luang Prabang were added. When, in early 1970, the situation became too dangerous in the Plain of Jars (Laos), Air America made several refugee airlifts. Missions included the evacuation of refugees and the importation of troops along with the backhaul of critical USAID and -713 "Customer material", much of which was of a highly classified nature. In the spring of 1971, that part of the 374th TAW which had used C-130As from Naha, Okinawa, was deactivated, and the responsibility for supply flights to Laos activities shifted to the E-model wing at Ching Chuan Kang Airbase, Taiwan. As ever with these sort of missions, it isn't easy to identify individual aircraft involved, and the aircraft histories are very difficult to explain. But from a modellers' point of view the all-silver (Corroguard?) finish, usually with no markings other than a 3-digit tail code presents an easy win! In fact the challenge will be making it look interesting! The Kit: I will build the Italeri 1/72 C-130 with resin props/tanks from OZMods to backdate to an C-130A. I will drill the extra fuselage window and scribe the front cargo door, but I leave the modifications there. I will also leave the model 'buttoned up'. Anyway- a full afternoon of modeling is ahead, and I'll post some pictures later!