albymoore

That is one fine looking Sea King, and in the proper scale too! Cheers, Alby

John, Did I say this model rocks so far yet? All that masking has paid off well! Cheers, Alby

The base kit itself was originally tooled and released in the late 1980s by Monogram, IIRC. Revell Germany just reissued it with added sprues to update to a Longbow version plus all the warts and bumps for a HIDAS suite. Cheers, Alby

Thank you for the kind comments guys, I greatly appreciate them. Cheers, Alby

Here is my first build for 2009, a HobbyBoss Kamov Ka-50 Black Shark attack helicopter. I was looking for something quick to build, but also give it a little more attention than OOB (not too much though). The cockpit was spruced up with a resin seat, HUD, and a few other enhancements. On the exterior I added new grab handles (made from a section of guitar string), RWR antennas, and the exhaust shrouds from a Zvezda Ka-50Sh kit. I also added the P/C links that connect the upper swash plate to the top rotor. The finish is a combination of Tamiya and Model Master enamels and was airbrushed with a POS Aztek airbrush (not my A470, that quasi-double action version that came in a set with the paints, a paint caddy, and brushes). The decals are from the kit. All in all it was a fun build, though the quality of the kit is hit or miss. The engraving quality is soft in places, especially on the starboard side and bottom. The bottom surface has no detail though there are more lumps, landing lights, and other assorted bits on the real deal. Fit was decent overall with very little filler used. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being uber great, I'd give it a '9' on fit and a '4' on detail. A couple of pics taken outside in the winter (it's Russian after all, so it belongs in a snowy scene!); One last photo with it's Mil cousin from Ethiopia; For more, see the full build log here; http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....p;#entry1629120 Critiques and comments most welcome, thanks for looking! Cheers, Alby

'Tonight at 8:00PM on the Do-It-Yourself Channel, extreme masking with tape master Skii! Check local listings'... Dude that is some extreme masking there! Kudos for the patience! Cheers, Alby

Took the words right out of my mouth! Cheers, Alby

You're welcome Paul, glad I could help. The gentleman who built the Aussie version did do a great job on his NH-90, especially with the camouflage scheme. Now he just needs an Aussie Tiger to go with it! Cheers, Alby

Ditto, especially one in civilian colors. Nice job, Glen! Cheers, Alby

Hi Paul, Here is a couple of links that will hopefully be of use; http://www.scale-rotors.com/gallery/utilit...h-90-tth-revell (has a scan of the decals that come in the kit) http://www.scale-rotors.com/forum/topic/re...ralian-army-172 (the Aussie decals in this build are not on the kit sheet) Cheer, Alby

Olivier, Gorgeous work! I am really impressed with the finish. It has an excellent in-scale shine, very realistic. Cheers, Alby

I was hoping it wouldn't be too long before seeing one of these behemoth's in progress. Looks fantastic so far! Between this kit and the Hobbyboss Mils, it is a great time for Russian helicopter modeling enthusiasts. I look forward to the next update! Cheers, Alby

In the infamous words of the late baseball announcer Harry Caray; "Holy Cow!" That is some phenomenal work, Skii. Cheers, Alby

Bruce, Great looking Kiowa (all three of them that is)! The camouflage is especially well done. Cheers, Alby

Thanks guys! Dragan, I'm probably going with the Slovakian scheme as that is one of the decal options- though that could change as I was eyeballing a couple of Lybian Hips on Airliners.net Here is the latest update. The wiring has been completed and the engine deck mocked up in the fuselage. After I get home from our family trip I'll start on the cockpit. Thanks for the interest! Cheers, Alby

Here are the beginning stages of my large Trumpeter Mil Mi-17 Hip. As you can imagine, this is quite the beast in 1/35, which necessitates some extra detailing. The engines have had some fine solder and other wiring bits added to simulate the various fuel lines and other lines that are typical of a turbine engine. It's not 100% on the mark (only a Klimov technician would know! ), but it looks better than a nekkid engine bay. Once I paint the engine bay I'll add various electrical harnesses and other miscellaneous lines that run in and around the engines. Thanks for looking. Cheers, Alby

Ooooooh, more desert Vipers! Cheers, Alby

Wow, impressive work so far! Did you add the soundproofing material to the cargo area interior or did it come that way (I see where you added it to the cockpit bulkhead- very convincing!)? Look forward to seeing some color on it! Cheers, Alby

Hi Drewe, Good looking Chinook. The orange add a nice splash of color (er, colour). Any hassles build wise? Cheers, Alby

Cool looking Uhu! I've always liked the lines of the He-219. Nice work on the camouflage, had to make you go a bit batty applying. Cheers, Alby

The rest of my whirlybirds. Thanks for looking. Cheers, Alby 1/48th Hasegawa AH-64A Apache, IDF/AF Magic Touch Sqdn, circa 2003. 1/72 Matchbox Aerospatiale AS365 Dauphin, IDF/AF, Naval Helicopters Sqdn, circa early 1990's. 1/72 Italeri MH-47E Chinook, US Army 160th SOAR(A), pre Operation Anaconda. Wee tiny helicopter, 1/144th RevellAG Kamov Ka-50 Black Shark in company demo markings. 1/48th Monogram AH-1F Cobra, IDF/AF Northern Cobra Sqdn, circa 2003. 1/48th Hasegawa AH-64D Longbow Apache, US Army. Last photo, a 1/72 Italeri MH-47E Chinook and 1/72 OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, US Army.

Hi Gang, I thought I'd post the bulk of my helicopter builds. Just so I don't bog down those with dial-up, I'll do these in two posts (though it will still be photo heavy- sorry). Some of these have been posted at ARC and the HKN Gallery, so they may look familiar to those who frequent both sites. As always, comments both good and critical are always welcomed. Cheers, Alby First up, a 1/48th Italeri OH-58A Kiowa, circa the Vietnam War. Not based on any actual Kiowa, just built in the spirit of the era. Next, a 1/72 Hasegawa AH-1F Modernized Cobra, circa 1995 Bosnia (as noted by the IFOR markings). Of all the models I've built, this is my favorite. One for the home crowd, a 1/72 RevellAG Bell 412EP Griffin HT.1 in DHFS colors and markings. 1/72 Hasegawa UH-60A Black Hawk built as an IDF Yanshuf I, Rolling Sword Sqdn. 1/48 Hasegawa AH-64A Apache, US Army Part II up next.

Hi Dave, Great looking SLUF! Cheers, Alby

Thanks for the kind comments, Ian and Zeke. Here are some close-ups for Eng. Ended up taking the pics indoors as my camera wanted to focus on everything but the model when outside (and I am camera inept as far as settings go). And last but not least, an ACIG.org-ish type of photo; Cheers, Alby

Thanks Mark, I'll have to look those up. Cheers, Alby