lksavidge

Thank you both. Great video! Larry

Greetings everyone! It's taken me a couple of years to get this project off the ground. Plus some assistance from Meng who has released a much better 1/48 version of the F-4E instead of the aging but reliable Hasegawa version. So my plan is to still load this bird with a single B-61 "silver bullet" attached to the centerline. Just one new question; since no other A2A weapons were mounted, were the wing weapons pylons still mounted or were they removed while sitting ready on Victor Alert? I know the wing fuel tanks were still fully utilized. Any assistance from the old-timers would be greatly appreciated. Larry

Greetings Fellow Modelers, I know that I may as well be looking for the Arc of the Covenant (re: Indiana Jones), but does anyone know where I might be able to find the Cutting Edge 1/48 MH-53J Pave Low cockpit conversion kit for the Revell CH-53? I've looked in every dusty corner of the Internet without success. Any leads will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Larry

Makes great sense. No pylon it is. Thanks Murph. Larry

Nice angles! Thanks Jari. Larry

Hi Richard, Thank you for sharing the article and the other pics. Very helpful indeed. Larry

Greetings all, One of my future projects is an AF CV-22. Already got the GWH 1/48 and Caracal decals. I try to build my planes to be as accurate as possible. But the below recent picture of a CV-22 with some new external hardware has me a little confused. What the heck are these things (highlighted by the arrows)? Any expertise is greatly appreciated. Larry

Thank you for your service Dave. I'm going back to my plane...

Thanks Jari. That center pylon explains my weak visual memories of the B-61 being so tight against the airframe.

Thank you sir. That makes great sense. We always knew that if and when they launched, there probably wouldn't be a base for them to return to.

Thanks Bob. I did get the Eduard's B-61s. They are good looking bombs.

Hi Jari, thank you for sharing the pic. This is where my confusion lies. Since I wasn't able to get that close to the aircraft when loaded, my memory from the early 80's felt like it was strapped directly under the fuselage, like in your pic. I'm still wondering if the B-61 was loaded like this or had some sort of pylon in between.

Thanks Slater. I can totally relate to those mass load exercises. They weren't the most fun but definitely built a lot of character!

Wow, I wasn't expecting such BS from what I thought was a fairly benign question. So, allow me to defend the unappreciated who protected you and your family while you served your 4 years in the AF. I entered the AF in 1980 and yes, I was a security specialist who was a security policeman. In my first two assignments, I supported and protected nuclear weapons that were on war ready alert. Yes, it was Victor Alert because I worked in the QRA for 5 years. I think that might make me a little knowledgeable of this mission. As the years went by you are correct, the name was changed to Security Forces to highlight the change from garrison support to emphasize the need to be more trained and ready to handle security and protection both on and off base, during peacetime and wartime. By the time, I retired after 30 years in 2010 as a Chief Master Sergeant from a security forces squadron, I had served 4 combat deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. Please know that these weren't sitting on the base deployments. These were off the FOB conducting mounted and dismounted combat patrols getting shot at, ambushed, and in hot firefights. Our security forces men and women who were assigned to Army MP battalions earned countless medals for heroism. The two Bronze Star Medals that I was awarded for my actions during combat had nothing to with me being a cop, a security policeman or security forces member. It was about serving our country and making sure that all of us returned home in one piece. Unfortunately, that didn't always happen. So, I'm sorry "Mr e8n2" that you have such little regard for these men and women who serve in all different ways and missions because of the title they were given and didn't ask for. Thank you for serving for less than 4 years as a security policeman and cross training into a radar ops. You served your nation and not everyone does that. So, while I take a break from being a chief of police, during these fun times, not far from you in Travis, I will go back and enjoy making model airplanes of aircraft to honor those I served with.

Greetings all, At some point I will be making the 1/48 Hasegawa F-4E, assigned to the 52TFW at Spangdahlem AB, Germany. In the early 1980's I was stationed there as a member of the security forces unit and supported the "special weapons" mission. I am looking for information concerning two things: 1) What was the air-to-air payload on the aircraft while it was on Victor Alert. I saw another modeler had placed to AIM-7s on the rear stations and nothing else. 2) While on Victor Alert, what type of pylon/adapter was the B-61 strapped to under the center station? I'm sure no one makes one of these, so what could I use to make something similar? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Wow, now I'm feeling peer pressured to build a C-141. 😏

Very impressive Russ! I plan on making a very similar Vietnam era AF A-7. I hope it comes out half as well as yours.

Thank you all for the kind words. I find that this is a very supportive group of modelers. I've seen some other sites where the critiques are quite abundant. I'd always welcome advice, suggestion or tips, but the positive attitudes makes this site very enjoyable. Thanks!!

This C-17A is another of one my builds after a 30 year gap in building models. This Charleston "T-tail" is from the 437 Air Mobility Wing, my last assignment after serving 30 years in the Air Force. It was a slightly challenging build, especially with me still learning to airbrush acrylics. The Revell kit is pretty basic which is why I added some extras plus I used DrawDecals that went on really smooth. In the last picture, I parked in next to a C-130, the kit I built just prior to the C-17. Next kit is a 1/144 Travis C-5M from Roden to complete my tour with Air Mobility Command.

Thank you all for the kind comments and tips. Yes, my last ten years in the AF I was a Chief. But friends call me Larry! Monterrey is a beautiful area. Always enjoy it there. Larry

Here's some additional history (I was there). https://www.airforcemag.com/article/0309salty/

It was a time that we called "building character". Lots of war exercises (code name Salty Nations) in chem gear preparing for a Soviet invasion. German F-104Gs or Hahn F-16s would attack the base and we would have to respond in recovering the airfield. Fun days, actually not that much fun, a lot of work.

Great Weasel! I was stationed at Spang during that time-frame. I plan on making the same F-4G kit and an F-4E in the mid-80's European One look. I plan on slinging a B61 under the F-4E, just like the Cold War days. 🍄

Thank you. It has it's blemishes. It was my first model using acrylics. When I was modeling 40 years ago, it was all enamels and acrylics were starting to be introduced. So, I'm still trying to figure out how to airbrush them without the orange peel or sandpaper look. Been trying to figure out the balance between thinning, air pressure and distance from model. Perhaps an art, not a science? So many different methods using different paints, thinners, retarders, etc. But I'll figure it out. Hey, that's why I'm here! To see how you guys and gals are doing it. RFIs? I'm such a rookie! ☺️

Hey it worked! Thanks dnl42! 😃