fids

Got the basic fuselage together and put on a base coat.

Like it

Thats me told

Progress so far since the weekend. Very basic kit, I was spoilt when I made the Italeri HU5 a couple of years ago, the difference between the two is stark but for a whif and method of getting my mojo back its doing the job so absolutely no complaints. Lots of flash and filler and thats the last word on the matter :-)

Thunderbirds

For the gun have you thought about a 105mm off and Abbot GP gun or maybe a 155mm off a M109. Both were deployed with BAOR. SP gun I meant not GP

2 sexy looking aircraft anyway, got to be good

Very cool looking aircraft, look forward to seeing it come alive

All i have to do now is stick the bugger together and spread some a paint over it with a brush. This is going be straight OOB and if your expecting some feats of engineering your going to be disappointed but I do have some ideas for a few surprises. it will however be my first attempt at weathering Stand By Stand By

He began his Brief. Ground. Our Area of Responsibility or AOR will be straddling the main supply route (MSR) that runs East/West from the Jordanian Border to Baghdad. The AOR is mainly desert with some small towns and villages and low rolling hills. Intelligence tells us the mobile Scud launchers are all within a short distance of the MSR and can be deployed from their underground hangers and along to the MSR to innumerable pre prepared launch sites. Enemy Forces Apart from the Units designated to protect the scuds the are some local militia but it is anticipated all armoured and heavy units will be now operating either in or along the Kuwaiti border. Friendly Forces American Special Forces deployed on the same mission in their own AOR immediately to the North of ours. Mission To detect Mobile Scud launchers en route to their launch area's and facilitate interdiction by Coalition Air Power Execution General Outline H Force will deploy into 4 Forward Arming and Refueling Points (FARP) in the Western Desert of Iraq. FARP 1 will be the largest and will act as HQ, it will be capable of accepting a C130 TALO and will also house 47 Squadrons 3 SF Chinook. There will also be be 3 Forward FARP where H Force will return to after deploying our patrols to await further tasking. Fuel and all other supllies will be flown into FARP 1 by C130 and shuttled forward by Chinook to each FARP. Each FARP will move periodically for security but FARP 1 will stay put as long as practical. Due to the anticipated heavy maintenance schedule we are breaking H Force down into 5 flights of 4 aircraft, 3 forward deployed, 1 in maintenance and 1 on rest/standby, There will be a rolling 24 hour turnaround so each chopper and crew will be forward for 3 days and at FARP 1 for 2 days for servicing and rest. Security will be provided by Elements of 5 Airbourne who are not involved in Op Granby. 2 Para will provide the muscle with a Company at each FARP and will also act as a QRF for our patrols if they need a helping hand, 9 (PARA) Sqn RE will provide the ability to 'dig in' with a troop at each FARP and 16 Parachute Field Ambulance will be there to apply band aids where necessary. 5 Airbourne will also provide the HQ and communications element with smaller detachments deployed forward at each FARP. All aircrews will be mainly Royal Navy and Air Force reserve, Queens Order 2 was initiated 48 hours ago calling them up and H Force's aircrews will be assembling at RAF Boscombe Down by the weekend. All 32 Wessex are already there. 12 being stripped down for spares and 20 undergoing some modifications. Including the rewiring and upgrading the torpedo firing circuits and cockpit to accept a 4 tube TOW Missile Launcher and aiming system. Any questions? General De la Billiere said that H Force was a rather boring name for a Helicopter Force and has the Regiment lost its sense of humour? Major F replied "Good God no Sir, H is not for Helicopter. Its for Humphrey and this is going to be Humphrey's Last Hoorah".

The briefing was to be delivered by Major F, Ops Officer for 22 SAS, also in attendance were Lt Col P, CO 22SAS, WO1 G, RSM 22 SAS and Major T, QM 22 SAS. They were going to brief the the Minister for Defence, CGS, General De La Billiere and numerous other brass. Major F open by asking the Regiments thanks to be passed onto Captain Donaldson because without his discovery he would be standing in front of them telling them to expect little success and a high probability of significant casualties because to deploy into the Western Desert at this time of year was begging for trouble with your bowl out but because of the availability of the 20 helicopters things had changed and he said the Regiment was going to now be able to be far more proactive and indeed aggressive.

Her Majesty's Minister for Defence looked around the room, there were some very tired faces. "Helicopters gentlemen" he said, "do we have anymore?" A Royal Navy Captain by the name of Donaldson caught his eye and with a rye smile said, "32 Minister. Some of them are even airworthy" The story goes that someones pencil wasn't too sharp or the order mis-understood and instead of being scrapped 32 Wessex HAS 3 helicopters were placed into light care and preservation at RAF Stafford, a small group of engineers had been having a very cushy time of it looking after them, no interference from above, knock off at lunch time every Friday and no PT. When the job came down from the PM to get a force of Helicopters together for a special mission Donaldson got the task and immediately developed a migraine, those especial ones Officers get when they are given the can to hold. Sat alone in the canteen at Whitehall trying to formulate a plan, an old friend, Wing Commander Lewis, sat next to him, they had got to know each other at Shrivenham years earlier and had kept in touch. When Donaldson told Lewis what was required Lewis quipped get them lazy sods up in Stafford to get them Wessex out of mothballs. Lewis prior to coming to the MOD was stationed at Stafford with the Tactical Support Wing and gave Donaldson chapter and verse about the Helicopters there. Two hours later Donaldson and 2 of his staff were on the M40 heading for the M6 and Junction 14 for RAF Stafford. What he found there was extraordinary, 32 pristine Wessex HAS 3 and according to he chief engineer all about 12 man hours 'tinkering' from being able to fly. Donaldson told him that he was going to call the Whitehall as they are going to be very interested and that from now until all the 32 Helicopters were good to go no one is going no where. By the following morning 50 RN Reserves had been called up and were to report to Stafford, all ex HAS3 technicians and few aircrew too. It was decided to make only 20 aircraft fully airworthy with the other 12 being used for spares and repairs. When Donaldson had finished speaking the Minister for Defence sat there wide eyed, part of him furious for the waste of resources in keeping 32 aircraft for no reason, part of him giving thanks to any Gods that were listening. He then asked Donaldson how far down the road they were and was shocked to hear that pre flight testing was complete and flight tests could start once given the green light. That afternoon the Minister briefed the PM and the Director for Special Forces on the situation. DSF clapped his hands together and announced he was going to Hereford to being them up to speed and get his staff working on a new Concept of Operations. To be Continued .

backstory(1) The Prime Minister looked across the table at General De La Billiere "there you have it General, if Israel reacts to any provocation from Iraq the Whole Coalition falls apart and we're, quite frankly, buggered". The General's brow furrowed and replied "the provocation will be scud missiles fired from his Western Desert and that is one very large piece of real estate. Its obviously a Special Forces operation and we don't have many and they'll have to be highly mobile and I can tell you this as a matter of fact, that mobility will not be achieved on foot or in a Land Rover, they will need dedicated Support Helicopter and what we have is already required in Kuwait. They need Helicopters". The Prime Minister turned to the Minister of Defence "Options!" "leave it with me, give me a day or two and I'll have something for you" TBC.

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Just the one

OK, so + + = ? More to follow

Thank you. Almost every build posted has the wings folded, great to see one good to go. Fantastic looking build, well done. 10/10

I'm just getting back in to making kits, just done a 1:72 Spitfire for my 2 year old grandson who flipped when one did some turns over Hereford Cathedral on Armed Forces day, he was totally blown away, he loves everything with wings and living in Hereford with rotors too, one more of us one less of them :-) the Spitfire I made is currently on CAP over his bed. I love what ifs :-) I love the imagination and indeed skill I see in every what if, so....... I have a Wessex Mk3 in the stash and have been having that internal debate over which scheme to finish it in. I have the back story, I have the kit. A simple paint job to make the back story come to life I think, no engineering, just a bit of fun to get the mojo back. I'm in :-)

Epic

a little thing of beauty