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Hello! Some intro for my choice: I wanted to do something easy and recreational this time so I decided to do my EF-111. Many yaers ago I have built already an Italerikit but it crashed unfortunatly. I wated to have an other one and I saw a Revel boxed on a forum for a little money. Before buying I didnt noticed that this ex-onogram kit have raised panel lines. Anyway its a nice kit, much more detailed then the later Italeri. Back then I didnt know that somewhere exist a third, Hasegawa version of this giant. Anyway later I get in my hands an Italeri kit. One way or an other I become avare of the Hasegawa kit but that wasnt available then. In the meanwhile I got a set of aftermarket wheels and a resin cockpit some years ago from an other modellers stash, so all in all I am gathering this stock of plastick for a while and I left the idea of getting the Hasegava kit at all. Anyway while I was viewing the two kits I decided to use some parts of the Revell-Monogram kit in the Italeri. I noteced that tha overall shape of the two kits are very much close to each other and the parts breakdown realy similar. I started the building some weeks ago and the first stem was to fit the aftermarket cocpit (probably a Verlinden) into the Italeri nose section. Well this def. too small to just put it in, so I had to give it some extension. The dashboard of the resin upgrade doesnt match to an EF variant, but the ex-Monogram is realy nice, only a minor extra was needed. As I was inspecting more and more I decided to keep the Italeri nose wheel well and detail it up a little, but the more I was watching the main wheel well of it, the less satisfied I was. I decided to use the Revell-Monogram wheel well but the total thing wast totaly obvius first... The ex-Monogram, the Italeri and perhaps the Verlinden tubs. Two different noses, but close enough, not? Here is the resin tub in the Italeri nose. It needed soe support to stay in place. I made that I could do: Either the nose wheel well was already a subject of upgrade: Some plastic sheets were built in here and there: The two sides of the two wells I wasnt satisfied with my first try however so I did it again: Also I started to thinkgabout the main well too. This is that section of the two kits where they the most different are and I wasnt sure how to pop in the details from the donor kit. My first thoughts were to use just some part, cut the walls from the Revel(-Monogram) kit and fix it to the walls of the Italeri one. But, however I realised that I will need more and more parts of the donor. It has the fan blades and intake and so on! So I started to make some place... My plan was to cut the intake parts from the other kit and glue it onto the parts if it. As I was wathcing it more and more I realised that I have to be more drastic. Also the drastic way would be much faster too and maybe either easier! I am goint to use a bigger section of the donor kit from the fan blades forvard until the EW bay. And now I have two questions to you, fellow modelers. Could somebody give me some references to the left side of the nose wheel well and tell me if the assimetric front section of the EW bay and EW radome correct or not, please?

LF Models (https://www.lfmodels.com/) is to release a family of 1/72nd Hiller UH-12B/OH-23B Raven kits. - ref. PE7252 - Hiller UH-12B/OH-23B Raven - Swiss AF, French Army, US Army Source: https://www.lfmodels.com/images/PE7252.jpg - ref. PE7253 - Hiller HTE-1/HTE-2 Raven - US Navy, Royal Navy Source: https://www.lfmodels.com/images/PE7253.jpg - ref. PE7254 - Hiller UH-12B/0H23B Raven - Dutch AF, French Air Force Source: https://www.lfmodels.com/images/PE7254.jpg V.P.

After the 1/72nd kits (thread), LF Models is to release in 2023 a family of 1/48th Hiller UH-12/OH-23 Raven kits. Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=140388428848277&set=a.112633421623778&comment_id=1314537162454111&reply_comment_id=3464889630391083&notif_id=1672691560489545&notif_t=comment_mention&ref=notif V.P.

Im in with this kit. Have some decals via Xtra Decal set X006-48 (I used them for my A10 build, very brittle), the kit decals and some kindly donated by via Ghostbase. Will be modeled in flight as per the raid (just need 2 erstwhile 1/48 USAFE 1980s crew figures - there must be hundreds sat unused on sprues in spares boxes!). Photobox is down so will add my own pics later. credit Darren Currie Aug 86 Having been bought up in Lakenheath and at home on leave the night of the raid, thinking WW3 had broken out, this can be part of my USAFE memories project as well....hopefully a 'twin' F model build will go ahead concurrently! Looks like no nose TacSat Ae in 1986, only 1 x rail per wing (does anyone know if they carried rails that night or any other kit?) Will decide which aircraft to model later, HARPO 71.,72,73,74 and air spare 75 were the callsigns used. F111 Net says that Harpo71 was 67-0041 - it mentions Harpo 73 as being 66-0033 but a bit ambiguous. Jabba kindly provided the following info (Crowood book inbound): I have had a look through some of my books that I am using on my build and in the Crowood book it states the following. " 66-030, 66-033, 66-057, 67-034, 67-041 and 67-052. This number included one ground spare. Five took off, including the air spare. In the target area three were directly involved in SEAD activity and a fourth was held in reserve in the operational area." Anyone who has more info (or spare pilots!) it would be welcome - as most know I enjoy the research as much as the build and this mission was part of my life, as was RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall and various other bases in East Anglia.

Time to stake my intention to build the 1/48 HobbyBoss EF-111A 'Raven' (but known as a 'Sparkvark' to me). Just over two years ago I completed their similar F-111A kit and in spite of my occasional shortcomings the end result was impressive. I know there are accuracy issues with the HobbyBoss offering however I can live with them and I am hoping that I can learn from my last build and put together a reasonable 'Sparkvark' model. I do have an Eduard F-111 engine photoetch set, also part of an F-111A Interior set. I also have an ancient Superscale EF-111A Lo Vis Gray Stencil data decal sheet and I will use this to supplement the kit decals.Will probably build 66-0013 operated by the 429th ECS / 27th FW out of Incirlik, Turkey in 1994. Not going to start yet as I am 2/3rds way through building the excellent Airfix H.P. Victor B.2 however as soon as I commence painting that I will start this kit. On to the photos: Michael

Hiller UH-12/OH-23. The UH-12 was the civilian designation and the OH-23 Raven was the military designation for the Hiller Model 360. UH-12C Ex Bristow Helicopters for flying training. Now at The Helicopter Museum in Weston-Super-Mare. Pics are mine.

Been wanting to do one of these for a while , and the fact i have been doing non stop WW2 aircraft i thought it time , After speaking to "trickyrich"(thank you again for your advice and intresting info) his advice was these birds being that bit special didnt get dirty/weathered to much so i went for some very light weathering . Its nothing special but i enjoyed doing it ......

Started a new build been wanting to do one of these for a while, plus been doing a lot of ww2 aircraft recently so a wee change ,