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CH-53D, Sea Stallion, US Marines, Mid 1970`s


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Hi Everyone,

 Finally got to do some modelling after a 2 week break and managed to put the finishing touched on my latest effort this morning

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My attempt at building a CH-53D from Revells 1/48 CH-53G kit and finishing it to represent...........

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A US Marines Sea Stallion at about the time of `Operation Frequent Wind Option IV` 29th April 1975

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Which was the evacuation of Saigon, S Vietnam following the N Vietnamese invasion of the city

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Most of the work consisted of leaving lots of aerials and sensors off and using the earlier type main rotor blades in the kit

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I did attempt to enhance the interior a bit but you cant see much through the thick transparencies and I refined the tail rotor mechanism a bit.

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Another of my `Far to big to go anywhere` kits, but, I originally had bought it to chop up to try and make a `Jolly Green Giant` which would have been smaller

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Decals came from bits and pieces in the stash.

Hope you enjoy, thanks for looking.

Happy New Year, Russ

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1 hour ago, modelling minion said:

Very, very nice Russ.

Another Vietnam classic for your collection.

She's a big beast in 1/48 isn't she! I've got an Airfix 1/72 one to build in a similar scheme at some point.

Whats next Russ?

Cheers Craig, Well I`ve got a very over engineered MiG-21 that`s been fighting me or a month or three, but it`s not going to be silver or the spotty one on the box, a Hobbycraft Beaver that`s going to be a Radio Research A/C to go with the Otter I did a while back and I`ve just opened an Airfix  Hurricane which will be a CBI theatre subject. I`m wondering where all the interior green`s gone, it seems to be all aluminium inside ? 

The way the MiG`s going you`ll probably see the Beaver next.

Thanks again, Russ 

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Wow that is a stunner Russ,.... the green finish is superbly done too. While serving in Turkey I was lucky enough to fly in echelon formation with five of these brutes from the West German Army,...... I was in the co pilots seat of one of a pair of RAF Puma`s tagged on behind them,...... an unforgettable experience and although I was around these powerful machines daily they never became boring,..... just awsome!  Guess who had only just run out of film for his camera too,.....if only mobile phones were around then!

 

Beautiful modelling mate,

 

Cheers

           Tony

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19 hours ago, Mr B said:

As always a treat to the eyes

 

First time seeing a chopper from you :)

 

rgds

 

 

Cheers Brian, I`ve done a few, some of them are still to be reposted by me as they`re on Photobucket still, but there`s a Laos/Air America H-34 Choctaw and `D` model Huey done not long ago and if you follow the `Nam` or `Marines` Tags you should find some others that I`ve done on Imgur.

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40 minutes ago, tonyot said:

Wow that is a stunner Russ,.... the green finish is superbly done too. While serving in Turkey I was lucky enough to fly in echelon formation with five of these brutes from the West German Army,...... I was in the co pilots seat of one of a pair of RAF Puma`s tagged on behind them,...... an unforgettable experience and although I was around these powerful machines daily they never became boring,..... just awsome!  Guess who had only just run out of film for his camera too,.....if only mobile phones were around then!

 

Beautiful modelling mate,

 

Cheers

           Tony

Thanks Tony, that must have been quite an experience, I`ve never seen one in real life but seeing as it`s bigger than my 1/48 Canberra they must have been an awe inspiring sight.

 

 

 

Thanks too to all who`ve commented and posted `likes` appreciated

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4 hours ago, russ c said:

Thanks Tony, that must have been quite an experience, I`ve never seen one in real life but seeing as it`s bigger than my 1/48 Canberra they must have been an awe inspiring sight.

 

 

 

Thanks too to all who`ve commented and posted `likes` appreciated

They and their three-engined sisters are without a doubt THE loudest and nastiest-sounding helos in the world! They used to fly over my house a lot back in the day, and like a Mustang, there was no mistaking that sound! Surprisingly, they are both incredibly fast and nimble, according to what I have heard from those who flew them. A very nice build- where in the world do you have room to store it?

Mike

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Hi Russ

Lovely work on a big old kit there. I was going to pick one up from my local about 2 years ago but by the time I'd read all the iffy reviews and made my mind up it had sold.  I reckon your build proves that it can be built up into something pretty impressive.

I had the pleasure of doing a couple of rotors-running-refuels on German ones visiting RAF Brawdy back in the late 80's.  Fun times.

 

Cheers

Gaz

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Great start to the New Year, Russ !. Another superb job. It is an impressive machine right enough. I first saw one of these up close and personal in 1974 when a couple of USMC examples operated out of Cyprus during one of the many Lebanon crises and we were invited to take a look around the AH-1s, CH-46s and CH-53s during an impromptu 'Open House'.......certainly helped to reinforce my interest in military aviation as an impressionable schoolboy. Much later, I was lucky enough to get a ride in a German Army example whilst serving with SFOR in Bosnia during the late 1990s.....a memorable low-level return trip from Raijlovac (Sarajevo) to Mostar through the mountains on a crystal clear spring day....great memories !.

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Mark     

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Hello and Happy New Year,Russ. You’re off to a flyer with this fine ‘Sea Stallion’.As always, another beautifully built,finished and portrayed model.

All The Best,Paul.😉👍

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Hi Russ,

 

beautiful model, as usual of course!

In this scale it must be a monster. A brave man you are.

Like Tony, I had the awesome pleasure to see a couple of these monsters from the German Heer on the airbase where I was stationed in the early 80s. I would have hated being the ant-like figure beneath these hovering giants, making seemingly random gestures with his flapping hands to try and guide them to a landing...

Congrats! And a great New Year to you and family!

 

JR

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Very nicely done! You've achieved a superb, realistic monochromatic finish - it's not easy to make a single solid colour look so lifelike, and you've really pulled it off. My brother flew Jolly Greens (an earlier version of the basic Sikorsky design) out of Da Nang - he has a few interesting stories.

 

Cheers,

Bill

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3 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

Very nicely done! You've achieved a superb, realistic monochromatic finish - it's not easy to make a single solid colour look so lifelike, and you've really pulled it off. My brother flew Jolly Greens (an earlier version of the basic Sikorsky design) out of Da Nang - he has a few interesting stories.

 

Cheers,

Bill

Thanks Bill, I wish some manufacturer would do a HH or CH-3 in 1/48, I originally bought this with a view to trying to make one by cross kitting with a Seaking, but they`re just too different, though they look similar. Maybe one day....................

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21 hours ago, 72modeler said:

They and their three-engined sisters are without a doubt THE loudest and nastiest-sounding helos in the world! They used to fly over my house a lot back in the day, and like a Mustang, there was no mistaking that sound! Surprisingly, they are both incredibly fast and nimble, according to what I have heard from those who flew them. A very nice build- where in the world do you have room to store it?

Mike

Thanks Mike, it`s gone straight into the attic where it resides with the rest of the `too big to put any where` builds and potential older saved for spares builds. My attics like a mini version of Davis-Monthan AFB. :smile:

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