Martinnfb

Now we're talking, excellent choice Phil.

Opsie, I forgot to tape the glass

Marine's wet dream, I understand

Thank You guys. I started this week, so what you can see on the pictures is a result of probably 5 hours of cutting , filling etc. This morning I went to check on dolphin nose, well orbital sander was more than helpful The rest is all about carefully sculpting. The idea is to build it all up on the fuselage as a solid piece, then cut it out . The sides of the loading ramp had a wrong angle, so there will be little more sanding to do as well. Stay tuned for more updates coming tonight .

As always, I had to interrupt my knitting session and check out this work of art. Peter, your talent and skills are way on the limits of ordinary modeller. I am beginning to plot a alien conspiracy theory. You know shrink rays and such Thanks for sharing sir Cheers Martin

Great choice of subject, Welcome to the forum. Cheers Martin

No need to be sorry, your additions are absolutely acceptable and most welcome. ( It was an inside joke ), Thank You for another cool kit. Cheers Martin

Amen to that Rob. Like the darker shade on the nose. Good maintenance

I don't know how to cast, so the dolphins nose itself could be a challenge. I made a template of the original glass nose from plaster, and started layering epoxy putty .

Doors openings were cut out and doors are being fabricated as we speak.

RH side integrated fuel tank had its heat generator remover and was shortened with a help of drop tank from P-51. Good times LH side tank was reshaped in order to accommodate wider door.

And the ramp itself.

I run out of Apoxy putty

There are few markable differences to take care of, side doors, fuel tanks, rear cargo ramp, heater unit armour and most of all the dolphin nose :), plus bunch of capitalistic sensors and guns and galore of surface detail.

I see the radar pod in the background , your argument is invalid LOL . I like those engines, but away about the pod?

Send it over Ernie, if you dare I can piece it together for you. Been practising with my little pony puzzles for past 6 years

There are certain parts of history that are forgotten deliberately. Immediately after CAF deployment in Afghanistan it was apparent that Canadian forces are missing medium-heavy load helicopter. Vertical deployment of troops in order to avoid IED was essential in this environment and Canada was incapable of doing so. CH-146 Griffon did not cut the bill. General Rick Hillier placed this issue to the conservative government and almost immediately defence minister MacKay announcer that Canada would purchase Chinook and in the meanwhile they would lease something from US military. The lease takes time to negotiate, so interim solution was needed . In 2009 cabinet quietly agreed to lease six Mil Mi-17-V5s (Mi-8 MTV5). RCAF took delivery of fourof them which were designated CH-178 (s/n: 178404-178407). The government kept it quiet until November 2010 It is not clear what happened to them after their use by RCAF, there are reports of them being airlifted to Bulgaria in August 2011, with the canadian marking being taped over. The archives RCAF task force in Afghanistan doesn't acknowledge that they flew Mi-17 at all. So as the RCAF's official webpage. What's for sure, non of the guys from 427 Special Operation Air Squadron serving in Afghanistan will ever forget this reliable and tough ride. And that is exactly why I am going to convert Trumpeter's Mi-8MT into so-call CH-178. enjoy the show ladies

Let's step back a bit , shall we? CBC News · Posted: Nov 24, 2010 9:05 PM ET | Last Updated: November 24, 2010 Questions are being raised about the Conservative government's procurement of Russian helicopters that Canadian pilots have been secretly using to fly troops into combat in Afghanistan. Until this week, the government had been silent about the MI-17 "Hip" helicopters that were leased last year. The government still refuses to provide any details of their procurement, including how much the lease cost. The federal government has been silent about the MI-17 "Hip" helicopters that were leased last year. ((Bill Graveland/Canadian Press)) "It was competed, it was open, but for reasons of security I really can't go into any other details," Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Wednesday. Military sources told CBC News that the idea of leasing Russian choppers was approved by cabinet early last year. It took some time to train Canadian crews, but the helicopters went into service quickly, used by Canadian special forces troops on secret missions. Over time, their use expanded to include regular soldiers on regular missions, sources said. The military said the Russian choppers are "very robust" and "very capable." "What's surprising about this is the fact they made a big secret about it," said NDP defence critic Jack Harris. Harris said if the Russian choppers are good enough for Canadian troops at war, why did the government rule them out when it decided in 2006 to buy new U.S. helicopters for the military. At the time, the government said, there were no other choppers capable of doing the job. The American Chinooks are larger, but the MI-17s appear to be just as capable in the air above Kandahar. They also come with a built in de-icing system — a perk Canada had to pay extra for on its Chinooks. The cost of buying a single Chinook works out to about $80 million, compared with $17 million for one of the Russian helicopters. "So, we've got an out-of-control department of National Defence when it comes to procurement," Harris said. Defence analyst Rob Huebert said the huge price difference between the two helicopters might help explain why the government has kept the deal secret. "From a political perspective, one can also see that the Conservatives may not want to be seen to be undermining their claim that they needed the Chinooks to the degree that they did," Huebert said. But he said the air force was wise to choose an American helicopter to be a permanent part of the Canadian equipment in order to have access to experts or spare parts. That could be a concern if relations with Russia start to freeze up, he said.

Sorry about these extra posts. not sure how to delete them.

I am thinking about the picture on the first page, that shows cockpit before restoration and the original black paint is heavily faded, but still black. You can see the blotchy look, if it was repainted it would look fresh/uniform . There is not really a reason to repaint the anti-glare surface. I am not trying to be bitchy-wifey, just thinking out loud the thought process.

I am thinking about the picture on the first page, that shows cockpit before restoration and the original black paint is heavily faded, but still black. You can see the blotchy look, if it was repainted it would look fresh/uniform . There is not really a reason to repaint the anti-glare surface. I am not trying to be bitchy-wifey, just thinking out loud the thought process.