CH-166 Comanche

[nev]

My attempt at scratchbuilding - this is the PAWS - Projectile Approach Warning System.  Designed to warn the pilots of the approach of a shoulder launched SAM or RPG from the rear quadrant, the current vogue in how to down a chopper.  So I figured the crew needed some help were their blind spot was concerned.  I found it in the spares box.

[nev]

Did I miss anyone?

Sorry about the white borders, I tried cutting and pasting my piccies to try and reduce the file size a bit - which it did, but no white border would make it even smaller...



[!--EDIT|nev|May 27 2003,1:25--]

[Ollie]

Nev, this is just brilliant!  Congrats mate!

And what happened to Minister Pommerleau after his, huh, \"incident\"?

Can you tell us about Colonel Lacombe's exploit in Norway?

And I heard that section \"Alvis\", flying stealth Arrows played a crucial role in this conflict...

And you forgot to mention John Chung, the radar operator, who was crucial to the operation!

What squadron are these birds from?  Montréal's 438 \"Wildcats\"?


:G  :t  :pl  :pl  :dr  :aa  :h  :TT  :-/

[Aircav]

Awww, go on Nev, please, pritty please, I'll buy you a pint at the Nat's.... :s
:dr  :zz  :dr

[Aircav]

:s

[Captain Canada]

Hey Steve...speeking of beers....I bought some 'old speckled hen' tonite...not bad...tastes an awful lot like Bodingtons. Good thing I grabbed 4 newcastle brownies just in case ! Always a good beer the day after, that....

and Nev...I'm working on an HO4S right now...choppers, choppers, choppers, choppers....... :aa

[nev]

With the impending demise of the current site, and Toms busy schedule, I figured I may as well post the piccies here rather than wait n see if they make it onto the front page.

The kit is the Italeri 1/48 Comanche, which as the regulars will know, was meant to be my Canadarama, till the kitchen intervened...



[!--EDIT|nev|May 27 2003,1:24--]

[nev]

Thought I'd get some nice close ups of those maple leaf things, you know how Toad gets all worked up about 'em!

Cockpit detail is adequate, and both canopies can be posed open, so (if you can be bothered) a resin or EB set would really look good - and be visible without an endoscope!  The weapons bays can be posed open too, but I couldn't be bothered, and the spare stingers and hellfires now reside in the spares box  



[!--EDIT|nev|May 27 2003,1:31--]

[Aircav]

My attempt at scratchbuilding - this is the PAWS - Projectile Approach Warning System.  Designed to warn the pilots of the approach of a shoulder launched SAM or RPG from the rear quadrant, the current vogue in how to down a chopper.  

I think our lot might of started that off in the Falkland's when they downed a Argie Puma with a 84mm carl Gustav recoilless gun. :s

Cool chopper Nev.  :G  :dr
:zz

[Geoff_B]

I think our lot might of started that off in the Falkland's when they downed a Argie Puma with a 84mm carl Gustav recoilless gun

Didn't the Royal Marine detachment on South Georgia blow a hole in an Argie Corvette when they invaded using another one !!!!

[lancer]

Like Ollie says Nev, just Brilliant. The story line cracked me up, I've not laughed like that for a while, and the bird itself is awsome. Bloody well done mate...

[F-32]

:dr

Beautiful Nev, great model, great scheme, great story!

[Captain Canada]

Hey...that's not a bad idea there Nevster......a chopper build !

[nev]

Following the  Islamic revolution in 2009 that swept through Saudi Arabia, the 14 RAH-66 Comanches on order for the Kingdom were embargoed by the US government.  The Canadian armed forces had for several years been looking at supplementing their aging Bell 412 helicopters with a small force of "silver bullet" attack helicopters – the Comanche being the armed forces helicopter of choice, but the high cost of any new purchase had always stalled any attempts at a purchase.  

However, Canadian defense minister Pomerleau was finally able to secure a small force of Comanches by purchasing the now surplus Saudi helicopters at cut price from Boeing who were glad to be able to sell the aircraft at little more than cost  (It was the high point of the spectacular, yet short political career of Pomerleau who had risen to Minister of Defense, only for his career to be dramatically ended when after an all day "Hockey night in Canada" special which involved several crates of Molson, he rang the press to drunkenly inform them of his grand idea to split the Canadian Armed Forces back into its constituent parts, starting  with the Royal Canadian Air Force.  He might have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for repeated references to the Detroit Deadwings and how they were "cheating cry-babies" and that they "sucked").

[nev]

The hardest thing about building this was the long, flat joins that required a lot of sanding and filling...tedious.

Note the mast mounted sight - pinched off a 1/72 KA-52 chin turret.  Not the same as the MMS currently being tested on the Comanche, but who cares?  The kit, being of the early prototypes is already innacurate due to it having no MMS and I believe the tail config has been changed too.



[!--EDIT|nev|May 27 2003,1:28--]