“Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!”
Ah well I’m declaring this one OVER. Kitech 1/72 AH-1T USMC HMM-261.
My first campaign entered and didn’t make it. I will continue the build and start another thread soon.
@md72 Mark that cobra looks amazing, you did a magnificent job with that kit where as when tried to build it, I ended up launching it at a wall in disgust.
Delbert, Mark your builds turned out really nice. Especially that Kitech Cobra. I’ve bought a few of their kits cheap in the past and they are rough! Great source of spare parts though.
Added the fiddly parts to my Lynx. Wipers, intake grills, windows, and tail skid. The kits tail was fitted yesterday, but some time between then and this morning, it got knocked off and vanished. So I had to replace it with one made from copper wire. I think this was a blessing in disguise because the replacement is much better.
Just waiting for the decals on the tail rotor to dry, paint the steel leading edge, matt coat and that should be done.
Finally its finished OH 6a Cayuse E/troop 1/9 cavalry division An Khe South Vietnam 1971. It is based on the Dragon kit from the 90s.
Nice looking Loach. Great job.
Thank you very much,really appreciate that coming from a model builder whose work I admire.
That’s really nice work Oliver. I like all that extra detail in the cockpit. The wiring and sunglasses especially.
Thanks this was a labor of love witch was started 22years ago and stood on the self of doom for long time, until I met a Vietnam loach pilot who inspired and gave me the motivation to finish her .
@oliver excellent work on that loach being a big fan of the 1/9 air cav I’m wondering who the Vietnam vet is that you know, who flew poached…Bill Frazer or perhaps Larry Brown?
Thanks folks, but the best thing about this model is that it’s finished. I’m probably too stubborn to give up or too cheap to just pitch it. I know it’s not up to the level of the the work here. I’m not sure it’s even up to the level of my work elsewhere. It’s not even my best helicopter.
I suspect, that it will stand as a good example of a bad example. At best it may join a glue bombed Corsair as a paint mule or a weathering test bed.
I will say I did learn a bit on this build. Strategic Omissions and Blatant Commissions. The canopy is a great example.
Beautiful work, Oliver! Really nice details.
Mark, not all builds end up as we want them, but great that you finished and learned along the way. It is a hobby in the end so as long as you enjoy the process and/or the result all is good. 
I have had the same feeling as you and sometimes still end up there, but as long as it is enjoyable overall, all is good 
Thanks a lot.
And she’s done!
The Westland Lynx AH.1 prototype and Speed Record breaker XX153. On 20th June 1972, flying a 15km straight course near Glastonbury, achieved an average speed of 199.97mph. Amazingly this was achieved at a height of 300ft! 2 days later, flying a 100km circuit at 600ft, 153 achieved an average speed of 197.9mph. Both flights were made by pilot Roy Moxam and Flight Test Engineer Mike Ball.
This record was held until August 1975, when it was broken by a modified and lightened Mil Mi-24B, which set a new speed of 206.7mph. The Soviets broke this record again in September 1978, when the same aircraft smashed it’s previous record with a new top speed of 228.9mph.
Westland retook the Helicopter Speed Record with the Lynx again, when the specially modified company demonstrator G-LYNX, achieved a top speed of 249.10mph on 11th August 1986. A record which has yet to be broken.
It’s been a great campaign, I have not built a helicopter in years and that was a near disaster (the old Airfix Westland Scout) and I’m really happy with how this turned out. It had it’s faults, but these old kits can be fun. It was also great to see all of the other builds, especially the larger scales.
Thanks for leading David.
@phantom_phanatic Stephen, you’ve done a fantastic job on that kit, congratulations on finishing the campaign.
I’m looking forward to seeing what you and everyone else will bring to the table when Huey Heaven kicks off!
Looks very good Stephen, well done on the finish and overcoming the few little issues you had and the clever fix with the main rotor. Nice bit of history as well. 
Thanks guys. It was a fun kit, even with all the filling. It’s to be expected with old Matchbox.
To be honest it sat in a box for a couple of years till I found out about the record flight. I knew of G-LYNX but not the previous record achieved by this one. I do like to model something with some history and a story behind it.
Happily XX153 has survived and is currently on display at the Museum of Army Flying in Middle Wallop.
I have tried to learn why the record has not been broken after all these years, but it gets complicated. Apparently over 250mph is very difficult in a helicopter. Airbus Helicopters X3 set an unofficial record of 293mph, but it’s a compound (wings and tractor props), so in a different class to G-LYNX.
I think that’s why I’ve always liked the Lynx. Not only does it look good, it’s also the fastest!
Very nice build,that has brought back many childhood memories of building that kit.Yes I am that old
Thanks Oliver. I remember my dad building one when I was a kid in the mid 80’s in the Royal Navy colours. Remember it looked really smart in the gloss dark blue.
