That’s looking great, Beckyhead! Those cans look really nice - it’s a shame only the insides will be visible.
Russ
Looking good, Marty! [:D]
Russ
Hi Everyone,
“On this Day in History”, April 29, 1970, 44 years ago, the Cambodian Campaign began. Here is a short excerpt from Wikipedia:
The Cambodian Campaign (also known as the Cambodian Incursion and the Cambodian Invasion) was a series of military operations conducted in eastern Cambodia during mid-1970 by the United States and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) during the Vietnam War. These invasions were a result of the policy of President Richard Nixon. A total of 13 major operations were conducted by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) between 29 April and 22 July and by US forces between 1 May and 30 June.
The full story can be read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_Campaign
Also on this day, April 29, 1975, many significant events occurred just as the Vietnam war was coming to a close. One event was the Battle of Truong Sa began. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:
The Battle of Truong Sa was a naval battle that resulted in the capture of the South Vietnamese-held Truong Sa Islands by North Vietnamese forces on April 29, 1975. Following the reunification of Vietnam in 1976, Truong Sa became a part of Khanh Hoa Province.
April 29, 1975 was also the beginning of the end for Saigon. Here is a list of events from Wikipedia:
Charles McMahon and Darwin Lee Judge were the last two U.S. servicemen killed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. They died during a rocket attack while serving with the Marine Security Guard Battalion at the US Embassy, Saigon and were providing security for the DAO Compound, adjacent to Tân Sơn Nhứt Airport, Saigon.
Hubert van Es was a Dutch photographer and photojournalist who took the well-known photo on 29 April 1975, which shows South Vietnamese civilians scrambling to board a CIA Air America helicopter during the U.S. evacuation of Saigon.
Operation Frequent Wind was the evacuation by helicopter of American civilians and ‘at-risk’ Vietnamese from Saigon, South Vietnam, on 29–30 April 1975 during the last days of the Vietnam War.
Ken
Hi Everyone,
Today is a very significant day in “This Day in History”. 39 years ago today, April 30, 1975, was the Fall of Saigon, which basically marked the end of the Vietnam War. Here is a short excerpt from Wikipedia:
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People’s Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (also known as the Viet Cong) on April 30, 1975. The event marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of a transition period leading to the formal reunification of Vietnam into a Socialist Republic governed by the Communist Party.
The full story can be read here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Saigon
Ken
HI Everyone,
I have just uploaded a video onto YouTube. This is a 8mm film that my Dad took while he was stationed in Vietnam. Here is a link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=HwC8ICWT9mI
And here is a sparse narration:
It starts off with some site seeing around Saigon. Then to the Saigon Zoo. After that, a pretty cool looking clock in the side of a mound. If you look closely, you can see the date spelled out in the flowers. Then more site seeing around Saigon. Then back to the zoo. Here you will see Boy Scouts visiting the zoo. Then a street artist.
Finally we are in the C-123B flying over Saigon and beyond. (You can see from the engines and wing that it is a C-123.) Watch carefully, and you will see a FAC plane (I think a Bird Dog) flying below.
Then we are back on the ground at what I believe is either Da Nang Air Base or Nha Trang Air Base. You will see a C-47 with Vietnam Air Force markings and service men with M-16 rifles.
Finally we are back at Tan Son Nhut Air Base and get to see several RF-101Cs as they head out toward the main runway. Then we watch a pair of RF-101s as they take off! Then the video finishes with a view of a line of RF-101Cs.
If you look carefully once the video is at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, you can see several different planes in the background.
Ken
Russ and Ken,
Thanks for the encouragement. I still need to show some heat effects coloration on the titanium, but I was shooting Alclad for another project, and I just hit the fuse because I had the lacquers loaded in the AB.
Time for some more “This Day in History” May 1, 1955. Here is an short excerpt from Wikipedia:
Ngô Đình Diệm marches his army to Cao Đài political center in Tây Ninh under the shadow of the Black Virgin Mountain. He forced the Cao Đài pope, Pham Cong Tac, to flee to Cambodia and takes the political power of the Cao Dai sect for himself and absorbs their army into the fledging National Army.
Ken
Great film, Ken! Many thanks for sharing it with us!
Russ
You are most welcome Russ!
Here is another one. It has an exciting part where a pilot of an RF-101C took my Dad’s camera up with him and shot some footage. The pilot does some incredible stunts, flying low to the surface, at one point flying straight toward the side of a cliff and pulling up at the last second, barrel rolls, flying straight up and then down (shown on the altimeter), and a few spins. Then there are some footage of an “Open House” at Kadena AFB Okinawa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApcqjFtWepo&feature=player_detailpage
Ken
So this happened… Slightly off topic again, but I’m doing a RAF Battle of Britain diorama and been collecting these for the last 6-8 months or so. I have a typhoon on the way and have every detail up kit for the lancaster you can get! Except for the flaps, which I don’t know if I want yet… [URL=http://s1277.photobucket.com/user/look695sr/media/AB44AE95-4169-4382-BF60-5A32CC7C2506_zps30rk81fq.jpg.html]
Nice collection there Tim! Looks like it will be a lot of fun!
Ken
Hi Everyone!
Well I missed one yesterday for the “This Day in History”. It was 49 years ago yesterday, May 3, 1965, that the first U.S. Army troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade arrive in Vietnam.
Ken
Hi Everyone,
“This Day in History”, May 5, 1968, communist units initiated PHASE II of the Tet Offensive. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:
During the early morning hours of 5 May, communist units initiated PHASE II of the Tet Offensive of 1968 (also known as the May Offensive, “Little Tet”, and “Mini-Tet”) by striking 119 targets throughout South Vietnam, including Saigon. This time, however, allied intelligence was better prepared, stripping away the element of surprise. Most of the communist forces were intercepted by allied screening elements before they reached their targets. 13 NLF battalions, however, managed to slip through the cordon and once again plunged the capital into chaos. Severe fighting occurred at Phu Lam, (where it took two days to root out the 267th NLF Local Force Battalion), around the Y-Bridge, and at Tan Son Nhut.[1] By 12 May, however, it was all over. NLF forces withdrew from the area leaving behind over 3,000 dead[2] and 7,500 wounded.
The full story can be read here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Offensive
Ken
Yeowsa! You’re going to have your hands full with that setup, Tim! What’s the concept?
Russ
I have no idea, 
I went to an airshow in Canada last year that had a show called ‘Music of the Merlins’. I’ve always loved the Mosquito and Lancaster so started with picking those up. So naturally the Hurricane and Spitfire were next. I kind of went on a rampage picking up the Lancaster parts but figured for such a big and expensive kit I might as well go all out. Thinking of just a crowded RAF ground scene with a cheeky 109 flying over the treetops… any suggestions?
I’m making slow progress on my F102 for the actual build as well, fingers crossed to have that finished up in the next couple of weeks, yay!
Hmm… how about the back end of a hangar as a backdrop and the other aircraft positioned around in various states of repair and being worked on. Maybe you could have the 109 as a captured aircraft that British mechanics (and lots of brass of course) are looking over. At that scale, with all those aircraft, it’s gonna be big. You may want to concentrate on just the fighters or just the bombers.
Russ
Battle of Britain??? Am I on the right thread??? LOL, just kidding! Who’s not up for anything Battle Of Britain? Sounds like a cool idea, but I’m not sure if the Typhoon was around during that time period, was it? Love all the old RAF movies from the 60s…
I may have to pare back my project list a bit for this GB. Still haven’t gotten back to that Skymaster, and debating how to recover it… Will try and get back on track with the Skyraider…we’ll see!
Dave
Hi Tim,
No problems there, just post some pictures when you have any progress to show. [:)]
Ken
You’re right about the Typhoon… I guess that just made my diorama easier, It will be a while before I started, I had just laid out all the stuff I procured and knew that no one would understand except you guys!
This is great if you haven’t already read it -