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mtncolonel

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About mtncolonel

  • Birthday 06/07/1945

Profile Information

  • FirstName
    John
  • LastName
    Manion
  • IPMS Number
    46810
  • City
    Denver
  • State
    CO
  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Denver, CO
  1. John - I got your mailing with the copy of the decals for the General and the instructions. This is just great. I have been thinking about getting the materials to make my own decals, and this would be the first chance to try that with the copy you sent. Thanks a lot! I'll let you know how it comes out. - John Manion
  2. My mailing address is 1775 W Kentucky Ave, Denver, CO 80223. Interesting that you are in Nags Head. I lived in Fayetteville and Lillington for about 7 years, both in the Army and much later. The Outer Banks were my favorite part of the state, especially Ocracoke.
  3. I just bought from e-bay the 1/25 MPC model of the General of the Great Locomotive Chase. This replaces one I had bought years ago but lost in one of my moves. It seems complete except for the decals, which provides numbers, W&A lettering for the tender, and striping - all in gold. I've contacted the seller, who does not have the decals. It appears the model was in water from the damaged box. Does anyone know where I can get these decals? Does anyone know what became of MPC and how to contact them at this point?
  4. I have found the 2.75 FFAR that I need to model the Trumpeter 1/48 F-100F 56-3837 as a Misty fast FAC. The 1/48 Tamiya A-1J Skyraider comes with a large amount of armament, including the 2.75 7-rocket pods which I need to complete the F-100F model. The aircraft will be painted in SEA camoflauge and will carry the wing-mounted fuel tanks with the 2.75 pods outboard, mounted on the F-100F smaller pylons for the most outboard positions. In case you're not familiar with this aircraft and its Vietnam service, check Rick Newman/Don Shepperd's Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail (2006).
  5. I came across a Trumpeter 1/48 F-100F model today which I have been looking for a couple of years. I intend to model it as F-100F 56-3837, which has been restored at the USAF Museum in Dayton as a Misty FAC. I first learned about this by reading Bury Us Upside Down written by two Misty pilots. What I need for this project is a pair of 2.75" folding fin rocket launchers in 1/48 - 7 rockets in each. The F-100Fs carried wing fuel tanks and WP rockets for target marking. I could also use decals for 56-3837, if available, although I can make decals for this aircraft fairly easily. If you want to see it, go to the USAF Museum website and go to their F-100F site.
  6. Watching closely on e-bay, I have now acquired all the 1/72 helicopters I need for my models on Army helicopter development. I obtained a Monogram 1/72 AH-1G and two Tamiya 1/100 AH-1G, which are tiny but very well detailed and accurate. I even expanded my collection from a Squadron/Signal book on US Army Aviation in Vietnam by Wayne Mutza. I now have a DHC-3 (U-1A) Otter, DHC-2 (U-6A) Beaver, and a OV-1A Mohawk to add to other models I have had for some time - a CV-2A Caribou, O-1E Bird Dog, and a P-2H Neptune. You may wonder what I can do with a Navy ASW aircraft such as the Neptune, but ASA had three of them equipped for electronic warfare. They were painted exactly like the Navy scheme except for ARMY in large black letters - not a low profile scheme for aircraft in the intelligence community. The only model I have not located was also used in the intelligence role in Vietnam - the Beech Twin Bonanza or Queen Air (U-8). Has anyone seen a model, preferably 1/72, of this type of aircraft in either the civilian or military version?
  7. Phil - I got a Monogram AH-1G through e-bay last week, and it is enroute to me now. I am looking forward to building that for my collection.
  8. We have had a B-17 flying out of Centennial Airport for the past six or so years, and the most recent has been EAA's Aluminum Overcast. I have served on ground crew. We have a team of WWII B-17 vets lead ground tours and answer questions. Unfortunately, we lost one of our best back in April, Casey Clark, who was a very sprite and active fellow right up to his death. I helped haul the materials for the flight support in my F-250 and trailer, and on 13 June we were loading everything to take it back to Lowry, when one of the guys showed us his cell phone. He had a photo of the Liberty Bell on the ground near Aurora, IL, mostly burned. It is such a shame to lose a classic like that, but fortunately, everyone got out without serious injury.
  9. Dan - I looked over the photo you included of a hot refuel of an AH-1G and saw that you had what appeared to be the 19-tube 2.75 rocket pod on the stub wing. The chin turret gun looked quite slim. Was this the 7.62 minigun? Did your AH-1Gs usually fly with the 7.62 minigun, the 40mm grenade launcher, or some other weapon in the chin turret. I call it the chin turret, although it might have another name, because I am used to this term, as I have spent six years on the ground crew of our B-17, which will be arriving from Oshkosh, WI, on June 6 for a week. I have flown in it twice, and it is an impressive machine - and loud. As we watch it take off, I wonder how that sounded with hundreds of B-17s taking off at the same time. The English probably didn't get to sleep late on most mornings during the war. John Manion "grunt" 68-69
  10. Dan - I have been an infantryman since 1967, so I have not had behind-the-stick experience. I was in Nam in 68-69 and flew as observer in a few Fireflys. We had a UH-1D with a set of lights in the left door to fly roads and rivers. We had two Cobras with us and when we spotted something, we sent the Cobras in to fire on them. Anyone who was on a road or especially a river after dark was a target, and the Cobras would really light them up. It was a hairy experience, but I know we did a lot to keep Charlie back in the woods at night. John Manion, 11A5S, Vietnam 68-69
  11. I have found a 1/72 kit of an AH-1G on e-bay by ZTS Plastyk and another 1/72 by Chematic. Does anyone know of the quality of either of these manufacturers? - mtncolonel
  12. Mark - I can backdate either the HobbyBoss AH-1S or the Hasegawa AH-1F to an AH-1G, but I have to use the Mastercraft body shell to provide the turbine exhaust and adjacent body shell, the tail rotor fin, and the nose. None of the Mastercraft body looks very good due to the poor molding. I am hoping to get a kit which presents an acceptable AH-1G without extensive kitbashing. The Mastercraft is just poor quality molding and detail, as well as inaccurate. If there was not a better model, I wish there was a good aftermarket kit. - John Manion
  13. I got some good info on my previous post about the Bell H-13E, for which I found that an MRC 1/35 kit I have is for the H-13E with the earlier lateral fuel tank, bench seat, and dual controls. I now have 1/72 models for all the helicopters I need except for a Vietnam AH-1G Cobra. I have Hasegawa and HobbyBoss 1/72 kits of the AH-1S and AH-1F, and I obtained through e-bay a MasterCraft AH-1G, but it is very poor quality molding and detail. It is also not very accurate, according to my Squadron in-action/walk-around books. I think I can kitbash something, but I am wondering if any of the companies have made an accurate and well-detailed model of the Nam-era AH-1G - someone like Italeri, Hasegawa, etc. I don't want to waste any more money on poor quality kits, especially for a display like this. -mtncolonel
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