C-130 with tip tanks

[allysonca]

Hello Pundits and a early Happy New Year to you all. I know you all had great holidays as I did not see any of your names on the naughty list.

I was lucky to get this 1/100 C-130 with tip tanks from ebay. The seller had no clue that it was a PacMin made model and when it arrived it was sans one prop blade that the seller did not disclose or illustrate, but I got it for $40.00 bucks so HA HA..... It's the typical blue gel coated fiberglass used by PacMin so I am a happy camper and can make a prop (unless you'ze guys have a stash). There appears to be a couple of lower fuselage appendages missing and I am wondering if anyone can tell me what they were so I can reproduce them....... anyone?

 

[GTX]

It looks like it may have been an early Maritime Patrol/ASW variant offered with a sonobuoy launcher and presumably a MAD boom fitment.

 

[_Del_]

EC-130Q, I believe.

VLF trailing antennae from the port in the ramp area, and the missing fairing under the tail.

Tip "tanks" were UHF gear/antennae, not fuel.

Helped fill the TACAMO role.

 

[GTX]

EC-130Q, I believe.

I believe you are correct.

 

[allysonca]

WOW... you guy are the BEST! Now if you only had some props!

 

[_Del_]

No real interaction with the Q, but the EC-130H is one of the few birds I've seen that had armed guards around each aircraft on the tarmac (every time I saw it at DM), and the only one that featured a man with a rifle peering over our guys' shoulders while we did some work inside once. Maybe he was just real curious? Haha

 

[_Del_]

WOW... you guy are the BEST! Now if you only had some props!

That part is all you! I'm just glad we could be of minor assistance in your project.

 

[riggerrob]

No real interaction with the Q, but the EC-130H is one of the few birds I've seen that had armed guards around each aircraft on the tarmac (every time I saw it at DM), and the only one that featured a man with a rifle peering over our guys' shoulders while we did some work inside once. Maybe he was just real curious? Haha

I had a similar experience with a visiting USN EC-130 at CFB Shearwater (Halifax, Nova Scotia). We were ground crew loaned to "Visiting Flight. We were scheduled to refuel a CAF Boeing 707 arriving at mid-night, but we drove down to VF early and saw the EC-130 sitting out in the rain. We drove over and knocked on the door to ask if the crew needed anything. We were greeted by a .45 caliber pistol and told "NO!" There were 4 or more edgy, USN enlisted men inside, all armed and in no mood to chat.

I doubt if the "tip-tanks" contained fuel. More likely they contained electronics.

 

[Archibald]

My parents lived in Mont de Marsan the year before I was born. There is a massive military base there, including a flight test center, Mirage IVA back then (1981) Rafales nowadays.
My father once told me, with my mother they were just looking through the fence at a safe distance, yet from the other side they were told by guards to "move on, nothing to see there".