Lockheed Venus MR.1 with photos

[McColm]

This kitbash my interpretation of the unbuilt Lockheed C-130 L-400 concept of an two turboprop Hercules aircraft. The donor model was an almost finished 1/72 Lockheed C-130 RAAF the previous owner said that the cockpit needed detailing, it's not been painted. There's evidence of drips from a airbrush which I have sanded and the tail was slightly damaged in transit. Fortunately this was a clean break and glued back on. I have removed the two outer engines and filled the space with the two long-range fuel drop tanks. I have added the ECM vertical tail fin pod from the Mach2 Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic kit and the AN/APS-20S radar resides under the rear tail .Used for weather radar and ASW missions. A raid of the Heller C-160 model kit revealed additional parts for the SIGINT version so I have used the ESM wingtip pods.
The in-flight refuelling probe,propellers and the external aerials have been removed as I know that they will get broken due to the handling during PSR.

[McColm]

The Lockheed Venus MR.1 now has the Rolls-Royce Tyne Mk22 turboprops engines taken from the Heller C-160 model kit, I have ordered the Oz Models C-130J improvement set (intended for the Italeri C-130J). I think that the decals that came with the Heller kit will be used 1968-2021 to celebrate the retirement from service for France and Germany, although the RAAF are still flying theirs.

[McColm]

Venus in blue jeans, not this one. The two side weapons bay doors have been glued on to the front fuselage. They are from the Mach2 Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic kit, one side is thicker than the other which would why the two fuselage halves don't line up but they have been sanded down to fit. They will need rescribing. The ECM pod on top of the vertical tail fin has been changed, at first I wanted a to house the M.A.D. boom but I remembered that the AC-130H is fitted with the AN/ASD-5 Black Crow vehicle magneto dector Which is an offshoot from the magnetic anomaly dector used for ASW. They both can find submarines under the sea and trucks beneath the jungle canopy so the Lockheed Venus MR.1 could be used as a gunship.

[McColm]

I have added some weight through the hole I created, managed to crack the windscreen and dry testing the Italeri Lockheed Martin AC-130H Spectre windscreen before adding the interior cockpit decals.

[McColm]

The glazed cockpit canopy and the nose cone from the Italeri AC-130H Spectre kit have been glued. PSR continues.

[McColm]

The rear radome has been removed and is now on the BAe Coastguarder III MR.1, I've used the inflatable Searchwater radar dustbin.