Military cars

[choochoodudes]

Can anyone tell us where we can find a military flat car with a US helicopter on it..I have checked with Walther's and they have some from Germany..any help would be gladly excepted thanks

[Jim Banner]

Two suggestions:

(1) Try eBay.  They presently have several listed.

(2) Buy an H0 helicopter, a flat car, and a can of camouflage paint.  Have fun putting together your own.

Jim

[jbsmith]

Model Power makes the most military cars,, but none with a chopper.

http://www.modelpower.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=148&Page=1

Bachmann makes several depressed center flat cars with tactical missiles. Be carefull with these,these just might have nuclear warheads.do not Drop.

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/HO-Scale-Flat-Cars-s/1492.htm?searching=Y&sort=3&cat=1492&brand=Bachmann&search=52%20missile&show=16&page=1

Athearn has some flats with airplanes out
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/HO-Scale-Flat-Cars-s/1492.htm?searching=Y&sort=3&cat=1492&show=16&page=1&search=%20plane

Mr Banner has a good idea about making your own with a helicopter.
The trick is finding a model helicopter in 1/87 scale.  Finding ANY aircraft in 1/87th scale is difficult at best,,when
99% of all model aircraft are made in every scale there is except 1/87.  
most common you will find would be 1/72 scale,
just a bit too large,,but if you are OK with that,,then by all means proceed!

[Jim Banner]

jbsmith,
What's with the formality?  All my friends (and some of my relatives when they are being kind) call me Jim.  I would hope everyone here on Bach-Man's Board would consider me enough of a friend to call me Jim too.

Thanks for the warning about the flat cars with (possibly nuclear) missiles.  My home town is technically a nuclear weapons free zone (try to tell that to an incoming ICBM.)

I had a look at 1/72 helicopters and was amazed at both the variety and price range.  Some could become a hobby in themselves.

I also noticed there were a number of 1/48 scale helicopters available.  These would be perfect for my 0n30 layout if only I could find an 1880's model.

Jim

[Len]

Jim,

Predates the 1880's by a few hundred years, but maybe you could load up with a 'Davinci Ornithopter' some enterprising nut, er..., inventor is trying to make work!

Or possibly an 1843 'Steampunk' airplane (see article at: http://hubpages.com/hub/A-Steampunk-Airplane-from-the-1800s) that someone plans to improve on with a more powerful engine and actually get off the ground.

Note: We played around with the design of this thing back when I was in engineering school, and my hair was still brown. It could have flown, it was just underpowered.

Len

[choochoodudes]

thanks guys you have given me a lot to consider

[OldTimer]

Airfix, a British company, used to make an extensive line of 1:87 military models; tanks, trucks, APC's, etc., but I don't recall specifically if they made any aircraft in HO scale.  I know I built enough of their 1:72 airplanes.  I think the series was called "Minitanks."  Anyway, that's one more place to look.
OldTimer

[jbsmith]

Model Power does make some aircraft in 1/87

Cessna 172 Skyhawk, Messerschmidt BF109E , MiG-15, Douglas Dauntless SBD-3, F-4 Wildcat, a USAF Predator drone, FW-190 and a couple of Huey helicopters.
You can find them here
http://www.modelpower.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=13&Page=1

Interesting enough,,hang them with some string over the layout. The layout could be under attack, or the planes are on patroll. Maybe there is an airshow going on at the just off of the layout airport nearby.
Put them on their display stand someplace on the layout as a war memorial or static air museum piece.
Mount the Huey on a flatcar,,,

[barrowsr]

I believe Roco (minitanks) makes a 1/87th Huey.  Microscale offers military decals if you choose to make your own.  I've built up a collection of military equipment on flat cars from the 50s era.  It's been fun:  http://www.pwmrc.org/freefest2004/index.htm

Robin

[Len]

Walthers currently has the HO Herpa (Roco) AH-64 Apache in stock, item 326-741668. Horizon Hobbies has the Huey Gunship (1/100) in stock, item MDP56011. The Model Power is slightly undersize, but "close enough", as the saying goes.

Len

[railsider]

re: Jim Smith's not about hanging planes over the layout................

I built a ceiling system (difficult and tricky, bu it works at last) that pulls a length of 50-lb clear nylon fish-line over pulleys close to the ceiling (and behind the 12" lighting fascia) over my wall-hugging layout. Suspended from that is some very thin and truly invisible 4-lb test nylon line, to which I can attach planes, hot-air balloons, or whatever (including Santa's sleigh!) at will. A motor drive pulls the "skyhook" line around the layout so the planes or whatever fly overhead.

One of the nice things about this is that scale is somewhat flexible, since the planes, etc., are so far up in the air. I have several Hallmark mini ornaments in the form of historic planes that I can use. Metal-cast models, however, are too heavy and pull the main "cable" off the pulleys; the flyers have to be very light weight. 

[Terry Toenges]

Railsider - Sounds neat. Any pics?