Fairchild AC-119K Stinger
On the night of 8 May 1970 Capt. Alan Milacek's AC 119K Stinger is patrolling over a remote corner of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Far below a convoy of North Vietnamese trucks are slowly moving down a valley hugging the Laotion border on their way to the South to deliver a consignment of Chinese and Russian weapons and ammunition to the VC.
Suddenly the dark moonless night is turned into day as illumination flares are deployed by Capt. Milacek's AC 119.
The North Vietnamese scatter into the jungle undergrowth whilst some brave souls put up a desperate fight for survival. Capt. Milacek banks his lumbering gunship into a circular flight path around his prey. The AC 119's sensor package acquires its target and relays an aiming point on Capt. Milacek's targeting sight.
Within seconds the rear cabin of the AC 119 lights up as its lethal package of four 7.62 mm miniguns and two 20 mm cannons rain death and destruction on a remote corner of the Ho Chi Minf Trail...
The AC 119K Stinger was powered by two Wright R3350-89 B radial engines and a pair of General Electric J 85-GE-17 turbojets. The sting of the AC 119K Stinger was its quartet of 7.62 mm miniguns and two 20 mm cannons. The aircraft was also fitted with an array of sensors. A turret-mounted AAD-4 forward-looking infra-red sensor was mounted under the nose as well as a Doppler-terrain-following radar in the nose of the aircraft. In the rear of the aircraft an AVQ-8 Xenon searchlight, flare launchers and an APQ-133 side-looking beacon-tracking radar completed its Target Acquisition equipment.
My AC 119K Stinger is the 1/72 scale Italeri kit. I have built the the model mostly OOB except for adding static dischargers on the wings and tail as well as whip aerials and radio antenna. Identification and navigation lights were fashioned from clear sprue and added to the wings and tail of the aircraft.
I used Model Master enamels to depict the standard SEA scheme with black undersides for night operations. I also used Doc O' Brien's pigments for weathering.
Great work! I have always loved the SEA camo on aircraft, especially the night version with the black belly. Yours came out great - thanks for sharing!
Thanks Ramon. I must say the black paint makes it look more menacing.
awesome, have kit for about 5 yrs. never touched it
Hi Douglas. I think it's time for you to build that kit.
gorgeous man
Thanks!
Another great job on a kit you don't see finished very often.
Thanks Rick!
Top shelf Morne, do those nav lights work? I thought I saw a filament in the green one.
Thanks Paul. No filament. I drilled it to simulate a lightbulb.
Nicely done, Morne...glad you posted it for us to see.
Thanks for the nice comment!
Beautiful job , on a rarely seen model. Nice bit of history also. Thanks, Morne
Thanks Joe for the thumbs up on my build!
Nice representation of an awesome beast Morne. As usual your understated weathering is just right.
Thanks Al. Appreciate the positive feedback.
Impressive Morne, I have one in the stash to do.
I have a soft spot for Nam gunships, I have some great shots of them in mags I have collected.
I like the open back door, gives a bit of interior detail a view.
Thanks Simon! I would love to do an A 26 Invader from the Vietnam war next.
Excellent.
Thanks Tom!
Like I said before, Morne, I enjoy your write ups as much as I enjoy your models!
Thanks George. I appreciate the positive feedback.
hi morne after seeing yours I agree
As said, exellent, you are doing great kits on a regular basis ! Love those curtains
Thanks Bernd. They were fashioned out of newspaper.
Great idea, my current build is a Ju 88 from Revell in 1/32,i will
use the same method for the curtains in the crew compartment.
That would definitly do the trick. I attached mine with SMALL amounts of wood glue.
Morne,
Absolutely gorgeous
Thanks Frank. The black and SEA camo fits this aircraft perfectly!
Great detail; am putting one together (memories from PHAN RHANG Air Base)!
Thanks. Can't wait to see your model once finished!