Thank you Gino for the information. I'll be looking into getting the Academy kit.
I'll leave off the litters and go with an "okay" Vietnam bird.
Skid to the frame:

The tail framing was somewhat warped. I used a heat-gun to help to straighten it out. Unfortunately, I warped the tail light rod. I've cut the lights off and cut a piece of 1/16 aluminum tube to rebuild it.
Primered the cockpit tub and some related parts and put a darker OD on the main assembly:

Mike
P.S. The "dog" figure is one of two the wife wants me to clean up and repaint.