The CH-54 Tarhe helicopter was developed by Sikorsky Aircraft, a company founded by the prominent Ukrainian aircraft designer Igor Sikorski. The first flight of the helicopter, originally named S-64, took place on May 9th, 1962. Specialized Universal Military Pods were created to expand the carrying capabilities of the Tarhe. A total of 22 of these pods were built.
Dave Morrissette of the IPMS Review Corp had already built and reviewed the initial version of this kit with just the helicopter. He offered me some excellent advice on getting the best possible result. He was not wrong when he said this model was huge and the box it arrived in was no different. It needed to be big to hold all the parts needed to build the kit!