Wrapped this one up over the weekend. It is Italeri’s 1/48th OH-58A Kiowa built as a Vietnam War era LOH/scout. Modifications include adding armor panels to the pilot/co-pilot seats, embossed kitchen foil to the interior bulkheads (simulates the quilted soundproofing material), scrapbox gauge decals on the instrument panel and console, and brass rod for the rotor pitch change links and rotor shafts. I also modified the main rotor by removing the blades and attaching them with pitch (brass rod was inserted into the rotorhead and the blades for added strength).
The finish is Tamiya Olive Drab, mixed with Future Floor Wax for a semi-gloss finish (I found several pics of Kiowas with a shiny appearance). The elevators were painted Model Master International Orange, which looks too orange to my eye (the washout from the photos make it look even funkier). For markings I went with what was in the decal bin (the tailboom markings and stencils are from the kit). I wasn’t modeling a specific unit or airframe combo with this build, I just wanted to capture the essence of the times (hence the geometric identifier and crossed sabres on the nose). I like to think of this model as the type that would be on a pole in front of a local VVA chapter hall.
Thanks for looking, any comments/critiques welcomed.
[bow] What a BEAUTIFUL job you did on the “58”!! Looks like you could just crawl in it and start it up![tup] That would compliment ANY collection!!
Looking at that brings on a woosh of memories. Back in the late seventies down at Bragg, just about anywhere you were on base, you could look around and see one or two of them in the sky somewhere.
Very nice Alby , The paint finish is perfect and the extra work on the cockpit and rotor assembly give the 58 the look of an exact scale replica of the real thing . I always enjoy looking at pic’s of other modelers helo’s , certainly inspires me to try harder with my own builds… helo 53
Thanks for the kudos, everybody! Felt great to get another helicopter on the shelf as it had been since October of '06 that I had built one. [8-] Won’t let that happen again, I promise.
Ray,
Thanks for the compliment on my Kiowa. As much as I would like to take credit for the exposed tail rotor driveshaft, that is how it comes in the kit. I did make a cover for it as I contemplated on updating the kit to C standards, but decided to go with a Vietnam War theme instead.
