Double 1:72 OH-6A Loach WIP - FINISHED AT LAST! - Page 3

Hello everybody!

I have tinted the windows, using Tamiya X-19 Smoke (acrylic):

On the Loaches (OH-6) the tint was dark instead of green - at least in most instances.

On the grey machine I have mixed some Gunze Black to the mix - which makes Smoke substantially darker, but also a little less transparent. On the green machine I have applied like 8 thin layers of Smoke about half an hour apart - this surface is a little lighter but also clearer.

The rear windows were generally left untinted, but in some cases (like the green machine) they were paneled over with sheet metal.

Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

WOW they look awesome . 

Rick 

Hello Rick - thanks a lot for your kind words!

As you see, I ddin't have any comments in this thread for months!

Thanks again and have a nice day

Paweł

Hello everybody!

I have put a first layer of paint on those babies - in this case Humbrol 155 olive green:

Now I'll start putting the decals on and I want to clear-coat it all in order to remove the window masking.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day

Paweł

Hello everybody!

I'm almost done with the decals and the gloss is also on. Now I have to put a satin coat on top of them babies:

Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

Looking good. Hurry up I want to see them finished. 

Hello!

Thanks a lot for your comment, and for your kind words!

Hurry and model building just don't fit together - but don't worry, I think I've got most of the work done!

Have a nice day

Paweł

 I was just joking around. I do look forward to seeing the finished Helo's. 

They look great.   Big loach fan.  I did the old tamiya kit years ago and put it in the verlinden revetment.  I also did a couple md500s.  But those were 1/48 and i thought those were small!

I have a police md500 and the 1/35 oh6 ib the stash.  This is inspiring me to build one.

Look forward your next posts!

Griffin - Okay, thanks a lot!

keavdog - it's enough to take a closer look at the little helo, and it gets tough not to be a fan of it!

How were those Tamiya and Academy models? Are they related? It's important to look at the details, the Vietnam OH-6As (Hughes 369) differ in many ways from helicopter built a few years later (Hughes 500), and they evolved for many years.

But they can be converted if necessary and the glass bubble and lack of doors in the Vietnam version just invites to detail the cockpit at least a little!

I just removed the masking from the window of one of my "eggs", hope to post an update soon! Thanks a lot for your comment and have a nice day

Paweł

Looks like its going your way . 

I do  like the look so far 

Rick 

Rick - thanks a lot for your comment and for your kind words!

I have a little update - I have managed to flat-coat one of them babies and that in turn has allowed me to remove the masking from the canopy, so here's what it looks like now:

Now I'd like to mount the tail stabilizers, and in order to do that I'd have to install the tail rotor gearbox. Well in 1:1 this assembly looks like this:

Unfortunately most models of the Hughes show this detial wrong, so I had to scratchbuild something:

Well in the photo above you can see, from the left, the AZ Models kit part, and then two parts by me with the tail rotor pitch control linkage made out of copper wire.

Next thing I'd like to do would be to flat-coat the "darkhorse" chopper and to remove the masking from it's canopy too.

Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

That is looking really good. I like the scratchbuilding.

I think it looks amazing .

I can't build those small models . I like 1/48 scale 

Rick 

Griffin, Rick - thanks a lot for your kind words!

Griffin - for me, most of the time scratchbuilding is a must to show the things that just aren't there in the kit and I just NEED to have them in my model!

Rick - I like this scale. For being able to squeeze the model in a small display space or for the possibility to compare big and small subjects with one another.

And I have taken the masking off of the second machine, and here's what it looks like:

I have also built the ADF fairings - such a fairing is under each chopper's belly. It's transparent and red, because it also houses the lower anti-collision light. I have built them out of discraded car's STOP-light lens:

And a little more scratchbuilding still, for Griffin - the fire extinguishers. I have built three, to have some extra to choose from (although they turned out pretty consistent):

Now I'm working on the tail stabilizers, gonna take on the rear cabin soon, too. Thanks for reading and have a nice day

Paweł

Hello!

I started working on the armament for the "darkhorse". It is supposed to be the XM27E1 weapons system, the minigun. On the photo below you can see Italeri oob parts (on the sprue) and my scratchbuilding below:

Thanks for lookin' and have a nice day

Paweł

Pawel,

Those Little Birds are cool. How do they compare to other offerings of the OH-6?

lewbud - thanks a lot for your comment! I'm sorry, I don't quite understand the question. Do you mean other OH-6 kits, in other scale too? If so, I probably can't help you much, but one thing is for sure - there are so many variants in the Hughes 369/500 family, that you have to really watch the details and do some serious research to build your model accurately. Or if you don't care about accuracy then you have to watch to get your bubble canopy clear. There is one kit that has the fuselage made as clear parts (Profiline), which is a nice idea except that then you have to fight with that seam going right through the middle of the bubble. If I can help you more, please let me know. Have a nice day!

Paweł

Pawel,

Actually going back to the first page and reading the earlier posts answered most of my questions. Dragon did one long ago with what looked like six Delta guys (3 per side) seated outside the aircraft, similar to what was shown in Black Hawk Down. Missed it that time around and it seems to be made of unobtanium at the moment because I've yet to see one on evilbay.

lewbud - I think it's not worth it to look for the Dragon offering now, as Kittyhawh just released their Little Bird:

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/994344-kitty-hawk-kh50003-ah-6j-mh-6j-little-bird-nightstalkers

I think this baby might be a lot better than the Dragon kit. Would be cool if they also did it as a Vietnam variant - but there would be a lot of changes necessary.

Hope it helps - have a nice day!

Paweł

Pawel,

I build 1/72 and that's what scale the Dragon kit was in. The Kittyhawk kit does look good though.

lewbud - I like the Kitty Hawk kit a lot, too. But I have a problem to find even a mention of the kit you are talking about. Can you give me more info here to help me with my curiosity?

In the meantime I have painted the tails of my babies and I have installed the anti-collision lights on top of the doghouses:

Still workin on the rear seats and the minigun. Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

Pawel,

I wish I could offer something other than my faulty memory, but I can't. I thought it may have been released under the DML label, but I have yet to find it. Scalemates didn't even have it listed. It's possible that it was a limited edition that's only been released once, but one would think there would be an interest in the MH-6. I can see the box art, painted from the starboard side as the helo flares for landing on either a street or rooftop.  POV is at or slightly below ground level as you're looking up at the helo.

lewbud - we've got a mystery kit!

In the meantime I have scratchbuilt the rear benches on which the observers/gunners/crew chiefs are going to sit:

Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

Hello!

I have recently managed to build the aerials for the "darkhorse", but first let me show you the installed rear seat:

Under the fuselage you can see the installed ADF housing, with the wire antenna typical for the late model OH-6A with solid state radios (ARC-114, ARC-115, ARC-116). Under the tail boom there's the AR-1703/AR whip antenna with the CU-942 coupler:

I also have the minigun on the XM-27E1 system ready for installation:

Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

They are coming along really nicely.  With the amount of details you are adding to them, it is hard to believe they are 1/72 scale.  Great job.

Hello Gino!

I really missed your comment here in this thread! Thanks a lot for your kind words, they mean a lot to me! Have a nice day

Paweł

All I can say WOW the detail for 72 scale is awesome 

Rick 

Awesome!!

Rick, elation - thanks a lot for your comments and for your kind words.

I have to tel you, I really like the 1/72 scale!

Have a nice day

Paweł