OK gang, I know not everyone gets to the group build forum, so I'm sharing some pictures of my most recent helo project here. I'm posting some (OK, a lot!) of photos of my finished AH-1J from HMA-775 circa 1991.
This is Fujimi's kit in 1/48 with Cobra Company's resin cockpit. It's the first time I used a resin cockpit in one of my builds. It was a challenge, and a great learning opportunity, for me. The ECS hoses (wire wrapped in finer wire), turret-opening cover/cannon surround (sheet styrene), pitot (styrene rod and very fine tubing), RHAW receivers on the nose (punch sheet stryrene), FOD covers (red napkin soaked in diluted white glue) and rotor tie down (paper strip with a random PE buckle) are scratched. The whip atenna on the tail is painted monofilament. The blade antennae on the belly are from the spares box. The CC resin set comes with some chaff dispensers, but I swapped them for the plastic ones from Italeri's AH-1W boxing. The tail's squadron code and the nose's MODEX are painted on using home-made stencils. The branch markings on the tailboom and national insignia are decals from the drawer.
It's painted using MM enamels and weathered with pastels and Flory washes.
Well, it's another 3-footer to lay on the shelf. Here are the photos. Remember, you were warned. There are a lot of 'em...
Here's one with an AH-1G I kitbashed a couple of years ago.
Here's one with the AH-1(4B)W I Frankensteined using Italeri's AH-1Z boxing.
I realize that the dihedral on the stub wings is a little steeper than it should be. That was the angle I had to use to keep the gaps to a minimum. It's something I'll just have to live with.
Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. Feel free to share you comments, questions and/or criticisms. Now to move on to finishing a kitbashed AH-1G in 1/48!
Happy modeling!
-O