Hi Guys,
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.
