Roden 1/48 OV-1C Mohawk

Wolfman_63

Member since
April 2015

Roden 1/48 OV-1C Mohawk

Posted by Wolfman_63 on Friday, July 31, 2020 3:17 PM

For my next build I will be building the Roden 1/48 OV-1C Mohawk. I will be detailing it with Eduard photo etch for the cockpit, exterior, and undercarriage as well as Quick Boost resin accessories like the exhaust, accurate propellers, and accurate scoops. This is one of the unique aircraft that you rarely see them built in scale models. Roden makes three versions in 1/48 the A, the C, and the D. I chose the C as it was the more widely used version during the Viet Nam war.

The Mohawk's mission includes observation, artillery spotting, air control, emergency resupply, naval target spotting, liaison, and radiological monitoring. Built by Grumman in 1959, it was used for monitoring the DMZ in Korea then used during the Viet Nam war. It remained operational even during Desert Storm and until it was retired in 1996.

Starting with the cockpit, I built up and detailed the seats with over 20 pieces of photo etch. The cockpit tub was then assembled and detailed and finally the instrument panel was detailed. The nose gear bay has photo etch details except where the wheel sits so I dug through my extra photo etch bin and located a panel that resembled the reference photo and installed it. I need to do a little more work on the nose gear and bay and look for areas to add some weight so it sits on the gear correctly once built.

You can more photos and details in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ov-1c-mohawk/

Website:

David's Scale Models - https://www.davidsscalemodels.com

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Mopar Madness

Member since
April 2015

Posted by Mopar Madness on Friday, July 31, 2020 4:37 PM

Awesome detail! I want this one too.

Chad

God, Family, Models...

At the plate: 1/48 Airfix Bf109 & 1/35 Tamiya Famo

On deck: Who knows!

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Real G

Member since
May 2011
From: Honolulu, Hawaii

Posted by Real G on Friday, July 31, 2020 4:40 PM

I love the weird ones! I have the JOV-1, so will be watching with interest!

BTW, Caracal Decals is working on an OV-1 sheet, in case the kit decals come up short.

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

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keavdog

Member since
April 2003
From: USA

Posted by keavdog on Friday, July 31, 2020 8:27 PM

Wow fantastic. I've only built one roden kit and I liked it

Thanks,

John

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bvallot

Member since
June 2013

Posted by bvallot on Friday, July 31, 2020 8:50 PM

Very, very sexy start on that cockpit. You're doing it justice.

On the bench:

Tamiya F4U-1 Kenneth Walsh

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Wolfman_63

Member since
April 2015

Posted by Wolfman_63 on Friday, August 7, 2020 6:07 AM

The build continues on the OV-1C Mohawk. The first thing I did was to detail the nose gear bay with more photo etch so I could install the cockpit/nose gear assembly into the fuselage. Once done, I was able to assemble the fuselage together. The instructions call out to add 19 grams of weight to the nose so the model will sit on the gear rather than its tail. I actually added about 22 grams. Only 15 grams fit in the nose so I added the rest on the sides of the nose gear bay between the bay and fuselage wall. I then began work on the wings. The first step was to cut out the entire main gear bays as these were completely replaced with photo etch parts. The bays were then primed with white primer. The main struts were then detailed with photo etch details.

The engine exhaust area was detailed with photo etch and the kit exhaust was replaced with the upgraded resin version. The resin version is a seamless casting and shaped a little better than the kit version. The exhaust was painted then weathered with pastel chalk. The wing halves were then put together and finally the main gear was installed onto the wings. Next up is the tails and fuselage detailing.

You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ov-1c-mohawk/

Website:

David's Scale Models - https://www.davidsscalemodels.com

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tempestjohnny

Member since
November 2003
From: Naples, FL

Posted by tempestjohnny on Friday, August 7, 2020 3:22 PM

What P.E. set are you using. I have the C also but can only find sets for A,B,D kits

Also my kit was missing the IP that is specific to the C

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Wolfman_63

Member since
April 2015

Posted by Wolfman_63 on Saturday, August 8, 2020 5:47 AM

tempestjohnny

What P.E. set are you using. I have the C also but can only find sets for A,B,D kits

Also my kit was missing the IP that is specific to the C

The OV-1D is the same IP as the C. The photo etch "D" IP matches the kit "C" IP exactly.

I am using Eduard photo etch sets

48536 - Exterior details

49295 - Interior details

and 48479 - Undercarriage details.

Website:

David's Scale Models - https://www.davidsscalemodels.com

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tempestjohnny

Member since
November 2003
From: Naples, FL

Posted by tempestjohnny on Saturday, August 8, 2020 8:13 AM

Wolfman_63

tempestjohnny

What P.E. set are you using. I have the C also but can only find sets for A,B,D kits

Also my kit was missing the IP that is specific to the C

The OV-1D is the same IP as the C. The photo etch "D" IP matches the kit "C" IP exactly.

I am using Eduard photo etch sets

48536 - Exterior details

49295 - Interior details

and 48479 - Undercarriage details.

thanks

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Wolfman_63

Member since
April 2015

Posted by Wolfman_63 on Friday, August 14, 2020 2:36 PM

This week I am getting closer to finishing the OV-1C Mohawk. I started by detailing the fuselage with photo etch accessories. On the bottom of the fuselage is a loop antenna. The kit antenna was difficult to separate from the tree due to how thin it was. It broke in two different places. I placed the pieces on a piece of tape the used some 32 gauge wire and made my own. I cut the mounts for the for the kit antenna and attached them to the fuselage then drilled a hole to fit the new wire antenna. With all the wings attached and landing gear mounted I placed the aircraft on the gear. As expected I added enough weight to the nose to keep the tail up.

Next I built up the replacement resin propellers. The resin set came with a jig to attach the blades at the correct pitch. I then decided to make this a ground support version using incendiary and high explosive rockets. I made the drop tanks and rocket pods using photo etch details.

A fellow modeler mentioned that the canopy fit very badly. So I dry fit the canopy sections to see why they did not fit. It turns out there are multiple issues. The main one is the overhead console. It mounts at an incorrect angle and is too long. I sanded down the ends and the top to match the curve of the photo etch panel. I then mounted it with the console to be flush with the top of the rear bulkhead. This allowed the top part to line up correctly. Next came the windscreen which also has a console across it. Even with the overhead console trimmed it still went past the edge of the windscreen. I marked where the center console meets the windscreen console and mounted the windscreen console .03 inches back from the edge. Everything lined up. I then base coat painted it using green drab for the late Viet Nam scheme that was used. Once painted, I looked over the side doors of the canopy. They were horrible. One side looks like the mold had a hot spot or did not cool evenly and caused distorted lines inside the plastic. Both of them also had a lot of scuffs on the outside surface. I sanded them with 2000 grit then polished them with Meguire’s PlastX. Aside for the distortion on the one side due to the mold process, they came out great. I am now getting ready to start adding the decals.

You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ov-1c-mohawk/

After repairing and polishing using https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/how-to-repair-clean-and-polish-clear-parts/

Website:

David's Scale Models - https://www.davidsscalemodels.com

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bvallot

Member since
June 2013

Posted by bvallot on Monday, August 17, 2020 9:36 AM

I don't know how I could've passed over this and missed it. Great work here John. The PE is definitely picking this Mohawk up. The wheelwell is an immediate improvement. The exhausts are showing up. The resin replacements are looking nice...well painted too. A seam right there can be difficult to remove without making a bigger mess.

The exterior PE looks like it's going to be the difference maker. It also makes me nervous just looking at it. I pray you're more delicate than I am. =P

Well done. Eagerly waiting for the finish.

On the bench:

Tamiya F4U-1 Kenneth Walsh

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Real G

Member since
May 2011
From: Honolulu, Hawaii

Posted by Real G on Monday, August 17, 2020 1:20 PM

Ow, that canopy blemish looks bad! I wonder if you could pour some of that UV cure resin to fill the depression, then polish it out?

You are doing great on a difficult kit. I look forward to seeing it built!

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

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Wolfman_63

Member since
April 2015

Posted by Wolfman_63 on Friday, August 21, 2020 7:36 AM

Real G

Ow, that canopy blemish looks bad! I wonder if you could pour some of that UV cure resin to fill the depression, then polish it out?

You are doing great on a difficult kit. I look forward to seeing it built!

The problem is I was able to clean and polish the surface, however the distortion is inside the plastic.

Website:

David's Scale Models - https://www.davidsscalemodels.com

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Wolfman_63

Member since
April 2015

Posted by Wolfman_63 on Friday, August 21, 2020 7:37 AM

I have finished the Mohawk. This was a difficult kit to build. The fit requires a lot of work especially the canopy sections. The decals were also difficult to get them to sit down. They did not soften easily with decal set/solvents. Even with a base coat of Future they did not adhere or conform well to the surface details very well. The photo etch and resin accessories worked and fit well. If you build one of these the instructions state to use 19 grams, you need closer to 24 grams to keep it from sitting on the tails. Aside from the difficult issues it is a good representation of a unique aircraft. Thanks for following along.

You can see all the photos and details from the start to finish in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ov-1c-mohawk/