1/72 AH-1Z
The quality is Okey, I was hopeing for more details though.
first time try 3D decal, quite easy to use.
cockpit done
The default camera turret doesn't have any details. So I have add by myself.
I am going to call this a bad design. It is not possible to fill the gaps that are out of reach.
not sure why there are lines on LAU61 rocket pad. There isn't any on photos
more fillings for the gaps
these bolts are way too big for this scale. Not sure why does the manufacturer designed this way. A simple dots like others is good enough
another overly exaggerated bolts
The turret given by the kit is also quite poor. It doesn't give anything for the mechanical parts within, so I have to do it myself. What's worse is that the shape of the turret is also a bit off.
drill through suppose to transparent windows.
added some minor details such as bolts etc.
now I am certain this rocket pad is a joke. The front doesn't not represent the real thing at all despite have decent details. It is very obvious if compared with LAU61's photos side by side.
turret done
since the exhaust is hopelessly difficult to sand it. I decided to make the internala with copper sheet by my own
The most outer layer is 0.1 abs sheet and rest of it is the part I made in previous photo. The final result is worth the effort.
applying PE parts. The kit actually has pits for all the PEs, which is quite nice.
puttying this section
made this tube with copper sheet. I soldered it for extra strength.
looks a lot better than the original one
add small details on the side wings
more polishing before next steps
Add a bit detail to the landing gear
patty work
installing sidewings
adding wires to the tail propeller motor
side view
masking the internal of the cockpit window for paint black color. It can be clearly seen in photos that there are two layers of color here.
ready to be painted
while waiting for good weather for painting, I am polishing the propeller blades to make it shaper which is closer to the realy thing
tail propeller also requires some work
I lost one of the PE part for the front nose oil injector(no sure what it is to be honest), so I have to make one from coppor sheet.
looks all right
the painting nearly done, the color scheme from the kit is not good. The upper parts is suggested with C337 which is no where close to the color in photos. SoI have to adjust it with green gray paint.
decal done. The kit's decal is quite good. Very thin and in good quality. The only cons is it too hard to apply as it would warp around the tong I use due to how thin it is.
weathering
initial weathering blades, later brush them more with second layer
the rack adapter need a bit work for eduard hellfire
weapons and loads
the eduard hellfire is a lot harder to assemble than I anticipated. good details though. Lost one of the transparent cap, hence one less rocket.
nearly done, need a bit more fine tuning and a base as w
Comments
41 28 August 2023, 04:31
Hang LiThank you all for the support. As for the figures, I purchased them from a local 3D printing shop listed on the domestic version of Aliexpress.
5 October 2023, 08:38
Album info
My first helicopter. This kit seems to have good quality, so hopefully a good starting point. I am planning on doing this project while waiting for the mig29 nozzles.
Not sure if there is any interesting paint scheme for this hovering bird, and I don't think I can get the corresponding decals anyway. So peobably just do the default one in the box.
