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'Gaboon Viper' of VAL-4 - Bin Thuy - 1971-1972


karimb

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Hey guys!

That's my 2000th post lol!

After finishing the WNW Camel and posting it as my first 2018 submission, i decided to move on to something a bit different as i have been building World War One aircraft for the past year and a half straight. When the next group build topic was posted in general section, i voted for Iron Rain as i thought i could fit pretty much all the kits and be part of the build. I initially thought i might join up with a Great War bomber but to be honest after the Camel, i felt a bit burnt out on Great War subjects as i mentioned. After a quick look through the stash, and seeing Mike's Gotha thread come online along with the other super interesting GB builds, the verdict fell.

I will be building Kitty Hawk's OV-10A Bronco and will be finished as 'Gaboon Viper' of VAL-4 Operating out of Bin Thuy in 1971-1972.

For this build i will be using the Big Ed set from Eduard, Resin LAU10 rocket pods from Brassin, AOA's Black Ponies decals which has the VAL-4 Aircraft and the additions and modifications will be scratchbuilt. Along the ride will be my silhouette plotter, and for reference Squadron's OV10 Bronco in Action and pulled from my flight manuals library, the NATOPS OV-10A Flight Manual dated 1st of April 1976 which should be close enough for business. 

Good and bad news.

Bad news is my paint compressor literally exploded the day i started working on the kit. Actually what broke was the pipe that goes from the tank to the regulator, plus the regulator assembly valve that lets you set the pressure. I wonder why this happened but i think the pressure on the tank side of the regulator has something to do with it as on the output side of the reg i only use 15psi for my brush. I tried to patch it up as best as i could with PTFE sealant tape and some silicone in between the PTFE layers but i still have a heavy whistling when i turn the compressor on. I modulated the output to get still 15 psi but i use the brush in stints as the leak doesnt allow the tank to fill up and the motor to shut down. 2 or 3 minute jobs work fine. I am limping, but the good news is a have a brand spanking new Paasche compressor on the way, the DC850R which should be a step up from from the 600R i am using. I even tinkered with the idea of getting a Werther or a SILAIR once and for all, but the issue is since everything is getting shipped in (i live literally in a desert when it comes to modeling everything has to be flown in!!) they are too darn big and heavy and the price tag of the unit plus shipping would be around 1.5k$ which is a figure i am not willing to part with this month on a whim purchase.

 

I started with the kit two days ago and my oh my was it a wake up call. Wake up call because i realized early on it's not a wingnut wings / tamiya type of kit where the parts are molded the way they should be, accurately and 'complete'.

Nonetheless this will not detract from finishing the kit to the best of my abilities, should my patience keep up with the project.

Instructions are clear with a couple of mislabeled parts until now.

I started off with filling in the multiple ejector marks on the inside of the nose and fuselage (oh the joy!) using mr dissolved putty, tamiya basic putty and CA with microbaloons depending on the need. I then joined the short nose version to the main fuselage. You are left with a joining line that has to be filled in as it doesn't appear on the 1/1 aircraft.I left the filling to be done at that stage when i can tack the halves together with the basic cockpit tub sandwiched for the correct shape. The engraved rivets on the fuselage are super shallow so i had to go through reriveting the whole thing with a pin in a pinvise and RB riveter. While going through the vast expanses for the internet looking for some closeup photos of the nose i came across a photo of a A model but to my surprise there were distinct rivet lines which were positive rivets, like the line running under the canopy, one at the lower side of the fuselage and quite a few on the back of the fuselage. Out comes the filler again for the rivet lines i had engraved and that will be replaced with micromark resin rivets. In the photos i will post you can see the progress on the outside of the fuselage along with my rescribing and reriveting. At that point i filled in the imaginary panel line and rivets in the section where the nose and fuselage connect, slipped in the cockpit and nose wheelwell (thank God for Eduard as they provided PE parts to cover those horrendous pinmarks in the wheelwell) tied both halves together with tami tape and started work on detailing the cargo area. The Bronco had three options for the cargo area, para drop, medevac and cargo carrier. I chose the latter. I started off by scratchbuilding the cargo net assembly using brass wired bent to shape onto which i slipped wire insulator. I then added the straps from vinyl tape cut to shape and then added thin leadsheet to represent the fabric cover over the straps. Two top tying straps will be added from leadsheet when the time comes to install the net into the finished bay to tie the top part of it to the sides of the bay. Net done and put aside. The ceiling of the cargo area has begun getting attended to today with a box i added that's on the reference photos, some wires and a bundle of electrics that run down the left side looking towards the nose of the aircraft and some resin connector bits in the spares box (wire bundles from EZline). I will add more wiring tomorrow if i feel the urge to continue working on the kit as that area still needs further enhancement. I will be displaying the bronco with as much as i can display open or in view as long as it doesn't make tip over the brink of sanity. 

Sanity? that's when i sort of got angry, working on the top wings inner section. Where are the locator pins??? not molded? why? it's not like it's a small silly omission. The positive pins are there but the female side of the part is not even molded. No short shot molding of the part nothing, it's just not there, and this IS a critical part of assembly as both tailbooms fit flush with the inner wing. Very disappointed, but it seems it might be a recurring theme on this kit. Cmon it's not a resin short run garage kit!! on i proceeded with creative solutions. I inserted two styrene hollow rods to push up agains the front part of the wing so as to not have the front joint pop when sanding and rescribing and secondly to be able to slide a brass rod that will go through the outer wing part and pylon to impart some solidity to the wings. No comment. I also added styrene sheet to close off the area that is over the entry of the cargo compartment and feathered it in. I glued the wing halves as best as i could using part of the flaps to have them line up well. I will have to do some good filling and sanding in the front wing to fuselage joint and will have to fill one lower side more than the other but nothing that is not manageable. I also joined the cone end of the tail and obliterated the very light reinforcement strip that runs down its middle. I will reconstruct it using lead strip and this way i will also be able to cover the seam that runs from joining the two parts. I also filled with styrene rod the lower front where an overscale U shaped part runs just next to the nosegear on the outside from port to starboard. I will be replaced with brass rod which i will insert in drilled holes in the styrene...

That's pretty much it for the time being. I sure do hope to have some progress for you guys soon as i am still grounded due to an acute sinusitis infection with barotrauma from flying with a lingering sinusitis and a congested nose. Still have two days off to work on the kit.

I am trying to replicate the insulation padding on the sides of the cargo area but i still haven't really figured it out. what would you guys recommend? lead sheet? alu sheet? tissue with white glue? 

 

Below some photos about the progress so far. some are annotated!

I am happy to be part of this GB and to be with you guys for the project!

 

Until next update stay safe and happy modeling!

Karim

 

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Edited by Out2gtcha
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Guest Peterpools

Karim My Friend

Just knew you had an ace up your sleeve for the GB and what a choice - nothing like going form the very best in engineering and molding to one that is not so good! I know the aggravation of the old compressor buying the farm always at the wrong time. A few years ago, mine took the same route and needed to be replaced. I searched and looked for something different and decided on the Iwata Dual Jet Piston Compressor. a bit pricey but so far a gem. Good luck with your new air source.

Great POA and it seems the Bronco has a mind of it's own and is not cooperating very well. Locating pins, ejection pin marks  - what a way to dig into the project. Love the rivets work and how you are dealing with the fuselage problems. cargo net looks great and the details going are -oh look so good

I'm strapped in and ready for the journey.

Will be in my seat all the way

I'm planning on joining the GB after the SBD is done but that's a ways down the road right now.

Couldn't forget: congratulations on your 2,000th post .. surely you are a big part of the LSP family.

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

Keep 'em comin

Peter

Edited by Peterpools
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Guest Clunkmeister

Congrats on #2000 Karim!

 

I've just pulled up a chair and grabbed some popcorn.

 

This is a kit that sits in my stash, waiting for some brass gear legs. I'll be curious to see your solution. Whichever it is, I'm sure it'll be brilliant.

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Excellent progress. Think this is the first 1/32 version I'll see of one of the grey Black Ponies.

It is a shame the kit has oddball omissions and "huh?" type areas. Don't forget the missing rear boarding step and fifth fuel tank filler point.

 

I take it you're planning to have the rear cargo door opened since you're putting in all that detail?

 

IMG_0504-XL.jpg

Don't bother spending time on that antenna, just lop it off completely - it wasn't on VAL-4 aircraft (the FM towel rack was on the USAF FACs). Check out the "antenna configuration" section in the decal instructions, this shows all the applicable antennas that were carried for VAL-4 aircraft.

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Good work so far Karim!   After building two of these, I found that indeed the "huh?" list was decently long. That being said, I found the kit still enjoyable, but I loved the subject a lot. 
Having build the A model for Glen as a demonstrator, I had to give it up, so Ive got my A model "Cherry 6" ready to go at some point in the future. Hopefully by then a solution will be out for the MLG.

 

Which by the way, Im sure you can come up with a fix for, knowing your skills! I was thinking about using some brass parts to sub in for the offending cantilever sections of the MLG that tend to bend and splay outward if installed OOB.

 

Looking forward to more progress! 

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Guest Clunkmeister

Seeing Karim wrestle this down to the ground will be a joy to see. Then I might just start on one of mine as well.

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Hey gang

Thank you for all the interest shown in this build. I have progressed quite a bit since our last post on the 6th... this kit keeps screaming build me, then the bubble keeps bursting again. Up to now nothing i've come across that is more than just niggles. Cockpit is built and painted minus the seats but more on that tomorrow after answering each of you guys in detail!

 

Thanks for following !!

Karim

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Karim My Friend

Just knew you had an ace up your sleeve for the GB and what a choice - nothing like going form the very best in engineering and molding to one that is not so good! I know the aggravation of the old compressor buying the farm always at the wrong time. A few years ago, mine took the same route and needed to be replaced. I searched and looked for something different and decided on the Iwata Dual Jet Piston Compressor. a bit pricey but so far a gem. Good luck with your new air source.

Great POA and it seems the Bronco has a mind of it's own and is not cooperating very well. Locating pins, ejection pin marks  - what a way to dig into the project. Love the rivets work and how you are dealing with the fuselage problems. cargo net looks great and the details going are -oh look so good

I'm strapped in and ready for the journey.

Will be in my seat all the way

I'm planning on joining the GB after the SBD is done but that's a ways down the road right now.

Couldn't forget: congratulations on your 2,000th post .. surely you are a big part of the LSP family.

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

Keep 'em comin

Peter

 

 

Peter my friend!

It's great to have you along!

I considered getting the same Iwata compressor you mentioned but at the end i went back to getting a Paasche, so i got the DC850R which is a step up from the one i was using until now in terms of engine output and tank. 

Can't wait for you to join us in the GB and to see you pull your magic as you always do!

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Wow! I missed it, are those Archer rivets?

 

Hey Tony!

No they're micomark rivets, which i have a personal preference for over the archer ones to be honest!

 

I'll post a photo of the sheet from the internet below. I would most definitely recommend trying them out!

 

005.JPG

 

PS: It's an A4 sized sheet

Edited by karimb
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