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1/32 Roden O-2A Skymaster


b757captain

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Konnichi-wa gents,

 

The Roden O-2A Skymaster for your enjoyment. Build in a tiny hotel room in Tokyo where I have been staying temporarily during training (I'm normally based in Narita). When I say tiny I'm not kidding! This entire room is smaller than the main cabin on my sailboat! So apologies for the background - not much to work with, and the pics are from my phone so not the best. I'm transporting the model tomorrow back to Narita so if it survives I'll try for better pics.

 

An integral part of simulator training is stress reduction. Some guys drink, I build models! Unfortunately the Roden O-2A might have added a little to the stress instead of reducing it! All in all it's an ok but frankly they did a better job on the O-1. Lots of fit issues with the clear pieces, especially the windscreen. That took several days of gluing a section at a time then adding strip styrene to fill gaps because the windscreen is wider than the assembled fuselage. Strangely the wing fit better after I widened the fuselage too. Of course then the upper window didn't fit, etc., etc. To be fair for a limited run kit its not too bad but it might serve Roden to actually test build a kit before sending them out the door!

 

Built OOB because when I left the states with it the AOA decals and SAC gear had not come out yet but in the end I didn't need them. I did cut a channel and add stiff wire to the main gear - a definite must or use the SAC gear, because by the time you add enough weight for it to sit on the nose gear the mains will not support the plane! I added Finemolds seat belts, jury still out on them. I used most of the kit decals and kinda homogenized a typical line bird. I know there was an uproar about mispelled words on a few decals (resque!) but strangely I never found a pic of an O-2 that used that type of stencil. 

 

Paints are a mix of custom Tamiya and Mr. Color. I couldn't find ADC Grey 16473 so had to mix it and I think I didn't get it light enough. Too late! Most of the photos I found didn't show much weathering and lots of pics of really clean (probably restored) airframes, so no weathering, mostly because the weathering products here in Japan, though numerous, are all labeled in Japanese! That's gonna take some more research and experimentation.

 

I do have another O-2 in the stash but I have plans for it - civilian 337!

 

On to the plane:

 

Iabuy1P.jpg

 

QwsBEpa.jpg

 

ZUPwdiv.jpg

 

yeMkcFK.jpg

 

More to follow

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Edited by b757captain
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Looks wonderful!  Did you modify the cabin too?   I dont remember what the OOB pit looks like, but IIRC I thought it was 4 place................did you also scratch up the radio parts in the back of the cabin?

 

Great job! 

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Looks wonderful!  Did you modify the cabin too?   I dont remember what the OOB pit looks like, but IIRC I thought it was 4 place................did you also scratch up the radio parts in the back of the cabin?

 

Great job! 

 

Thanks Brian! Cabin not modified, it's all OOB. The rear radio rack and boxes are all in the kit (and fit surprisingly well too!).

 

I decided on only 2 seats based on a passage from a book I read many years ago where an O-2 pilot was getting a checkride in theater (Thailand I presume). After takeoff the examiner pulled an engine to idle and said what are you gonna do? Piot calmly reached behind his seat, grabbed his parachute and started putting it on. Examiner says what are you doing? Pilot says this airplane will not maintain altitude on one engine with both of us on board and you outrank me, so I guess I have to jump! The book went on to say the O-2 was overweight with all the radio gear and weapons mounted so I presumed that all unnecessary weight such as extra seats would have been removed. Not much photo documentation around for the O-2 interiors. I did make a boo-boo with the shoulder harnesses though - they should have attached to the cabin roof.

 

Mark

Edited by b757captain
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Damn nice!! Good job and wishing you all the best for your sim ride! I'm in the box myself next month - so I know the feeling - I like to go for long walks before, during and after to balance myself out prior to getting the ride done - I find a good sim ride is all a mental game - and the walks are medative and allow me to focus on SOPs, drills, flows and memory items - and not too forget the announcements in two languages to the passengers and cabin!!

After seeing your build of the mighty -337, I think I'll get one too!!

Cheers

Alan

 

BTW, which bird are you training on and for which operator? Are you with ANA on the -67?

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