AFV Club: OH-58D Kiowa Warrior 1:35 scale

[Elboogie]

Good Afternoon Gentlemen.

 

Project:  AFV Club OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.

AM Parts: Zactoman's OH-58 Exterior Set.  Fireball Modelworks "Skulls and Spurs" Decal Set.

 

 

I want to detail this Warrior a little bit on this build.  I am not a good scratch builder and I am limited on what I can reproduce.  SO the detailing will depends on my skills.  

 

 

Now I have been looking at certain builds of the Kiowa and looking at Floyd's build, he mention the kit that he was doing was the MRC kit.

Now he mention what parts to use or not to use because of fitting problems that you will run into later in the build.  Thanks Floyd for the heads up.

But I was wondering if anyone built the AFV Club Kiowa and is there any fitting problems with that kit as well?

I would want to know if I built this kit from the box, is there any problems with the windshield fitting, etc.  Now being that this is my second helicopter, I did some research on the helicopter.

Now when I looked at prime portal and guncopter, google images, there weren't a lot.  

 

One thing though:   On Kiowa Wariiors, from 2009, they are armed with the M3P .50 caliber machine gun instead of the XM296 in its pod.  I cannot find that gun in 1/35 scale.  Bummer because that gun looks bad as hell.

 

I have more questions, but that can wait.  

 

So welcome to my build and I hope I can do the Kiowa Warrior justice when I am done.

 

 

Richard

 

 

 

[Elboogie]

Now looking at the kit, it seems like it is a MRC kit!  

 

I should have really looked at the kit.

 

 

Richard

[Elboogie]

Does anyone have pictures of the cockpit area?

I looked it up in google, but there were not a lot available.

The thing that I am looking for is any pictures that will let me know where the wires from the main IP goes.

At least until I get the Squadron book at least.

 

 

Richard

[Vandy 1 VX 4]

How about the Squadron Walk Around Book on the OH-58?  It seems nice to have for help!

 

Cheers

[Elboogie]

How about the Squadron Walk Around Book on the OH-58?  It seems nice to have for help!

 

Cheers

I think I will get that book that Floyd created, he recommended it to me.

Its has the reference pictures that I am looking for ....I think.  lol

 

 

Richard

[Vandy 1 VX 4]

I think I will get that book that Floyd created, he recommended it to me.

Its has the reference pictures that I am looking for ....I think.  lol

 

 

Richard

 

What book is that? Richard    I think Concord also did a book to. Or it was under there Assault series. 

[Elboogie]

What book is that? Richard    I think Concord also did a book to. Or it was under there Assault series. 

 

The squadron book that you mentioned.  The author of the book is Floyd Werner from Werner Wings.

 

Richard

[Vandy 1 VX 4]

You threw a curve ball at me. I thought there was another book that he put out.

 

Hope to see some OH-58 work soon

 

Cheers

[Elboogie]

You threw a curve ball at me. I thought there was another book that he put out.

 

Hope to see some OH-58 work soon

 

Cheers

 

Oh I am sorry for the curve ball, I meant the same book that you mentioned.  lol

 

Richard

[Elboogie]

OK, I have decided to do a modern Kiowa Warrior modeled after 2010.

So that means that I have to do a couple of things.  The first thing that I planned on doing is getting the Kiowa update set from Werner Wings because they have 

the radar antenna and the GPS receiver on the tailboom.  

 

 

 

 

The second thing that I am waiting for is the Squadron book on the Kiowa Warrior to see the reference pictures that are in there.

 

 

Now I know that I am doing a modern Kiowa I have to add something to the glare shields, which are airbags:

 

 

 

No Idea on how to add those to the glare shield but I will come up with a way.

If anyone has a picture of a modern Kiowa and their glare shield so I can see the top of the glare shield, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

Right now I have the cockpit out and seeing what detailing that I have to do with that.  

 

 

Richard

 

 

 

[Elboogie]

Alright the first steps that I did was cutting the fuselage from the sprues and taping it together to see what I am dealing with.

Now the surgery has not been done yet to add the Werner Wings detail set to the top of the helicopter.

 

Man talk about small, compared to the Black Hawk that I just did.

BUT it has excellent details, and I love the raised rivets on the fuselage.  I wished Academy would do the same with the MHL DAP kit as well as the MH-60s kit.

 

 

 

 

 

Then I looked at the windshield and I taped it to see where I am with the windshield.  I have been reading some reviews where some people have problems with the windshield not fitting properly.

Mine doesn't have the same problems because from what I can see, the windshield fits ALMOST perfectly.  Once again, no surgery has been done yet, I am just commenting on what I can see now:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only problem that I can see is the roof of the windshield, there seems to be a gap between the windshield and the fuselage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I do not know when I install the werner wings detail set to my bird if it will correct the problem, but it is not that bad.  Nothing that some filler won't correct.

But we will see what the fit of the windshield looks like after the surgery.   lol

 

 

Richard

[Vandy 1 VX 4]

This link may help http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/louis_chang/oh-58d_walk.htm

 

The home page

http://www.primeportal.net/the_airstrip.htm

[Elboogie]

This link may help http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/louis_chang/oh-58d_walk.htm

 

The home page

http://www.primeportal.net/the_airstrip.htm

 

Yeah that was the first place that I looked because they have decent shots of the black hawk.  I got some ref pictures from those as well.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

Richard

[Elboogie]

Bottom chin window fitting is not bad at all:

 

 

 

BUT:

 

This is why I hate clear parts.

When the manufacturer of the kit creates the clear parts on certain models, they windows that are attached to the sprue is in a point to where when we remove the part, we are left with this.

 

 

 

 

I know that it is not their fault, that the only way to create the clear part sprue.  But I wish there was another way then can attach the windows to their sprue.

 

Other side is not bad but it is still there:

 

 

 

 

Now the mark on the chin windows is deep in there so there is no such thing as sanding with micro mesh to straighten the area out.

The mark is not on the windshield, it is in the windshield.  If anyone has a suggestion or a technique that they wish to share to remove this, I will gladly appreciate it.

 

 

Richard

[Loic]

That sounds like a very cool project