themongoose Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 (edited) She is all done and looking to throw down some ordnance! This is the Academy 1/35 Viper. I used the Flying Leathernecks decals, so many to choose from - I decided on the Red Skeleton Jolly Roger of VMM-163. I picked up the Werner Wings decals for all the stencils. And of course you have to use some of the kit decals as well. I ended up buying Eduard seatbelts to really match everything else done in the cockpit. Since i was spending money on shipping why not get more right, so i picked up DefModels 20mm gun barrels as well :-) And with my jolly roger choice I needed some full motion video which I got from Shapeways. The cockpit additions are all scratch built. My favorite add is the tiny wound cable behind the gunner’s seat. Lot’s to see in this one. All the plastic behind the PE vents was cut away and wiring and components were added. Hard to see with my camera skills tho but I did my best to show something ;-) The target sight system is custom built. You can just see the gold reflector behind the Flying Leathernecks iridescent decal while the the camera type components are more visible. The 4 sensors(plume maybe?) on the corners are hand painted and filled with testors window maker to try and simulate the glass. The pitot is brass tubing bent and sanded to shape. The seal where the stub wing meets the fuselage was painted and then coated with mask solution so upon final painting it could be uncovered for a little added detail. And lastly some inspiration from a local buddy of mine, goes by Bradley25mm over on the IPMS forum - fine detailing the tail rotor gear assembly with wiring, sensors, and wire clips. His looks awesome and he gave me lots of pointers on this build. The most recent of which was the base. The deck of the USS Boxer is 80grit sandpaper. Many thanks to Starfighter at Scale Navy Stuff for providing the awesome, to scale, padeyes you see on the base!! Well worth it. The hellfires are custom hand painted. My kids love Rick & Morty cartoon and the main character turns himself into a hellfire so a set of missiles is a tribute to the show. The other set is from pics I found online of what looks like a winged Komodo Dragon. Paint was my usual mix of MCW with 1 addition this time. Thanks to Starfighter for the recommendation on color choices for the upper bluish gray on these birds. I ended up with Mission Models as they were available locally. Primer is Citadel Chaos Black (satin). Color coats are Mission Model and MCW acrylic lacquer. Cockpit is all done in Vallejo colors. Weathering is all Flory Models washes. And the final flat clear is MCW to close it out. I’ve been looking forward to building this model for some time and am excited to show these pics. adding one more...my wife loved this one most, btw check out those padeyes! Edited February 26, 2021 by themongoose Add pic MikeMaben, florin13, Jan_G and 42 others 45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockie Yarwood Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Stunning build and beautiful display! Congratulations! Cheers, Rockie themongoose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Molitor Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Awesome. Love it. Troy themongoose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Wow, really well done! themongoose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan_G Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 outstanding build and display! jan themongoose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greif8 Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Absolutely brilliant build! All aspects are exceptional and you got the very rare compliment from the spouse, which makes your build a gold medal winner by any measure. Ernest themongoose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themongoose Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 Greif8 that’s awesome to hear! Had me laughing. Is she into your models or more like my wife who humors me when i say “look at this honey” with great excitement in my voice? Greif8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greif8 Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 9 hours ago, themongoose said: Greif8 that’s awesome to hear! Had me laughing. Is she into your models or more like my wife who humors me when i say “look at this honey” with great excitement in my voice? My spouse rarely compliments my builds though she does support my hobby quietly. In the end that is enough I suppose! Ernest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squizzy Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 I’ve just started mine, and it’s my first helicopter in over twenty years, I’m hoping that it comes out half as nice as this beast! Great looking Viper!! themongoose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themongoose Posted March 7, 2021 Author Share Posted March 7, 2021 On 3/4/2021 at 8:57 PM, Squizzy said: I’ve just started mine, and it’s my first helicopter in over twenty years, I’m hoping that it comes out half as nice as this beast! Great looking Viper!! Thanks Squizzy! Looking forward to seeing yours come together. Let me know if you’ve got any questions. I’ve got a 2nd one to do myself. Squizzy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cicciuzzo Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 the most beautiful viper I've ever seen. Wonderful themongoose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Bettencourt Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 All these AH-1 builds of late are making me want one! Nice build. Rod themongoose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel111 Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Wow that really looks fantastic! Excellent weathering and finish! themongoose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank83 Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Absolutely beautiful, very nice build! themongoose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subodai Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Bloody stunning build. Thanks for sharing. themongoose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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