oortiz10

Hey fellow plastic mashers, I recently finished Revell's 1/48 CH-34D. It was only my third helo, and I thought I'd build another one. I've been in the mood to build something big, so I pulled Revell's Jolly Green Giant out of the stash. I started with building the engine assemblies. The kit's fit isn't bad, but the parts do have a lot of flash. I only used a little bit of Mr. Surfacer on one of the nacelles. When dry-fitted to the fuselage, it seems that the assemblies will go together pretty well. I'm planning on building the kit OOB, but I couldn't help adding some tape seatbelts to the very visible cockpit. That's pretty much all I have so far. I'm getting ready to close up the fuselage. Once I do, I'll post some more pictures. Comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome. Thanks for looking! -O

This is Revell's 1/48 UH-34D built it to represent a machine from HMM-361. I don't know if this BuNo served in this squadron or if YN32 even existed, but I used the markings I had on hand. The squadron code on the nose were masked and painted. The stripes on the yellow decking were found in the spares drawer. Some seatbelts were made out of tape. Everything else was in the box. Some fiddly parts with vague or poor attachment points were left off. The rest was painted with MM enamels, and weathered with pastels and Flory's washes. Feel free to ask any questions. Thanks for looking! Cheers, -O

Great! Looking forward to seeing it. Cheers, -O

Here you go nitehawk008, these are for you... Cheers! -O

No worries. My post was tongue in cheek. I meant no disrespect. It turns out that I did a little research on the gear as my build was going together, but I didn't find anything either. I'm not a rivet counter, but I'm glad I caught and fixed the problem on my project. Good luck with your build. Happy modeling! Cheers, Omar

Um.....

Alright ARC, I've been able to get a few things done on my Super Hornet. After gluing on the intakes, I figured I was gonna need some help with the seams, so I ordered my secret weapon... After it arrived, I glued the fuselage halves together. The fine tips were immediately useful and allowed me to get the putty exactly where I wanted it. One of the great things about this putty is it cleans up with water so no sanding was needed to clean up these seams. I just used a moist earbud to wipe away the excess. The seam isn't perfectly filled, but it looks way better than the huge gap that was there before. I'm sure the joint will look acceptable under a coat of paint. I was able to get the rear fuselage seams cleaned up pretty well. I used a little CA glue and rescribed the area as well as I could. Some of the lines you see in the photo above are filled with CA. The CA dried clear and so it looks like those lines are still there. They pass the "feel test," but of course I'll double check after I get some primer sprayed on. The seams under the LEX were filled with Mr. Surfacer. I'm going to get the LEX cleaned up before I get the nose glued on. That'll be next. I'll get the nose attached and cleaned up, then I'll move to attaching the wingtips and attacking all the wings' seams. Hopefully, it won't be too long before I can start spraying some paint. Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to share your comments, questions, or criticisms. Cheers! -O

OK ARC, it's been a long while since I've been able to post some progress. I haven't made much, but hey, every little bit is still progress. So, I was able to get the cockpit and cargo area completed. I used some paper and old PE buckles to make a few belts. I also painted and cut up some Band Aids to give the seats some texture. Not 100% accurate, but it adds a bit visual interest. I cut the center pedestal down on the instrument panel because some dry fitting showed that the IP shroud interfered with the installation of the windscreen. In this last picture, behind the cockpit assembly, you can see that I've scratched a simple roof for the cargo area. Without the roof, you can see up into the upper parts of the fuselage. I figured the roof would eliminate that "see-through" aspect of the kit. I think the next step will be to close up the fuselage. Thanks for looking. Feel free to share your comments, questions, or criticisms. Cheers! -O

Hey ARC, I figured I'd work on something while the filler on my Super Hornet dries. So, since rotary winged aircraft are allowed in this GB, I'll be trying to get a UH-34 built alongside my F-18E. I'm planning on building my kit with the cargo door open, so I decided to paint up the inside with a little color. I don't know if the yellow egress markings were found on UH-34s, but I think it adds a little visual interest to the interior. Also, since the side door will be open, I used a few tape strips to build some netting to cover the open hatch at the back of the cargo hold. Again, not 100% accurate, but it gives the viewer something to look at. That's all I've gotten done on my helo. I'm hoping to go back-and-forth between my builds. My goal is to work on one while I'm waiting on the other. Again, feel free to comment, question, and/or criticize. Thanks for looking! Cheers, -O

I'm wondering...does that include rotary wing squadrons, or only fixed wing? Thanks, -O

After looking at picknpluck's post, I decided to tackle my intakes before I wrestled with the nose. I haven't started cleaning up the joints and seams yet, but here are a few pictures of how badly they went together. I'm thinking I'm going to try Milliput to fill these gaps. I think Milliput, which I can shape with water, will be easier to use instead of a different type of filler than will have to be sanded. Sanding in those tight spaces might be too difficult. Well, before I move on to attaching the nose assembly, I'm going to try to get this mess cleaned up. Cheers, -O

So, I've started this build and I'm glad(?) to see that picknpluck has run into the same problems that I have. The fit on this new kit is terrible. I know these molds aren't very old, and I'm surprised at how poorly the parts go together. picknpluck is having issues with the intakes on his kit, and some dry-fitting has shown that my kit's fit is worse! I have started with installing the kits rear deck and its nose assembly. Just these six pieces have needed some serious fill-sand-rescribe-repeat. Anyway, I'll keep plugging away. Thanks for stopping by! Wish me luck! Cheers, -O

I agree! I'm working on the same kit and I've had a serious fill-sand-rescribe session with the nose assembly. I've started fiddling with the intakes, and it seems the fit is WORSE on my kit! Great work on those tails. They look pretty sharp! Cheers, -O

OK ARC, I'm doing Revell's 1/48 boxing with Two Bobs decals. Here's the starting point: I'll post more pictures as progress...uh...progresses. Cheers! -O

OK gang, I don't think a final decision was made regarding -115. I'm guessing since it was never disestablished, that it's good to go. If that's the case, I'd like to get in with a 1/48 F-18E. Cheers, -O