plasticWerks_JL Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) Unless I missed a thread somewhere, I haven't seen anything with rotors yet, so I also began an Italeri RAH-66. I started getting the cockpit together, and I'll post pics as soon as it's done. EDIT: If anyone knows where to find some reliable info for colors and details (cockpit, wheel wells, weapons bays, etc), please let me know. The instructions call for olive drab, but in photos it appears darker, closer to MM helo drab, possibly? Thanks in advance! Edited January 17, 2016 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Awesome! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 First pics of this build are up, as promised: First up is the cockpit, painted and dry-brushed; the seats are still in progress (before anyone says it, I know the screens are way too bright! ) Here's the fuselage; I started gluing in the cockpit, so it should be together soon: One bit of detailing I wanted to accomplish on this was to open the canopy doors for a better view inside. Luckily, this kit has deep grooves in the canopy that made them easy to cut out. This pic is before polishing and a dip in Future: Thats it for now, more updates soon. Thanks for looking Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Great work. I like the screens, they bring some life to what would normally be a darker cockpit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tank Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Looks good so far. These should help. http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=74299&view=findpost&p=616490 http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=262845&view=findpost&p=2493299 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 Thanks a lot, Tank, those threads should come in handy. Can't believe I missed them while while searching for resources. I have a slight tweak to the cockpit that I hope turns out well. If successful, I'll update the tread later tonight. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 Another quick update: In order to "fix" the screens in the cockpit, I wanted to try a technique I haven't used before. Sitting at my desk at work, it crossed my mind that I could create some small printouts of MFDs (found these from an image in a chopper flight sim). I adjusted the shape and colors of the images to try and get something suitable, printed them on a few different paper stocks (and at a few different measurements), and tried them out when I got home. At this scale, the prints aren't very detailed, but then again, at this scale it doesn't matter all that much . I attached the paper with white glue, and coated with a bit of future once dry. I think the results are a touch better than what I had earlier, and I'm glad I thought of it! Thanks for looking! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tank Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Looks good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Love it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tank Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 (edited) Some more pics.... http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=137962&view=findpost&p=1232265 Edited January 21, 2016 by Tank Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 (edited) Time for a proof-of-life update: Cockpit is done completely and ready to be sealed up: I'm especially happy with the seats. They were airbrushed with Tamiya NATO black and the seat cushions were dry-brushed with Testors olive drab enamel. This seems to give a really nice effect: Here she is with the canopy and main rotor mocked up: You can just see the cannon fairing door open to show the gun in the stowed position (not yet painted and finished), and there's a handful of detail parts to be finished and added before paint, but things are moving along. Due to the fit of the fuselage, this thing will be about 50% putty by the time it's done, though. I hope to update again soon. Any comments, critiques, tips, etc are more than welcome. Thanks for checking in! Edited February 8, 2016 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Cockpit looks great. Seems like a lot of putty work there, but it looks good. I'm sure it'll look great under a coat of paint. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted February 28, 2016 Author Share Posted February 28, 2016 Moving at a glacial pace with my test bird builds, but base coats are on. The Comanche is sprayed with Tamiya Medium Grey: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 Sprayed some preshading with Tamiya NATO Black, Khaki Drab, and Olive Drab: Also, a shot of the vent just behind the main rotor; I had to add some strips of plastic and mesh to cover the pretty unsightly hole on the kit: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sentry30 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Looking good so far Wondering if I'd ever get used to seeing this helicopter if it would heave been taken into production.. Daniël Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Looks great Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K5054NZ Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Excellent work! I'd never thought of - or seen - the model with the guns towed, great idea. I'm no expert but I'd bet on Helo Drab rather than Olive. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 (edited) Excellent work! I'd never thought of - or seen - the model with the guns towed, great idea. I'm no expert but I'd bet on Helo Drab rather than Olive. Thanks for the input, Zac! I've already shot this one with OD and started detail painting (which I've come to realize is my absolute least favorite part of the whole process besides masking). Pics online show so many different shades, so it shouldn't be too far off as is, but a big thanks for the suggestion. The idea for the stowed gun came from the blueprint below (which I had posted in another thread as well), and with a healthy dose of creative license since I couldn't find any other images of the inside or door of the fairing: Anyway, a new job with a nightmare commute is consuming all of my weekdays right now, and I haven't had much down time to build, but now is the point where I'll put my other builds away and finish them all one at a time. Hoping I can get these all wrapped up before July. The Comanche will be first, so hopefully I'll have another update soon. Happy modeling, fellas Edited March 17, 2016 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 My wife doesn't like her daily commute either. Great idea for the stowed gun, never knew they had those. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted April 10, 2016 Author Share Posted April 10, 2016 The fuselage has been painted, decaled, and a wash applied; just needs a flat coat to finish it off: The other parts are just about finished up, as well. I've put together the weapons, four Hellfires and two Stinger launchers: I drilled out the landing gear light and filled it with Loctite clear glue to replicate the lens: I should be able to finish this one up by the end of the week, or next weekend at the latest. Last update coming soon! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 That is some seriously good work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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