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On 4/28/2017 at 8:55 PM, Zactoman said:

Thanks for sharing but we'd need to find more detailed pics to do it properly.

 

Small update. LAU-10/A Zuni rocket pods:

 

Bronco_38_sm_zpslgy67zfb.jpg

 

Lots more soon!

 

:cheers:

Please be sure to include 4 of these! we need to be able to do a 20 Zuni load for the Black Ponies. According to many of the Black Pony related websites and books on the subject, 20 Zuni's was the favorite loadout.

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On 10/11/2017 at 8:47 AM, Winnie said:

Please be sure to include 4 of these! we need to be able to do a 20 Zuni load for the Black Ponies. According to many of the Black Pony related websites and books on the subject, 20 Zuni's was the favorite loadout.

 

Yes it will include 4.

The kit will also include enough of both types warheads shown for you to pick and choose.

The pointy ones are Mk 63 Mod 0 HE-Frag warheads with a Mk93 Mod 0 proximity fuze.

The shorter ones are Mk 32 Mod 0 AT/ATPERS (anti-tank/anti-personel) warheads with a Mk 188 Mod 0 nose impact fuze. 

 

The following will be included:

 

2 X wing pylons
2 X LAU-7A rails
2 X LAU-33 Zuni tubes
4 X LAU-10/A (4 shot Zuni 5")
4 X LAU-68/A (7 shot 2.75")
2 X LAU-69/A (19 shot 2.75")
1 X HIPEG Mk4 gun pod
2 X SUU-11A gun pod
1 centerline fuel tank for USAF
1 centerline fuel tank for USN      
 
12 hours ago, Hans said:

hi there! any news regarding the test shots? ;)

 

It's still being tooled. I'm just as anxious as the rest of you and will be posting pics of the test shots when the time comes.

 

We are currently working on package design and finalizing the decal artwork with AOA Decals.

Instructions won't be completed until we get some test shots to play with to make sure the assembly sequence is best for the modeler, not the guy making the instruction illustrations.

 

Still no word on price or release date. Since we're already mid-November, sadly I think I can guess that it won't be under your Christmas tree.

 

:cheers:

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6 hours ago, Zactoman said:

It's still being tooled. I'm just as anxious as the rest of you and will be posting pics of the test shots when the time comes.

 

We are currently working on package design and finalizing the decal artwork with AOA Decals.

Instructions won't be completed until we get some test shots to play with to make sure the assembly sequence is best for the modeler, not the guy making the instruction illustrations.

 

Still no word on price or release date. Since we're already mid-November, sadly I think I can guess that it won't be under your Christmas tree.

 

:cheers:

 

Thanks much for the update sir Chris :thumbsup:

 

Ah, don't worry about it, take your sweet time, so that anyone who buys the kit will have a sweet build :banana:

 

P.S. got your e-mail sir, reply sent :nanner:

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12 hours ago, Hans said:

 

Thanks much for the update sir Chris :thumbsup:

 

Ah, don't worry about it, take your sweet time, so that anyone who buys the kit will have a sweet build :banana:

 

P.S. got your e-mail sir, reply sent :nanner:

 Concur...

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   Having AOA do the decals is a fantastic decision. I've used their excellent decals on a few builds, and bought one of their 1/32 scale Bronco sheets for the Bronco kit. As I've said, I'm in for at least two kits, and will buy every version that comes out. 

 

Joel

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On 11/16/2017 at 12:11 PM, Zactoman said:

 

Yes it will include 4.

The kit will also include enough of both types warheads shown for you to pick and choose.

The pointy ones are Mk 63 Mod 0 HE-Frag warheads with a Mk93 Mod 0 proximity fuze.

The shorter ones are Mk 32 Mod 0 AT/ATPERS (anti-tank/anti-personel) warheads with a Mk 188 Mod 0 nose impact fuze. 

 

The following will be included:

 

2 X wing pylons
2 X LAU-7A rails
2 X LAU-33 Zuni tubes
4 X LAU-10/A (4 shot Zuni 5")
4 X LAU-68/A (7 shot 2.75")
2 X LAU-69/A (19 shot 2.75")
1 X HIPEG Mk4 gun pod
2 X SUU-11A gun pod
1 centerline fuel tank for USAF
1 centerline fuel tank for USN      
 

 

It's still being tooled. I'm just as anxious as the rest of you and will be posting pics of the test shots when the time comes.

 

We are currently working on package design and finalizing the decal artwork with AOA Decals.

Instructions won't be completed until we get some test shots to play with to make sure the assembly sequence is best for the modeler, not the guy making the instruction illustrations.

 

Still no word on price or release date. Since we're already mid-November, sadly I think I can guess that it won't be under your Christmas tree.

 

:cheers:

Builders - the VAL-4 Black Ponies flew with 2 different 20mm guns - the Mark 4 and the GPU-2. Mark 4 in the early days when the planes were green. After the grey paint scheme evolved, the GPU-2 came into play. Not sure of the exact date.

val420mmpods2.jpg

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On 5/29/2017 at 4:52 PM, Zactoman said:

On this Memorial Day,
Remember the Fallen,
Honor their Service and Sacrifice,
and Rejoice in your Freedom.

 

Final_zpsxm7getwo.jpg

 

LTJG Joel Alexis Sandberg, USN, and CAPT Carl Edwin Long, USMC lost on December 20, 1969...

 

:occasion2:

Would make great box art that could be framed. Or maybe a copy in the box that coulee be framed like the AFV F-5. Hint... hint.

 

 

Brandon

Edited by Bravosierra001
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On 11/17/2017 at 3:19 PM, VAL-4 Black Ponies said:

Builders - the VAL-4 Black Ponies flew with 2 different 20mm guns - the Mark 4 and the GPU-2. Mark 4 in the early days when the planes were green. After the grey paint scheme evolved, the GPU-2 came into play. Not sure of the exact date.

val420mmpods2.jpg

The gun pod on the right is not the GPU-2. See this post for more info.

 

From this pdf titled "Notable Achievements of the Naval Weapons Center" on page 38:

"Lightweight Gun Pod. Quick-response development during Vietnam War. Pod for the OV-10
aircraft to carry the Mk 12 20-mm gun. NWC was lead laboratory. Interim system, in service from
1969 to 1971."

 

"Lightweight Gun Pod" seems to be the only designation I could find for it.

 

Unfortunately we couldn't find many pictures, no drawings or blueprints and no existing preserved examples. Lacking enough references we decided not to include it in the kit.

If I could get a little better reference I'd love to make it as an aftermarket item.

 

8 hours ago, Bravosierra001 said:

Would make great box art that could be framed. Or maybe a copy in the box that coulee be framed like the AFV F-5. Hint... hint.

I like the idea of including a print in the box. I'll run the idea by the boss.

This would help solve my conundrum with the package design of whether to keep the picture clean or add text/graphics on top of the pic. I'd rather not have anything on top of the box art but it's tough not to due to space limitations.

 

On 11/17/2017 at 8:45 AM, Joel_W said:

   Having AOA do the decals is a fantastic decision. I've used their excellent decals on a few builds, and bought one of their 1/32 scale Bronco sheets for the Bronco kit.

In addition to helping with the decals AOA has provided great assistance in the kit development. :thumbsup:

 

:cheers:

Edited by Zactoman
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7 hours ago, Zactoman said:

The gun pod on the right is not the GPU-2. See this post for more info.

 

From this pdf titled "Notable Achievements of the Naval Weapons Center" on page 38:

"Lightweight Gun Pod. Quick-response development during Vietnam War. Pod for the OV-10
aircraft to carry the Mk 12 20-mm gun. NWC was lead laboratory. Interim system, in service from
1969 to 1971."

 

"Lightweight Gun Pod" seems to be the only designation I could find for it.

 

Unfortunately we couldn't find many pictures, no drawings or blueprints and no existing preserved examples. Lacking enough references we decided not to include it in the kit.

If I could get a little better reference I'd love to make it as an aftermarket item.

 

:cheers:

Well, call it what you want, but the Black Ponies flew with two different 20mm guns slung on the centerline station. The Marines - VMO-2 flew with it first. You may not think the gun on the right is a GPU-2, but the picture shows different. And if you scroll around the Black Pony website, you will find more. The Mark 4 was a maintenance nightmare. KP Rice - one of the inventors of the OV-10 aircraft - developed the gun at China Lake specifically with the OV-10 in mind.

 

Somebody posted this on the Black Pony Facebook page a while back: "The 20mm GPU-2 Gun Pod was a product of Naval Weapons Center (NWC) China Lake development led by K.P. Rice. The gun was sourced from the A-4 Skyhawk and required an air bottle installation for gun charging since the OV-10 had no pneumatic system. It was an effective system but prone to jamming if firing was stopped after 2-3 rounds. The GPU-2 gunpod was first used in Vietnam by VMO-2 in February 1970." From "The OV-10 Bronco - Designed for Counterinsurgency and the Vietnam War", p. 46, as posted on the Black Pony website.

 

I'm not saying this was this or that was that. But if you want to build an accurate model, be advised that there were 2 different 20mm guns used on VAL-4 Broncos in Vietnam. Info is out there, you just have to look for it - wanted to upload the data sheet, but it says I am limited to 1024k.

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1 hour ago, VAL-4 Black Ponies said:

there were 2 different 20mm guns used on VAL-4 Broncos in Vietnam.

No doubt that VAL-4 used two 20mm gun pods. It's just that the pod shown in the pic (right) has been repeatedly misidentified as a GPU-2.

The GPU-2 (GPU-2/A) had a 3 barreled M-197 20mm cannon. (https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/equip/m197.htm) (https://www.bevfitchett.us/machine-gun-v5/pods-with-the-vulcan-gaua-and-with-the-vulcan-m.html)

The pod used by VAL-4 had a single barrel and was no doubt the "lightweight gun pod" described in the pdf I linked above.

As I mentioned above, I'd love to find more info on the pod (pics or drawings) and make a resin aftermarket set of it.

I wish we had been able to include it in the kit but we had exhausted our resources and had to call it a day...

 

:cheers:

 

 

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On 5/8/2017 at 10:06 AM, Craig Baldwin said:

My one concern is that the Bronco's main landing gear legs rendered in plastic may be a bit weak if done to scale.

That's exactly the problem the KittyHawk 1/32 Bronco kits have: the landing gear can't support the kit's weight. And don't even think about using those white metal "copies" from SAC, they're even weaker! That's why my kit will stay unstarted, until G-Factor (or somebody else) comes out with some brass replacement landing gear.

 

Larry

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18 hours ago, ReccePhreak said:

That's exactly the problem the KittyHawk 1/32 Bronco kits have: the landing gear can't support the kit's weight. And don't even think about using those white metal "copies" from SAC, they're even weaker! That's why my kit will stay unstarted, until G-Factor (or somebody else) comes out with some brass replacement landing gear.

 

Larry

Larry,

  There is a trick to the KH gear issue, and that's to decrease the camber so that when the model's weight is on the gear they're spread out to square on the display surface.  As for Ernie G making proper metal gear sets for the 1/32 KH kit, Ernie is semi retired, and as of the last time he was asked about it wasn't interested in doing them. His last special run was for the Helldiver some time ago, then did a follow up run for the guys on LSP that missed it the 1st time around.

Joel

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5 hours ago, Joel_W said:

Larry,

  There is a trick to the KH gear issue, and that's to decrease the camber so that when the model's weight is on the gear they're spread out to square on the display surface.

Joel

 

Hey Larry, if it's not too much trouble, can you provide some visuals for this? I can't seem to picture it out myself, and I really like to try your tip out on mine, thanks much!

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11 minutes ago, Hans said:

 

Hey Larry, if it's not too much trouble, can you provide some visuals for this? I can't seem to picture it out myself, and I really like to try your tip out on mine, thanks much!

Hi Hans,

 

It's not my tip, but Joel's.

Maybe he can help you.

 

Larry

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5 hours ago, ReccePhreak said:

Hi Hans,

 

It's not my tip, but Joel's.

Maybe he can help you.

 

Larry

 

Oh yes, didn't noticed it right away, much thanks!

Joel, requesting your help please in your tip regarding the KH OV-10 landing gear struts, much thanks

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9 hours ago, Hans said:

 

Oh yes, didn't noticed it right away, much thanks!

Joel, requesting your help please in your tip regarding the KH OV-10 landing gear struts, much thanks

Hans,

  When you install the landing gear, you need to apply a little pressure while the glue dries so that the gear has a slight positive camber, that's where the top of the wheel is angled towards the fuselage. when the model rests on the gear, the weight will spread the gear slightly so that the gear/wheel is now close to zero camber, thus being as vertical as you can get it. this will prevent the gear from eventually squatting out.   Metal gear struts epoxied in would certainly be a major plus, but like I said Ernie G is just about retired at this point, so I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for him to make them.  I know because on LSP they've been asking him to do them, and Ernie still hasn't said yes.

 

Joel

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