oortiz10 Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 (edited) Hey ARC, With falcon20driver's permission, I'll be pulling this Cobra off the Shelf of Doom and finishing it up. A couple of other projects are nearing their end, so I'd like to keep the modeling mojo flowing and get this old build wrapped up. Here's where my project stalled: The fit was pretty bad, and if you look closely, you can see where I've used some resin details to replace the obliterated panel lines on the belly. I stopped painting because the MM acrylic I was using was a pain to use. Could've been user error, but I couldn't get it to spray smoothly or cover. I'll be shopping for some MM enamels in the near future. Anyway, I know my build won't be eligible for any potential prizes, but I'm looking forward to getting it out of its box and onto my shelf. Stay tuned! -O Edited March 7, 2017 by oortiz10 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winnie Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 Welcome aboard! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oortiz10 Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 (edited) Hey ARC, I've made a little progress on my Cobra. I was hoping I could get some feedback from you before things get too far along. First, let's see the pictures, shall we? I got the airframe all painted up. You can see that there's some of the underlying CARC green visible through the "sand". I did that on purpose. From the pictures I've seen of DS Cobras, it looks as though most (if not all) of the rotors have a bit of a "sandblasted" look to their leading edges. I thought I'd try to replicate that for my build. I started by priming and spraying aluminum as my base color. Then, I sprayed a clear coat before spraying light coats of a faded black. The key was to use light coats because, after the paint had dried, I used a 2400 grit sanding pad to careful cut through the top coat to reveal the metal color underneath. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I originally planned on using Werner's Wings rocket pods, but after looking at the kit's TOW parts, I decided I'd also use WW's TOW set. So, I cut the pylons off of the rocket pods to use with the resin pieces and built up the TOWs. Here's where I could use your feedback. I first painted the pods and TOWs with Helo Green then over sprayed with the sand color. The photos I've seen of DS Cobra armaments show that they pods and racks took a beating and looked pretty rough. I tried to make my parts look like the pictures I've seen, but it seems as though mine are "too green." Here they are with the pylons and wings painted with "sand." What do you think? Are my pods and racks too green? Should I spray a little more sand and get a bit more coverage? Should I leave 'em? I'm interested in your feedback. Please, don't hesitate to share your comments and/or criticisms. Please leave your two cents in the bucket on your way out the door. Thanks for stopping by! Cheers! -O Edited March 8, 2017 by oortiz10 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scotthldr Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Looks great overall, the rotors look especially good. With regards to the LAU's and TOW tubes, in my opinion they look too uniform as they all have the same level of weathering, more OD on some and more Sand on the others to break up the overall appearence. Loads of pics here if you haven't already seen them http://www.dstorm.eu/pages/en/usa/ah-1.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rotorwash Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 The resident expert on ODS Army Cobras is Floyd, of course, but based on these photos, I say paint the pod and the TOW racks the same sand as the helicopter. In these of "Wild Thing" and "Sand Shark" you can see that both the rocket launcher and the TOW racks are sand, and only the TOW tubes themselves were CARC. Photos are from Werner Roth and the US Army Aviation Museum. Ray Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tobiK Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Good to see a Monogram Cobra coming along. Mine is just before decaling. The fit is not so bad I think. Considering the age! My Italeri Wessex is more difficult for getting a good fit! Only the greenhouse is a challenge to get a good connection to the fuselage. I had to fill gaps with stripes of plasticcard. Also will open the left front side door. So, the TOW and rocket pod should get more sand paint. Clearly to see on the pics. But you can repeat your rotorblade trick on the helo skids where pilots and crew step on. There you can see the green color coming through. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oortiz10 Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share Posted March 13, 2017 OK ARC, I have a little bit of progress to show. I took the feedback and repainted my weapons. I looked at a few of the pictures on the Desert Storm page and decided that I'd go with a bit more coverage on my racks and pods. Here's the end result: I wanted to show some wear, so I decided to go back and drybrush some of the CARC green over the sand. I'm happy with the results. Also, I got the airframe glossed and decaled. I'm going to go back and do a bit more weathering to give the helo a bit more of a "used" look to her. Anyway, that's where my build stands as of now. If you have any feedback, I'm happy to hear it. Thanks for looking. Cheers! -O Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ichitoe Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 The SOD Cobra is looking good with a little TLC! I really like the sand scheme. I'll have to see if the Whiskey ever carried this scheme. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scotthldr Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 That's looking rather smart or should I say rather tatty. Looks fantastic and the weathering looks spot on Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oortiz10 Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 Hey ARC, I'm back with a little more progress. Got a little more weathering done to the airframe and knocked the sheen down with some flat clear coat. I also added some of the fiddly bits. The triangular sensors at the front of the doghouse and on the nose in front of the cockpit were scratched since I sanded off the kit's. I plan to do a little more weathering to the airframe before I add the few final pieces during final assembly. As usual, feedback is welcome. Thanks for looking! Cheers, -O Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CharlieUH-1H Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Gorgeous! cobra! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oortiz10 Posted March 16, 2017 Author Share Posted March 16, 2017 MY ODS Cobra is done! Thanks to everyone for the kudos! Your feedback kept me motivated to finish this Shelf of Doom build that's been haunting my closet for, literally, years. Here are a few teasers of the completed build. More pictures are posted in The Helipad thread and in the Display Case forum. Cheers! -O Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RKic Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Holy cow, O! That looks sharp! I stalled out on my Monogram cobra when I tried to fix the profile of the landing skids - before realizing they got them pretty much right. :( Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tobiK Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Wow that was a fast finish! Looks goooood!!! OK....you had not much decals... hey RKic, Revell cobras are cheap, so get one and start again! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AndrewPerren Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Beautiful work O. I agree that the Werners Wings stuff is great. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rotorwash Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 Looks great! I hope I can get one of these finished soon as well. Ray Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ernest Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 formidable! To see your version, it came to my mind that time, very well Quote Link to post Share on other sites
flyingdragons75 Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 wow, this Cobra looks mean! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.