I decided to build the
Academy 1/35 U.S. ARMY RQ-7B UAV. The model went together fairly well (the main gear struts are delicate) but once it was finished and in a coat of gray, I was underwhelmed with the marking choices.
Living in California, fire season starts in July. I wondered what if the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection AKA CAL FIRE borrowed some RQ-7B UAVs for fire spotting; after all, it has an IR camera. CAL FIRE aircraft are white and red, but maybe a UAV would need high viz markings, especially if it's on a trial basis.
I used a 50:50 mix of Vallejo fluorescent orange and Vallejo orange. Most fluorescent paints are a PITA to work with, so i thought mixing it with orange would both tone it down slightly and make it easier to work with.
I was going to add a CAL FIRE decal, but it didn't print properly - so it only has the text and a
California flag on the tail:
The underside is similar:
The decals in this kit are thick and laugh at setting solutions - the prop warning decal (barely visible in these pictures) eventually soften with some Solvaset. I still had to brush on Future, wait for it to dry and
sand off the protruding edges.
The side view, with the year and date as the serial number:
The main change from a standard RQ-7B is the metal vs wood prop.
With a figure, for scale:
I used Tamiya interference film for the camera's optical window:
The effect is easier to see in this picture:
The kit comes with two figures, but they seem to have been sculpted by the Trumpeter figure department, which is - as we know - composed of extra-terrestrials with only a rudimentary understanding of the human form. They don't fit well and don't look good when put together. Some of the body parts may be usable when mixed and matched with better figures.
Thanks for looking!
