Fire Spotter

[Frank3k]

If you can find some Plink garbage disposal cleaners, the containers have nice 0.5" or so domes. I used one here:

[Jeffry Fontaine]

If this is a 1/48th scale AH-1W kit it is from Italeri. 

[Kerick]

I’m fairly sure it’s an Italeri kit. It’s in 1/72nd scale. If anyone has one scratched or damaged that will do as well. I don’t think I can use packaging other than to heat it and remold it.

[John Howling Mouse]

Can you not make a quick mold of the original canopy you've shown and work off of that?  At any rate, this is looking terrific!

[Kerick]

I may have to do that. Not much model building getting anyway. Summer is busy and no time for it.

[Kerick]

CalFire decals are on order from Draw Decals. Might take a week or two as he prints them as he gets orders. Then I can try to match the color for the larger red areas.

[The Rat]

First time I've seen this thread. Sad to think that it's now a sort of Tophe Tribute Build. 

[Kerick]

I know what you mean. I’ve got to get on this and finish it. I’m too far into it to let it drop and that would make me mad at myself for not finishing it. I need to finish it for Tophe.

[KiwiZac]

Please do, what an inspired idea and it's shaping up so well.

I'm sorry to say I've been away from here and What If? for couple of months so this is how I learned of Tophe's death. I bet he'd love to see this finished.

[Kerick]

I have the decals and I just have to start spraying white. At my club’s contest and show today there was a nice class on airbrushing that should help.

[Kerick]

Well, it's only been a few months since an update on this one.
It turns out Testor Bright Red in their spray can was a near perfect match for the red in the CAL FIRE decals. Here's what it looked like over the white.



It took more coats than I expected and managed to leak under the tape in several of the typical places.



Some spots were my own fault. Over all, it could have been worse. And I managed to break the nose gear off.



Nose gear pinned in place and a lot of touch up. I'm going to touch up the black next and maybe add some design around the engine exhaust.



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[url=https://flic.kr/p/2pJ3UxJ]



A boarding ladder under construction from spare parts.



So some progress has been made these few months. The mojo has been lacking and I'm spending far too much time looking at modeling stuff on my phone instead of building stuff. Now that summer is almost here it will be even harder to focus. Decals will be next so pray for me! I'm still on a mission to finish things so go ahead and nag me into working on stuff!

[GTX_Admin]

Getting there

[apophenia]

Nice! That CAL FIRE scheme really suits this bird 

[Buzzbomb]

Really like this.

I know it is a pill doing this scheme.. been there, done that, but totally worth it for the "thats different" factor

[Kerick]

Really like this.

I know it is a pill doing this scheme.. been there, done that, but totally worth it for the "thats different" factor

I have to reread the instructions for the Draw decals. IIRC I have to spray them with a clear coating yet.

[finsrin]

GADS - more impressed with each viewing.  Masterful concepting and kit-bashing 
Can get on location fairly fast with endurance to patrol area or loiter over problem spot 

[The Rat]

Gorgeous inspired madness! 

[Kerick]

My club had build a thon yesterday. I brought the Firespotter along to try applying the decals. They are from Draw Decals for the OV-10 Bronco and worked beautifully. Even the little black stripes that outline the red areas went on without any problem. I need to finish a few more stripes then a clear coat and onto the shelf.

[KiwiZac]

What did your clubmates make of it? I think it's stunning in that (awful to apply, in my experience) paint scheme.

[Kerick]

What did your clubmates make of it? I think it's stunning in that (awful to apply, in my experience) paint scheme.

They loved it! Most were puzzled by the airframe combos but enjoyed it. I had to explain it a little. Some of the guys are awesome tank, car and aircraft builders but enjoy the craziness of what I build. One guy said he just couldn’t fathom how I could imagine putting so many different unrelated parts together and make something cool looking out of it.

[Kerick]

I painted in the black area around the engine exhaust tonight. The decals are for a Bronco and the decal for that area just didn’t fit properly. I had some 1000 sanding pad I used to remove some bits of red paint that somehow got pushed into the white paint in random spots. Probably bit that stuck to my fingers as I pulled off the red masking tape. At least that came off easily. I have to figure out how to ground these builds to a copper pipe to get rid of the static electricity that’s attracting lots of lint again. Maybe a copper plate on top of the cutting mat with a ground wire. Aluminum should work too.

[Kerick]

Here's a couple of pics of the black areas.





Not too shabby. At least it looks like the Bronco version. I could say it was the 50's and 60's version made from war surplus airframes that later lead up to the Broncos taking over the job.

I researched a little about the grounding of the workspace. It's definitely a real thing that's big in the electronics field. But instead of a mat for $25.00 I could try some aluminum foil and some wire running to the nearest water pipe. I'll have to work out how to do this at the spray booth too. The body of the spray booth is a plastic storage tub so if I run a wire to that and the water pipe that should work. And then maybe a wrist strap to ground my hand too.

[Robomog]

Nice work on the Day-Glo red, it is soooo easy to screw up those type of colours.

Kitbash looks amazing. 

Mog
>^-.-^<

[Kerick]

Thanks! It was just Testors red from a rattle can over white. I tested it and it matched the decals perfectly. Lucky for a change.