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This is the old
Monogram AH-1G kit in the National Air and Space Administration markings.
A good kit, well fitting and accurate in outline and dimensions, it does need a
little work to convert to the NASA version. Most significantly, the kit
has the tail rotor housing on the port side, but for in production G models, it
should be on the starboard side. A relatively easy modification; simply
cut the shaft housing from the port side with a razor saw and reinstall on the
stbd side. A small bit of filler and a little sanding and the conversion
is complete. Other changes include substitution of a short length of
aluminum tube to replace the engine exhaust tailpipe. I added a floor and
side consoles to the cockpit, removed the side armor plating from the seats and
cut off the lump that represented the pilot’s HUD. I also added lead
weight under the new floor to prevent a tail-sitting model. After painting
the cockpit and seats Model Master Dark Ghost Gray and seat cushions flat black,
I added seat belts, rudder petals and a control stick for the pilot. The
fuselage went together well with some seam work on the top and more filling on
the bottom. The kit has a mixture of raised and engraved panel lines and
access doors and plenty of overscale rivets. I left the raised panel lines
and gave the rivets a light sanding to minimize the boiler-plate effect. I
replaced the kit’s main rotor with the Cobra Company’s resin 540 rotor set
to provide a more detailed rotor head and more realistic droop in the blades at
rest. The kit canopy is the poorest fitting part of the kit and requires
careful adjustment to seat properly. I used a lot of white glue to seal
the edges and still ended with a small ridge on the aft canopy/fuselage joint.
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After washing the kit in warm
water and detergent, I airbrushed a coat of Boyd’s White Primer enamel to
highlight any remaining problems with the seam work. After another cleanup
and shot of primer, I airbrushed a coat of Boyd’s Gloss White. The
decals are from an old Microscale sheet # 72-0384, which provides two schemes
for NASA 736 as well as several VietNam era AH-1Gs and Js. Following the
decal work, I airbrushed a light coat of Polly Scale Clear Satin to seal the
decals and dull the gloss finish.
In summary, not a bad build for a
30-something year old kit. The overall white finish with black skids,
black and yellow rotor blades and the blue NASA stripes set it off in a display
of normally drab Hueys.
Chuck
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