The Killer Egg Project

[Apache26]

I'm on a break from weathering and completing my other M-48 and M-113. In fact, I've been on a lengthy 1:18 break since my wife and I moved into a new home and I had to refurbish an old woodshop into a hobby room.

I started this OH-6 last summer. I've only been recently able to sit down and get at it this weekend. I'll post progress as it goes.

Early work

This Morning

After Today's Work:

Rear Cabin Seat Frame:

Searchlight (taken from the Power Team Little Bird):

Armor Plating for Pilot & Co-Pilot (will go in last as they will effectively lock the figures into the cockpit permanently):

 

[K-Tiger]

Looong way to go. Pretty cool to see someone do it.

 

[Apache26]

Yes indeed. But it doesn't feel so long since I've largely figured out how to tackle the conversion and I've determined what I will not be able to do. It won't be 100%. The biggest glaring shorcoming will be the lack of the roof observation windows for the cabin. I just don't see a way of doing them. Nevertheless, I hope it'll be as good a Little Bird to Loach conversion as I can get this side of a professional custom builder.

 

[K-Tiger]

The TOW Defender has the observation windows.

 

[Apache26]

Damnit! Last spring I was looking for an AH-6 version that met the following criteria: cheap and required the least amount of filling and sanding. I think I settled on this one because Small Joes had it for less than $40 and it's only add-ons were essentially the troop platforms. At the time, I hadn't looked closely enough in comparison between the various 1:18 models to notice the TOW version had the windows. I was mainly caught up in whether I could or should use the BBI model versus the Power Team version.

Now I must resist the temptation to get the TOW model and another Power Team Little Bird and restart the whole thing.

 

[K-Tiger]

I know how it feels. I'd love to have the MH-6 glass on the Tow Defender fuselage.

 

[Apache26]

Your comment on the TWO MH-6 combined with my type A desire to get everything 100% correct that I possibly can. The result: $75 on E-Bay for a TOW MH-6. At least I get another pilot out of it that I can customize.

 

[K-Tiger]

Gonna do anything with the TOW sight? I kind of want to put one on my Huey.

 

[Apache26]

Nope. It's yours. Do you want the one on the front of the bubble, the one on the bottom or both? I'll send you the TOW's as well.

 

[Apache26]

Not bad for a day's work after a slight re-direction in the project...

Cutting the cabin observation windows.

Hole is cut.

Window is in.

Both windows are in.

Preparing to paint the interior.

Cabin interior painted.

Coming together...

 

[K-Tiger]

Just the one on the nose, but now that you mention it I may be able to do something with the FLIR on the underside of the fuselage.

It's looking really good. Can't wait to see how you tackle the 4-blade main.

 

[Apache26]

Thanks! I haven't entirely figured out the main rotor yet. I'm also having to rethink the tail. Originally I was going to reconfigure the original tail, but it may be more effective to just use layered styrene.

What's giving me fits, and I can do very little about it, is the interior and the console. Aside from the actual instrument panel, BBi gave very little thought about the accuracy of the interior. Either that, or they sacrificed the detail in favor of making it easier to get figures in there. The seats are completely unrealistic, but if I were to raise them I couldn't get any figures in there. I don't understand why they didn't at least make a center console. What isn't pictured is a piece of the PTE console that I chopped up to make an approximation of a console.

Also, had the collective controls been more accurate, it would be easier to fit figures in there. Making the collectives less obnoxious may be another detour in my project.

BTW, PM me your address. I'll try and get the TOW equipment out this week if I can. Rather than cutting out the FLIR and the panel with the TOW sight, it may be best for me to just send you the whole chassis. Let me know if $20 (shipped) works for you (that includes the remainder of the chassis and the TOW tubes).

 

[fogger1138]

I need the back doors if either of you end up not using them.

 

[Apache26]

Fogger, they are yours.

I'm glad that my $75 investment for a pair of windows will serve more than extras in a parts bin or mangled plastic in a trash can.

 

[fogger1138]

Sweet!

 

[Apache26]

I've been out for a long time. I was doing training much of the late winter and spring and now almost every spare moment is dedicated to reviving a long neglected yard and repairing a sprinkler system. Nonetheless, I got a great deal done with my Loach today!

Four blade main conversion...

Forked Tail

Crew Chief jump seat...

Observation windows...

 

[K-Tiger]

I was wondering what the hell the status on this was.

 

[Apache26]

Now you know.

 

[K-Tiger]

Looks like she's sitting too high.

 

[Apache26]

You are a PICKY mofo...

But if that is your only nitpick for now, I'll take it as a backhanded compliment that it's coming along nicely.

Yes, it lacks the "sitting in a revetment in the humidity of Vietnam and been flown too much carrying above capacity on ammo" look right now. I haven't really compared the struts and skids on the model to the actual chopper. If they are longer, I don't think the difference is great enough to justify chopping 1/8" and threatening the structural integrity of the struts. There are just a number of things that I won't be able to get 100% correct on this, but it's closer than anything I've seen so far.

 

[NSA]

KT is our resident rivet counter, or as close as we can tolerate anyway

 

[K-Tiger]

I was just sayin'.

If I was a rivet counter I'd never put all the shit I put on my custom Huey.

 

[Apache26]

We do what we can with what we have.

By the way, some of the rivets got sanded down while filling in holes left from AH-6 attachments.

 

[Falcon C]

pretty cool man !

 

[Apache26]

Damn you KT! I was looking closely at OH-6 photos and the skids and struts are noticeably shorter than the model. Now I have to figure out if I'm going to live with that, and whether I can get it right if I shorten them. Likewise, I'm pondering whether I need to put the tail fins directly into the tail boom.

 

[K-Tiger]

BTW, PM me your address. I'll try and get the TOW equipment out this week if I can. Rather than cutting out the FLIR and the panel with the TOW sight, it may be best for me to just send you the whole chassis. Let me know if $20 (shipped) works for you (that includes the remainder of the chassis and the TOW tubes).

Damn, I missed this post..

Damn you KT! I was looking closely at OH-6 photos and the skids and struts are noticeably shorter than the model. Now I have to figure out if I'm going to live with that, and whether I can get it right if I shorten them. Likewise, I'm pondering whether I need to put the tail fins directly into the tail boom.

Would this be a bad time to tell you about the CIA's NOH-6A that used a 5-blade main?

 

[Apache26]

My anal side is getting the better of me. I already screwed up the shorter skids once, but I have a fix for it when I get the time. Your talk of CIA choppers has no effect...haha...I have decals for a 1/9 'CAV Aero Scout and I know they don't have 5-blades.

If you still want the TOW defender stuff, let me know.

 

[K-Tiger]

Yeah, I could probably use most of it.

I think the CIA just looks really interesting.

 

[Apache26]

I think my offer was $20. PM me your address and I'll send the remainder of the chassis to you (sans skids, which I may need if I screw up the others too badly).

 

[K-Tiger]

Any movement on this?

As an aside, I just got your PM at SSHQ about the Super Cobra. Sorry about that. No shit folks, he sent it 15 months ago. :grimaces:

 

[Apache26]

I was on my Nat'l Guard annual training the past two weeks. During which I broke my left hand. I should be able to get back to work on things soon, but it'll be slow going.

 

[Apache26]

Because I know that KT is dying to know the status of this project, I'm eager to update him (and anyone else). Unfortunately, my home computer decided to stop recognizing wifi networks. So this is a teaser to give KT a chubby until said time that I can post the most recent photos.

The photos will include...

- Lowered struts (per KT's observation and my maniacal desire to get this as correct as possible)

- Vertical stabilizers set directly into the tail boom (rather than the offset attachment of the original model)

- Gaps in the holes cut for the rooftop observation windows filled in

After more sanding, the Loach will be ready to paint. Pictures to follow soon...hopefully this evening.

 

[K-Tiger]

I was gonna NOH-6 that shell, but then remembered I'm a talentless hack.

 

[Apache26]

Send it back to me. I'll rebuild it as an NOH-6 for silver dollars or bullion.

I'll do my best to post photos this evening. Thanks Gatsby!

 

[Apache26]

In no particular order...

 

[K-Tiger]

Slowly but surely! Really wish Bbi would have hit us with Vietnam stuff.

 

[Monkeywrench]

looking good!

 

[Apache26]

Back when I was heavily into 1/6 the question repeatedly came up about why BBi never produced Vietnam figures. The answer from BBi was always that they didn't see Vietnam as being profitable. Only Merit did one half assed Vietnam figure. I called BS because the Vietnam stuff always sold like hotcakes. To me, that explanation was a whitewashed way of saying that Vietnam was too controversial and too much of a "bad war" to produce figure lines.

I'm glad that Merit rehashed the Huey Hog, and I'm looking forward to their other UH-C variations. But I'll remain disappointed that they keep moving in the path of least (cheapest) resistance by not making the chopper that defined the war. At least they could do a CH-47 and rehash it for modern applications, but that sucker would be huge!

I'm enjoying the custom work, though. If I had the time to focus on this, I could have done the Loach in less than a month (from start to finish). Eventually I'll get to the 21st Cobra, which will take me a couple years to complete at this rate!

 

[K-Tiger]

That might explain Bbi's general lack of OpFor. A pilot from Germany and from Japan was it.