This is my first
Longbow model. The first thing you notice when you unpack the box, is the huge
amount of parts and the inevitable fact that you can't close it anymore. So you
have to build it I guess ;o) The Hasegawa kit comes with everything you need.
The
detailing is exquisite, and first I decided to build it OOB. I had the
opportunity to use Eduard's Zoom set that included PE seat belts, displays,
various small parts and pieces for upgrading the cockpit.
Once you start
building everything goes quite smooth and fast. Except the lower joint of the 2
halves. Sanding removes almost all rivet details and since they are protruding
from the plastic, restoring them is a pain. There are number of small fiddly
items such as various antenna which need attention when handling the model.
I added two more
things, a spare tank to get a asymmetrical load, and some home-made RBF tags on
the weapon mounts.
Click on
images below to see larger images
Painting was done
with MM enamel colors - first an overall coat of army helo drab, followed by a
lighter shade of postshading. Next came oil washes with lamp black and raw
umber and at last MIG pigments were used. I had huge problems when every single
decal silvered although I used gloss coat, but I fixed that, with some nitro
thinner and to top everything, on a late night fix-her-up session it went flying
from the desk I worked on breaking a lot of stuff. Repaired in no time with a
whole bunch of curse words.
So that's it. It's a
complex model and I enjoyed it completely. I need to thank my friends from my
modeling club MK GRUNF for helping me with lot's of things and especially two
ARC-ers Jon and Brock for helping me build this eggbeater.
Mario
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