AH-60 Dap blackhawk Academy

[Guest]

so while parts dry or wait to be delivered, i thought id begin a build ive been waiting to do for a while.


This is the Academy 1:35 scale Direct Action Penetrator version of the famous Blackhawk helicopters.


I managed to look at thismkit prior to buying, so i envisage much less problems with fit and finish.


Ibe begun by building up the rortor swashplate, and also make the seats, as i have an Eduard PE kit for some fuselage detail and seatbelts.


Heres where i am right now.


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[Lee W]

You've picked a good one Dave, it's a great kit...I had a couple of fit issues with mine, that aside...it builds up well!


I'm on board for this Helo build


Lee

[Guest]

Me too!

[Guest]

Looks to be a very big kit .


Enjoy your build.


Will be following this.

[geegad]

Always wanted to build this helicopter looking forward too seeing this come on you've done a cracking job so far

[Guest]

Done a little more today, these Eduard PE kits are fiddly! Especially the little tiny parts!


Got the little levers on the overhead done, and made up the IP, sat it on the base for dry fit, need to fix back of the second chair, and also got the rotors all done, dry fitted the blades.


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[Dave Jay]

Looking good Dave, will be watching this with interest. You've made a good choice, Academy kits have a nice feel to them.


Just one thing, is the port side seat fixed? It's looks a tad crooked!

[Dave Jay]

Ooopsops:


Just read your post properly, I was too distracted by the great modelling going on

[Guest]

Did a bunch today, finished off the main deck, office and fuel tanks, and the four Machine guns.


The pig is (ahem) a pig to put together, as the parts making up the gatling gun are tiny, and i found it very difficult to get them together.


Im also finding that my right hand isnt always gripping, or sometimes spasms, and have been told its because of the nerve damage in my spine. Makes these tiny build parts quite difficult.


Anyway, enough whining! I then placed everything up to dry,

You've picked a good one Dave, it's a great kit...I had a couple of fit issues with mine, that aside...it builds up well!
I'm on board for this Helo build


Lee

i agree Lee. Theres a few parts which seem to have a little fit issue, but so far (touching wood!) ive been abke to rectify those easily.


One thing of note about this academy kit, not sure wether its inherant of all academy kits, they make the kits very detailed, but the instruction sheet is less informative on some areas, like the comms box. It shows it placed on the deck but roughly, theres no markers, pin holes or dimensions, and the swing crew seats have to go either side, so its a bit of a gamble. I didnt glue it down, just placed the deck roof on, and positioned it between the seats, and used capillary action to glue it down.


Anyway thats where im at, got some goodies coming soon,!


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[Snowman]

Woweeee, now that is cool!!


You have my attention!

[papa 695]

Just seen this one Dave and a great start too. Going to watch this

[Guest]

Episode three, the buffing of parts


I got my gunze buffable paints in so i finished off the m60 barrels in Dark Iron buffable, and polished them up.


Jeeez does this stuff smell!! It stinks! Headache material for sure, so ventilate the room!


But it works, and works well! Seriously, every modeller should have this stuff in their stash!


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I also got the fuselages together, and started the sanding and filling of all the seams.


Had a bit of a mare with the upper part, where the engine goes, just didnt want to stay in place, but after i used my new bottle of glue, it relented!

[takeslousyphotos]

The cockpit detail is spot on Dave. Excellent work.

[Guest]

Thanks Peter, very kind!


More done today, im really loving these gunze buffables. Makes it so much easier to do things like hydraulic ram tubes, etc.


Made up a few of the ancillaries and waiting for the primer to dry on the main body.


Sat for an hour with the IPA cleaning the shitty Klear off the canopy windows, as that stuff is useless! Must be different to the old Klear!

[Guest]

Did some more today, ive got the main fuselage in nato grey flat and cleared with gloss ready to do the decals.


Whats strange is the manual asks for the grey colour for the main body, but then asks for nato green on the ancillaries like the IFRF probe, the anti missile flare units, which is strange to me.


What do you all think i should do? I look at the very few pics of the DAP choppers i can find, and they look uniform colour, although range from matt black to desert colours.