Roden 1/48 Grumman OV-1B Mohawk - InBox Review

[Dave Ward]

The Mohawk was designed for the US Army, as an armed reconnaissance aircraft, with turboprops, to operate from rough forward airfields. It was introduced in 1961, and not retired until 1996. It saw extensive use in Vietnam.
Roden are a Ukrainian manufacturer, not quite mainstream, but definitely not short run.

This what the box should look like, but mine was an Ebay auction win - 'no box'...............
Sprue shots
The sprues don't have any flash, but on some, the parts are tightly packed together and will need careful removal.
Transparencies

The Mohawk has a large canopy, so it's to be hoped that the parts fit well........................
Decals

Not very good, I'm afraid, they aren't very sharp & some of the small lettering is illegible. In 1/48 this is apparent. You might get away with it on the overall drab aircraft, but on the Geological Survey version it will be apparent.
Instructions A4 B&W folded sheets - look OK & not too fussy
Decal options:
2 overall Olive Drab Vietnam aircraft


and one white and red version of the Geological Survey

Detail shots & comments in part II

[Dave Ward]

Some detail shots..................

Those decals with the smudged illegible writing

Ejection seats - no seat belts!

A bit of work needed on the air brake doors

Careful removal needed!



Some nice panel line detail


The large SLAR pod.

If You want a 1/48 OV-1 Mohawk, then Roden is the only game in town! The model looks last century in the layout & some of the detail, like the ejector seats is a bit sparse. A set of resin seats & some PE for the cockpit would really lift this. The canopy is large, so a set of paint masks would be useful.
The decals? you might get away with them on the OD aircraft, but for the other, not really. A new set of AM decals might be called for, although whether you can get Geological Survey ones I don't know.
I have read that it's very difficult to find enough space to add weight, to prevent tailsitting. That is something you'd need to watch out for.
I'd say this isn't for a beginner, there are a lot of small parts that will need a fair amount of cleaning up & the location pins are tiny, even on the large pieces, like the fuselage.
Availability? Yes - although prices seem to vary a lot £30-£40, so it pays to shop around. If you add in some PE & Resin detail, paint masks & new decals then this could become expensive
( As I got mine cheaply, I did invest in seats, PE & paint mask, but no decals yet............)
Dave

[rtfoe]

Looking at this review makes me wanna search my stash build mine...good review Dave.

Cheers,
Richard aka Wabble