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Corsairs Bronco build


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Hello all heres my entry for this build. Im going with Academy’s OV-10 Bronco. Im going to stick with the USMC Vietnam markings. Here are the obligatory boxtop and sprue shots. HQiIHIo.jpg

Boxtop ⬆️ Sprue shot ⬇️

XHo4qBr.jpg

As you can see its still all in plastic so the 25% wont be an issue. If i can change up and get a hold of VAL-4 Black pony or a VS-41 Shamrock decals. Then i will go US Navy. Enough for now see you in one week. 

 

Dennis

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@Sgt.Squarehead ... im surprised you cant get the gun pod from either Hasegawa in a weapon set, or an Phantom kit ? As for the Zuni two barrel rocket pods try an academy or Hasegawa F-8 crusader. The Academy kit comes with the 2 barrel Zuni pods for sure.

 

Dennis

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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What would I do with a Phantom or a Crusader?  :o

 

The Bronco can go on an acrylic rod stand (I build wheels up) and shoot up Charlie's sanpans with my very few other Vietnam bits & bobs.....But the payload of a Phantom's probably just a bit much for a 20mm skirmish game**!  :lol:

 

** I actually know someone who took over our local wargames club for a whole afternoon using four table-tennis tables to create a huge 20mm Vietnam game, just so he could go out and get a 1/72 B52 from his car.....I kid you not.  :mellow:

 

 

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Ok Ive contacted Enzo Matrix. This is a quick test to see if this works. I’m posting a link to a webpage for a photo. The photo is on the Chinalake amumni website so all credit/ownership belongs to them. The link i am adding goes to the webpage. The OV-10 bronco im looking at is 3/4’s down the page. It is in a section marked 3Q. 3rd photo. It shows a Tan and light olive green experimental camouflage in the summer of 1986 & 1987.

http://www.chinalakealumni.org/1986/1986mo.htm

I know the dates as there are several more photo’s of this Bronco on various pages that all lead back to chinalake. The Bronco is from VX-5 and is coded XE70. However all other markings are oversprayed with the sand tan color. In the other photos the early ones are strictly sand/olive but the later ones add gull grey in spots where a chaff/flare are mounted in both boom’s and Rhaw sensors are added to the nose and vertical fins. As for posting the photos I have applied for permission, but haven't recieved it yet. So until i do i will use the link. I hope this works.

     Any thoughts on the colors ? Or the aircraft in general ? Im thinking this is quickly becoming my primary choice of markings for this build. Then the USMC aircraft from HML-267 will be my back-up.

 

Dennis

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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So the more i study the photo’s the more im intrigued by this navy OV-10 ?  I definitely will be doing this one as my model. The Tan/olive camouflage just looks good on the Bronco. All i need for decals are the XE on each vertical stab. And possibly Star & Bars on the wings. All other markings are oversprayed with the camouflage. 

     I have the chaff units in my spares. However i will need to scratch and add the Rhaw sensors to the Vertical stabs. The kit already has them molded on the nose. Which if my memory serves would be incorrect for the USAF Vietnam decals issued with the kit. However they would be correct for the Marine decals from the later 1970’s. I did add some cabling and wirelooms in the cockpit in preperation for the start of the build. 

     My biggest problem with the kit is how will i add the weight ? No room under the cockpit. Very small space in the nose, maybe directly behind the pit ? Any ideas im open for suggestions ? 

 

Dennis

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2 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

So the more i study the photo’s the more im intrigued by this navy OV-10 ?  I definitely will be doing this one as my model. The Tan/olive camouflage just looks good on the Bronco. All i need for decals are the XE on each vertical stab. And possibly Star & Bars on the wings. All other markings are oversprayed with the camouflage. 

     I have the chaff units in my spares. However i will need to scratch and add the Rhaw sensors to the Vertical stabs. The kit already has them molded on the nose. Which if my memory serves would be incorrect for the USAF Vietnam decals issued with the kit. However they would be correct for the Marine decals from the later 1970’s. I did add some cabling and wirelooms in the cockpit in preperation for the start of the build. 

     My biggest problem with the kit is how will i add the weight ? No room under the cockpit. Very small space in the nose, maybe directly behind the pit ? Any ideas im open for suggestions ? 

 

Dennis

Of course its less effective - but in the nacelles?

I am building one - well gathered all the goodies for it - few other kits in the queue.  Mine will be USAF SEA.

PM 

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Weight; I built a Hasegawa [I think it was] version a couple of years ago.

 

In my GB notes I wrote

Warning Will Robinson: this needs a LOT of lead to stop being a tail sitter.
I put 6 grams in each engine and the nose of the fuselage. The w/m seat weighs almost 3g.
It was a tail sitter.
I had to cram about another 5g in the fuselage.
Thats without any weapons on it.
All the weapons are aft of the main wheels, the balance point.
I may have to put more lead into the cockpit after I attach the weapons.

 

and;

I cannot believe just how much lead this thing is taking. I thought I was going too much with 6g in each engine and in the fuselage nose.
I have lead crammed into the fuselage nose, a flat piece under the MiB's seat, a small pile under his i/p and on each side of the front cockpit, as well as in the fronts of the engines. So far that is just enough to balance it.
I reckon, 10 or 11g in the fuselage and 12g in the engines = 23g plus a w/m seat at about 3g = 26g, almost 1 ounce.

 

Mine;

OV10A%20Bronco%2C%2013s-M.jpg

 

 

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After I built my OV -10 I invested in a bottle of 'Liquid Gravity'

It was primarily aimed at model railway-ists but it great for us. Its very tiny beads of zinc [afaik it is zinc, its not lead] which can be poured into any gap. If I had had it for the OV-10 I could have poured it into the cockpit nose; it would have taken up less volume space than chunks of lead, it being able to fill in the tiny spaces

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Good choice Corsair, love the Bronco - built a few when I was a kid (most definitely a tail sitter as I recall!) - and I'm holding out for a nice modern 1/48 kit.

 

That liquid gravity is useful stuff, I reckon it'll do the job for your Bronco.

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I built the 1/48th Jesters ... Er Testors kit when it appeared in the late ‘80’s. I will tell you this academy has more detail in the cockpit than that kit.

 

The liquid Gravity will have to wait for the budget to catch up. I smashed and chopped up a load of fishing weights. I’m hoping that when i start i can cram enough in to all the nooks and crannies. The major design flaw is the nose has to be used for the weight but its open to view as that is where the nosegear bay is. Oh well i will figure this out yet. Its not the first or last time i will have to deal with this.

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And We’re off to the Races folks. Heres what I’ve gotten done so far. I added the greebles to busy up the pit. And did the instrument panels. SV5GxFA.jpg

3mbGnSB.jpg

Kyy7Iil.jpg

I also added the Chaff/Flare boxes to the booms. Academy has the option for cutouts but only for the “D” version. This being an “A” version the kit doesnt have the sprue. I happened to have these spare from an old kit in 1/48th. I never used them as they were too small to be realistic in that scale. Perfect here. 

bxMSX52.jpg

TYy4CP5.jpg

TQihPvO.jpg

I will add the nose cone later today, then the weight. Ive added seatbelts to the lower seats since taking these pictures. I also painted the cables and have a wash on the pit. Next up will be the lower ordnance stub wings and the main wing. I have read both have some fit issue’s so will see how bad those turn out. More later please have a great modeling day.

 

Dennis  

 

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@MarkSH ... if i lived in the UK & had the $ Id buy it. Id like to try and build it. Cant afford evilbay and theres only one or two swapmeets in Chicago a year. So my odds of finding one are pretty much nil. 

 

On a lighter note i think i have the weight issue tackled. I mocked up all the pieces and looks like they will work. 

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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Hey everyone Sadly not much of an update. I have all the major components glued and puttied but cant start my sanding until at least tomorrow. Just got to love slow drying putty. Oh for anyone considering this. Its a decent kit the only major gaps are around the main wing/fuselage join and the stub wing/fuselage join.

    I shimmed those with fine plastic strip and glued the stub wings to the fuselage. I did the same for the main wings but will wait till i sand the first join, before attaching the main wing. If anyone is planning on building one of these it has some sink marks on main gesr doors and one of the exhaust ducts as well. 

     The booms are assembled and puttied as well nothing major but some little gaps here and there. They’ll get attached after the wing/fuselage join is finished. Thats where it’ll get tricky to make everything line up square. Oh well enough for today and please have a great modeling day until my next post. 

 

Dennis

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