1/72 Denel AH-2A Rooivalk

[albymoore]

Howdy Y'all,

Here is my just completed Scaleworx 1/72 Denel Rooivalk attack helicopter of the South African Air Force. Lots of swearing, epoxy, brass pins, red glazing putty, and superglue, this is the end result. This is my first full multi-media kit, and a learning experience it was. Tons o' blue resin, plus two vac canopies (spare in case you muck up one, as I did), and a photoetched fret that contained various fuselage bits. The finish is all Humbrol enamels, except the rotors and weapons color, which is Model Master medium green. This is also the first aircraft model that was finished without my trusty Aztek A470 (RIP). I still need to dial in my technique with a traditional airbrush, but I am happy with how the paint turned out for the most part. All comments and critiques welcomed.

Thanks for looking!

Cheers,

Alby

Edited January 16, 2010 by albymoore

[Antoine]

Very good looking rooivalk.

Sad that scaleworx resin is not really well distributed in France...

[Deon]

Damn! That is nice...Nowt wrong with your airbrush technique neither.

[Mike]

Where would we all be without the backup canopy? Good work Alby I can honestly say that I'd not heard of this beast until now.

[albymoore]

Thanks for the compliments, they're much appreciated. I forgot to add the link for all the gory details in regards to this build up --> Click me please. Suffice to say a normal styrene kit with a one color scheme is on the menu now.

Cheers,

Alby

[Buzby061]

You've done a great job Alby, never seen one kitted before.

I saw one in the flesh & it really is as ugly as that.

Pete

[Spitfire31]

Fantastic build and finishing of a particularly ugly piece of flying machinery. ;-)

I didn't even know that the Denel Rooivalk existed. Is it a completely indigenous SA design or is it based on something else?

Smashing build, really.

Best,

Joachim

[albymoore]

Fantastic build and finishing of a particularly ugly piece of flying machinery. ;-)

I didn't even know that the Denel Rooivalk existed. Is it a completely indigenous SA design or is it based on something else?

Smashing build, really.

Best,

Joachim

Thank Joachim! It is a rare bird in that there are only 11 in service with the SAAF. The Rooivalk is a mostly indigenous design, though it is based on the dynamic components of the Super Puma. More info here- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denel_AH-2_Rooivalk

Thanks again for the compliments!

Cheers,

Alby

[Honeybadger]

Beautiful! Wouldnt matter if youd mucked up every bit of it and then sat on it, that camo just looks superb.

[Natter]

Lovely job on that one. And a little more interesting that the run-of-the-mill Apaches too. Great choice and congratulations for your perseverence, it certainly looks worth every swear word.

[Dave]

Great build Alby.

I have an earlier issue in the stash under the original Spinners brand name, I only hope I can get it looking half as good as yours. Are you also going to post some images over on the Gold Reef site? I'm sure the guys will love it on there too.

[OzH]

Very mean looking machine.

Nice build as well, great job

[Yellow07]

Lovely job Mangusta lookalike but worse looking XD Great airbrush effect

[albymoore]

I think that most attack helicopters fall in the category of "a face only a mother could love". The Kamov Ka-52 and first generation AH-1 Cobra are the exception to the rule.

Thanks again for all of your kind comments. Overall I had an enjoyable experience in building this kit. The vacuformed canopy nearly did me in, but in the end I won (thanks to copious amounts of beer, and the AOL Heavy Metal radio channel).

Cheers,

Alby

PS- @ Dave; just posted a few photos on the GRSM site.

Edited January 17, 2010 by albymoore

[JosephLalor]

I think that most attack helicopters fall in the category of "a face only a mother could love". The Kamov Ka-52 and first generation AH-1 Cobra are the exception to the rule.

Thanks again for all of your kind comments. Overall I had an enjoyable experience in building this kit. The vacuformed canopy nearly did me in, but in the end I won (thanks to copious amounts of beer, and the AOL Heavy Metal radio channel).

Cheers,

Alby

PS- @ Dave; just posted a few photos on the GRSM site.

Splendid job, Alby. I'm guessing you used 121, 142 and 149 as your colours.

I remember seeing an advertisement for the Rooivalk in Flight International way back when. The main illustration photo was a front view, and the tagline read, 'Sometimes things get ugly.'

Joseph

[albymoore]

Splendid job, Alby. I'm guessing you used 121, 142 and 149 as your colours.

I remember seeing an advertisement for the Rooivalk in Flight International way back when. The main illustration photo was a front view, and the tagline read, 'Sometimes things get ugly.'

Joseph

Hi Joseph,

Thanks for the kudos! You were right about Hu121, but the other two colors were Hu29 and Hu30. Coincidentally, if anyone ever produces a proper SAAF Agusta A109 kit, these colors will work as they are the same for both helicopters.

Cheers,

Alby