So this one falls in the category “less than perfect”. Started as a quick build to get something done while being stuck in some rather involved projects, I soon noticed it would need some tender love and care – especially the cockpit, general fuselage seams and fit of the glass parts.
I picked that kit because of two reasons. First, I have Italeri’s SH-60B in the stash, and as its fit issues are plenty, I thought it would be a good idea to practice on another Italeri helo kit. Second, I needed a proper canvas for painting FS 34031 (also known as “US Helo Drab”).
After detailing the cockpit, nose section and main rotor base area, I spent a couple of days sanding, test-fitting and filling all the major components. the glass part for the nose did fit quite well, the canopy is a different beast – but it turned out good enough.
Helo Drab is a suprisingly underrepresented color, the only company supplying it being Testors. As I am not a fan of painting with enamels, I tried to come up with an acrylic mix. In the end, a 50:50 mix of Tamiya XF-51 Khaki Drab and XF-61 Dark Green did the trick. This was applied to a black base coat – if your base is lighter (let’s say grey), it might be a neat idea to add a little black to the mix.
Maybe, one of these days I can be bothered to add wiring to the rocket launchers…
