Academy 1/35 USMC AH-1Z "Shark Mouth"

[alextheblue]

Always liked the look of these and anything with a shark-mouth has gotta be cool! I have tried one other helicopter in the past. About five years ago on ISM, there was a whirlybirds SiG and I had a bash at an Italeri Chinook. never got it finished, as at the time it was beyond my skill-set. But, I've never let a little thing like not being able to do something to stand in my way!!

Box art.



Box of plastic. Not too many sprues though.



Sprues.









Some very nice detail.





Clear parts.



Destructions





Colour call-outs.





Photo-etch.



Decals.



Small sheet of masking tape, although it doesn't appear to be die-cut at first glance.



And straight into the build with Step 1......



Nice fit and in two short shakes of a lambs tail, I had this.....





Thanks for taking a look!

[TommyKillander]

Great start!

That kit looks fantastic btw - maybe I need make a call to Santa again...


Tommy

[digger303]

Stunning looking kit and with the pe it is going to stand out.

[Kevthemodeller]

Oh another AH-1Z good luck with the build mate you're off to a good start

[Quax]

Good start Alex and good luck with the build!

Paul

[alextheblue]

Great start!

That kit looks fantastic btw - maybe I need make a call to Santa again...


Tommy

Thanks Tommy. I'd definitely put an order in with the big man in red. He could drop you one off on his way back home!!

Stunning looking kit and with the pe it is going to stand out.

It's a great kit digger and the PE is a nice little touch. Got to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of loads of PE, but this kit has just enough for me to add some nice details!

Oh another AH-1Z good luck with the build mate you're off to a good start

Thanks Kev! Gotta say, it's falling together so far!

Good start Alex and good luck with the build!

Paul

Thanks Paul! Let's just say - I've made a bit of progress!

[alextheblue]

Update One

What can I say - this is a great kit and it just falls together. Only my second Academy kit, the first being the Sundowners Phantom. I'm not sure why, but I've always steered clear of Academy kits when it came to AFV, but I might have to re-evaluate that!

The office is pretty much done. Some bits like the seats have been left loose to paint separately, but everything else is in place. I'm used to painting details "in situ" with my armour builds, so it shouldn't be a problem.



Starting to prep one side of the fuselage.



And before you know it and the other half is in place....











I need to stop now and get some paint down before going any further, but as time is getting short, I decided to jump on a couple of steps to the skids and the belly pan.





And it would be rude not to marry everything together - just for a quick look-see!!







As I mentioned, this kit is just falling together and another couple of updates should see the build finished. The next session will be to get some primer down and get the cockpit painted.

Thanks for taking a look!

[Kevthemodeller]

Sure is falling together I've not even started mine yet

[digger303]

Coming together quick and the seams don't look like they are going to pose any problems....

[smokeriderdon]

Geez, another armor guy painting after its all built. I truly dont get it. LOL

[Tomcat64]

Belated welcome to the SIG Alex - great to have you along.

That's a superb looking kit and coming together very quickly - looking forward to seeing this all progress

[alextheblue]

Sure is falling together I've not even started mine yet

It's a great kit, goes together very nicely. And don't worry about not starting, there's loads of time!!

Coming together quick and the seams don't look like they are going to pose any problems....

Fingers crossed they'll all be this good as it looks promising so far!

Geez, another armor guy painting after its all built. I truly dont get it. LOL

It's only friction fitted. Didn't even need masking tape to hold the halves together. I'll paint up the office before buttoning it up properly.

Although, i was tempted to have a go painting it in situ!!

Belated welcome to the SIG Alex - great to have you along.

That's a superb looking kit and coming together very quickly - looking forward to seeing this all progress

Thanks Neil, very pleased to be a part of the SiG. always like to step outside my comfort zone!!

[alextheblue]

Update Two

This build is jogging along at a cracking pace. I decided to build as many sub-assemblies as I could Andy then crack on with the paint.

Intakes and such.




Wings?? Do helicopters have wings!





Made a start on the ordnance.





Next up was the rotor motor thingy!?!







One little tip. I didn't follow the order of the instructions for this part. The rods/struts (D21, D22) that connect the rotors to the bottom part should go on first, but I actually put them on last. After I had fitted the first couple, I noticed tha there was a potential fit problem, so prised them off and fitted them afterwards. After a bit of fettling and tweeting, there's still a small gap, but nothing that a smudge of Mt Surfacer won't fix.



The boom is slide molded and is a very nice bit of engineering. No long seams to worry about.





This is going to be a beast when put together, although it is 1/35 scale I guess.



Absolutely loving the build and it's proving to be a whole lot of fun.

Apologies for my embarrassing lack of knowledge of all things whirlybird related. The old regiment motto is "Per Mare, Per Terram". Ain't no mention of anything to do with air!!

Thanks for taking a look!

[jmurphy18]

Looking really cool here Alex! Awesome on the build here!! Coming right along!

Question for you. I am building the MH-60s. Mine only has one engine the left side how about you? Kits are buy the some company Academy.

[alextheblue]

Looking really cool here Alex! Awesome on the build here!! Coming right along!

Question for you. I am building the MH-60s. Mine only has one engine the left side how about you? Kits are buy the some company Academy.

Thanks Jim!

To be honest, I know nothing about helicopters. As far as engines goes, isn't it fairy dust that makes them fly!!

[alextheblue]

Update Three

I'm not really following the instructions with this build, which is very dangerous as I have no idea at all when it comes to choppers. I'm dipping in an out of sub-sections and going where my fancy takes me.

The office is done. Spayed flat black and highlighted with NATO black, button details picked out and kit decals used. The decals for the screens are way too bright, but I'm going to go with them.





The instructions says to use 3g for the nose weight, but I have read somewhere that this is quite enough. So its down to the shed to see what I can use.



There's plenty of space at the front to fix plenty of weight, so I used three bolts fixed in with some white tack.



Time to button everything up.



Now for the moment of truth. Tape on the tail section to make sure I've used enough weight.



Success!!

Thanks for taking a look!

[digger303]

yeah !!

[onemac]

Looking good Alex. If, like me, you're a bit ham-fisted then take care with those control struts on the rotor head when handling/painting. I managed to break mine several times In the end I had to fit brass rods which turned out to be aluminium

6 foot rule for this one

[Kevthemodeller]

Looking really good Alex, the cockpit and paint look superb

I think I'll build mine in sub assemblies too

[jmurphy18]

this looks great Alex. Love the nose weights . Great details on the rotors!! Work looks excellent.

[Meliodas2019]

lovely work Alex. nice job

[alextheblue]

yeah !!

Cheers digger!!

Looking good Alex. If, like me, you're a bit ham-fisted then take care with those control struts on the rotor head when handling/painting. I managed to break mine several times In the end I had to fit brass rods which turned out to be aluminium

6 foot rule for this one

Great tip onemac, wished I'd thought of that - and yes, I have broken a couple on mine already!

this looks great Alex. Love the nose weights . Great details on the rotors!! Work looks excellent.

Cheers, I always keep nuts and bolts handy, you never know when they will come handy!

lovely work Alex. nice job

Cheers Meliodas!

[alextheblue]

Update Four

I'm losing the "urge" with this kit a bit. Nothing wrong with the kit itself, it's very well engineered and it is going together nicely. I'm just not really feeling it for choppers. I'm sure I'll feel differently when I start to get paint down. I'm also building Tamiya's M10 Achilles and it keeps "distracting me!!

Ordnance is done. Painted, gloss coat, decals and a light black enamel wash. I'm going to keep this one pretty clean, so the wash is more to accentuate shadows more than anything.







And the beast itself is pretty much built. Need to sort out some seams and add a couple of greebles and it will be ready for primer.











Chucked the rotors on to give an idea of scale. This thing is bigger than I thought! No idea where I'm going to store it. Oh well, another one for the attic!!






Thanks for taking a look!

[Twokidsnosleep]

Wow that weaponry looks awesome!!!
Keep at it she is gonna be a stunner

[digger303]

Wow that weaponry looks awesome!!!
Keep at it she is gonna be a stunner

I can't say it any better...

[Kevthemodeller]

It's really coming together now Alex

I know what you mean about "losing the urge" there just seems so much if it and mines only 1/48

keep going mate

[Stokesy44]

Wow that weaponry looks awesome!!!
Keep at it she is gonna be a stunner

Agree. Looks cracking. If I was a gunner on that thing I'd be rubbish. By the time I had decided which of my awesome weapons to use the target would have been at home with its feet up having a cup of tea!

[digger303]

Wow that weaponry looks awesome!!!
Keep at it she is gonna be a stunner

Agree. Looks cracking. If I was a gunner on that thing I'd be rubbish. By the time I had decided which of my awesome weapons to use the target would have been at home with its feet up having a cup of tea!

I'd run short of ammo.....I take nothing home

[jmurphy18]

This is really looking good Alex! Sweet build and I do understand on the losing the interest on building. I was sure glad when I finished mine

[KalebB]

Love the look of the ordnance for the copter, looks amazing

[alextheblue]

Wow that weaponry looks awesome!!!
Keep at it she is gonna be a stunner

Thanks Scott!

Love a bit of weaponry - does this 'copter make my bomb look big!!

Wow that weaponry looks awesome!!!
Keep at it she is gonna be a stunner

I can't say it any better...

Cheers digger!

It's really coming together now Alex

I know what you mean about "losing the urge" there just seems so much if it and mines only 1/48

keep going mate

Cheers Kev! I seem to be getting a second wind with this one. Started to get primer down and that always helps!

Wow that weaponry looks awesome!!!
Keep at it she is gonna be a stunner

Agree. Looks cracking. If I was a gunner on that thing I'd be rubbish. By the time I had decided which of my awesome weapons to use the target would have been at home with its feet up having a cup of tea!

Cheers Stokesy!

I'm like digger - I'd fire the whole damn lot!!

This is really looking good Alex! Sweet build and I do understand on the losing the interest on building. I was sure glad when I finished mine

Cheers jmurphy!

The end is almost in sight now!!

Love the look of the ordnance for the copter, looks amazing

Cheers Kaleb!

Know what you mean, you don't mess with these puppies!!

[alextheblue]

Update Five

Big thank you for all the kind words and comments. You all know what it's like, you get into a build, and at some point the interest seems to jump ship and haul ass out of town! You fellas posting comments always perks me up and I've got to say, the interest is definitely back. Plus, getting primer down always helps! Yay!!! Paint and weathering time is almost here!

Time to mask up the glass. The kit comes with masks and I've got to confess - I thought this was the mask side -



Well, it's yellow! You would wouldn't you. But no!! It's the blue side!!



The fit is good, but the tape itself seems a little thin, so I reinforced it with good old Tamiya tape in places. Plus, it is super sticky when you first peel it away from the backing paper and de-tacking it just makes it curl up. TBH, I wish I'd just made my own masks as it probably would have been quicker. Hey ho, its done now.







And finally - primer!!! Ultimate grey is my go to primer. I do also use the black, depending on the colour of the top coat and whether I'm going to do pre-shading, or marbling etc. Pre-shading and post shading with this one me-thinks!









I'll let that all cure for 24-hours and then pre-shade before laying down the top coat. This is the bit I really enjoy!!!

Thanks for taking a look!

[Hawkmoon]

Coming together very nicely and top work

[Kevthemodeller]

Looking good Alex think we're at about the same point

[jmurphy18]

Making some nice progress here! The primer work and assemble looks great !

[alextheblue]

Coming together very nicely and top work

Cheers Hawk, it's a great kit. Goes together a treat!

Looking good Alex think we're at about the same point

Cheers Kev! Don't know about you, but I'm getting a bit worried about the end of the month looming up very close behind us!

Making some nice progress here! The primer work and assemble looks great !

Cheers jmurphy! Even I can't go wrong with Ultimate primer!

[alextheblue]

Update Six

Time to crack open the paint! Yay!!

My weapons of choice.



Opting for Tamiya XF85 rubber black for the pre-shading and Aqueous H308 for the top coat, as per the instructions.



As far as airbrushes go, I chop and change between my H&S brushes and this Badger/Cobra - it just depends what mood I'm in. The only downside with the Badger is the slight lack in fine detail - but that's probably more me than the airbrush!



Some light pre-shading.





And several light coats later.









That'll do for one weekend. I'll see how this drys and then do some post shading before the gloss coat. Then it's on to decals, some washes and weathering and bingo! Done!!

Thanks for taking a look!

[Twokidsnosleep]

Nice paintwork

[jmurphy18]

That paint work look great! Nicely done here!

[Tomcat64]

Just doing some catching up, Alex and that's a great looking kit... really tempted to bust my "no more new kits" rule early for that one

The pre-shading is really effective too with just enough showing through the top coat - lovely job mate

[digger303]

Looking great... I appreciate the work your putting into this.

[alextheblue]

Nice paintwork

Cheers Scott!

That paint work look great! Nicely done here!

Cheers John!

Just doing some catching up, Alex and that's a great looking kit... really tempted to bust my "no more new kits" rule early for that one

The pre-shading is really effective too with just enough showing through the top coat - lovely job mate

Cheers Tomcat! Go on, bust that kit out, you know you want to!

Looking great... I appreciate the work your putting into this.

Cheers digger! You know what they say, when you love what you do, it's never work!

[alextheblue]

Update Seven

Just a quick update. With the preshading and base top coat down, it's onto some post shading.

Weapons of choice - I went for the H&S Infinity for this as I love the fine control it gives.



Colours for the highlights. For 20 drops of the grey, I used 12 of the white and then mixed it 70/30 with the thinner. It's quite a bit lighter than the base coat so you need to build the shading up nice and slow.

Oh, and an extremely important bit of kit that I must admit, I haven't always used in the past. I try and force myself to use them now though as I use the airbrush a lot.



And the result.







Thanks for taking a look!

[Kevthemodeller]

Lovely looking highlights Alex

[alextheblue]

Lovely looking highlights Alex

Thanks Kev, I'm always happier when I've got an airbrush in my hand!!

[alextheblue]

Lovely looking highlights Alex

Thanks Kev, I'm always happier when I've got an airbrush in my hand!!

[alextheblue]

Update Eight

As I press on with this build, I am constantly reminded of the wise old words, "less haste more speed!"

From my previous update, you can see that I have now finished the base-coat colour and I have done some post shading. It was then I realised my mistake!!

Well, omission rather than mistake. The top section of the body is actually a darker colour and I had totally missed it!! This is the colour and marking scheme I have chosen.



And these are the colours suggested by Academy.





The problem was, once sprayed on to the 'copter, you could hardly notice any difference. I darkened it little by little and kept re-applying. In the end, I sprayed it over in Aqueous H305 and even this wasn't that noticeable.



It will have to do!! I'm running out of time and like a struck off doctor - I've got no patience!!!

Oh, and I also forgot to spray the tail fin black and that was after I had clear coated the darn thing!! No biggie though, the masking was quick and easy and after a few light coats of gloss black, I was ready to start laying down the decals.

And this is where I'm at.













There were a few issues removing the Academy masks, but nothing that some touch-ups and repairs won't fix. Although, I definitely won't use these again if they come supplied in a kit. I'll stick with good old reliable Tamiya masking tape. You can't go wrong!!

Thanks for taking a look!

[digger303]

Lovely, and I can see the tonal variations. Decals look good.

[Tomcat64]

Great save on the paintwork Alex - that's looking superb

[digger303]

After a couple of beers I'm feeling more bullet proof and impervious to comment about failing eye sight and instructions rise to the fore. However I'm too much of a gentleman to bring it to light.....

Ps....it's snow blindness grey so hard to see ....don't worry we all do it. missing something obvious while trying to press on.