Subject: Re: Gallery Article - USAF FAC Birds - Part 1
From: "Steve Bamford ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Aibara Darius @Consult" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 18:27:37 -0700

----- Original Message -----
From: "Aibara Darius @Consult" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2003 12:39 AM
Subject: Gallery Article - USAF FAC Birds - Part 1

Gallery Template #11
"1:48 O2-A and OV-10: USAF FAC Birds"
by "Darius Aibara"
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These are the 1:48 Testors kits of two of the USAF Forward Air Control
Aircraft used in Vietnam in the late 60's and early 70's.
The Testors O2-A kit is nicely detailed (better than the box top picture of
a completed model would have you believe)  and goes together pretty well
straight out of the box.  The lower starboard and cabin roof glazing
apertures are not provided in the kit fuselage mouldings - you get decals to
represent them.  Testors do, however, provide the glazing for these windows
on the clear sprue so I used the decals as guides to drill and cut away the
fuselage to create the apertures for these windows.  Everything else was as
per the kit, however I made a new instrument panel from thin plastic card
behind which I used the kit decal instrument panel - similar to the photo
etched systems that you can buy but somewhat cheaper!

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Kit glazing was installed on the completed fuselage using Crystal Clear and
then masked prior to priming with grey acrylic spay auto primer.  I then
brush applied the final enamel coat using Humbrol colours and applied the
kit decals to represent an O2-A of the 19th TASS (Tactical Air Support
Squadron) at Bien Hoa, South Vietnam in 1969. The whip aerials on the upper
wing are individual bristles from an old house paint brush.  Looking at
pictures of O2-As I see that I have missed the small anti-glare plates on
the wing leading edge next to the wing lights - a future Sunday afternoon
job perhaps

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The OV-10 model required a bit more work than the OA-2 as the Testors kit
cockpit is somewhat lacking in detail. I used the excellent (but sadly now
out of production) Paragon Designs update set, which contains a well
detailed resin cockpit tub, a new main wing and tail surfaces, wheels and a
nice photo etched small details set.  The resin parts fit the kit parts
fairly well and minimal filler was needed.  I fine sanded the fuselage and
tail boom surfaces to tone down the riveted appearance of the kit parts.
The completed fuselage and glazing were masked and sprayed with grey auto
primer and then the upper wing sprayed with white primer before further
masking and brush painting with Humbrol enamels.

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I used a mix of the kit and aftermarket decals to represent an OV-10A of the
20th TASS at Da Nang in 1969.
A good reference for USAF Vietnam FACs can be found in an article by Robert
F Dorr in  "Wings of Fame" volume 10.

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Photos and text © 2003 by "Darius Aibara"

 <<FAC Pics 1.zip>>

Darius Aibara
TPS Consult

Tel:  020 8256 4090
Fax: 020 8256 4082

www.tpsconsult.co.uk

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