Rotors

I initially tried to hand paint the rotors black and it did not go well. I then decided to spray paint it black but the brush strokes were still visible. I then used Tamiya Fine Primer spray paint and applied another two coats of black. The results are fine but not perfect. I then masked and applied five coats of yellow for the tips. Once finished with the yellow I moved on to painting the centerpieces with a metal color which I will add some black Tamiya Panel Line Accent in a few days to add some depth to the parts...

Cockpit Build

Glued the seating, control sticks, and control panel to the base of the cockpit.

Control Panel

Tonight I detailed the control panel with the decal sheet provided and painted various buttons. The decal was a single piece that displayed all of the gauges however due to extruding buttons between the gauges the sheet would not go on flat. As a result, I had to cut each gauge individually and place them with tweezers. While the extra work made it look great I have to admit that this is a bad design on the part of Revell...

Signature

As with every scale model I sign my date and year it was built. This helicopter with its wireframe proved to be unobvious for choosing a location and to be honest behind the seat appears to be the only option.

Build Slideshow Video with Commentary

Motor Installed

I now have the motor and pipes installed to the frame. The Exhaust pipes in particular were very difficult to align properly requiring several attempts before I was satisfied...

Motor

Using Valejo Engine wash, I coated the assembled motor to give it a more realistic look. Since the motor is exposed on this early model helicopter I will be able to maximize exposing of the components and want to make sure they look their best.

On Display

Finally found a hook thay I felt confident enough in to hand this massive scale model from my son's ceiling. Sure looks great and he really likes it!

Tamiya Craft Tools - Electric Handy Drill

For Christmas, my in-laws gave me a "Tamiya Craft Tools - Electric Handy Drill". I've been wanting one since seeing someone use it on YouTube. The best part of the tool is that it is a kit, how ironic. Total build time was only 49 minutes, I wish more of my kits were that quick to build! I tested the drill and it goes really well. The only issue I found is that there is no variable speed, it is either on or off but using old batteries slowed it down to a more interesting speed.

Build Time

I verified my time cards and calculated a total of 5226 minutes to complete the kit for Andy or 87 hours and 6 minutes! How time flies when having fun...