Call for ideas and tips - customizing BBI's Kiowa

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granch
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Call for ideas and tips - customizing BBI's Kiowa

Post by granch » Wed Dec 05, 2012 1:52 pm

Have a Kiowa Warrior with some fuselage damages: I once tried to fix the inner counterbalance that wasn't well glued and moved backwards, but no glue could fix it. So I used steel wire through the fuselage, and now it holds.
I opened the fuselage with cutting one of the rear side panels, it is where I have these damages (damned Dremel!).
I found the way to insert small electro-motors to move the propellers. The opened panel could be used for a battery pack.
Now, I'd like to make this better, but also, as it is not anymore MIB, want to try some custom. Here are my thoughts:
Retrofitting the bird to a 1st, Vietnam version of the Kiowa seems to be a hard work, all the fuselage top and main prop have to be made new.
I saw that the Kiowa was fitted with Hellfire missiles, 1 on each side hanging point. Would be nice, but don't now how to make the glazed nose of the missile. If somebody has overstock from an Apache...
Other ideas?


Folkwulfe
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Re: Call for ideas and tips - customizing BBI's Kiowa

Post by Folkwulfe » Fri Dec 07, 2012 7:07 pm

The OH-58A (Bell Model 406) was quite a bit different from the current "D" Kiowas flown by the Army. You are talking massive surgery to convert the BBI model into an earlier version. The doghouse (upper transmission and engine housing) was WAY different. The Vietnam A models never carried Hellfire rockets, but were sometimes outfitted with TOW wire-guided missiles for ant-armor. If you want a good reference for the A model, rent or get the movie "Blue Thunder"....the normal helos used by the LAPD were early Bell 406s.
US Army MP Corps combat veteran Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm

granch
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Re: Call for ideas and tips - customizing BBI's Kiowa

Post by granch » Sat Dec 08, 2012 4:16 pm

Thank you for the reference, Fockewulf and Berkut. Of course, I don't want to put Hellfire's on a LAPD Bell 406... :wink:
This 00003 is lovely!

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wolf8564
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Re: Call for ideas and tips - customizing BBI's Kiowa

Post by wolf8564 » Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:06 pm

As far as "Glazed Nose" I think you are talking about the lens ? if so take take diameter of the body tube and go to Hobby Lobby or Micheals and pick up a bag of clear Rhinestones the round type an not facetted.You can also paint them for the Infra red version

granch
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Re: Call for ideas and tips - customizing BBI's Kiowa

Post by granch » Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:11 am

Oh, thank you wolf8564. In my country, they are few and poor Hobby Loby stores, found some lens, but too big for the missile. Will use them for the lower side of my Blackhawk.
So, there is an other, infrared Hellfire? I didn't now that, what colour has its nose? (pic welcome)

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