OV-10 Bronco

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Has anyone performed a check-fit of the 1/72nd scale Italeri C-130J propeller and spinner on the 1/48th scale Hawk/Testors/Italeri OV-10 Bronco?  I think the six blade propellers are a nice touch and it would certainly improve the appearance of the Bronco.

Had a chance to answer my own question today when I pulled a six-blade propeller from the 1/72nd scale Italeri/Testor's C-130J kit and did a quick comparison of propeller blade length with the propeller blade parts from the 1/48th scale Hawk/Testor's/Italeri OV-10 Bronco.  Interestingly enough, the blades are almost the same length from stem to tip so mating up the propeller and spinner from the 72nd scale C-130J to the 48th scale OV-10 would create an obvious and quite pleasing to the eye improvement over the three-blade propeller provided in the kit.  So anyone that has the money to spend on Jen's 1/72nd scale resin C-130J engine and propeller upgrade could get enough propellers to fit out a couple of kits.  The alternative is to purchase the entire 1/72nd scale C-130J kit. 

[JayBee]

Question: have any of the Bronco kits featured the dorsal J-34 pod from the German OV-10BZ target towing version as an option?

Revel Germany did issue the 1/72 kit as the target tug version, but I can not remember if it had the jet pod. The rear fuselage glazing was given only as a transfer, not a clear moulding.

[Archangel]

The OV-10 would make a great wwhay-if for an armed escort for the UH-1 Hueys during Vietnam. If the Air Force would have allowed it the Bronco would have made for a great gunship platform without mods to the airframe unless the Army felt it needed a larger bomb load to carry. The Bronco would have been able to stay with the Hueys and the need for a dedicated Gunship likethe AH-1 might not have happened. 

[PR19_Kit]

Question: have any of the Bronco kits featured the dorsal J-34 pod from the German OV-10BZ target towing version as an option?

Revel Germany did issue the 1/72 kit as the target tug version, but I can not remember if it had the jet pod. The rear fuselage glazing was given only as a transfer, not a clear moulding.

According to the SAM issue on the German OV-10s only one was ever fitted with the J-34 and they didn't seem to like it all that much, thus it's unique status.

As for trying to duplicate a socking great clear panel like that in decal, well words fail me!   

[jcf]

The Germans purchased twelve OV-10B(Z) with the pod-mounted J85 (not J34).
The jet-pods were later removed.

http://www.bredow-web.de/Luftwaffenmuseum/Transport/Rockwell_OV-10/rockwell_ov-10.html


Jon

[PR19_Kit]

While I agree with the J-85 v J-34 issue, I re-iterate what I wrote about only one OV-10B(Z) being flown as such.

As SAM doesn't exist in web form I can't provide a link but I can quote word for word what it says in the article by Malcolm V. Lowe, a respected author on such matters, in the SAM issue of June 1986.

The original order was for 18 aircraft, 12 of which were to be re-configured with the roof-mounted jet, the work to have been carried out by Rhein Flugzeugbau after the aircraft had arrived in Germany. Construction nos. of the aircraft were 338-1 to 338-18 and originally flew with German B class reggies D-9545 to D-9562. These came via the purchasing facilites of the US Navy and had been listed under Bu. Nos. 15829 to 158309. Subsequently the Broncos carried military style serials 99+16 to 99+33. At least one of these aircraft survives and is flying in the UK, with another non-flying example, so far, held in reserve.

The single aircraft converted with the auxiliary jet was D-9545 and '....it is reputably reported that this conversion was not wholly successful.....'

[kitbasher]

Cool!  Ideal Special Ops material - maybe even as a paradropper alternative (civvy and military) to the Islander and other types - maybe even up to An-2, Arava, etc, size.  SAR adaptations, perhaps?
I'll be following the build thread from now on.   

[Jschmus]

I joined the Yahoo mailing list for the OV-10 Bronco Association a few years back when the Carolinas Aviation Museum still had an OV-10D.  It's a great font of information, whether you're seeking technical data or accounts of combat experiences.  Over the weekend, Mike Whaley posted the following message:

The OV-10T lives!! (Well, sort of...)

All,

I just ran across a photo of what I thought was an OV-10T, except it wasn't.  Turns out it's a neat piston-powered plane called the Wolfsberg-Evektor Raven 257, which was first developed in the late 1990s and appears to still be alive as the Wolfsberg Corvus 1F. I'm sure you'll notice that it's awfully close in general arrangement and even in size to the proposed (but never built) transport version of the Bronco, the OV-10T. Pretty neat! I'veattached photos of the Raven/Corvus and OV-10T.

-------------------------
Wolfsberg / Evektor Raven 257

Background:

Preliminary design of this light utility twin-prop transport aircraft, then known as the Wolfsberg Raven 257, was started by Alec Clark of the Belgian company Wolfsberg Aircraft in 1995, and detail design was done in 1997. A number of companies participated in the manufacturing of the prototype, including Letov Air in Prague, Czech Republic (wings and tail surfaces), Evektor-Aerotechnik in Kunovice (fuselage and final assembly), and GAIC of China (landing gear).  

In early 1999 Wolfsberg-Evektor was formed, to manage the Raven program, while on June 1, 2000, Letov Air became a subsidiary of Wolfsberg Aircraft as Letecká Tovarna (Aircraft Factory), abbreviated to Letov. Registered as OK-RAV, the pictured aircraft flew for the first time on July 28, 2000. Only four months later, on November 21, 2000, the partnership with Evektor-Aerotechnik was terminated and development and production was transferred to Letov and the Raven had some major structural modifications.

In 2003 Letecká Tovarna was restructured and became Wolfsberg Letecká Tovarna s.r.o., and a second prototype was constructed with the designation Corvus 1, and registered as OK-WLT it was flown for the first time at Praha-Kbely on June 6, 2006.

The Raven registration OK-RAV was cancelled on September 4, 2006, it disappeared without a trace on November 22, 2007, after it departed Colesberg, South Africa.

Raven 257:

Weight 5,952.48 lbs
Dimensions: Height 13.12 ft / Length 39.76 ft / Wing span 45.93 ft
Engines: 2
Crew: 2 / Passengers 8
Performance: Altitude 16,404.20 ft / Max. Speed 145.79 kt / Cruising range
715.44 nm

Corvus 1F:

2 x 310 shp engines, 9 passengers, MTOW 3100kg

Some interesting info on the problems with the Corvus 1F development, and some of the technical fixes to them, can be found here: http://www.vandame. cz/aero_eng. html An excerpt: "The Corvus was so badly designed that for an airfield at Sea-level, in ISA conditions, the take-off weight had to be limited to 2800kg, which is quite low when compared to the MTOW of 3100kg. Well designed airplanes are still able to take-off at their MTOW from hot-and-high airfields. To cure I combined two methods: First I added wing-tips, then I decreased the base drag with vortex generators mounted on the rear part of the fuselage."

Neat video of the Corvus 1F including a walkaround, ground scenes, and takeoff: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=vuR2kD5Y5c8 (Audio removed by the greedy copyright mafiaa)

Another video with good air-air tuft-testing footage, and some very strange music: http://marty. coex.cz/video/ cesnou_za_ corvusem. html

I threw in a couple of stills pulled off the web.




Jeff, I fixed your edit, 'cause I pulled the photos.  Mike Whaley's original message had a bunch of attached images, and they were tiny.

***fixed html and added quote code***

[PR19_Kit]

That bottom photo had my eyeballs popping out! If that isn't a CV-10 I don't know what is, the only difference is the fixed gear!

I want one! 

[famvburg]

       Look at the tail, too.

That bottom photo had my eyeballs popping out! If that isn't a CV-10 I don't know what is, the only difference is the fixed gear!

I want one! 

[philp]

Been thinking the Bronco would look good in US Customs markings like the Skyraider Mav profiled.
Actually have the markings for a 72nd H-60 so now just need to decide if it should be the version with the turreted tribarrelled 20mm.

[Maverick]

Phil,

I did an OV-10D NOGS in the US Customs scheme.

Regards,

Mav

[DarrenP]

What a classic aircraft it would have been great for Iraq and Afghanistan although many of its roles are now carried out by UAV's but a more modern version made from the orignal plans would be superb.
I do wonder how they would have Faired over Rhodesia as a replacement for the Reims-Cessna FTB337G (Lynx) or If the British Army Air Corps had replaced the DHC2 Beaver with them for observation and Photographic recce over Northern Ireland.
I think the Philipines have been looking at re-engining their fleet with PT6a.
Some other What If's would be an RAAF one for East Timoor.

[famvburg]

      Didn't the prototype have PT-6s?

What a classic aircraft it would have been great for Iraq and Afghanistan although many of its roles are now carried out by UAV's but a more modern version made from the orignal plans would be superb.
I do wonder how they would have Faired over Rhodesia as a replacement for the Reims-Cessna FTB337G (Lynx) or If the British Army Air Corps had replaced the DHC2 Beaver with them for observation and Photographic recce over Northern Ireland.
I think the Philipines have been looking at re-engining their fleet with PT6a.
Some other What If's would be an RAAF one for East Timoor.

[apophenia]

      Didn't the prototype have PT-6s?

The YOV-10 had T76s (Garrett-AiResearch TPE331s). The 7th prototype had T74s (PT6As) for comparison trials (most of the LARA competitors offered either engine) so a Philippine engine swap would be fairly straightforward.