1:32 Blue Thunder!

[K5054NZ]

Hi all!

Well, if its made up for a movie, it counts as a whiff, right?

Ok, I previewed this for MM yesterday: http://www.modelingmadness.com/reviews/civil/previews/08m3005.htm So, without further ado, onto my flash-filled adventure!


Started with the cockpit, of course! Not much choice with a chopper, really. Decent detail, and viewing the DVD about ten times over the course of a week has given me a good grasp for the right colours to use  .

Updates as and when. Hoping to maybe get the rotor assembly, um, assembled today, and fit the fuse together. Thing is, I need to find a really good deep, black blue for the exterior. Ideas?

[K5054NZ]

Oh, and before you ask, I am doing the stock movie bird, as opposed to a "true" whif. Hope that's ok....if not I can easily shift this EXCLUSIVE thread to another forum....and you can wait for the MM review......

[Sisko]

Nice cockpit work mate!

[Julhelm]

Is that a remold of the old Monogram 1/32 kit that I have? The cockpit sure looks the same.

[lenny100]

where can i get one in the uk?

[B777LR]

where can i get one in the uk?

The Blue Thunder is rare in any scale. Long out of production. Maybe hannants has a conversion set for the Aerospatialle Gazelle.

[philp]

Zac's kit is the new Kitech kit (which is probably a copy of the Monogram kit).  Waiting to see how his build goes before I get one myself.  They are all over the place here in Salt Lake, retail $9.99.  They also have a copy of the Airwolf kit Zac also picked up.  Never cared for that one that much.

[HOG]

"Thing is, I need to find a really good deep, black blue for the exterior. Ideas?"

People used to ask me questions like this all the time.
Simple answer, take your fav paint range,  Buy black, buy dark blue and mix. 
Reading this, it sounds flippant but trust me (I`m a designer disaster) it really does work.
Party on
Gary

[cthulhu77]

Are you going to be using rattlecan or an airbrush Zac?  Gary is right about mixing the paints together, though I usually like to throw a little red into the mix.  For rattlecan, they make a Chevy Deep Blue that I think they used on the original mockup for the film, obtainable from any auto parts store.

[K5054NZ]

Rattlecan probably. Can't afford booze ATM let alone an airbrush

Thomas is right - kinda! The Monogram kit is SUPER rare, but this Kitech one is cheaper than any standard 1:48 kit - and some 1:72 single-engine fighters - and is popping up everywhere. A REAL bargain.

UPDATES!


The instructions say the helmet is "not for use", but to hell with that! I'm doing it up and will place it on the pilot's seat as a sort of tribute to the dearly departed Roy Scheider .


The cockpit is practically done! Scratchbuilt a fire extinguisher from a 1:72 bomb and other bits, and the lot is now awaiting installation in the fuse.

Stay tuned!

[Brian da Basher]

Nice detail work, Zac-o-matic! I especially like your fire extinguisher.

Brian da Basher

[sotoolslinger]

Beauty Zac To show how old I am I remember building the original kit (no don't still have it)
Really looking forward to this one

[AeroplaneDriver]

What, no helmet for JAFO??   

Looking good Zac!  You can find the Kitech BT on ebay pretty easily for about $10.  What's the quality like?  I picked up a couple of their kits in a toy outlet a while back, just because they were $4 and I wanted to see what they were like.  Their 1/72 Prowler is pretty rough, but the 1/48 Flanker looks halfway decent.  The styrene is a bit pebbly like the Airfix 1/48 Hawk, but otherwise doesn't look too bad.  It looks like they are using (ripping off?) a lot of other manufacturers molds from the selection available on ebay. 

[Mossie]

Blue Thunder!  Looking forward to this, I was quite a fan of both the film & TV series when I was a kid, if not quite as much as Airwolf.  There's a built up kit on Fantastic Plastic:
http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/BLUE%20THUNDER%20PAGE.htm

Zac, Humbrol 104 is a good deep blue, you'd need to gloss it up afterwords.  Like Greg mentioned, you'll easily find automotive rattlecans in a similar colour even if you can't find the exact Chevy colour.

Nick, I bought a Kitech 1/48 Merkava for a mate & it was okay.  Not great on the detail front, but it had a motor, you might consider that a good or a bad thing!  From what I've heard, they're a bit hit & miss, some are great, others a little shaky.

[philp]

Tamiya makes a Chevy Blue in a Rattlecan that also may work (Gordon's #24).