Need Ideas......1/32 Blue Thunder

[stevev22fe]

I am in the finishing stages of the old Monogram Blue Thunder Helicopter kit. Although I do like how Blue THunder looks with the flat black underside and law enforcement blue everywhere else. I really want to do something different with it. Here's what I am thinking:

In the movie Blue Thunder, we see actually see Blue THunder Prototype Number Two as depicted by the "02" in the pseudo engine nacelles. It is assumed that "01" was a true test vehicle, possibly used by the military. Going with this school of thought, I don't want something that people will look at and go, "Hey, Blue Thunder", but more of a earlier re-imagining of Blue Thunder.

Any thoughts?

[philp]

If it was for the US Army, would be in the Helo Green color which I find kind of boring.  If it is a combat version could go with the greys or tans like the Marines put on their Cobras during Desert Storm.

[B777LR]

French Army

[Silver Fox]

House colours if the fictional manufacturer? Perhaps full stealth colours and markings?

If you wanna get very weird... USCG.

[jcf]

If you wanna get very weird... USCG.

SAR gunship?

"Get in the rescue basket or we'll kill you" ? 

[Cobra]

how about adding the 'U.S.Customs' markings to it and turn it into a Border Security Aircraft?? that work for You?

[Sauragnmon]

You could always go Whif Lite - use the marking and colours of existing police forces.  Detroit PD Black and Yellow, for example.  Some of those cities where gang violence is a big problem, and where it might just help to have a gunship on call for the problems even SWAT goes "are you kidding me?" over.

[dragon]

You could always go Whif Lite - use the marking and colours of existing police forces.  Detroit PD Black and Yellow, for example.  Some of those cities where gang violence is a big problem, and where it might just help to have a gunship on call for the problems even SWAT goes "are you kidding me?" over.

..or Gotham PD, Metropolis PD, etc.  California Highway Patrol would be too obvious.  Salem Massachusets has an interesting police logo http://www.salempd.org/The%20Cop%20Shop%20Patches.htm
...Fractal desert would look cool (exp: see the "tumbler" before it becomes "The Batmobile" in Batman Begins).

[grayman]

Just some thoughts if you are thinking about a prototype ("01")...

Seeing as the movie is firmly set in the '80's, maybe you could adapt a US prototype scheme, for example, combining dayglo orange nose/tail and olive drab (both gloss) a la Cheyenne? Adapted for a police application, perhaps orange and midnight blue.

Another option (hi-viz, very '70s/'80s) could be a red/white scheme (http://www.flickr.com/photos/graguitar/2180821849/), although this could be considered a bit Coast Guard-ish.

On reflection I think my warped mind is trying to suggest a paint scheme that is juxtaposed against the very nature of the helo (i.e., a gunship with a most harmless, almost civilian scheme).

[Radish]

I built one many many years ago as an RAF "Nissan Veloceraptor". The RAF had been privatised, and this was operated by a squadron sponsored by a bank, the Nat West.
It's still up in the loft I think.
Perhaps it's due a return to the exhibition scene.
It was all blabk, heavily weathered of course.

[Mossie]

I like the '01' idea.  I haven't seen the film for many years, but I'm pretty sure it's at least alluded to that Blue Thunder is a military helicopter.  The Cobra prototype, S-67 & YAH-63 (mock up at least) all wore camouflage schemes in their test lifetimes, so you could go down this route?

Going with your suggestion of a 01 being more of a demonstrator & 02 being the operational prototype, you could go as far as you like with changes.  Maybe change the gun for a more minimalist turret & remove the 'engine nacelles'.  If you wanted to go further, you could give it a different rotor (maybe an earlier two-blade?) & possibly remove the fenstron & replace it with a conventional tail rotor?  If you want to make no changes, 02 itself may likely have been painted in a military scheme or house colours at one point, before it was touted as a Police 'copter?

Running with the Police forces idea, LAPD would tie in with the film.  Maybe the nefarious plot was still brought to fruition despite Murphy destroying Blue Thunder & several 'copters served with the LAPD?  Maybe in a similar LAPD 80's scheme as the Jet Rangers in the film wore?:
http://www.indyhelis.com/bluethunder.htm

[Weaver]

Wasn't there a Sea Cobra demonstrator painted black with a gold pinstripe that became a cobra's head on the side of the cockpit? You could follow that cue: take the name literally (sort of) and paint it a bright blue with, say, a silver lightning flash on the side (can't really paint "thunder" can you?).

[TsrJoe]

for an '01' prototype ship how bout plain US. Army green with poss high vis additions to the scheme or even that nice looking US. Marines scheme of light grey with 2 greens (i recall seeing same as an option with the Testors/Italeri 'Stingbat' kit!)

modifications wise id go with similar to that mentioned prev too, poss not having the boost jets or even simpler, how bout a suitable missile armament emphasising its original military roots, eg, Hellfire missiles from an Apache kit?

def looking forward to seeing how this one turns out, cheers, joe

[stevev22fe]

Thanks to everyone for your ideas. I did like the Detroit idea!

Since I want to go with a prototype vision...picture if you will......

US Army Helo/Olive Drap over what would be the Blue areas of Blue Thunder.
Dark Gray on the underside armor plated areas.
Flat Black Glare shield and Anti-glare in the forward nose area

The tail would have a day-glo orange band with a number 1 in the day-glo band.
The bottom half verticals on the horizontal stabs would be day-glo orange as well
There will be a day-glo orange band on the tailboom.

Look at pics of the ARH-70A Arapahoe for the day-glo idea.

"United States Army" on the tailboom.
Information stencils all over the aircraft.

for an '01' prototype ship how bout plain US. Army green with poss high vis additions to the scheme or even that nice looking US. Marines scheme of light grey with 2 greens (i recall seeing same as an option with the Testors/Italeri 'Stingbat' kit!)

modifications wise id go with similar to that mentioned prev too, poss not having the boost jets or even simpler, how bout a suitable missile armament emphasising its original military roots, eg, Hellfire missiles from an Apache kit?

def looking forward to seeing how this one turns out, cheers, joe

[slackjack]

It's an Aerospatiale, so I'd rule out a US military setup - too incredible.

But, imagine a Colombian drug lord funding it. The back story could make for an amazing novel, especially when considering the Al Qaida relationship. Imagine a "Central American" setting with one of these, with a similar-to-AHIP sight that allows for some serious watching out for the Federales and "A-Team" guys... I'd picture a REALLY cool, NO MARKINGS "tiger-stripe" camouflage scheme that could hide from Venezuelan Federales and Columbian revolutionaries alike.

Might be pretty neat like that.