Blue Thunder/Green. . .

[noxioux]

I'm starting a militarized version of Blue Thunder.  This is the Kitech kit, which was super-cheap and looks like it will be a good platform for surgery.

The first thing is the cockpit.  I think the cockpit's pretty hokey, considering the seating arrangement.  Mine will have a more wrap-around style, with some more LCD's.  It will also get some winglets in place of the goofy police gear, and some extra weapons of some kind.  Not sure yet what that'll be.  It may even get a longbow-style radar and some AIM-9's. . .

[Taiidantomcat]

Nice start

[lenny100]

did one of those kits a year ago when i picked up on for £10 at the coventry show, its not to bad and makes a good model even out of the box

[MiB]

I love this copter!!

[chrisonord]

Cool 
What scale is this kit?
Chris.

[philp]

1/32nd

[chrisonord]

Cheers Phil, Big old kit then isn't it.
Chris.

[philp]

Since it was based on the Gazelle, not too big, 13-9/16" long (34.3 cm).  The old Monogram kit looked pretty good but I heard the fit, especially around the cockpit, wasn't that great.  The Kitech is pretty much a clone of the old version and my LHS was selling them for $10.  Passed because it isn't my scale but did think about it.  Aoshima did a 48th scale version with a little more detail, even had one version with a metal gattling gun.

[noxioux]

Yeah, it's not too big.  I don't thing the whole thing should top out at much more than 18 inches or so.

I have scrapped the gun from the kit--it was amazingly bad.  I'm replacing it with a 3-barrel gun made from some brass tubing.  Construction on the cockpit is nearly complete, I have a coat of primer on it, waiting for paint.  I'm using some 1/48 F4F wings to cut down for winglets. 

I believe this one will be lightly armed, but heavily fueled.  I'm thinking two big drop tanks on the wings and maybe some marker rockets.  It will be a sort of heavy scout/intelligence ship.

Pics to follow when I get the cockpit dropped in and secure.

[Captain Canada]

Looking good so far ! Never seen the kit, so it's hard to say I know what you're talking about. I'm interested in the original cockpit layout. I never really got into the movie, either.....always thought it was wierd that Sheriff Brody was looking for sharks in the city !

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

.....always thought it was wierd that Sheriff Brody was looking for sharks in the city !

....In a helicopter too.... odd that  - Nice start to the project, looking forward to the progress pics.

Ian

[noxioux]

.....always thought it was wierd that Sheriff Brody was looking for sharks in the city !

LOL. . . So I should be building a 3-barrel harpoon gun.  Quint will be riding back seat, manning the wing-mounted chum dispensers. . .

The original cockpit isn't anything too spectacular.  The original's control panel went across both front seats, like on a normal Gazelle.  However, that second seat is completely taken up by the big console for the backseat feller, and I thought it odd that you'd have half a control panel facing. . . nobody at all.  So I just wrapped the control paned around the driver a little better.

[G.Marcat]

You have done a good choice because the Blue Thunder helicopter is a perfect platform: using the imagination you can go to reproduce a lot of other interesting concepts.

[noxioux]

Updated construction pics...







Presently I'm putting in some enging cowling/armor, filling some (significant) holes and gaps, and getting ready for a shot of paint. . .

[sotoolslinger]

Very coool