Roden 1/48 OV-1A Mohawk Build Review
By Fotios Rouch
| Date of Review | December 2018 | Manufacturer | Roden |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | OV-1A Mohawk | Scale | 1/48 |
| Kit Number | 0406 | Primary Media | Styrene (plus lots of aftermarket goodies) |
| Pros | Nice subject | Cons | See text |
| Skill Level | Intermediate | MSRP (USD) | $39.98 |
The Build
This is the very nice Roden Mohawk OV-1A kit build. For an inbox first-look and brief history please visit here.
I decided to add all the resin goodies that I was aware of. There must be some psychological study somewhere about the reason why modelers do that to themselves...
I started with the cockpit by Cobra Co that is now sold to Mike West of Lone Star Models. I have not seen how Mike has adapted the Cobra molds to production, but the old resin set is flawlessly molded. The masters were done by Scotty Battistoni for those of us that remember Mr. Cockpit!
This model needs lots and lots of lead to keep it from sitting on its tail. I added it under the cockpit and behind the cockpit. I also opened the front of the fuselage so I can add more if needed behind the nose piece.
The resin engine fronts from Quick boost are a nice addition and you can see the differences between resin and plastic in the comparison shot. The problem with the solid resin chunk engine fronts is that "monolithic casting" (as good old Bondo Phil used to say - God rest his soul) tend to shrink in various ways. Mine had fit issues in width in one and height in the other. I am sure the masters were fine but the resin does its thing and I bet they all differ and some might be prefect.
My port wing trailing edge was short shot and needed help with styrene sheet.
The base color is Xtracolor Helo Drab. I like the gloss finish for the decal adhesion and color fidelity. Too bad our ridiculous rules will not let me have these nice paints imported again in the US...
I had some different research images conflict with the exact details of the paint scheme. I think I got close enough. What a lovely plane!
The final product is satisfactory and looks the part. Be careful with the wingtip nav lights, they do not line up and need work. Also feather the prop blades as is the case with Mohawks and some other turboprops. The Roden decals are OK but not great. At a minimum you need different national insignia. There are so many nice Mohawk schemes and variants that I would like to add to my display case...
