"15mm VTOL transport and 15mm VTOL gunship kitbashes" Topic

Threw two VTOLs together for my 15mm companies. I think the engines on the transport should move to the top of the airframe instead of the bottom to allow free door gunning. Transport is about 30% bigger than gunship. Comments welcome.

like where you are going with this

Great conversions!

Very nice. The shortened tail makes quite a difference and stops them looking too helicopter-y.

G.

Slick conversions!

Great work man! Can you dig it?

I think the engines on the transport should move to the top of the airframe instead of the bottom to allow free door gunning.

Agree, though I think some 'doors' could probably be in the belly to allow dropping to the ground as far from the jetwash as possible.

What did it start out as? I want to say Hokum and…?

Doug

I like 'em. My only difference in terms of utilizing the opportunity presented by an open former rotor bay would be a remote controlled or even manned gun turret.

That said, you inspired me to finish up my repainted Matchbox sci fi chopper gunships for my Tomorrow's War JSDF SNLF synthetic infantry brigade…. Now you make me regret being lazy and not hacking off the counter rotating rotors and adding jump jets to the stub wings…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Thanks for the feedback!

Both birds started out as either 1:100 Apache, or 1:72 Apache.

I've got another 1:72 kit on the way and i'll take a look at the bottom doors. There are actually door imprint in the bottom already so that might work really well.

I'll post the next one up during the build.

This is exactly what is so great about model kits. A motivated or experienced modeler can work wonders with them. I love the smell of polystyrene dust in the morning!

…a remote controlled or even manned gun turret.

To my shame, I once took a 1/48th Hind, put a squat (tight fit!) in the driver seat, and a SM captain replacing said rotors, leading from above. Don't they make such LOVELY targets, especially the badges, bright colors, personal banners, et al.

However, I can certainly understand a sensor pod for peeking over that covering ridge…

Doug

Wattworks, so your above comment is a bit puzzling.
You said both above started as either 1/72 or 1/100 scale.
Not one of each scale?
Or is the transport just that much converted?
I agree on moving the pylons on the transports.

ODB, you talking remote turpentine for the unshielded as the transport has one? I can see the gunship having a sensor array.
When you getting those MB gunships up and running?

Grimm

"ODB, you talking remote turpentine for the unshielded as the transport has one? I can see the gunship having a sensor array."
Holy Crap my fingers are broke. Maybe my brain stopped working. Anyway, that line should have been…..

ODB, you talking remote turret for the gunship as the transport has one?

Damn brain.

Grimm

"Turpentine?" THAT explains EVERYTHING about you, TDB! LOL!!!

And no, I was referring to a *gun* turret rather than a remote missile array manned or otherwise:

Just seems like a missed opportunity to me, kinda like why from my perspective nobody's done a VTOL gunship with a nose mounted armament package like this:

Seriously, YDB, what's not to love about an eight gun nose backed up by four more heavy automatics in "sideburn" pod mounts all aimed at the same point of convergence?

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

ODB, In sci-fi manned turrets don't cut it in gunships. Then I recall SW. But only SW though.
B-25 Mitchell. My favorite WWII non fighter. Love the guns. But they need to be bigger.
The remote missile turret is a good thing. Is there really size for a manned ball turret up there?

Wish Wattworks would catch. Would love to know the scale question answered.

Grimm

I originally had a 1/100 apache that i worked on to build the gunship. It was a little small to add any troops in the back so i tried a 1/72 apache for the transport. Realized none of the pics show this too well.
Here's a side by side that shows the difference. I did cut the tail boom down and on the transport i removed about an inch of the canopy and made smaller windows that were more in scale…

[URL=http://s701.photobucket.com/user/biowire/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image.jpeg.html]

Wattworks, it was the comment of "both started out as" that threw me.
Your correction makes sense now.
The 1/72 really looks good sizewize.
Now the Hind pops into my head.

Grimm

I thought it was fairly easy to understand what he meant regarding the scales he started with… Good job and a similar project to what I'm considering doing as well.