Kitty Hawk 1/35 AH-6J

By Taha Dar

"Barber 51" was one of (I believe) four armed little birds used in Operation Gothic Serpent ("Black Hawk Down") in Somalia in 1993. It was also the only one fitted with the FLIR ball on the turret.

This model took nearly 6 months of on-and-off building, with lots of aftermarket and scratchbuilding going into it.

Aside from the kit, we have Werner's Wings downturned exhaust, AH-6 upgrade kit, FLIR, and decals. From Black Ops Models we have the rocket pods and M134 barrels. From Red Fox we have the 3D decals for the cockpit. Reedoak helmets and flight gear were also used. Live resin flight controls that added a lot more detail compared to the kit parts. Tons of decals and 3D parts from Anyz to detail avionics/weapons/FLIR wiring, etc.

I also did lots of scratch building in the avionics and engine area that are hardly visible, including electronics wiring, engine pigtails, pumps and control pushrods for the engine bay.

The rivets got 0.3mm solder balls all-around.

Kitty Hawk 1/35 AH-6J

By Taha Dar

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