# Blue Thunder helicopter



## Xenodyssey

Hi everyone

I've gone back to doing some kits that have been my stash too long. Recently I worked on the Monogram kit of the Blue Thunder helicopter from the movie and tv series of the same name. 

No customising, straight from the box. I have added the red stripes onto the canopy at this point but otherwise feel it's complete. 

http://www.xenodyssey.com/portfolio/Models/BlueThunderFront.jpg
http://www.xenodyssey.com/portfolio/Models/BlueThunderSide.jpg
http://www.xenodyssey.com/portfolio/Models/BlueThunderOverhead.jpg
http://www.xenodyssey.com/portfolio/Models/BlueThunderInSunRear.jpg

Currently I am working on the Italeri kit of the RAH-66 Comanche. Except I've converted it to the fictional Sea Comanche that is mention in James Cobb's books about the USS Cunningham. Photos to follow in a new thread.


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## John P

Nice!
I did the same just a few years ago - found the ol' Blue girl in the stash and just built 'er stratght OTB. I went with straight Blue Angels blue, but I like your metallic better.


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## JamesInNC

Sweet build! I just ordered this kit along w/some Apollo kits. Hope I can do justice to it as well as you did.

James


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## Xenodyssey

Thanks.

I have to say although the decals stayed together they were really out of register and blurry. I thought the metallic blue would spice her up a bit. The only bit of customising was having a printout of a screengrab of the video monitor in the cockpit.

Anyone notice that the body of the helicopters seems a different scale to the cockpit? The model is supposed to be 1/32 but I'd swear the cockpit interior is more like 1/48.


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## irishtrek

I thought the metalic blue was not the right blue. But what about the gold trim, is that correct??? I ask because it's been a long time since I've seen the movie.


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## fluke

NICE!! :thumbsup:


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## Xenodyssey

There are red stripes on some of the canopy frames of the real prop. I guess the idea was to kind of make them look like eyes since the whole helicopter has an insect-like look.

Being somewhat lazy I haven't re-masked the canopy yet and painted them on. The red stripe decals that came with the kit were useless unfortunately. Too wide, out of register and less than opaque.


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## Scorpitat

I built one of these eons ago, and loved the finished kit. It met an early demise though, so a few years ago I got another boxed kit on evilbay, and it sits in my stash, waiting to be built some day. Great job on the build, btw....looks great! I wish they had included a pilot and "JAFO" figure for the kit to complete it. Maybe I can do that when I finally do mine. 

All I need now to complete my missing old kits I've built is an AIRWOLF kit, in box. That, Blue Thunder, and the U.S.S. Cygnus kit I have from "The Black Hole" round out my grails.


Sincerely,
Scorp.

"Boldly GO!" :thumbsup:


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## Xenodyssey

I have most of my built helicopter kits sitting up on top of a really high wall mounted bookself because of their fragility. Actually the Blue Thunder model seems more robust, probably because of it's scale.

It's weird about the lack of figures, at least they supplied an empty helmet!

I've got an Airwolf kit in my stash waiting to be made, I lucked out when the local hobby store got a bunch of them in a year or 2 ago (in Sydney).


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## John P

Aoshima came out with some very nice 1/48 scale kits of both Blue Thunder and Airwolf a year or so ago. They seem to be out of production now, though - can't find them at HLJ.

Meanwhile, here's my Monogram kit:
http://www.inpayne.com/models/bluethunder1.html


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## irishtrek

I don't suppose that there is a model of both birds in the same scale or are we stuck with 2 different scales?????


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## Xenodyssey

Nice work John. The detail in the cockpit is really good. Really should do the red canopy strips on mine, yours came out well.


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## miniature sun

Nice work both of you...I'm tempted to seek one of these out now, I've passed on this kit several times in the past.


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## John P

irishtrek said:


> I don't suppose that there is a model of both birds in the same scale or are we stuck with 2 different scales?????


Yes, like I said, the two Aoshima kits are both 1/48.


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## Xenodyssey

Here's a review of the Aoshima Blue Thunder kit Irishtrek 

http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/aos/kit_aos_48004.shtml

There are a couple listed on ebay for around 45 GBP


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## roadrner

Not sure about the color or the stripes, it still looks good to me! :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr


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## JamesInNC

Just got my BT in today w/my Apollo kits. Five kits in all.

My BT is the Monogram 1/32, bought from the Sell/Swap forum here on HT for just $20!

For now it's going into my stash while I work on what's already on my bench.

John - did you use the red stripe decals on the canopy, or paint them?

James


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