600 Size OH-58A Kiowa (Funkey Conversion)

First order of business was to sand out and eliminate all the original paint and surface detail. This took a while as much of the original surface detail is actually thin tape underneath the clear coat. I filled in these lines everywhere except for the rear door seam lines.

I also removed both the engine bay doors and fabricated new ones to match the original OH-58A cowlings. The doors themselves were made from styrene with 3D printed vent detail behind them. I also 3D printed a new pilot air vent for the nose. The model was then coated in primer, and rivet detail applied to the rear section.

One of my major gripes with the Funkey Jetranger fuselage was always the placement of the hatch seams. I could never stand how it sliced through the middle of the rear door and fuselage along no existing lines. Most other manufacturers try to hide a hatch by making it follow a seam line. So, I decided to redo it, and move the hatch seam above the rear door. Still working on the mating surfaces between them, but it’s already an improvement In my eyes.