Estes LTV Scout

Estes - LTV Scout {Kit} (1287)

Contributed by Jay Roberts

Length: 36.10 inches
Manufacturer: Estes
Skill Level: 3
Style: Scale
Estes- LTV Scout
(by Jay Roberts courtesy) 

[Picture]Bought this monster from Bob Craddock for a fairly reasonable price. Blimey! Arrr! I had one when they were in production, but never finished it. Avast! Aye aye! Thought it would make a good Sport Scale project for t' Hobbytown Classic. T' kit goes together well, with t' typical well illustrated instructions. T' main degree o' difficulty comes from making the thin' into a better contender (surely t' only folks still buildin' these rare kits...). Avast! Aye aye! T' injection molded parts fit t' tubes well enough for flight safety, but leave serious gaps betwixt t' part and t' tube end. Blimey! Blimey! T' parts in my set were also slightly out-of-round, but sittin' in some hobby shop basement for 15yr could be t' cause o' that! Luckily, I've had some experience building plastic models. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' gaps were filled usin' Squadron White Putty. Avast! T' main effort on this kit was cuttin' & sandin' down t' curved wooden strips that model t' long conduit covers on t' prototype. Begad! Just for grins, I used some little photoetched rings for some o' t' exterior detail. Begad! It'll never be seen from a judgin' distance, but it looks great close-up! Had t' use two sets of decals, me hearties, me original set be off-register, shiver me timbers, and o' course t' other set has the cracks o' age. Despite what it sounds like, I really enjoyed t' thing. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! It's 1

24 scale, matey, and looks VERY impressive. Aye aye! Hey, it's almost 3ft. Ya scallywag! tall! Besides, me hearties, most of t' work was bringin' what was a mass-produced kit t' some kind of overachievement. Blimey! Around here, me bucko, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, we joke that I built it in 5 hours, me bucko, and spent the other 25 sandin' it!! 

....And t' contest? Well, matey, ya bilge rat, it  won! Even without fancy flight tricks, it looks great in t' air. Begad! Avast! I think this, shiver me timbers, combined with  t' size o' t' model and it's rarity, worked for me in t' judging (won by only 5pts over a beautiful Merc

Flights

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