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

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

....And t' contest? Well, it  won! Even without fancy flight tricks, it looks great in t' air. Aye aye! I think this, 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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