For my next build I will be building the Academy 1/48 scale TOW Defender 500D and using the kit decals for the Israeli Ai Force. This kit does lack some details so there will be some scratch building of the missing details.
I started off with the pod for the nose. The kit does not provide any details under the lens so I used some styrene to make the inside panel. I used a reference photo to replicate the panel. I then assembled the TOW missile launchers that mount on the sides of the fuselage. The reference photos show cabling from the fuselage thru the wing and into the pod. The kit does not provide this detail but I will add them later once they are mounted to the fuselage.
Next I started working on the cockpit and interior. The bulkheads have no details on them. I used some photo etch pieces to add the details. It looks like the inside of the fuselage halves will also need a lot of work due to the large mold marks. Switching over to the cockpit side I added seatbelts to the seats. One big detail that is missing is the cyclic control stick. I used some styrene rod and photo etch to replicate them. The instrument panel has no raised details and a very basic decal is supplied for the panel as well as the center console. I found some nice reference photos and created my own decals of them. The kit foot pedals were huge so I trim them down. I am going to wait to install the instrument panel until after the interior id mounted inside the fuselage.
I am currently working on the indie of the fuselage halves. Once the mold marks are corrected I need to use some styrene to replicate the inside ribbing.
The second week of the 500D Helicopter I was able to finish and install the interior. I added the interior fuselage details and some interior details with first aid bags in the rear area. The interior assembly was mounted into the port half. The starboard half had some interior detail added and then I installed the door. This is where this kit starts to show its bad fit. The door has a huge gap across the top edge and a small gap on the bottom right corner. I filled the gap in with putty and will re-scribe the door seam later. The upper windows above the doors have a 1mm gap as well. I used acrylic gel to fill this gap.
I then put the two fuselage halves together. This is where the fit huge issues rear its ugly face again. The interior assembly has a huge 2mm gap between the fuselage and cockpit floor. The fuselage is what is too wide. To properly mount the canopy I had to make a curved clamp to align the fuselage frame to the center of the canopy so they meet correctly. The top area and bottom area fit pretty well. The landing skids were mounted.
Speaking of the canopy, the raised markings for the canopy frame and the forward light bezel are molded on the inside. This makes no sense. For the forward light I used a photo etch part to be the light bezel. After the fuselage issues were corrected I added some of the ducts to the fuselage and added the tail. I then base coat painted the sandy brown paint. I then went to mount the nose pod. This is another part that does not fit very well. I sanded the edge that mounts to the canopy to get the gaps smaller and then I used putty to fill the gaps. I then finally scratch built the mounts for the cable antenna that runs across the underside of the fuselage.
I am working on the main and tail rotors now. All that is left are the decals, some more details on the fuselage, and the final top coat on the helicopter. I should have this finished by the end of the coming week.
The third and final week of the Academy 1/48 TOW Defender 500D helicopter build is now completed. To start with I sanded the area around the nose pod and finished all the detail painting. I used EZ-line to replicate the underside antenna line. There are two red lights on the fuselage. One is under the start of the boom and one on the tail. I cut off the molded “lights” and replaced them with clear lenses. These were then painted with Tamiya X-27 clear red paint. The top canopy windows were then tinted green using Tamiya X-25 Clear green paint. There are two side navigation lights on the front of the skids. I drilled these out and filled them with clear acrylic gel and then painted then with the clear red and clear green paint. The TOW launchers were then installed and the additional wiring was hooked to the fuselage.
The next step was the decals. The kit does not supply decals for the typical sandy brown paint scheme so I used reference photos and made my own decals. These were applied and a matte topcoat was applied. Finally the main rotor was assembled, painted, and installed. This completed the build.
In review, this kit has many fit problems especially around the side door, interior assembly, and nose pod. The kit also lacks a lot of details. The instructions have a good assembly flow. The only kit decals I used were the Israeli Air Force insignia’s on the sides. These went on very well. Overall I would consider this an average kit. I do not think I would recommend this kit mainly due to the fit issues. Granted not all kits are perfect but the fit on this kit was more bad than average. I hope you all have enjoyed following along and if you decide to tackle this kit at least you are aware if the main issues. Happy Modeling!
Completed photos
