MQ-8B Fire Scout

[jknaus]

Well I was well into my StuH 42 build and quite pleased with how the Miniart kit was coming together when disaster struck. Despite taking extra time I somehow glued the gun mount backwards and of course it will not fit into the hull backwards. Then a part popped off and that was all she wrote. So I picked up the Takom MQ-8B that arrived the other day and started pouring over the instructions. Of course Takom can not make things easy but after checking each instruction step I finally got the 4 different versions sorted out. If you get this kit there are 4 ways to assemble it and unfortunately the colour schemes do not align with the 4 variants. The easiest one is scheme A which has no scoops on the side of the fuselage and has the short nose. It is the last colour scheme shown. Colour scheme B is a short nose with scoops and ity is the second last colour scheme. Scheme C is the first colour scheme and it is a long nose with a scoop on the left side door just aft of what I think is an intake. Scheme D is the same but is missing this scoop. and it is the second colour scheme shown. I am doing scheme D with the long nose. Lots of tiny details on this kit and some things are installed early when they might be best left till last such as probes and antennas. I like to live dangerously and added them though. Anyways llets take a quick break to find out what exactly a MQ-8B is.
From Wikipedia: The Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout is an unmanned autonomous helicopter developed by Northrop Grumman for use by the United States Armed Forces. The Fire Scout is designed to provide reconnaissance, situational awareness, aerial fire support and precision targeting support for ground, air and sea forces. The initial RQ-8A version was based on the Schweizer 330, while the enhanced MQ-8B was derived from the Schweizer 333. The larger MQ-8C Fire Scout variant is based on the Bell 407. As of February 2018, 23 aircraft of the MQ-8B variant were in service with the U.S. Navy.[4] The MQ-8B was retired from service in October 2022.

I have yet to find pictures with the selected markings so it might be spurious, but I like it.
Here I am after a couple of hours today.

And the paint scheme.

James

 

[Rhino]

Does a Fire Scout carry any wep's?

 

[Sharkmouth]

Does a Fire Scout carry any wep's?

 

[jknaus]

They are coming out with a second kit which will have rockets and I believe Hellfires and the kit to show the blades folded.
I must say the instructions for this are not the best and there are a lot of tiny parts. Still it is well put together. I got a bit more done this morning. Need more pictures of the landing skids to understand how the support arms fit if that is what they are, and how the PE fits. The fuselage is just sitting on the winglet and the nose just press fit in right now.

James

 

[Rhino]

6 little bitty 2.75 rockets. Mongo unimpressed.

 

[jknaus]

6 little bitty 2.75 rockets. Mongo unimpressed.

The MQ-8B is fitted with stub wings which serve both an aerodynamic purpose as well as an armament carriage location. Weapons to be carried include Hellfire missiles, Viper Strike laser-guided glide weapons, and, in particular, pods carrying the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), a laser-guided 70 mm (2.75 in) folding-fin rocket, which the Army saw as ideal for the modern battlefield. The Army was also interested in using the Fire Scout to carry up to 200 pounds (91 kg) of emergency supplies to troops in the field.

The MQ-8B is being modified[when?] to permit rapid swap out of payload configurations. The current sensor configuration of a day/night turret with a laser target designator will remain an option. Alternate sensor payloads in consideration include a TSAR with Moving Target Indicator (MTI) capability, a multispectral sensor, a SIGINT module, the Target Acquisition Minefield Detection System (ASTAMIDS), and the Tactical Common Data Link (TCDL). The Army wanted the Fire Scout to operate as an element of an integrated ground sensor network as well.

Also looking at 50 cals, and 20mm weapons as well as other machine guns.

 

[jknaus]

I managed to get down in the basement today to do some modeling. It was both fun and aggravating at the same time. The Fire Scout is almost finished. Just need to paint it and then figure out the last bit of the rotor head and tail rotor and paint them. Then I can put on the clear pieces and call her done. I was hoping to start the second one but to tell the truth the Rotors have turned me off. The instructions are very poor when it comes to the constructiopn of the swash plate and the tail rotor with parts being shown added from a poor angle. The tail rotor has a small arm that attaches to the bottom and then 2 miniscule PE arms but the construction is shown from the top left so you do not see where to attach them. And there are no other instructions following that would allow you to figure it out. Finding pictures of the real thing is difficult also unless I want an air born shot of which there are many. The same with the swash plate showing 2 arms attaching to somewhere. No locator holes or anything I think they attach to each other and thats ho they are glued on mine but the location is a guess. The 3 control arms from the helicopter to the bottom swash plate are too short and so I will either have to make new ones or just ignore it. As it probably wont see the light of day I'm thinking they will be fine and if called out will just say they are wireless lol. Anyways here she sits pre paint with the rotor head perched on the mast and the tail rotor on the bench. Comments and critiques welcome. I guess next up is either a Sherman Mk V or the new Takom M48 A3 which I just got and do it in Marine markings in Vietnam from Star Decals when those arrive.

James

 

[jeaton01]

 

[moon puppy]

Very productive James!