OV-10A in 1/48.....anyone make a kit?

[mark]

So first up was my Revelogram F-4D....

On the bench now is a Tamiya A-1H Skyraider.  It's going well, and I'm ready for paint!

I'm starting to think about my next model, and I'm leaning towards staying with 1/48 scale Vietnam war aircraft.  I could do an A6 intruder, and I'm sure I will eventually....but I have this USAF thing in my head right now, and they didn't use the A6.

So I'm thinking about the weird, quirky North American OV-10A "Bronco".

Does anyone make a decent kit?  I've read that the Testors kit is pretty lame, and I'm not certain I want to spend a ton on aftermarket parts to bring it up to speed...

What else, if anything, is available?  Anyone know?

[TRM]

Hey Mark,

I was thinking Bronco Models has one in 1/48. Not sure if it a dog or not...but there are always work-arounds for something you want to build! E-bay should be riddled with them...Sprue Brothers too for short money.

Good luck!

[John Everett]

I saw a test shot model at the IPMS show two months ago. I'm thinking it was Panda models or something similar from China. The test shot had a canopy which didn't fit quite right. But he rest of the built kit looked pretty good.

Edit: disregard. The one I saw was from Kitty Hawk and it was 1/32 scale. Testors and Italeri both have it in 1/48. I would be willing to bet it's the same model just in a different box.

[mark]

I've been Google-ing (is that a word?)...

In 1/48, the Testors OV-10A = Hawk = Lindberg = Italeri, and from what I understand, it's a hideous kit...in fit, accuracy & lack of detail.

There were aftermarket parts that helped, but they appear to be from companies that are gone. Finding new-old stock seems to be difficult & expensive.

I want to stick to 1/48, so I think I'll be setting aside the notion of an OV-10A for the time being. I see an A6 Intruder in my future!

[JimD]

Yeah, I don't think the Testor's kit is anything you want to waste time on. I had it years ago and remember it being pretty awful. Sticking to 1/48 seems like a good plan if you want scale continuity in your collection, but the 1/32 Kitty Hawk kit is out there is you want to go that route, and it looks really nice.

Of course, an Intruder would be most welcome. That'd make 4 current Intruder WIPs here

[mark]

My 1/48 reasoning is two-fold: 1.) space limitations, and 2.) I like the look of my planes sitting side-by-side as if on a tarmac, and dissimilar scales would look 'wrong'.

A-6 is next.

[doogsatx]

In terms of size, a 1/48 Intruder is about the same size as a 1/32 Bronco.

That said, sweet, more tadpoles!