Roden 1/48th OV-1B/C Mohawk
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History
 The
Grumman model G -134 was the answer to a 1954 U.S. Army requirement for
an advanced battlefield reconnaissance aircraft. It had a tough incubation,
torn apart by inter-service rivalry, and conflicting service mission requirements.
The Army started out looking for a higher performance, higher capacity,
STOL observation aircraft. The Marines joined in, but all they wanted
was something simple to replace their OE-1 Birddogs. And because the Navy
paid the bills for the USMC the Navy said it had to be capable of operating
off of a Jeep carrier. The Air Force was opposed to it from the beginning
stating that under the joint forces agreements it was too big of an offensive
fixed wing airplane for the Army to be operating. The Air Force also felt
that the Army and Marine Corps were trying to steal the Air Forces battlefield
support mission. It is amazing that the airplane got built at all. In
the end, the Navy couldn't come up with the dollars to buy the airplane
for the Marines,  and
the Air Force graciously agreed to let the Army operate a fixed-wing aircraft
over 5,000 pounds, so long as it remained un-armed. Eventually the aircraft
was designated, under the pre-1962 Army system as the YOA-1AF. Y=Evaluation
aircraft, O=Observation, A= Fixed wing aircraft, -1 Model One, A=First
version, F=Grumman's manufacturer's code letter. As a safeguard, the Army
program office also reserved the Navy "OF-1" designator (Observation,
Grumman, #1) just in case the Marines did find some money. The first flight
occurred in April of 1959. And, in the Armys' tradition, they named it
after a Native American Tribe, the "Montauk". Of course no one
had ever heard of that small tribe and the name was soon changed to "Mohawk"
a well know tribe of fearsome warriors. Lastly, in 1962, at the direction
of Congress, the armed forces adopted a unified aircraft designation system
and the Mohawk at last became the OV-1A. O=Observation, V=STOL/VSTOL capable,
-1 model #1.
 The
OA-1A went into service first in Germany in 1961, and then in Vietnam
in 1962. The "A" model featured 1,005 SHP Lycoming T-53-L-7
turboprops, and a short span wing. Its principle mission was film and
camera based photoreconnaissance capabilities. The crew was protected
by an armored floor and rode on Martin Baker Mk-5 ejection seats.
Unlike most aircraft where the subsequent designations were a result
of improvements, the OV-1B and C models were planned from the very beginning,
only waiting on the needed technology to become available.
The OV-1B was equipped with the AN/APS-94 Side Looking Airborne Radar
(SLAR) in an 18-foot-long box attached to the lower right side of the
fuselage. This radar gave the Army day and night, all weather ability
to see enemy vehicles moving on the battlefield. To help lift the SLAR
package the wingspan on the B model was increased by almost six feet.
The engines were upgraded to 1,150 SHP, but not to help lift the load,
but to provide air-conditioning to the crews in Vietnam.
 For
more information see the following sites:
The Grumman OV-1 Mohawk for history and the AWAM
Archives for pictures.
The Kit
Doing reviews for IM is like winning a lottery. But in this case sometimes
yours is the only ticket in the drawing. Reviewers get emails from one
of the editors putting this kit or that kit up for grabs. When the note
came out for the Roden Mohawk OV-1B, I gave it a little thought. It was
my  scale,
although I don't do U.S. Army aircraft, I have a friend at work that flew
these planes in Vietnam, Germany and Alaska. Being forced to build it
for the review would finally fulfill my daydream of giving my co-worker
a model of his aircraft. But I had a lot on my plate, and I figured that
someone else would have jumped at the offer. A week or two later, I asked
Matt if anyone had claimed the Mohawk yet. No answer. Four days later
the 1/32 Roden Fokker Dr-I that I was expecting, along with the Mohawk,
showed up at my door. I guess no one else claimed it.
Roden Kit number 410 comes in a relatively large (16"x 10-1/2")
stout cardboard box. The box top art is a beautiful in-flight close-up
of two aircraft.
 Inside
you find two bags of well-molded sprues. The first bag contains the single
sprue of 19 clear pieces. However, not all of them are used on this kit.
A nice touch is that Roden has emphasized the non clear areas, frames
and instrument panels, with a slightly rough finish, making it easier
to distinguish what to mask and not to mask when you get ready to paint.
Another feature is the instrument panel decal is printed to be placed
on the backside of the instrument panel, thus lining all the gauges up
behind the bezels on the panel itself.
The second bag contains the instructions, decals and six sprues of 131
finely molded parts. There is little noticeable flash, and I only found
two ejector marks in the upper surface of the main landing gear areas.
This kit came in a light brown/tan plastic, roughly the same color as
the inside of the cardboard box. Sprues A, C, D and G (clear) appear to
be common to the earlier OV-1A/ JOV-1A release of this kit. Oddly the
illustrated parts layout in the instructions omit the weapons load out
on the two C sprues, but the gun pods, rocket pods, and pylons for this
option are still on this sprue. The F and H sprues are the SLAR pod and
long wings unique to the OV-1B.
 Some
options. Browsing the instructions it appears as if you have a choice
of open or closed cockpit doors (um, side panels, canopy sections, hard
to figure out a good name). And the boarding steps are in the extended
position. There is also a flap on the oil cooler assembly on the bottom
of the cowl that could be open or closed. The propeller blades are molded
separately from the hub and each other so you can position them from feather
to beta. And although the speed brakes are molded separately, the "B"
model aircraft did not have speed brakes.
 There
are 12 pages of instructions printed black on white on A4 sized paper.
They include a history page in three languages, two pages of parts layout
and assembly notes, 32 illustrated assembly steps, stencil application
drawing, three painting schemes and a table of the suggested colors, with
product numbers for Humbrol, Testors, Lifecolor and Gunze Sangyo.
Markings are for two gloss OD ARMY aircraft serving in Vietnam in 1967,
and for a bright red and white aircraft used by the US Department of the
Interior   in
1971. There are over 103 decals for this aircraft, the high count is due
to Roden providing ALL of the stenciling for the out side of the aircraft
in both black for the red/white plane, and in yellow for the OD airplanes.
As mentioned above there is a separate detailed stenciling application
diagram in the instructions. The decals themselves are clear, sharp, and
legible. The carrier film is centered over all of them, the few multiple
color items are in register.
Conclusion
This is another fine Roden kit that I am looking forward to building.
Again thanks to Roden for the
review kit, and to IM for the opportunity to do this review and build.
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