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

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

....And t' contest? Well, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me bucko, it  won! Even without fancy flight tricks, arrr, shiver me timbers, matey, it looks great in t' air. Blimey! Arrr! I think this, shiver me timbers, matey, combined with  t' size o' t' model and it's rarity, me bucko, me bucko, worked for me in t' judging (won by only 5pts over a beautiful Merc

Flights

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