A-129 Mangusta retrofit log

The project I’ve been looking forward to.
Curent situation: Italeri kit built more than 20 years ago, just the interior painted, no decals and missing wind pressure/ direction sensor.

Target: bring it back to life

Preparation: ordered spare parts and decal sheet from Italeri plus paint masks from KV Models.

Let’s get the show started! 

Cleaned the dust off the model with earbuds.

Polished the canopy with Tamiya’s polishing compound, looks like new now.

 

Placed the masks, they fit perfectly. The windshield wipers are left exposed by the masks, that’s a W. 

A bit of putty needed, not a big deal. 

Cleaned the extra putty with Mr. Leveling Thinner. The model is ready for primer.  

Primed, I’ve spotted some areas that need more sanding. Well, that’s life… 

For priming I used the traditional Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 Gray

SF-289 Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 Gray, Mr.COLOR Matt, Lacquer, 40ml 

Preshading and some more sanding. 

I removed the fixed tail rotor because I’m making it able to spin. 

Main paint applied, I think this is one of my favorite paints for combat helicopters Tamiya LP-73 Khaki. 

Decals are done and varnish applied to the model. 

 

The kit is now complete!

I added details and touch-ups—painted yellow tips on the tail rotor, enhanced the EOP detailing, weathered it with Tamiya panel liner and thinned MRP black for the engine exhausts, and even added the missing wind direction sensor. 

Better pictures will follow 🙂 Thanks for watching