OV-1A / JOV-1A Mohawk

Clear Prop!, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Graham Carter

This is a new Ukrainian company to me, and I am certainly impressed with this offering. A glossy thin card lid embellished with a great illustration of a Mohawk in action is a tight fit over an strong top-opening white cardboard inner box contains the parts. There are seven dark grey sprues in there own clear sleeves, a clear sprue two decal sheets and a double PE set. The 28-page colour A5 instruction booklet is a work of art and an example for other small companies to follow.

The Mohawk began development as a Bird-Dog replacement in the late 1950s, offering a great deal more speed, carrying capacity and weaponry than the tiny Cessna plane, although carrying out a similar role as a two-seat observation and attack craft, while operating from relatively unprepared airstrips. It entered service in 1961 and some 380 were built in a   number of different variants. (info from the instruction booklet). 

This kit is a more than adequate replacement for the aged and now hard to get Hasegawa/Frog kit that has long been the only one available. It is styled an ‘advanced kit’ and it certainly is.

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The parts of this kit are very well moulded with excellent surface detail and texture. No sign of seams or flash are visible. Control surfaces are all separate to allow some different poses. Wheel wells and dive brake interiors are well represented but it is the cockpit that stands out. There are fifteen construction stages devoted to this are and, given the huge canopy area, it is worthwhile really doing a good job here.

Using a combination of plastic and PE parts the modeller will end producing an absolute gem with careful construction and painting.

Each of the two seats is made up of twenty parts plus a decal, while the instrument panel and consoles have PE and decals to represent instruments, controls and pedals. It should look absolutely splendid  when finished. Paint details are called out in every stage with reference to a Mr.Color and A-Mig table as well as colour names.  

Wheel-wells and dive brake orifices are similarly detailed with plastic and PE parts while the main undercarriage legs are simple single pieces with separate struts.

The front leg is much more complex and consists of eleven parts. Props and spinners are five parts each and allow you to feather the blades if you wish. Undercarriage and dive-brake doors have nice detail on the inside surfaces. A clever idea is to have the wing-tips moulded in transparent plastic so that realistic wing lights can be made.

There is no mention as to the need for nose weight but I would imagine that it would be very necessary given the amount of aeroplane behind the main wheels. I reckon you will need to cram whatever you can into the limited space around and above the nose well and in the fronts of the cowlings/nacelles as well.  There are tanks and rocket packs to add to the wing hard-points as you choose. 

Five decal choices are on the nicely printed double sheet with hundreds, literally, of stencils and lines to be added to the airframe.

A separate pair of colour drawings show where the latter go.

The five alternatives differ only in markings as all aircraft are overall Olive Drab, either new or faded, with black leading edges and engine areas. 

They are:

1. JOV-1A, 60-3736 of 225th Aviation Coy, Vietnam, December 1964,

2. OV-1A ,59-2617of 23rd Special Warfare Detachment, Vietnam 1963,

3. OV-1A, 63-13129 of 73rd Aviation Company, Vietnam 1966,

4. OV-1A , 59-2617 as above , Vietnam 1967, with special markings on upper surfaces, and

5. OV-1A , 63-13125 of 73rd Aviation Company, Vietnam , September 1964.

It appears that the modeller will have to paint the grey walkways before adding the black decal outlines, and the small separate sheet contains the US markings in split forms to fit over open brake doors. 

Transparencies are blemish-free and thin. They provide the canopy in separate parts to enable the canopy to be posed open to show off that amazing interior.

All-in-all, this is a pretty special kit of an important participant in the Vietnam War and , if this is your area of interest, then this is the kit for you. It is a super-detailed, beautifully presented and moulded kit which will satisfy anyone interested in this aeroplane.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Clear Prop! for the review sample.

Review Text Copyright © 2022 by Graham Carter
Images Copyright © 2022 by Brett Green
Page Created 9 March, 2022
Last updated 10 March, 2022

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