1/72 Frog V-1/Loon

by Keith Hudson

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This is probably the easiest kit in the world to build- I believe it is 3 pieces total.  My Frog V-1 came from one of their combination kits- spitfire and V-1.  To convert it to a  Loon (the US copy of the V-!) rivals it for simplicity- the forward engine mount angles backward instead of forward- so a simple scrap of plastic with a airfoil shape sanded into it and your conversion is complete! I did add detail in the form of shutters on the front of the pulse jet and separated the rudder and elevators to give it a feel of movement but that was the extent of the build.

    The base and sled, however, did occupy my next 3 months fully. The sled itself consists of a styrene tube with the Rato packs made from sprue and shaped by rounding the ends off in a drill . The blast tubes were made the same way- shaped in a drill and then hollowed out. Some small scraps of Plastruct I beam materials and some thin styrene make up the front arm assembly and cradles for the body of the rocket. A small piece of train track laid into a sand base completed the launching sled assembly and diorama base.

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The paint scheme was equally as easy- I was lucky to find an inspiration picture online and copied the very simple red and white scheme.  The engine I weathered with some pastel shading and that finished off this very simple model of America's first guided missile.

Keith

Photos and text © by Keith Hudson