1:48 300 gallon fuel tank AERO 1D USN & USMC for North-American/Rockwell Bronco with centerline pylons (1 pcs)

Ventral auxiliary tank AERO 1D for the Bronco model, 1:48

This Reskit accessory adds a 300 gallon AERO 1D auxiliary fuel tank, as used by the US Navy and the Marine Corps, to a 1:48 model of the OV-10 Bronco observation and light attack aircraft. According to the name a mount for the fuselage station is included as well. The aircraft model is not in the box.

What the tank adds to the overall silhouette

Without external stores the Bronco looks rather slender, and it is the ventral tank that changes its profile most. On a model it suits anywhere you want to capture a machine ready for a long patrol over an area far from base. At the same time it fills the space between the tail booms, which otherwise stays empty on a finished kit.

The real subject

The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco was a twin-engine turboprop aircraft with a twin-boom tail, designed for counter-insurgency work, reconnaissance and directing strikes. Its strength was the ability to operate from short, unpaved strips and to stay in the air for a long time over one area. That is exactly what the auxiliary tanks on the fuselage were for.

Building advice

• Line the axis of the tank up with the fuselage, or it will visually drift to one side.
• Dry-fit the mount first and only then join it permanently.
• Paint the tank separately from the fuselage; access is easier that way.
• Clean up the transitions between the mount and the fuselage so that no gap is left.

Suitable for modelers who want to build the Bronco with full equipment for a long patrol.