Tag Archives: Helicopter model

H-21 Flying Banana Complete

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Finished the first kit of 2019, an Italeri H-21.  I’m glad this came out in 1/48 scale as it, with the H-13, were helicopters of my youth.

At the start of the year, I had some lofty goal to build two per month.  What was I thinking?!  Going to have to play catch-up now!

The kit overall will take some work to turn it into an AMS masterpiece.  There were a number of fit problems all around; the canopy to the fuselage, the cockpit in the fuselage, and the engine and bulkheads.  Other than sanding the fuselage seams I didn’t put too much work into the fit.  The place the rear rotor attaches also looks like it had something wrong with the molding.

After assembling the kit it was sprayed with my favorite lacquer primer from the can which produces a dark grey finish.  To try something different I then took some thinned Vallejo white primer and pre-highlighted sections of the kit.  I then sprayed the kit Vallejo Russian Green (it looked the best to me for a 50’s Army color)  and you can see the results of the pre-shading worked pretty well.

The decals went on great over a coat of Future and settled down very well to Solvaset.  I put most of the stencils on as the yellow just looked right on Olive Drab.   I had to cut the main stars and bars as I put the rear landing gear on first to paint them with the kit but the S&B go on under the rear gear mounts.  Oops!

A raw umber overall wash and when dried a coat of Testors Dullcoat to finish her off!

One other warning.  I broke four of the six rotors.  They are very fragile.  Managed to drill them out and add brass tubing to support but handle with care.

Fun to finally add a 1/48 chopper to my collection, one that I used to see at the airshows at Lowery AFB in Denver growing up!

 

A lesson in Hueys

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Started my next kit today.  Actually a set of kits of Antarctic helicopters.  I’ve always wanted to build the old Revell SO4S with its orange plastic because of the overall international orange scheme but alas I’m too cheap to pay the collector’s prices.

But a few years back an Irish company Max Decals released a set of 1/72 scale decals covering a multitude of Antarctic color schemes for various helicopters.  It has been a while since I have built a copter and so why not build three; and UH-1D, and H-34, and an H-19.

I am starting with the UH-1D.  I was able to buy an old AMT kit which is exactly the same as the Italeri kit, to finish in the international orange colors of VX-6.

I also purchased an Eduard etched set for these kits.  Trouble was the set for the 1/72 Huey is for a UH-1B.  Same thing right, D vs. B?

Well no.  So I spent an afternoon googling images of the two versions and contemplating whether to use the Eduard set on the D.  Here are notable differences;

  • The B has a single window side door, the D two windows (longer door)
  • The B has a totally different engine housing
  • The B kit has armored seats- not needed on the D antarctic version.

I compared the parts on the B etch and figured I could only use a few items like the instruments panel and seatbelts.  And so I decided that I’d put away the etch for eBay or another day and do the unthinkable – scratch build the interior.  It has been awhile since I have scratched a 1/72 scale kit cockpit.  This should be fun!