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  1. Westland Sea King HAS.1/HAS.5/HU.5 (A11066) 1:48 Airfix The Sea King is one of the most enduring rotary-winged aircraft of the post-war period, the original Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King flying for the first time in 1959 under the company code S-61. Although no longer in production, the Sea King continues to serve with air arms around the world, including those of Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the until recently, United Kingdom, although they still fly in private hands. The WS-61 built under license by the then British-owned Westland was substantially different from the American airframe though, powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Gnome turboshaft engines, which were a development of a General Electric power-plant, so not entirely new. British air-sea warfare doctrine required other changes to equipment fit of the Westland built Sea Kings, which were further sub-divided depending on what tasks they were expected to undertake. The first British Sea King flew at the end of the 60s from the docks to Westlands to act as trials and patterning airframe, going into service first as Anti-Submarine HAS variants, and adding more capabilities as time went by. The HC4 Commando played a part in the Falklands War, alongside other marks that were transported into the islands aboard the ships of the Task Force, where one was lost, presumably due to a bird strike, with the crew and SAS passengers killed on what should have been a routine ship-to-ship trip, sadly. During the Gulf War conflicts, the Sea King was deployed again, providing important inter-ship transport facilities, although their AEW facilities weren't needed due to the blanket coverage provided by other assets. A further crash during Gulf War II highlighted the need for better night operations equipment, and throughout the type’s service, one constant has been change, with earlier variants often upgraded to the same standard as their replacement, which is evidenced by looking at the history of XV666, which started life as a HAS.1, was re-engineered as a HAS.5, and finished up as a HU.5, going through many livery changes, and changing operator into the bargain, as you’ll see later. Many Westland build airframes have been sold to overseas operators, including Norway, Australia, India, Pakistan and Belgium amongst others, and although the Sea King has been retired from operations with the British Armed Forces, they still fulfil a training role under the auspices of HeliOperations, training German crews to operate the Sea Kings that are still on charge with the Marinefliegerkommando. The Sea King remains in the skies of Britain thanks to Historic Helicopters, who have restored several airframes, some of which still fly. The launch event for this kit was held at their museum, but we were unable to attend due to my health, however Dale from Airfix has sent us out an advanced sample for review, so we’re only a little behind. The Kit As mentioned above, this new tooling was announced with a flurry and is currently all over the internet, having created quite a splash and for good reason. For years the choice of British Sea Kings has been poor, and the available tooling pretty old, so the large fanbase for this old girl has been wishing and hoping for a new kit for quite some time. Airfix did a good job of keeping it quiet that has paid dividends, and I expect the pre-orders to be massive, especially now the sprues have been seen around the internet. The kit arrives in a large red-themed box with great artwork on the front, and the decal options on one side. Inside are three bags containing seven sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a long decal sheet, and a thick instruction booklet that has colour profiles slipped inside, printed on folded A3 glossy paper, with one side for each of the four options throughout XV666’s long career. Airfix have clearly put a lot of effort into the tooling, as evidenced by the detail that is visible on every part, of which there are an impressive 348. The exterior is covered in fine engraved panel lines and rivets, with lapped panels in places, and stiffener plates in raised relief where appropriate. The seats and cloth elements have folds and wrinkles to give them a more organic look, and the detail extends from the tip of the tail to the end of the nose, including masses of avionics and equipment boxes, much of which will remain visible thanks to some crisp-and-clear transparencies. There are also some parts that will remain on the sprues for as-yet unreleased options, which will be pleasing to those still waiting for their preferred mark. The good members of the forum have been discussing the ins and outs of the design and what can be achieved from the sprues in detail since the launch, so head over to the Rumourmonger thread if you need to update your Sea King knowledge, as we all need a little help at times, especially if you have my kind of memory. Construction should sensibly begin with choosing a decal option, as each livery of this single airframe comes with a different sensor and equipment fit, so you need to decide right away. The first four pages of instruction steps have you opening up the rotor head and drilling out many holes in the floor, lower fuselage, sides and roof, for which you will need drills of size 1.5mm, 1.1mm, and 0.8mm depending on which choice you have made, plus a little filler to hide some recesses in the lower fuselage near the nose and along the keel near the rear. It would be a sensible idea to cross through the diagrams you won’t be needing in advance to prevent any mistakes at this stage that could have you cursing yourself later. The real building starts with the interior, and is based upon the full-length floor with a step up into the cockpit, adding a nicely detailed bulkhead with a separate equipment box at the step-point, then building one side out with an equipment storage that slots into the floor and aligns on a ridge on the back of the bulkhead. On the other side of the hatch, a shallow step is placed on two holes to locate it, then the crew seats are built from a back that has a pair of front leg extensions and braces that support the seat pan, which has grooves moulded into it, and a rear pair of legs that are stiffened by the moulded-in brace, making it look a bit like a folding chair found in most schools. To keep the pilots’ bottoms comfy, an L-shaped seat cushion is laid into the completed seat, hiding those nice grooves. The seats fit into holes in the cockpit floor, and the leftmost one has a suitcase shaped box fitted to the rear, plus collective and cyclic sticks for both crew, and a pair of foot pedals for them toward the nose. The instrument panel is based on a T-shaped former, adding three detail skins to form the side of the centre console, and topping it off with an extremely busy central instrument panel, for which a decal is provided, the panel and decal choices differing slightly between options. The same is true of the main panel, which has a choice of coamings and panels, one having an additional centre panel over the main one, with decals to match. Your choice of centre console assembly is glued to the floor in the nose, and covered by the coaming and instrument panel assembly appropriate to your choice, then either one, two or three more seats are made in a similar manner for the rear crew, depending on variant, although these have a bottom rail instead of extra legs at the rear. The instrument housing and panel for the rear crew that are common to all variants is made next, with decals to depict the radar screen in active or off conditions, building into a well-detailed sub-assembly. Another console with more decals is made for two options, as is a winch mechanism, all similarly well-appointed, and the latter including the dipping sonar buoy that is suspended from the winch. Sadly, you can’t wind this one up and down by rotating the rotors like the old 1:72 kit I built as a kid. The sonar winch is fitted to a palette once complete, and a cowling is placed around the winch mechanism for safety’s sake, with the console butted up to it and set to one side while two equipment racks are built, one having a map of the UK and Ireland on the table below an instrument panel. The later decal options have passenger seats aplenty, starting with a three-seat set with separate backs, all of which have creases that show their canvas structure moulded-in, separated into seat and back cushion, and adding tubular legs underneath the front edge, as they can be folded away. Another longer run of seats for nine people is made in a similar manner with more legs that are shown in a scrap diagram below to prevent confusion, after which another raised rack is built with legs on one side for insertion next. The instructions show the early variant first, adding the radar and dipping sonar assemblies around the hole in the deck, fitting a rack to the front, and two seats to the rear, then placing the panel with the map behind the seats with another seat if you are portraying decal option B, plus a canvas bulkhead at the rear where the floor tapers. For the two later options, the radar unit and seat are fixed in place, with the long row of seats on the opposite side, and the shorter three seat set behind the operator’s chair, filling the space forward with the rack on legs. All decal options have the rear bulkhead fitted to a tab on the rear, although option A won’t be seen thanks to the fabric bulkhead further forward. The passenger compartment has an interior wall skin fixed to both sides, and there are a few ejector-pin marks that will need dealing with if you think they’ll be seen, and it’s almost certain that some of them will be obscured by the internal equipment. The port side has a stepped equipment rack glued onto a pair of ribs before closure, then the peculiar smooth fuselage assembly is completed by inserting a narrow ceiling strip where all the ejector-pin marks will be invisible. Three side windows are fitted to the fuselage halves, and an insert is added over a hole in the port side to give it depth before closure. You can pose the door open with this model, but if you have opted to close it, the door, window, and ladder insert are fitted at this stage, again on the port side. Before the fuselage can be closed around the interior, the exhausts must be made up from two halves, plus a tapered lip, fitted to a bulkhead with the lips facing outward and toward the rear, then slotted into the top of the interior without the use of glue. The port fuselage half is brought in first, locating on a pair of lugs near the centre of the lower edge, and mating with the exhaust bulkhead, as illustrated by a scrap diagram nearby. An insert is added to the open rear of the rotor cowling, then the starboard fuselage is brought in, locating in a similar manner, and allowing you to glue the whole assembly, dealing with the seams in your preferred manner. Option A has two rectangular recesses in the floor insert filled, and the skin for under the nose is different from the others, gluing the appropriate one in place at the front of the fuselage keel, then inserting a short tunnel under the floor of the fuselage before gluing the keel into position with or without the blanking plate for your chosen version. The rotor cowling is completed by installing a large insert over the rear of the hump, and adding a curved part to the front, both of which have fine mesh panels moulded-in, then the intakes are built, starting with a central divider that has the curved cowling glued to the top, after which the intake trumpets are inserted, their part numbers depending on which decal option you choose. The side cowlings are common, as is the panel at the top rear, each covered with detail, then behind the rotor, a choice of radome cowlings and bases is provided, and some spine details are removed for some options, flatting the area back to profile, which is best done before they are glued onto the model. Three options have an additional trunk applied down the port side of the tail, mounting on small lugs that correspond with recesses on the boom side. Returning to the front, there is a choice of nose cone for the decal options, two of which also have a small rectangle sanded flush on the port side, and a flashed-over 1.0mm hole drilled out from inside. The boxy interior of the main gear sponsons is created from roof and four sides, and the assembly is slotted into the outer half of the fairings, aided by a scrap diagram, then they are closed by fitting the other halves, one having an insert for a light in the rear floor, and both having inserts in the roof appropriate to their location, plus handed noses. The aerofoil sections that link them to airframe are similarly handed, and made from top and bottom parts, plugging into a recess in the inner faces of the sponsons. The diagonal support struts are made from two parts and are installed after the sponsons have been plugged into the fuselage on two pegs, nestling into recesses in the sponson and fuselage sides, with their correct orientation shown in overhead views. You can build your Sea King with the gear up or down, although as the wheels and struts are still visible in the bays, there’s not much work to be saved, but it’s your choice! The gear struts are adjusted at the top by removing the peg and a pivot point there, then adding tie-down lugs and oleo scissor-link at the lower end, fitting a pair of two-part wheels, one each side of the axle. The retraction mechanism is inserted flat into the bay roof, and the legs are inserted retracted into the bays, locating the main pivot on the support moulded into the front of the bay. For gear down, the legs are built in the same manner, without adjusting the tops, and using different shaped retraction inserts that have the strut projecting from the bay at an angle, as demonstrated by the scrap diagrams. The legs fit into a hole in front of the bay roof, locating the upper retraction arm in the pivot point, and the diagonal leg to the back of the lower end of the gear leg. The fixed tail-wheel is two parts, as is the strut and yoke, the wheel flex-fitting into position, and slotting into a hole in the stern of the fuselage’s keel. Another choice is ahead of you, allowing you to fold the tail of your model if you wish, cutting off a small tab on the two tail halves, as demonstrated in the scrap diagram. The two halves of the fin are glued together, inserting a mesh panel in the top, and the stabilising fin and rotor cowling on either side of the fin’s tip, with a choice of clear light added to the fairing on the fairing. The fairing is assembled from upper and lower half, trapping an axle between the halves before it is mated to the fin, which should allow it to rotate freely if you’re careful with the glue. The fin is completed by choosing the straight link between it and the boom, or adding the two open bulkheads on each side of the break, making for a strong connection between the two assemblies. We’re back at the nose again, glazing the canopy with two side sections and the combined windscreen/roof, which has an overhead console glued to the inside before it is installed. There are two windscreen parts, one with moulded-in windscreen wipers, the other without for those that want to take advantage of PE detail sets when they build their models. That’s rather considerate of the designers, especially as it isn’t even their concern. There are two choices of intake filters for this boxing, split between three of the decal options, the first of which is a simple deflector with fairing behind it, the second a sloped box that is built up from individual faces, and filters the air before it reaches the engines. Both types fit over the same portion of the roof, and are shown from the side in scrap diagrams to assist with placement. Two more side windows are installed, the port one having a choice of flat or blistered parts, while the larger one under the sponson support on the starboard side is flat and appropriate for all options. Two small landing lights are installed into recesses in the sponson supports, which is done with the model inverted. Now the fun begins. There are four pages devoted to the aerial fit for the decal options, one for each choice, so pick your fit and get started. This includes some items such as a crew step that were added during the type’s long career, as well as radar warning fairings as technology became available. When you come out of the other side of that, option D has a three-part FLIR infrared turret mounted on the fuselage side under the port sponson, depicted with the window closed. Three options have a SAR winch suspended over the large side door, the fairing formed by a single part into which the winch mechanism slots, while the two support arms are mounted on the inner side, fitting onto the transition between side and roof above the door. The door itself is a single part that accepts a window with radiused corners, and this can be posed open or closed, as can the door on the port side behind the cockpit. If you selected the closed option it was done early in the build, but for the open option, the door halves are detailed with a ladder in the lower part, and a window in the upper, gluing them to the top and bottom of the aperture, as shown in the scrap diagram. Whether you fit the fin folded or not, you have a choice of two types of rotor for the decal options, both of which have their own actuator crown in the centre, using the same parts for both folded or straight options. The main rotor can be posed folded or open and ready for flight, the instructions starting with the latter, building up the details of the rotor mechanism, then skewering it and the lower portion through the centre with the axle and adding actuators to each blade root. The spinner cap is glued over the centre for all options, the colour differing between them. To finish the main rotor, you have a choice of early blades for option A, and later blades for the other options, all of which fit to the blade roots in an overlapping half-joint for strength. To build a Sea King with folded blades, a different rotor-head is used, with the blade roots positioned accordingly, as are the detail parts, following the stages exactly, only ending with all the blades facing in the same general direction, except the two outer blades that splay outward a little. The last job is to glue the completed rotor into position in the cowling, although you could leave them loose for storage or transport. The only thing missing from the folded arrangement is the curiously shaped bracket that supports the weight of the blades near the end, but you could either make one from scratch or wait until the inevitable aftermarket support arrives from Eduard or someone else. Markings This first outing of the kit has a special set of markings that depict the career of an individual airframe with the tail code XV666, which was first ‘born’ in 1970, so is currently over 50. I know that feeling. Getting the nickname Damian was almost inevitable, but she’s far from an unlucky bird, having survived all these years and been upgraded numerous times over the years. There are four marking options from her career, and you can build her as one of the following: XV666 HAS.1 No.826 Naval Air Sqn., RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall, England, 1970 XV666 HAS.5 No.814 Naval Air Sqn., RNS Culdrose, Cornwall, England, 1988 XV666 HU.5 No.771 Naval Air Sqn., RNS Culdrose, Cornwall, England, 1995 XV666 HU.5, Heli-Operations, Portland, Dorset, England, 2022 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Decals for the exhaust hider patches, tail-rotor tips and tramlines on the main blades are included, as well as several decals for the flight and operations instruments that are all printed on clear backgrounds so you don’t need to match any colours. Conclusion I’m really sad to have missed the fun of the announcement the other Tuesday, but it was a sensible decision on my part, and it has been worth the few days wait to get our review sample in the mail. The detail is fabulous, the options well-researched, and the choice of depicting the career of this single aircraft in this first boxing was inspired. I can’t wait until everyone has the opportunity to lay their hands on one or more this summer, and then for the next boxing to fill more gaps. Extremely highly recommended. You can pre-order one or many from Airfix by visiting the link below, and set up a stock alert so you don’t have to wait behind the door to ambush the postie. Review sample courtesy of
  2. Ot Vinta! is to release 1/48th & 1/32th RBVZ S-XVI aka Sikorsky S-16 resin kits including 3D printed parts. V.P.
  3. The Japanese army started a „Siberian intervention „ in 1919 and fought there with ( and against ) Russian troups ( they where divided at that time in red and white sections ) . check this for information : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_intervention_in_Siberia the japan forces catched a giant Russian bomber build by Sikorsky in First World War , named Ilya Mouromez ( famous Russian heroe ) . they took the bomber to Japan and installed new engines made by Kawasaki with push double props , a stronger rig complete made of alloy , tank turrets and a stronger landing gear , and the name was changed into UWABAMI, a mystic flying dragon ( what is the meaning of the letters on top ) basic kit was a original NOS Russian 1:72 kit from the 1980‘s ,that was a very vintage thing , and drilled about 180 small holes , cut around 50 pieces from sheet and took parts from ca. 12 different kits .
  4. C-37C Mojave ‘Deuce USMC’ (SH72172) 1:72 Special Hobby Following WWII, the US Marines were looking for a heavy-lift helicopter to transport troops to and from the battlefield, and of course Sikorsky were involved, successfully offering the S-56 design, which resulted in an order in 1951, with airframe delivery by the middle of the decade. The C-37A was the initial Marine variant, followed by an Army order for more airframes that were later upgraded to the C-37B standard, which had stabilisation equipment included to make the crew’s life easier. The Marine variants were redesignated C-37C later. It was powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney R2800s that was used in the B-29 Super Fortress late in WWII, suspended outboard from the fuselage sides on bulbous pods, driving the rotor via shafts that entered the sides of the fuselage. Having the engines outboard, their sponsons also containing the retractable main gear, which left the majority of the fuselage space for load carriage, whether it was a troop of twenty-six fully armed soldiers, or a pair of lightweight 4x4 jeep-style vehicles, all of which could exit the aircraft from a pair of clamshell doors in the nose as well as the side door. It was the largest helicopter of its day, and was also the last heavy to use piston engines, later designs switching to the lighter and more powerful turboshaft engine. It was involved in a small way in the Vietnam conflict, where it was used to recover crew and equipment that would otherwise have been lost behind enemy lines or in otherwise inaccessible places. Despite its capability and stubby appeal, it had a relatively short service life, with a comparatively small number built that left service at the end of the 60s. It was replaced by two types rather than one, the CH-53 Sea Stallion (Nickname: Jolly Green Giant), and the CH-54 Tarhe that’s better known commercially as the Sky Crane, both of which were larger and used more reliable and compact turboshaft engines. The Kit This is a reboxing of a Special Hobby kit from 2007, with some additional parts tooled in the interim, and given the era, it is more multi-media than you might expect. The kit arrives in a red and grey themed box, and inside are four sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a bag of resin parts, a sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) brass that is bagged together with the decals and a slip of clear-printed acetate, plus the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on glossy paper. Detail is good with crisply engraved panel lines, raised and recessed surface features, which includes mesh panels and stiffening straps moulded into the surface. Construction begins with the broad cockpit, mounting on a resin floor that has plenty of detail moulded-in, adding resin rudder pedals, PE centre console instrument insert, and the wide coaming, which receives a PE instrument panel with the printed acetate performing the job of the dials, after painting the rear of the acetate white so the dials show up through the holes in the PE. The pilot seats have a pair of PE lap belts with extra fixtures draped over them, and these are joined to the framework moulded into the cockpit floor, adding the rear bulkhead plus a couple of raised PE frames behind the seats, onto which the shoulder belts attach and drape down over the back of the seats. The resin cyclic and collective sticks glue into the floor and the seat surround respectively, and the instrument panel assembly is fitted on a lug onto the front of the centre console. You now have a choice of building your model with or without the sliding side door, which requires cutting out from the starboard fuselage side, following the panel lines with curved top corners. The space inside the panel lines is sacrificial, so you don’t have to be too careful removing the plastic, perhaps starting with a motor tool to take the majority out, then falling back to sanding sticks as you get closer to the line. Once the decision is made and the optional mess is cleaned up, there are three windows on the starboard side, and four more on the port side, all inserted from inside. The fuselage is joined around the cockpit, inserting a shallow tub into the rotor head, and gluing several grab-handles to the sides unless you’d rather leave them off until after major painting is done. There are two vertical tramlines running down the sides of the fuselage under the sponson roots, the forward line having a 1mm hole drilled near the bottom, and a depression between the lines should be filled in. Speaking of sponsons, they’re next. The outer cowling half of each sponson is made up from two parts, with space for the mesh inserts that are supplied as styrene for strength, three of which insert into each outer. The resin bay parts have their detail painted up, then they are trapped between the outer cowling assembly, and the single inner half, adding the nose with offset PE mesh insert at the front, and a pair of flared conical exhausts at the rear. The landing gear strut is a long straight leg with lightened stiffening webs near the top pivot, and a short cross-axle at the bottom, fixing PE scissor-links, a bracket and tie-down eye to each one, with a wheel on each end of the stub axle. The strut is inserted into a hole at the front of the bay, and it is braced by a three-part resin retraction jack, then the completed assembly is joined to the fuselage on a two-part aerofoil, which has a small cut-out at the leading outboard edge, and has a representation of the drive-shaft inserted during assembly, as shown in a diagram from overhead. The canopy is a single moulding, which has a pair of PE rails attached carefully to the sides, replicating the siders for the side windows, with two windscreen wipers on the front, all of which can be “glued” in place by your preferred clear acrylic gloss varnish, such as Klear/Future. A two-layer overhead panel is glued inside the centre of the canopy, and here something stronger would be suggested, such as GS-Hypo cement to give it a little more grip, as you don’t want it rattling around inside later if the model receives a jolt. The rotor head is well-detailed resin, and each of the five blades is inserted into the root, adding a small actuator cylinder to the side, remembering that this era was pre-composites, so blades used to bend with gravity when stopped. To achieve the level of droop you require, find a curved surface such as a bowl, tape the blades into position equally, then pour very hot water over them, followed by cold to fix them to shape. The rotor fits into the well at the head of the cowling, but is best left off until later for convenience's sake. The canopy and the clear lower nose are glued into the spaces in the fuselage front, fitting some more grab-handles and resin sensors around the area, and a few more toward the top of the rotor cowling. The tail rotor is also resin, and has a conical mount with a pair of PE actuators on the inner surface, plus four more on the outside, plugging the styrene blades into the holes in each root. The mount fits into a cup at the top of the tail, with a resin and PE sensor fixed near the bottom, and the one-part tail wheel and strut underneath. If you elected to cut out the side door earlier, its replacement is mounted on a pair of slide-rails that you can find on the resin blocks, and although they look broken at first glance, the support legs are cut to different lengths according to the shape of the fuselage. The door has its window inserted, and a pair of PE antennae in the centre, with a resin step under and another PE antenna just in front where it rolls into the underside. This boxing includes a pair of two-part fuel tanks that are suspended on pylons under the engine nacelles with V-shaped braces that end just under the winglets. More handles, antennae and a little exhaust-shaped PE part are glued to the port side, then the last task is to drill 1.2mm holes in the sides of the boom to mount the stabilisers and their support braces. Markings There are three options on the decal sheet, but it shouldn’t be a surprise that they are all painted green that was so prevalent with American helos at the time. They all have the appearance of googly eyes on their engine sponsons, with unit and airframe markings differentiating them. From the box you can build one of the following: The decals are designed by Dead Design, and printed using a digital process by Aviaprint, and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion There seems to be a bit of a Helo buzz on the site this week, and I’m OK with that. It’s a nicely detailed model, especially in the cockpit area, and I sincerely wish it was in my scale. In 1:72 the fuselage is almost as large as the 1:48 Sea King I’m currently building, so it’s a bit of a large one. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  5. AMP is to release 1/48th and 1/72nd Sikorsky S-39 kits. Source: https://www.facebook.com/mikro.mir.dnepr/posts/pfbid0iSz1m9wNiHkKTbAEChZVUpjDgy2pkQnaXCQLgbVRaWgAwgyPzbUBmneFtZXmaiX2l 3D renders V.P.
  6. MikroMir AMP is to release a 1/48th Sikorsky R-5 / H-5 injected kit - ref. 48001 Source: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1454794704598261&id=1416295571781508 In my favourite scale 3D renders V.P.
  7. Hi Friends! I built a helicopter for the first time I liked Sikorsky's orange helicopter very much There were no difficulties in work I mixed the color of the paint myself from three cans of different manufacturers Because I was too lazy to go and buy the desired color in the store Thanks for watching!
  8. Sikorsky VS-44 Flying Boat Classic Aircraft in Profile Igor I. Sikorsky's VS-44A was a large transport aircraft with a wingspan of 124 feet, an overall length of about 80 feet and a gross weight of 57,500 pounds. It was powered by four Pratt & Whitney Twin-Wasp radial engines that produced a combined 4,800 horsepower for take-off and a cruise speed of about 210 miles per hour. Her nonstop range, depending on load and the quantity of fuel, was approximately 4,000 miles, which was unmatched performance for the time. In the summer of 1940 American Export Airline (AEA) ordered three VS-44A's at a total cost of $2,100,000. These aircraft were dubbed the "Flying Aces" by AEA and named the Excalibur, Excambian and Exeter. AEA advertising boasted minimum vibration, maximum sound-proofing, individual sofas, full length beds, roomy dressing rooms, full galley for serving hot meals, snack bar service, attractive lounge and smoking room, proper heating and ventilation and more square foot area per passenger. No other contemporary aircraft had these luxuries. AEA signed a contract with the Naval Air Transport Service to operate a wartime trans-Atlantic route in January, 1942. On May 26 the Excalibur made the maiden nonstop flight from New York to Foynes, Ireland and on June 20 regular round trip service began. The Flying Aces proved to be the world's longest range airliners and set record after record. They were the only aircraft capable of flying nonstop across the North and South Atlantic at full payload in excess of 3,100 miles. This new book from Henry E. Pember is a beautifully written book which not provides much insight into the building and operating of the aircraft, but also the characters involved throughout their use. The archive photographs are evocative of the era and the narrative is highly informative. The book starts with a brief history of Igor Sikorsky and his company, takes a look at the VS-44s predecessors the VS-41 to VS-43 and the Flying Dreadnought, the XPBS-1, which was eventually modified to emerge as the VS-44. For the modeller there are some superb detailed photographs of every part of the aircraft, particularly the cockpit, seating and sleeping areas, the engines, some with some or all of their cowls removed, galley, floats and beaching gear. There are also a number of drawings showing the internal plans complete with notes telling the reader what is what. Addition photographs show the aircraft in civil and military use, along with some of the famous people and the air stewardesses who flew in them. Then there are the accidents and the history of the remaining aircraft through the various companies who owned her right up to its current rebuilding and restoration at the hands of a dedicated band of volunteers at the New England Air Museum. The book ends with a brief synopsis of the end of Sikorsky flying boat designs and the introduction to the world of Helicopters. At the back of the book there are a set of plans for the VS-44A and the XPBS-1, followed by some archive colour photographs first of the original air tickets, wartime posters, post war use and restoration. The last two pages and back cover show the different colour schemes the aircraft wore throughout her time in service. Conclusion This is certainly not my usual genre for bedtime reading, but this is such a wonderfully well written book, it was almost as if the author was talking directly to me. This narrative and the wonderful, and very interesting photographs, the plans and colour plates make this a must have for those interested in aviation history in general and/or flying boats in particular. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  9. UH-60 Transport Helicopter (04976) 1:72 Revell More commonly known as the Blackhawk, the UH-60 was engineered to be a successor to the UH-1 Huey, and came into service at the very end of the 70s, with an early crash of one of the airframes proving the claims to improve survivability, with all crew walking away from a crash that would have made casualties of them all in a Huey. The aircraft had many modern avionics systems built-in when first released, and has undergone a number of updates to improve engine power, a fly-by-wire avionics system with glass cockpit to augment the multiple redundant systems that allow it to take small arms fire with a reduced chance of it being downed due to loss of critical systems. It can carry up to 11 fully geared-up troops, or a substantial cargo payload either within the passenger cab or suspended below the belly on the cargo hook. There have been many variants over the years, due to the aforementioned upgrades, or because the aircraft has been tailored to suit the task assigned to it, such as Search & Rescue, VIP transport, gunship, ambulance as well as the highly modified “stealth” Blackhawks that were used in the raid immortalised in Zero Dark Thirty, the raid to find Osama Bin Laden. The updates have continued apace, with no sign of the UH-60 being replaced anytime soon. The Kit This is a reboxing of the Italeri kit that dates back to the 90s, so you can expect raised panel lines and some distinctly old-skool details, such as moulded-in seatbelts and some rather inconveniently placed ejector pin marks on and around the crew seats. It arrives in a larger than figure-sized end-opening box, with two sprues in a subdued silver-grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet, and instruction booklet with spot colour with colour profiles at the rear. Construction begins with a decision. Missiles or guns? The missiles option includes the short stub-wings aft of the cockpit, while the other option includes door guns for self-protection. With that choice made, let the glue-slinging commence! The instrument panel is first to be made, with a panel and decal under a coaming, attached to the centre-console to form a T-shape, then two individual seats with moulded-in belts and three sets of four, which again have moulded-in belts in different positions to prevent that cookie-cutter look. These all mount on the floor, with a bulkhead at the rear, and a step-up into the cockpit, where the rudders and controls are attached before the instrument panel and more supportive crew seats are painted and glued in place, presumably after removing the ejector-pin marks from the centre, or sneakily hiding them with some crew figures that you’d have to source yourself. The roof is then glued to the top of the rear bulkhead with another decal at the front for the instruments, then the same colours can be used to paint up the interior of the fuselage halves before sliding the main gear struts through the hull, cutting off a number of blade aerials from the underside, which I’d probably have knocked off anyway. The tail rotor is shown installed at this stage, with the pin inserted from behind. You could leave the blades and actuators off until later if you close up the fuselage carefully, but if you’re like me you might forget. The starboard fuselage half has its gear leg slid into position and a triangular side window added, then the interior is trapped between the two halves along with that pin you probably forgot to put in for the rotor. The main windscreen and ground viewing panels are fitted from the outside when the fuselage is cured and prepped, then the big hump and rear engine fairings are added either end of the rotor housing. The box-like exhaust fairings with their top strakes are fitted to each side, and an infrared defence turret is dropped into a socket on the engine roof. Intakes are added at the front of the engine hump, and then it’s on to the doors. The crew doors have glazing inserts added that have little sliding hatches for firing flares or accepting small items during a touch-and-go, and there are also large sliding doors with two windows each on the sides of the fuselage. The “door gunner” windows are narrow, and for the option with the guns, you use two separate parts and stack them in front of the door’s position to give the guner some room. For the missile equipped option, the doors are moulded together and you can use the glazing panel in one part, rather than cutting it in half. With the windows in position, the main gear is finished off with a small sponson and support jack forming a V-shape, with the wheel fitted to the stub-axle at the bottom on both sides. A couple of probes and a wire cutter are attached to the front of the rotor hump, a towel-rail antenna on the boom, then for the missile option the winglets are made up and fitted to the sides as shown in the instructions. They have two braces on each side, and double-stacks of simplified Hellfire missiles and rocket pods for each wing. For the gun-equipped option, a pair of the short wing root fairings are placed there instead. The door guns are fitted to the mounts in the open doorways, with one each side and separate dual grips for that “get some” experience. The main rotor is left to do, and it begins with drum-shaped part through which the rotor axle slips, held in place by a collar at the bottom, then it is put to one side while the rotor-head is glued together and clamped to get a good bond. The blades fit into their keyed slots once dry, with a top boss added above, then the two sub-assemblies are joined together, adding four control-arms between the head and base, which should then rotate in unison. All that is left is to drop the base into the hole in the top of the fuselage, and either glue it for security, or leave it loose for ease of take-down for transport or storage. Markings There are two decal options in the box, one all green, the other with desert sand over a green underside. The blades for both are black, and some additional black panels can be found on the roof, which are supplied as decals. From the box you can build one of the following: UH-60A Black Hawk, US Army #87-2600 “Tinnin”, Operation Desert Storm, Iraq 1991 UH-60A Black Hawk, US Army 10th Mountain Division, Iraq 2008 Decals are by Zanetti, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s an old kit, so you know what to expect. Considering the age and scale however, it’s not weathered the years too badly. Recommended. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  10. Brengun has just released a 1/72nd Sikorsky VS-300 multimedia kit (ex-ExtraTECH) - ref. BRS72016 Source: http://www.hauler.cz/e-shop/1-72-construction-kits-20/vought-sikorsky-vs-300-1700 V.P.
  11. This is my second Sikorksy SH-60 build to go along with my SH-60F (I will also be building an MH-60R Strikehawk using the Olimp conversion set.) This one is the Hasegawa SH-60B kit. This is an old Hasegawa tooling, but it went together well with no real issues, other then my own doing. I used the Eduard interior. Mine was an old boxing so the kit decals were a bit "stale". I found a set of the Hobby Boss SH-60B decals which worked well except for more silvering then I am used to dealing with on modern decals. So here it is: Next up is the Testors/Fujimi SH-3H Seaking Enjoy
  12. Sikorsky UH-60A Yanshuf, pics thanks to Dov.
  13. This is an S-64F. Originally built by Sikorsky as a CH-54B for the US Army (Serial on this one was 69-18473). As an interest Erickson Air-Crane in 1992 purchased the the type certificate and manufacturing rights from Sikorsky. They have made over 1300 changes to the original design. Pics thanks to Scimitar and his road trip for the pictures.
  14. I would so like an IM version of this in 1/144 or 1/72 http://www.sikorskyarchives.com/S-44.php
  15. Anigrand is to release in March 2017 a 1/144th Sikorsky XPBS-1 resin kit - ref. AA4111 Patrol bomber compete with Consolidated Coronado Source: http://www.anigrand.com/future_releases.htm V.P.
  16. Anigrand is to release in August 2017 a 1/144th Sikorsky JR2S-1 / VS-44 resin kit - ref. AA4096 Source: http://www.anigrand.com/future_releases.htm V.P.
  17. Sikorsky CH-53 Super Stallion pics thanks to member "Fights On" taken on board USS MAKIN ISLAND LHA-8.
  18. Sikorski JRS-1 Updgrade Set (72642) 1:72 Eduard The Eduard boxing of the JRS-1 is already a pretty complete package, however if you want to add even more detail then this handy upgrade set that will do just that. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The set has one brass fret. Starting in the cockpit there are new pilot seats, with arm rests, and new two part control wheel. New handles are provided for the main opening window, and additional parts for the nose wheel bay. Wiring harnesses are provided for the engines. New parts are provided for the main gear openings, and various hull fittings. Tie downs/ups are provided for the wing floats, and finally on top of the main wing various hatches and openings are provided. Recommended to bring something extra to your JRS-1 whether the Sword or Eduard boxing. Review sample courtesy of
  19. Anigrand is to release in December 2016 a 1/72nd 1/72 - Sikorsky JR2S-1 / VS-44 resin kit - ref. AA2132 U.S. largest flying boat at the time Source: http://www.anigrand.com/future_releases.htm V.P.
  20. Scratchaeronautics (https://www.facebook.com/Scratchaeronautics/) has just released a serie of 1/72nd Sikorsky S-61R/HH-3F Pelican/Jolly Green Giant resin kits. - NEW MODEL KIT. HH-3F JOLLY GREEN GIANT. US AFRES VERSION. TWO CAMO SCHEMES (EUROPEAN ONE AND EXPERIMENTAL). ENGRAVED PANEL LINES AND DETAILED COCKPIT, WITH THE SAME QUALITY OF ALL OUR MODEL KITS. FOR BUILD AND PAINT. MADE IN POLYURETHANE RESIN. SALES ON EBAY WITH FREE SHIPPING COST ALONG AUGUST. LIMITED EDITION (50 UNITS) Source: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252506087971?ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 Box art - New Model. HH-3 F Pelican. Version us coast guard. Model in polyurethane resin and windows vacuformadas panels in acetate, negative and detailed cabin in relief. With the same quality of all our models to assemble and paint. 1/72. Scale for sale on Ebay with free shipping during the month of August. Limited Edition to 50 units NEW MODEL KIT. HH-3F PELICAN. US COAST GUARD VERSION). ENGRAVED PANEL LINES AND DETAILED COCKPIT, WITH THE SAME QUALITY OF ALL OUR MODEL KITS. FOR BUILT AND PAINT. MADE IN POLYURETHANE RESIN. SALES ON EBAY WITH FREE SHIPPING COST ALONG AUGUST. LIMITED EDITION (50 UNITS) Source: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252506099003?ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 Box art - New Model. HH-3 F Pelican. Version Aeronautica Militare. Model in polyurethane resin and windows vacuformadas panels in acetate, negative and detailed cabin in relief. With the same quality of all our models to assemble and paint. 1/72. Scale for sale on Ebay with free shipping during the month of August. Limited Edition to 50 units NEW MODEL KIT. HH-3F PELICAN. (AERONAUTICA MILITARE VERSION). ENGRAVED PANEL LINES AND DETAILED COCKPIT, WITH THE SAME QUALITY OF ALL OUR MODEL KITS. FOR BUILT AND PAINT. MADE IN POLYURETHANE RESIN. SALES ON EBAY WITH FREE SHIPPING COST ALONG AUGUST. LIMITED EDITION (50 UNITS) Source: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252506111501?ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 Box art V.P.
  21. Hi all. Here are some pics of my latest build, it's Airfix's old (but still good) CH-53 built as an S-65 of the IDF/AF as she would have been seen in her early service life around the 1970 mark, they were delivered in the late 60's in this attractive scheme and re-painted in the more boring scheme they wear today in the 80's. The kit is straight from the box but with the addition of decals from Print Scale. Makes an interesting bedfellow for my recent Iranian RH-53! Anyway here are some pic's, there are more in the build log here:- http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234997643-airfix-172-ch-53s-65-double-build-iran-and-israel/ Thanks for looking, and all comments and criticisms are gratefully received. Thanks for looking. Cheers. Craig.
  22. Hi, what scale is a Sea King helicopter from Heller Humbrol Bobcat / Bobkit? Not Airfix tooling but snap fit from Heller mould. Is it 1/72 like their Super Puma Cougar and other Bobkit kits (Transall, OH-6, Harrier T4, F-16 and Phantom) or is out of scale? Thanks
  23. Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King. This is a UH-3H 152700, converted to the transport role by removing the ASW gear. Pics thanks to Ken, taken at The Pacific Aviation Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii.
  24. HH-60M of The Florida Army National Guard. They fly 4 different aircraft types from Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The HH-60M Medivac is the newest version. Their aircraft have the upturned exhausts and the downturned rotor tips, glass cockpit, FLIR, and modern avionics. When in theatre, they were fitted with sand filters on the intakes, but are removed when they come home. Photographed in late 2014, just after a return home. Pics thanks to DL Munne.
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