1/48 Dauphin G-HEMS

[redleader]

Looking to model a 1/48 G-HEMS (London Air Ambulance) Dauphin SA365N with Vigin sponsors livery.

Most available kits seem to be of the N2 model Dauphin (larger tail unit with 11-blade fenestron) instead of the older N model (smaller tail,13-blade fenestron).

I know Kitty Hawk do a 'Zih-9 family' kit which are Dauphins manufactured under licence in China. Web images of the kit parts show a tail unit (if not a tail rotor) of one of the 'family members' that may be promising. Anyone got this kit, or know of an alternative source or after-market for the N tail?

Thanks,

Red

[niki]

Hi Red,

In spite of sporting that fairing under the fenestron, the "promising" tail unit in the Kitty Hawk Z-9 kit still has the big diameter 11-blade fenestron:

http://www.kittyhawkmodel.com/#!kh80109/c1si2

My solution to obtaining a better looking 'N' tail after buying the Z-9 to use as a basis, was to go through the stash and digging out a Trumpeter Dauphin (I have their 02802 Z-9G kit, but the 02816 SA365N kit works also) and deciding to use the tail unit from this kit. Even though it still shows only 11 blades, the diameter of its fenestron is almost spot on in scale and, most important, the proportions [fenestron to entire tail assembly] look right or at least much better.

So, I thought I would cut the plastic immediately aft of the horizontal stabilizers and switch tails. If we are to be even more accurate, then we would still need to "add" two blades to get the 13 required, position the three supporting struts of the fan equally at 120 degrees from one another (in the Trumpeter kit above, the horizontal strut is ok while the other two are aligned along a single axis, just like in an N2...) and see that the main rotor in the Kittyhawk kit does not stand a bit too tall above the fuselage (see first linked pic and compare to a real life Dauphin).

Cheers,

Niki

P.S.: thanks to Gopo (working around some 365N) for pointing out the above mentioned details some time ago

[redleader]

Great, cheers Niki. Above is a comparison of the N (red) and the N2 (black) tail units. Best option I guess (tho' expensive) would seem to be a cut-n-shut with the Trumpeter and the Kitty Hawk (which looks sharper in detail), plus a scratch-built 13-blade tail rotor. Are you listening Eduard?

BTW build is tribute to my late brother who was a Paramedic on 6009.

Thanks, Red