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Ancient Airfix Fairey Rotodyne 1/72


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I found this ages old kit on a fleamarket in my hometown for a bargain.All parts were still in the plasticbag and thus complete.The decal sheet however didn't made it through the years,means,it was totally unusable.

Research on the net showed that Airfix re-released this kit somewhere in 1996 with a very nice decal set that included the blue cheatline as well.But that kit was already high priced on some auction platform,so buying another Airfix kit was not an option.

A quick e-mail to Airfix got me a very fast and friendly response,although their answer was that they don't have the decal set anymore.So replacement from Airfix was also not possible.

Further research showed that Revell issued the Rotodyne as well and re-released it as well under the 50 years Revell anniversary boxing.

Revell's Rotodyne comes in the very unusual scale of 1/78 :mental: ?... but it has a very nice decal set and the price was right.

 

I made a copy of this decal set so  was able to use some parts for the Airfix kit such as the names and logos.

The blue stripes I had to apply by airbrush and for the white lines I used white decal stripes.

 

Paints used:Tamyia Pure white from a spray can,Revell Blue 51 for the cheatlines,Revell matt black for the propellers,Testors grey and metallics for the rest.Sealed everything with Testors metallic sealer.The cabin windows were filled with Krystal Klear.

 

The Airfix kit is,for its age, very well detailed with 100+ parts but the fit is rather poor in most places.

As all doors can/could be opened,its a pitty that the model has absolutely no interior.Only a simplistic cockpit is there together with two pilot figures,who look pretty unmotivated...Nevertheless,I put them in the cockpit as the large cockpit windows allow some insight.I glued all doors in closed position as the mechanism looks very toyish.

I worked on the Rotodyne since last summer and got it over the finishing line during last weekend.

I added some details on the rotor as it looked very basic compared to the Revell kit.The Revell Rotodyne even features a complete interior which makes this kit a nice comparison next to the Airfix.

Sadly I miscalculated the weight,so the Rotodyne is a tailsitter.Because of that I have to place it on a display stand.As the gear is retractable I was able to simulate a take off.

 

It was a very time consuming build,not perfect,but I am happy to have this rather unusual aircraft in my collection.

The Revell Rotodyne will be build another time 

 

The Rotodyne was a very interesting project,that sadly never made it out of prototype status.It could be somehow called the grandfather of todays MV-22 Osprey.

If some more information is required... http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/fairey_rotodyne.php

 

 

Here some pics of the Airfix Rotodyne,

Sorry for the average quality,the lighting was not the best and the model is pretty difficult to photograph due to the Rotodyne's special layout.

cheers

 

 

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20170206_175214_zpsyp2radeb.jpg

 

 

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1 hour ago, Scimitar said:

Very nice.

Sad that they scrapped it,a complete one would have looked great at The Helicopter Museum rather than just a couple of bits.

Thank you very much.Yes,its a real pitty that they did not preserve it.

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Hello,Alex - Well,you've worked wonders with this true golden age Airfix classic.Beautifully built and finished,this is a spectacular model and a resplendent tribute to the type.

😉👍 All the best,Paul.

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