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My contribution to the GB will be the Hasegawa 1/72 UH-60A Black Hawk. The build will be OOB, with Hawkeye Decals to represent one of the Black Hawks used by the RAAF Aircraft Research and Development Unit. I've so far stuck with fixed wing aircraft, so I think it will be a nice change of place to give a whirly-bird a shot.

MH-60L Black Hawk (KH50005) 1:35 Kitty Hawk The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk was the Military designation of the S-70 design which was the winner of the US Army's 1970's competition for a twin engine medium lift helicopter to replace the UH-1. Following tradition it was named "Black Hawk" after the Native American leader and warrior of the Sauk tribe. Following the original UH-60A there have been many improvements and variants of the original airframe. The MH-60L is based on the UH-60L and upgraded 60A. This featured uprated engines, gearbox, and flight control systems. The MH-60L is a special operations version used by the US Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment the Night Stalkers. This was an interim Helicopter before the MH-60K could be brought into operation. It featured FLIR, colour weather mapping, more fuel, and a Laser designation and rangefinder system. In addition the MH-60L would gain the DAP, or Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) designation as a Gunship. This version would not carry troops but purely weapons. This version was equipped with stub wings to carry 19 shot Hydra 70 rocket pods, Hellfire & Stinger Missiles as well as the M230 30mm Chain gun, GAU-19 & M134 gun pods. Cabin weapons included the M134D Miniguns and .50 Cal Machine Guns. The Kit This is a complete new tool from Kitty Hawk, The kit arrives on eight sprues of plastic, a clear spure, two sheets of PE, decals, and not least the two large fuselage halves. Before starting any build the modeller will need to decide which airframe they want to build as there are a lot of "optional" parts with little or no guidance in the instructions as how to use them, There are a lot of parts on the kit for the DAP model with the weapons and stub wings, however all of the decal options are for aircraft in Somalia which never flew with these wings. It is also noted that the covers for the aircraft when the wings are not used have for some reason been missed from the box. Kitty Hawk have though made these parts and indicate they will get then out to modellers who have bought the kit, As mentioned before starting the kit the modeller needs to decide which version they are doing. The instructions begin by showing how all the internal seating is built up, however most of this is not needed for aircraft from the 160th. In addition it looks like the seating for the gunners behind the cockpit is in the wrong place so will need to be modified by the modeller. They should be back to back not facing backwards like the kit has them. Once you have decided what to do with the seats (or not) they can be built up, or left in the spares box and other parts of the interior built up including the pilots seats and cockpit area. For this kit the entire internal cabin is built up and then put into the fuselage. If building the DAP version then the internal ammo stowage needs to be built up and added into the cabin, or if building the door guns these need to go in instead. The instructions here jump about all over the place which is annoying as all the work in the cabin needs to be done first before it goes into the fuselage. Once the cabin is built up attention then moves to the engines. There is quite a lot of detail here as two complete engines are built up along with all the internal structure. These are all fitted into the roof of the engine house. Gearboxes to the main rotor are added along with the heat diffusing exhausts. The intake assemblies are also built up and added. If wanted the external covers can be added, or they can be left off for maintenance dioramas etc. To the top of the housing antennas and the IR jammer are added. The main rotor head is then built and the blades added. There is no option to fold the blades though this should not be too hard to do if the modeller wanted to. The rotor head is added to the engine housing at this point though I suspect most modellers will leave it until the end. Next up the build moves to main fuselage. Various holes are added for external fitting and then the main cabin can be added into the fuselage halves. Its nice to see these as one large part as often in the past KH broke these larger parts down. The tail wheel assembly and the forward FLIR turret are added in as everything is closed up. The large rear stabiliser is then made up and added along with additional tail parts. At the front various antennas and sensors are added. Again the modeller needs to consult their references as I have read that the plume detectors were not fitted during the deployment to Somalia. The external doors are then made up and fitted as needed. The tail rotor is also built up and fitted, followed by the front undercarriage units. Chaff/flare units are made up and added o each side. If making an armed version the stub wing assemblies for each side need building up and the appropriate weapons adding. The kit provides the 30mm cannons, Hellfire missiles and both 7 shot and 19 shot rocket pods. Door guns are also added where appropriate. The engine housing and front part are then added to the top. To finish up a variety of aerial etc are added where needed. Decals The decal sheet is in house and should pose no issues. A smaller sheet provides cockpit details. From the box you can build one of four helos 64 - 89-26188 66 - 91-26363 "Gun Slinger" 61 - 91-26324 "Thunder struck" 68 - 91-26288 "Razors Edge" Figures There has been some confusion as the review kits have shipped with a set of 7 figures, though on the box it states these are not included. For this boxing the figure ARE NOT included, though it appears that KH will do a later boxing with these in for an additional cost. This will be an additional $60 or so, which in the grand scheme of this is cheaper than buying after market figures. The figures are all very well made and include the two pilots, two door gunners, a figure descending on a rope and two figures providing ground support. Conclusion The plastic looks great, and there is an impressive array of options in the box as well as all the parts for the DAP. However all of the decal options are for aircraft in Somalia which never had the stub wings. It is hopped that Kitty Hawk find a way to get the missing covers to all those who bought the kit. There is much to recommend this kit in terms of the quality of the parts and the available options, however it is let down by a few points as well as the instructions. Overall though recommended to those who want a modern tooling of this Helo. A lot of options are doable from the box with the correct research. Review sample courtesy of Available soon from major hobby shops

MH-60L Photo-Etch Update Set & Seat Belts (for Kitty Hawk) 1:35 Eduard If you didn't see the release of the big MH-60L DAP from Kittyhawk earlier this year, where were you? We reviewed it here, and we'll wait for you while you go and have a look. Eduard's new range of sets are now here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's larger Photo-Etch (PE) sets, they arrive in a flat resealable ziplok package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Detail (32953) This set comes on one colour fret and one standard one. The colour one is mainly given over to the instruments panels and switches, including the over head panels. There are also parts for the pilots seats. Other parts included in this seat are detail parts for the tail rotor and a host of strengthening plates which will require the moulded on detail to be removed. Pilots and Gunners Seatbelts (33229) This set contains a single fret with 2 sets of belts for the pilots, and 2 sets of belts for the gunners directly behind the pilots. Crew Seatbelts (32954) This set contains a single fret with 11 sets of belts for the other seats in the Helo Review samples courtesy of

Hello everyone, i found a photos on Google that there are Uh-60 in Camouflage scheme and its used in Operation Desert Storm, 1991 and only 1 photo of this heli. So i thought that i will go for it. This kit is from Academy and very straight foward build. I'm also have this build video in my channel, you guys can check it out. Link is in my signature. For the color, well this is the hardest part, I'm using Mr.color C39 for the main color and mix some whitte to create highlight. It's nots as close as the photos so i add some red to the C39 , highly diluted the mixture and tint the whole model. HEre is the finished model.

Sikorsky UH-60A Yanshuf, pics thanks to Dov.

Hello everybody I have been away from modelling for some time now and I’ve been a silent reader on britmodeller.com during the last three years – thanks everybody for the inspiration ;-) As a rotorhead I built every major helicopter in my time – except a Blackhawk, what a shambles. Now I am so softened up by all the splendid builds around here, have a bit time on my hands and decided to catch up on this wonderful and ubiquitous bird. I decided to do it as a Hoverama : a hovering Blackhawk with a slingload underneath, suspended in a display cabinet. I took loads of inspiration from all over the web. This is just one of the examples of rather intense videos of the whole process : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTEdjADUbJc . The whole thing is planned to be a pleasure build. So no rivet-counting, no realistic paint-scheme, no consistent decals – just a lot of artistic freedom! I am planning on putting the Hoverama in my living room and simply enjoying it for its beauty once it is finished ;-) Therefore I decided to go for a scheme with hi-vis/day-glow panels. Ever since I saw German WWII planes, I was fascinated with the contrast of camouflage and hi-vis patches. So for me the only way to go for me is a flat OD with a glistening bright orange – something like http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dust-off_MEDEVAC_navigates_the_high_seas.jpg but without the red cross. A scheme that might even exist for a bird used in training the art of sling-loading by pilots and ground personnel – and an eye catcher for sure ! And so I went shopping : Academy 1/35 UH-60L Blackhawk (this one has actually a working cargo hook) Eduard BigEd set for the bird CMK Helicopter Crew (if it is flying there has to be crew inside) an Italeri 1/35 HMMWV to dangle below the bird Here is one picture of the lot Beyond the actual build, I want to do the following on the Blackhawk in order to represent the situation in the Hoverama as closely possible extend the oleo struts on the LG as if it is unloaded deflect the horizontal stabiliser, which keeps the fuselage level during hover add mud to a sector of the wheels, as if the Blackhawk landed on soft ground A further complication arises from the fact, that I have no modelling specific tools and I do not plan to invest in much, because this could be my last model for the next ten years :-) (but who knows :-D ). So instead of doing wonderfull things, I will just use the hairy-stick method with Revel Aquas. The only concession to a good finish will be a rattle-can of OD. For now I am going to put this thread into hibernation, because I want to go back into the swing of things with the HMMWV. In fact, for someone who hasn’t touched a model in the last 10 years, the prospect of tackling such a large model including photo-etched parts is rather frightening. So I am going to use the sling load as a training ground to shape up before attacking the bird. And here is the link to the WIP of the HMMWV, which will be the first step in the creation of this Hoverama : http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234971988-the-hoverama-hmmwv/ Hope you enjoy following this built as much as I will building it ! Cheers

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.