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This CH-47D was constructed in 2014 as a civil aircraft and sold to a leasing company. It was leased by the australian province New South Wales as a fire fighting aircraft. Meanwhile there is a new owner and a new livery. The kit was originally produced by Revell and issued by Academy with different markings. It is an excellent kit with a lot of details and no issues. These decals are from australian company DEKL'S. Hope you like the colourful civilian version! cheers, Norbert

This model spent about 15 years in the basement, already painted grey/blue, still masked, waiting for decals. Three days ago I re-discovered it and decided to repaint it in an antarctic scheme. Meanwhile I had bought nice decal sheet by Draw. I think, Fujimi has modelled the nose spot on and I am trying to figure out how to correct the wrong shape of the Italeri 212/412. I replaced the main rotor assembly with the one from the old ESCI UH-1D kit, which is the best, in my opinion. A new pitot tube had to be made from 0,4mm lead wire. For the antarctic mission, the aircraft was equipped with a HF-radio system, so the prominent wire antenna had to be added. For the colour scheme I mixed 10 parts Revell 30 "Orange" with 6 parts Revell 31 "Feuerrot". Don't be afraid of mixing Revell colours. Hope you like it. More UH-1s will follow. cheers, Norbert

Figured I would join this Group build with another old Monogram kit. Started getting everything together last week but my decals have yet to arrive. I will still be starting tonight in the hopes that they finally show up. 1977 Monogram Huey Hog kit 1/48 Upgrades: Black Dog UH-1 engine kit Quinta Studio UH-1C interior 3D decal kit small version Print Scale Decals Bell UH-1 Huey helicopter in the Vietnam War part 3 Will also be adding some custom 3D print parts to the base

Being a CH-53 pilot (now retired), I always wanted to build a decent model of a German CH-53 in 1:48 scale. The Revell kit is from the early 1980s and represents the technology of that time. Revell has researched the newer versions very well, added new parts (new rotor blades, tanks, radar and missile detection system, chaff and flare dispensers) for the CH-53GS and GA editions but the main parts remained unchanged during the many reissues of this kit. Nevertheless, It is worth every cent of it's price, because it offers the opportunity to spend a huge amount of time working on it. How boring is a Tamiya kit compared to that, where everything is correct and fits perfectly? Well, it was more than 10 years ago, when I started this kit and I gave up, when it was already masked, painted and partly decalled, and put it into the so called shelf of doom. I was not in the mood then to correct all the shortcomings and flaws. About one month ago, a former comrade asked me to repair some broken parts from his model, which he had bought somewhere. I did so and remembered my old started model in the basement. And all of a sudden, I enjoyed rediscovering all the missing details and flaws that needed attention and working on it. Here is the result, still far away from being perfect. Some things I haven`t changed, because the model was already airbrushed, but I learned from then for the other two models I am working on right now, a GS and a GA verion. This model had to be one of my former regiment, Heeresfliegeregiment 15 in Rheine-Bentlage (ETHE). The numbers of the decal sheet allowed the 84+75, which was fine. This model represents the aircraft between about 1989 and 1997. About 1989 all the static discharge systems were removed, because it had proved to be ineffective, and 1997 the old Aluminium rotor blades as shown here were replaced by more modern and aerodynamically more effective so called "Improved rotor blades" . Things I have changed or improved: - Remove the part for the air refuelling boom from the glass part and polish it, - shorten all three landing gear legs by 2 mm - add details to the top of the instrument panel like map storage and stand by compass - Remove the crude mechanism of the tail rotor and rebuild it - add hydraulic lines to the main rotor head - reduce the height of the main rotor head above the blades by 2 mm - add yellow stripes to the main rotor blades as forklift markings - add engine front intake covers, as the compressor is nicely modelled, but too far forward - reduce the height of the front wheel cover by 2mm and add a small stripe of plastic on the bottom - add details to the wind shield wipers - add two small pins above the cockpit for the ice detection system and the outside air temperature gauge (which is already gone again) - add the shimmy damper to the the right front wheel (that cylindrical thing) - add various hydraulic lines for the blade fold mechanism at the main rotor head Things that should be done, but that I avoided, because the model was already assembled and painted: remove the premodelled wind shield wipers drill holes for the air intakes in the "dog house" above the cockpit for heating and Auxiliary power plant (APP) rebuild the front landing cover, because it is way too thick Here are the pictures, which I took at Rheine Bentlage airfield, which is still a military installation, but not used for military flying any more. greetings from Germany, Norbert

Hi everyone, Here’s my 1/35 Kitty Hawk AH-6J / MH-6J Little Bird helicopter. It was a challenging but enjoyable build. Greetings from Ecuador!

It was in 1995, when I was on a refuelling stop with a CH-53 in Oostende/Belgium and this big helicopter was parked there. I was fascinated and took some pictures. This year there was a Group Build of "Flying Cranes" in a German modelling forum, so I took the opportunity to build a model of exactly this aircraft. The kit by Eastern Express is a very nice kit, only the glass parts are very thick with unusable engravings. So I had to paint the windows. The decals are selfmade. Hope you like it! cheers, Norbert

Here’s my next entry. This is the KP kit, neé Heller, of the Alouette III, in service of the Czech Mountain Rescue Team. That’s what’s on the boxtop, btw... The profile... The sprue…the plastic suspicuously resembles the newwer Airfix plastic. That blueish grey tone. Decent detail. Nothing fancy. The decals... I started in on the cockpit, the motor and the basic fuselage. The fit is decent and there are even some mounting points to keep thigs in line. Not sure about the cockpit but I think it will look good. I skipped the IP decal as it didnt want to stick. I hope that is not a harbinger of things to come! —John

Hi everyone, Here’s my 1/48 Answer PZL W-3RL Sokol helicopter. It was a challenging but enjoyable build. Greetings from Ecuador!

Hallo I intend to build in 2025 helicopter only. This is for me a not the familiar domain. As well in real technology as well in modelling. I built a few helicopters, for my kids in 72 scale and few for me in 48 scale. They came out quite well. So I started for my basic understanding this topic with four helicopters from Germany during the WW2. All four of them, there exist quite good kits. So I did the Bachstelze FA 330, the Flettner 282 Kolibri, the FA 223 Drache, and the Doblhoff WNF 342. The others you also may find in RFI. Now I reached the post WW2 era and started with the Mi-4. Here I found out now, that the basic fuselage treatment is a must. That means no gear, no antenna, no weapon pylon, no crane or anything else is attached. Here I use a basic jig from rigid foam. The fuselage can be stored there in normal position or head down. Since we have so huge doors, engine openings and others, the spraying of such a monster presupposes grasping. How to prevent fogging of color by spraying! How to mask and when to spray, at which step. This is the first task. Additional parts and rotor blades aside: The color and paint of the rotor, the head and the blades. To make look them realistic! Here again grasping is requested! Since from the old helicopters I do not have photos. If I do, I doubt on all colors! This is my new helicopter operative photos: https://i.imgur.com/rnjIUa4.jpg As I know from real helicopters, the color and appearance of a flying one is so much different in all to a museum exhibit that I want to rely only on real helicopter photos. On many types which I intend to build it is impossible. But with the knowledge of reality I can make quite accurate assumptions. Once I saw a model exhibition, a huge number of Sea Kings in 1/72. The modeler was working offshore and had everyday a chance for a glance on them. So far for today. Are rotor blades in the middle of their lifetime glossy or flat? Are the hinges of older helicopter in a flat or glossy oily appearance? My stash: Mi-2 Mi-8 Mi-35 Ka-52 S-55 AH-1 V-22 UH-60 Lynx Sea King Any input to the topic is highly appreciated. Happy modelling

Hallo The Flettner 282 Kolibri was one of the most successful German helicopters. In opposition to the FA 223 Drache it did not have structural or dynamic unsolved problems. It was a stable aircraft, easily to fly and even fast to learn to fly properly. It was produced too in small numbers. The limited production capacity was one issue and the jealousy of the Luftwaffe versus Marine was the second issue. So, just successful trials were flown during the war. After the war it was honey for the Allies. The aircraft, or helicopter by itself in this configuration is a stable platform. No need of a counter torque. The build, as the second of the early rotary aircraft from Germany. The next model I will build is the FA 223. The kit is quite well, and there are no issues to remark. Have a look around: happy modelling

So it begins, after paying stupid money for a 31 year old Hasegawa 1/48 sea king model and trying to locate rare parts I have now decided. to start over completely using the new AIRFIX 1/48 kit. I will post irregular updates and I hope to keep the model as close to the actual cab of my beloved squadron, but I must warn you, the last time I made a scale model was when I was 14 so it wont be anywhere near to perfection but I will certainly aim for it and have the luxury of you guys keeping me right! Below is the new Airfix kit but as with the Hasegawa a new window needs to be cut for the observer/sensor rack

Hi fellow modellers, Here is my third CH-53 model this year. Having served for two tours in Afghanistan as a CH-53 pilot and XO in Kabul 2002 and Termez in 2004 I enjoyed building the GS version we used for the ISAF missions with external fuel tanks, radar warning receivers and laser detection system. I added to the old Revell kit a Black Dog Engine for the CH-53E, which needed some adjustment. This scene shows a typical maintenance situation. The engine gets inspected and the compartment above the cockpit, housing the APP and the heating system, is opened up, with the scratch built structure and machinery. The rotor blades are already disassembled and stored on a trailer built from the old ESCI kit. On the right side a MG3 is installed as defensive weapon. Later this machine gun was replaced by M3M. The Revell kit calls for a lot of necessary improvements. In the cockpit the seats needed some work, overhead panel is scratch built, tail rotor mechanism, windshield wipers, and front landing gear cover had to be removed and replaced by scratch built parts. Hope you like this little scene. I took these fotos this morning outside, when the thick fog allowed some rays of sun for a short time. cheers, Norbert

I couldn't get my hands on an AH-6 kit in 1:48 so I was condemned to use Academys MH-6 "Stealth" which is a little boring due to a lack of details and do a sort of "conversion". Antennas and exhaust are scratch-built. Some details on the surface such as formation lights are kit-bashed. Rear doors cut out (I wanted to cut out the front doors as well, but the kit is so tiny and fragile that I was afraid I would ruin it, so I left it. The weapons console is also scratch-built and a tiny bit off-scale since I built it by looking at the photos... but I'm happy with how it turned out. Added a few more details around the engine and that's it. Clear parts are unfortunately orange shaded from the "stealth" variant. All in all, I'm pleased with the result. Aaaand... I forgot to remove the mask from the front light before the photo shoot.

Bristol 192 Belvedere (A03002V) 1:72 Airfix Vintage Classics Based upon the cancelled Bristol 172 civilian twin-rotor helicopter, the 192 was developed in the late 50s, while two other Navalised options designated 191 and 193 also fell by the wayside. The 192 shared much of the development efforts expended on the 191, the extant prototypes serving as test airframes for the 192, trialling Napier Gazelle engines, and stress testing the airframe. The Naval origins of the design also had drawbacks, forcing passengers to climb four feet to the bottom sill of the door hatch, as the type had long gear legs that had been mandated for an anti-submarine role, and the engine placement was less-than-ideal, making transitioning between cockpit and passenger compartment difficult, thanks only to a bulge on the port side of the cabin. Engine location also prevented a rear access ramp that further inconvenienced loading and unloading, especially in a hurry. The rotors were synchronised by a gearing system, and after the first few airframes, the initial wooden blades were replaced by metal units, with four blades per hub. The HC.1 entered service with the RAF in 1961, with a capacity for carrying eighteen fully-equipped troops or 2.7 tonnes of cargo, if it would fit through the side door. Only twenty-six airframes entered service in all, and although there were other variants planned, such as re-engining the type with Gnome engines, and a civilian variant called the 192C, nothing came of these, making it the only indigenous twin-rotor helicopter to see service with British forces, the rest being of American origin. There were three squadrons equipped with Belvederes, and the last airframes went out of service in 1969 to be replaced by Westland Wessexes, a license built variant of the Sikorsky H-34. Today, there are three complete airframes in museums in Weston-Super-Mare and Hendon, plus a nose section in WSM, which is quite a proportion of the total built. The Kit This is a reboxing by Airfix under their Vintage Classics range of a tooling that originated in 1959, which makes this reviewer feel quite young by comparison, and that takes some doing these days. The kit arrives in a red-themed top-opening box with a reproduction of one of the early box artworks on the front, and inside are four sprues of grey styrene, a separately bagged clear sprue, new decal sheet, and instruction sheet that is printed in spot colour on matt paper, with profiles on the rear pages of the gatefold booklet. Detail is as you would expect for a kit of this era, with thousands of fine raised rivets covering the exterior, the rotor blades and other appendages, plus a pair of civilian-looking pilots that were probably tooled that way because the usage of the type wasn’t yet set in stone when the model was tooled. Construction begins by installing the side windows, engine intakes and the rotor heads in the fuselage halves, closing the fuselage around them and dealing with the seams in your preferred manner, deciding whether to remove all the rivets, or keep them, as you see fit. Inverting the fuselage allows you to apply an insert into a cut-out under the rear, two stabilisers to the sides with supports, plus end-plates for one decal option, followed by the aft landing gear, which also have supports above, and a wheel on each end of the axle. A similar axle is applied under the forward fuselage, although the supports and gear legs are combined in one part each end, completed by adding the wheels to the ends, fitting two inserts under the nose, and the forward cargo door in either closed position or opened with a strut holding it at the correct angle. Posing the door open will expose the bare interior, so unless you plan on putting something or someone in the way to hide that fact, you might want to do some scratch building of a basic interior around the door, although you could always rely on dark paint inside to hide the absence of detail. Even though this kit is from an era when you were lucky to have a pilot’s head moulded into the fuselage, there is a cockpit included, with two separate seats that fit either side of a moulded-in centre console. The crew are posed with their hand by their sides for ease of moulding, and as mentioned earlier, they are dressed more like civilians than RAF personnel. A bulkhead is fitted into the open front of the fuselage, placing the cockpit floor on a raised dais in front, then closing it in with the two clear nose halves, which makes a simple job of masking the windows cleanly, and cutting down on the likelihood of glue or seam-filling marring the finish. The model is completed by adding four blades to each rotor head, meshing with the head for a strong join. Markings There are two very similar decal option on the sheet, probably due to the relatively short service of the type. From the box you can build one of the following: Development Trials, Aircraft & Armament Experimental Establishment, Royal Air Force Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, England, late 1959 Belvedere Trials Unit, RAF Odiham, Hampshire, England, October 1960 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin satin carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This kit has nostalgia oozing out of the box, and while it is older than many of us, there’s still a quaint charm to it. The raised rivets are unusual these days, and there is a little flash and some minor mould damage that you may encounter, but this is your only option in this scale at time of writing. Highly recommended with the above caveats. Review sample courtesy of

Its been sometime since i posted here . I seen this Hind E helicopter , Looks like a great OTB. Please enjoy Rick

Using this post to upload from HobbyPhotoHost for the first time, so let me know if there is any problems. This is my S-61A Sea King in Danish markings. The model is Cyber Hobby’s 1/72 S-61 with Whirlybirds conversion set and decals. I also scratch build the interior, but not much can be seen on the finished model. Painting using acrylics. Enjoy Drakendk

Hello everyone Considering that I am a fan of the movie and series M*A*S*H, it was logical to make a model of the medical helicopter from this series (movie). I did a lot of digging and research and came across various information, so in the end, based on screenshots from the series and comparison with information about the variants of this helicopter, I came to the conclusion that the D variant was used in the series/film (1 central fuel tank, 1 controls, the lack of the horizontal tilt rudder, a different tail fin and some other small things). Italeri's kit represents the OH-13G in 2 (sub)variants (I didn't go into further research on the later models) so a conversion had to be done. As it is my first time to do a conversion and with a limited source of references, I did what I could and knew how. Due to the large amount of different information on the Internet, I mostly stuck to screenshots and clips from the series as references. What I specifically changed: - removed the controls on the right side - removed the horizontal rudder on the tail - removed some other small things that were not on this variant - refined the lower tail fin (scratch built) - made a new central tank instead of 2 (modeled and printed in 3d) - stretcher and stretcher supports made (scratch built) - engine protective cover made (scratch built) - pilot found a 3d model on the internet and printed it (yes, in the series the pilots wore caps and not helmets) the 3d model of the tank that I made can be downloaded for free here https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6593209 or here https://www.tinkercad.com/things/ckljrVEJs77-bell-47-fuel-tank When printing the tank, I accidentally screwed something up in the settings, so it was printed reversed (mirrored) and the tank cap is on the right instead of the left. Unfortunately, I only noticed this when I glued the painted and varnished tank to the model. I missed a few more things, but I only noticed them when it was too late. The biggest of them is that I didn't correct the cabin opening, which is different on this version (marked what I should have cut off): don't have decals... they don't exist, but I'm trying to think of something. For now, it will be like this As for the Italeri kit itself, it's not great, although it's not too bad either... it can be fixed. The biggest complaint goes to the terribly soft plastic... I haven't come across a softer one yet, it bends very easily and the scalper goes through butter, so you have to be careful.

Well, this is definitely not one of the most elegant aircraft of the world. But it was a big step in helicopter development, First flown in 1939, six prototypes of the Fl 265 were built, but the development continued with the Fl 282. Flettner wanted to test the concept of two counter rotating intermeshing rotors. The 265 was powered by a 160 hp radial engine fitted with a fan for cooling. No, the propeller is not missing! Early special hobby kits are sometimes tricky, in this case the vacuum formed clear parts did not fit, the rear part was way too small and I had to scratch build this part. Cockpit and engine are nicely detailed resin parts. The delicate landing gear provides good landing characteristics, but was a pain to adjust it. Hope you like this interesting piece of aviation history. cheers, Norbert

After a long break I have finished this model. The project suffered from poor fit and parts which are way too big for the space provided. Only after cutting away some of the construction in the engine compartment, the fuselage could be connected. Another problem area are the grids providing cooling air. There is a PE part supposed to be glued inside the fuselage, which is very thick. and the grids in this part are way too large for this scale. So I cut small pieces out of a decoration stuff and glued them into the fuselage with white glue. This looks better than the manufacturer's idea, but still not perfect. The parts on the rotor head and the fuel vents are scratch built. But finally this project is finished. Would I build another one? Lemme think, NO! size comparison: Here the thickness of the fuselage parts is visible.

This is Shark 20 as she would likely have been during the Sydney-Hobart yacht race rescues in December 1998. Built under the Sea King Group Build but completed too late to include in the gallery. This is the most complex buld to date during my middle-aged modelling renaissance and I think at times I bit off more than I could reasonably chew. I failed to finish off some of the details but have done enough for me to call her done and move onto a (hopefully) simpler build. Painted in Gunze H307 (FS 36320) with some light panel line detailing and exhaust staining around the rear of the fuselage. The build thread can be found here: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234975709-westland-sea-king-mk50-ran/ Thanks for looking, Andrew

My favourite modelling subject is civil aviation. How does this model fit into this? Well, I have found a picture taken in December 1970 for an ad by Sikorsky (United Aircraft) . Here it is: Scroll down a little bit. Being a former German Army CH-53 Pilot, I was very interested in the technical similarities and how ICM have reproduced them. The kit is very well researched! But the instructions are not...at some places you are left alone, where exactly a part is supposed to be or how to paint it. I used aftermarket parts for masks, instrument panels and seat belts. I have designed the decals and had them printed. Well, I hope you like this big machine in a not so common livery! Norbert

Hi, so this is my version of the 1/35 Kitty Hawk MH-60R in the HSM-35 "Magicians" colors. Sorry about the photos they're pretty crappy....must get a new phone....iThingy....camera....whatever the hell they are nowadays had a play at doing some of the lines/connector whajamcallums on the rotorhead......meh.....it's okay for a first smash. got a few more of these so will get it right next time A few of the interior bits and bobs before it was zipped up... This is the overhead cockpit panel...whatever its called.... this is some sort of in-flight entertainment system???....bomb droppy thing....god knows...I sort of jazzed it up a bit as the side was just a blank wall of plastic which was a bit boring ....anyway.....was a ballache to do as its so damn tiny....but fun.... This is the interor....the spidery thing on the left....that was ridiculous....on the sprue it was almost a solid chuck of plastic that had to be surgically removed....that weren't fun..... Cockpit....bog standard really.... same again....sans chairs.....thing about me is I'm totally crap with decals and the kit comes with this decal set of the instrument panel....sod that....tried me best and didn't use them Overall view of the inside bits and stuff..... Anyway that's enough for now...thanks for looking!! Next one is the US Coast Guard "Jayhawk" - the Astoria one. Got all the conversion stuff/decals from Werners Wings so looking forward to doing that. Cheers all Alan

Hi gents, it's my pleasure to share with you my latest work, Gallery models' UH-34 D Sea Horse in 1/48:

Mi-8MT Seatbelt & Zoom! Update Sets (FE1341 & FE1340 for Zvezda) 1:48 Eduard The Hip has received a little attention from the model companies recently, and that’s no bad thing as she was poorly served in 1:48 until now. Eduard's new range of sets are 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 Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Interior Zoom! (FE1340) A single nickel-plated and pre-painted fret is included in this smaller version of the usual Eduard package. This set contains a subset of the larger sets, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, involving a complete set of new layered instrument panels, sidewall details, and side consoles with added levers for the cockpit, and a visor skin above the pilots’ heads. The round-topped cabin door is removed, as are the moulded-in raised instrument panel details that are being replaced, adding a double set of traffic-light indicators for the passengers that may be leaving either vertically or via the rear ramp. Finally, there is a layered panel that is sometimes fitted where the cabin fire extinguisher is normally sited near the side door. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1341) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. You get two full sets of four-point crew belts for the pilots in the forward cabin in this set, complete with quilting details and comfort pads underneath the lap belts that keep the buckles from causing the pilots any discomfort. Review sample courtesy of

Hi folks, I am planning to scratchbuild a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter but am lacking some details. I have plenty of Plan and Profile diagrams but do not have any cross-section views, which would be needed for me to get the contours and dimensions right. Can anyone here help with such information, measurements and frame/cross-section plans please? cheers Mike