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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

For my second entry I am building this Hobby Boss Eurocopter Tiger as an Australian Army armed reconnaissance helicopter. Ironically it has recently been announced that the Tigers will be replaced by AH-64E Apaches. The Tigers had a troubled history, lengthy maintenance requirements resulted in high operating costs and low availability. In addition there were problems with communication and data links. A look at the parts: The instructions are of the exploded diagram style: I also have the Ronin Decals sheet which allows any of the Australian Tigers to be modelled the decals come with a very useful set of detail photos: some parts of the defensive suite will need to be scratched and, somewhat dauntingly, so will the very long towel rail aerial on the port fuselage. A quick start today with some of the major components cleaned up and dry fitted: fit is quite good and it goes together well, the cockpit tub is a very tight fit care will need to be taken to get the nose to close up properly to allow the canopy to fit correctly. Thanks for looking. AW

Good day! Here is my latest work, Kittyhawk's UH-1D Huey in 1/48 scale. The model itself is not as good as Tamiya or Edurad, but it is by far the best one in 1/48th scale. I had some minor problems during the assembly, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. The major drawback are the instructions, so keep that in mind if you want to build one. Referneces and photos are crucial with this build. I have to thank mr. Floyd Werner for all the provided photos and information. Without them, I would be lost. Enough talking, enjoy the pics. Model: Kitty Hawk 1/48 UH-1D Huey Extras: Eduard 49861 - interior Eduard Fe862 - seatbelts Eduard EX564 - masks Eduard 49022 - Ammo boxes Paints used: MRP Weathering: Ammo Mig products. Some historical photos. Note the interior green door and aeleron. Same helicopter at the beginning of the tour. Side doors were still installed. But they have been removed later on during the tour.

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

Finally finished this which has been on and off the shelf for around a year. Cheers, Sam

I recently did my last WIP post on these, so its time for a final post for these. Both Gazelles are the Airfix offering, one from the 80s and the other from the 90s/00s. The first one i started (back in March) got to the end of the painting stage and it all went a bit wrong when i found out i had completely messed up the canopy. It took me a fair few months to know what i will do with it. I decided to do it in the scheme of XX453 used by Qinetiq in a fictional diorama with it in storage, getting brown paper getting applied to the glass. (The wonky antenna has since been fixed) The later kit had decals for a pair of HT.2s, but had the GOA on the top section of the canopy. Due to this of course i had to look at AH.1s and found a very nice desert scheme. This one is XZ347 used by the AAC. This one also has a base but it is very quick, and one day i will make one it deserves.

Dear all, Please find below some images of my recently finished SAMI review kit of the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300. The VS-300 was the first practical US-designed helicopter and pioneered the now familiar lay-out of a main rotor and small tail rotor. The kit is a reissue by Brengun of the Extratech multi-media kit. The review article will appear in one of the upcoming issues of SAMI. Peter

Welcome to the Helicopter, Autogyro and STOVL GB. Duration: Saturday 27 June to Sunday 18 Oct 2020 Host: @JOCKNEY Co-Host: @Col. So all the usual rules apply but the most important one is to have fun and enjoy your own build and encourage everyone else with theirs, so the rules cover the usual points: 1) The subject of your chosen model has to be either a helicopter, an autogyro or a STOVL Aircraft. 2) The model kit and any aftermarket components can be of any scale or build material, additional GB points for Vacform and Scratch building. 3) All models must be less than 25% complete at the start of the build. If in doubt, please ask the GB hosts, we are very flexible as we want to see as many completed builds as possible. 4) All builds must have a WIP thread showing progress, models cannot go into the gallery unless there is a build thread for them. If you are building two or more similar models or there is a strong link between the subjects, then they may be combined in the same thread, or separately if you prefer. 5) No buying/wanted or selling in the GB please. Please use the buying and selling section in Britmodeller for this 6) There may be a poll to vote for your favourite build in the Gallery at the end of the GB. You do not have to put your competed build in the gallery or take part in the poll if you don't want to. 7) Please be polite and constructive with your comments to member’s build. I would encourage everyone to support others builds, lots a humour, and advice is the order of the day. Please do not leave comments in the Gallery thread but rather put them in the relevant subject thread. With so many different subjects to choose from this should be a really special GB. Good luck everyone Cheers Pat & Col

What a joy to see a civil Sikorsky S-51 released by LF Models! And with a Los Angeles Airways option (there are three different options in total), none the less! Los Angeles, the city that we, its dwellers, love to hate. I live now in the same county, but not fortunately anymore in that city, for which I praise and thank all the saints of all religions, those already invented and the ones to be invented yet. I rushed to buy one. And what a pleasure it was to open the box and see what looks like a nice molding, plenty of detail, a photo-etched set and decals, accompanied by nicely printed instructions. Thanks LF for releasing a very nice kit of a civil helicopter for us suffered and often dismissed civilized builders! I have built LF kits before, and this new offer is above in quality from what I had built. LF offers, separately, the option to purchase painting masks for the decoration and another set for the transparencies, which are NOT included with the kit. I immediately plunged into frantic research. To my luck, I found some pictures of the intended model, and even some movies. Here are some of the things I noticed: the green color suggested by the kit for that livery may be a little light. Color photos of the Sikorsky S-51 and other Los Angeles Airways helos show a darker hue, consistently. I even found a color photo with a sign of the company logo in a darker green. A mystifying detail: while some of these S-51 LAA helos have the exhaust to the left as shown in the kit, some have it to the right (no, the photos are not reversed, they are oriented the right way). Hum. Photos and clips suggest that at least some of the helos had the tail rotor blades painted a warning red (which looks a tad faded), not black as depicted in the kit. Some stills show a narrow red line separating the green and the white, at least in the cabin area. Pay attention to the P.E. details, as not all helos had the belly elements the same way. I have seen before Sikorsky logos where the "S" is blue, but, lacking evidence, I'll take the all-gold logo offered by LF. You get two sets of blades, earlier and later styles. Check your references! The transparencies look good. Now, I have been in love before, and at the beginning all is roses, but things change as you start to build. We'll see what's the case with this kit, but so far, I am very enthusiastic about it. Very nice choices: Things very reasonably packed, colorful and quality-printed instructions: The goods, nice!: All contents come in re-sealable bags, well done!: Fair, clean moldings with good detail: Hum, I would like to open that door...I am surprised that it isn't an option in the kit already: Nitpickings start here: Why, oh why, do so many manufacturers chose to represent in their instructions very small parts and sub-assemblies with very small drawings? Maybe blow-up drawings, representing small things with bigger drawings? so we don't have to guess what the heck is going on there and/or run for the magnifier? And would it be possible to proofread the translations into English by a professional, or even an English-speaking modeling enthusiast you may be in touch with? As you sell your products through British and American distributors, what about them having a look at the translations? Or asking an English speaker as native language to have a look at the text included in the kit, giving him/her a production sample? Many will be happy with that simple arrangement.

I'm having to take a break from modelling due to eye strain. (Yep, from modelling, yep that's what you get for doing 1/144 scale) I thought I would show what I've been working on for a while.

hi all, As this is my first WIP report., i thought that i would start with something a little bit different, namely the Academy 1/48 MH-53 Sea Dragon. I managed to pick up the kit itself very cheaply on a trip to Heiden model show in Germany. Then along came some help from an under-the-table Big Ed set from Eduard at a Cosford model show and the update set from Wolfpack, mainly for the seamless exhausts. The only thing that was lacking was some decent markings for a Japanese helicopter based at Iwakuni in the minesweeping role. Wolfpack did an extremely over-priced special edition of the decals and kit (which of course i didn't need), so it was a case of waiting patiently until the decals were released separately, which happened just recently. This event was combined with some fantastic walkaround photos of a JMSDF MH-53 from a Japanese modelling friend and i found myself unable to put off the build any longer. So here goes.................. A very big box The contents The only reference book i could find The decal sheet I had already started the rotor head and added some extra detailing before i decided to do the work in progress report, so here are the photos so far. The kit doesn't include any extra pipework and the rotor head is quite bare, so something needs to be added. All good fun but taxing on the eyes and patience even with a large magnifier and good light. The colours on the rotors are used to code each blade to each arm. The red one has no hydraulics as it doesn't fold, so at least you only have to repeat the pipework six times! A bit more painting and weathering, then it's on to the tail rotor Andy

Really nice kit and perfect decal as you can see.A little trouble in cockpit fitting,hatch door is 0.5mm wider.The rest of the kit is fine.

This is my 1/72 Gyrodyne QH-50C DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter) 3D printed by Shapways. My understanding is that these were used as anti-submarine homing torpedo delivery devices for ships had sonar and other submarine sensors but that were too small to carry a full size helicopter such as a SH-3 Sea King. As anyone that has tried to fly an RC helicopter can attest they were very hard to fly, especially with 1960's technology, so they were somewhat dangerous and accident prone and were eventually replaced by SH-2 Seasprites. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyrodyne_QH-50_DASH for more information. It comes from Shapeways as a 3d printed block: with an instruction sheet The block also has a template for the wire used for struts, and the landing gear You just need to supply the .02 wire, .01 wire and decals. I could not find any suitable .01 wire so I either left it out or used the .02 wire. Once separated from the block you have the following parts Because of the way the 3D printing process works all of the hole for the wires are "printed" into the pieces and just need to be cleaned out of the printing powder with a small drill bit. Also because of the printing process the parts have some striations and are little grainy. After printing they tumble them to clean and polish them smooth but this doesn't get into all the nooks and crannies of the block so some clean up is required. Because of this I used Eduard Brassin Mk. 44 torpedoes rather end the one supplied. Assembly was straight forward. I used CAA glue and epoxy. And hear is the results. Here it is between an SH-3 and SH-2 for size comparison Next up is the Olimp/ProResin Edo OSE-1 floatplane. Enjoy

Based on the Italeri kit for the Bell OH-13S, I build the H-13E used in Korea almost exclusively for MedEvac applications. For this purpose, the engine and tank had to be modified, the entire grid frame shortened, baffles attached to the tail fin, the instrumentation modified and of course the distinctive stretchers with the protective hoods on the outriggers had to be built. Also the engine had to be modified, because early models were not equipped with Lycomings, let alone turbo engines. After all a wild mix comprising of a detail set from CMK, a small set of etched parts from JADAR-Model, parts from the Pavla kit, a 3D printing as well as self-build parts from thin sheet metal, medical supplies, finest nylon yarn, lead wire, rod and sheet were used for the model. The whole misery is described here in this build report in the German "Flugzeugforum". (You need to be logged-in to see the pictures, unfortunately.) But it is worth it… Since the helicopter was in massive use in the Korea-war, there are no well documented individual models, which were flown by a later known pilot, for example. My H-13 is a typical representative of these helicopters, which were memorialized in the film and the TV series M*A*S*H. I have built an average type from all available picture material. Not even a list of assignable serial numbers could be found, and I actually even bothered the manufacturer Bell (now Textron) with it, but they say that they have nothing to do with the old military models anymore. It was the first time ever that I took part in a competition with this model and actually made second place in 1/72 against very good modellers in 2017… But you better form your own opinion.

Here is my Dragon 1:144 Changhe (CAIC) WZ-10 attack helicopter which I built back in 2012. It represents LH95112, one of the prototypes, People's Republic of China, from 2004 onwards. Information then was sketchy and different prototypes had some different configurations. The only alteration I did was re-shape the tips of the main rotor blades from square to curved. The tail rotor is wrong. It should be an "X" rather than a cross but I left it as it came. The kit lacked a cockpit and I used a Matador Models white metal Mi-28 cockpit which fitted perfectly. The kit was fully painted with brush and only the final matt coat was airbrushed. Thanks for looking Miguel

Im About to start the Hobbyboss WZ-10, I Will be posting pictures of it WIP and when its done. P

Da Vinci's Aerial Screw (00515) 1:48 Revell Leonardo Da Vinci was a genius in no uncertain terms and his creations still provoke interest and admiration even today some 500 years later. He is primarily known as an artist of the high renaissance, although he often wasn't too keen on finishing his works so much of his output remained as sketches, which are just as amazing as his finished work such as the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. He was also intrigued by human anatomy and was a keen engineer and inventor, with quite a few amazing designs to his name, one of which bears a striking resemblance to an early attempt at creating a helicopter. His sketches were highly inventive, and although unlikely to have worked using technology of the day in some cases, they are still impressive even when viewed through modern eyes. The Kit Designed as a tribute to his original drawings and as a multimedia construction kit that can be built reasonably quickly by anyone from child upward, although with young ones a parent's supervision will result in a much better model. The set arrives in a black box with the finished model and a drawing of Leonardo (we're on first name terms) on the front. Inside is a double-layer plastic tray that is supported by a card frame inside which the instruction booklet, information booklet, material "sails", a themed A4 print, a three-sheet set of plans and a bag containing glue, cord and a small piece of sandpaper are held. The tray holds the laser-cut wooden parts in depressions and the two layers stick together using friction fit pegs moulded into them. Take care when you open the tray however, as it has a habit of trying to launch the parts into space or the jaws of the carpet monster. The instructions and the information booklet have been designed to resemble an ancient document, and are written in Italian, English, German, French and Spanish, although you won't need a mirror to be able to read them as the designers weren't as security conscious as the great painter. The larger of the two booklets contains the instructions, which have a multi-lingual first page and the rest is pictorial so no special language skills are required. Or mirrors. Construction begins with the platform that is made of a circular base and a two part second layer plus a vertical post that terminates in a point at the upper end. The turning mechanism is next to be made with pegs for the crew to push on installed in the upper half. This slides over the central pole/axle and is trapped in place by another ring and is braced with four diagonal struts, then the supports for the screw are glued into place in the slots cut into the ring and top cap, all of which is left to rotate around the axle when the outer floor ring is rotated. The long curved supports are then added to join up the "branches" and form the screw-shaped external edge of the sail. The three part material sail is glued around these rails and later trimmed neatly once the glue has dried, then a needle will be required to thread the bracing cords through the sails and tie them down onto the bases of the struts and eyes in the outer floor ring. A small wooden plaque is installed at the front with the name and date of the design. Conclusion I love these wooden construction toys/models and also have a fondness for Mr Da Vinci's work from my school days in A Level art classes. The parts are quite delicate even though they are made of thin plywood, so allowing an unsupervised child (recommended for 10+) to attempt assembly is perhaps not the best idea, especially as wood glue requires a fair bit of patience. Take a bit of time between sessions and things should go well, and ensure that you have a needle with a suitably large eyed to hand, as the cord is much thicker than cotton. Do a good job though, and it will look awesome in the cabinet, and at a price that isn't likely to break the bank. Very highly recommended. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or

Hi everyone, This kit was given to me by my brother in law for Christmas, it is going to be air ambulance as I have a soft spot for these choppers seeing that I am a Paramedic, Helimed have helped me out more than once on a bad job. So I'm quite keen to try and do a decent job of this kit.First update is going to be the usual box, instructions, decals and sprue shots:The box with a nice piece of artwork:IMG_1061 by Neal, on FlickrInstructions in the usual Revell layout and their normal pain in the backside paint call outs:IMG_1062 by Neal, on FlickrIMG_1063 by Neal, on FlickrIMG_1064 by Neal, on FlickrIMG_1065 by Neal, on FlickrIMG_1066 by Neal, on FlickrA small sheet of decals:IMG_1067 by Neal, on FlickrThe sprue, not much flash on this kit compared to my previous EC-135, nice level of detail too for a small scale:IMG_1068 by Neal, on FlickrIMG_1069 by Neal, on FlickrIMG_1070 by Neal, on FlickrIMG_1071 by Neal, on FlickrSo I've already made a start on the build but will wait a bit to an update as I really need to finish my "Planes on a pole" sig entry before getting carried away with new builds.Take it easy guys.Neal

This was a quick project, I wanted something easy before tackling another helicopter project that's going to require quite a bit of work. It's the only 1/48th RAH-66 out there that I know of and (therefore great) it's got more right about it than wrong and with a real effort it could be made into a great model. Basically I made what I figured a third prototype might look like adding more details I noticed the 2 prototypes eventually received, external vents, aerials, steps, modified the tail planes, improved the oversimplified cockpit and instrument panels, filled in some inappropriate panel lines and added some better decals, thereby spending twice the time I had planned on but got something a little better than just straight from the box. Painted it with various shades of Testors US Helicopter Drab.

Just finished this, the 1/72 Attack Squadron resin kit of the autonomous Fire Scout helicopter. It's small in this scale but really well cast with PE for some of the smaller parts. The kit is now sold under the Brengun label.

hi all, This is the 1/48 Academy MH-53E Sea Dragon using Wolfpack decals and after eleven months, it's finally finished. The work in progress is here if you want to see everything that's inside (that you can't really see on the finished thing!). As you can see from the pictures, it's a bit too big to take decent images of, but at least they give you an idea. Hope you like it Andy

I have a Mil Mi-26 Halo which will be wearing Aeroflot colours in the stash and I have started to think about getting something fixed wing to use as a size comparison. Any ideas? Preferably something civvy as the Halo will be in civvy colours.

I have seen several photos of both Sikorsky Hoverfly and Westland Dragonfly on the HMS Vanguard foredeck, but could anybody put more light on this subject? Were they the only helicopter types operating from Britain's last battleship or can also the Whirlwind be shortlisted there? And still more - was there at any time any chopper based on the HMS Vanguard as the ship equipment or were they only the "visiting guests"? Cheers Michael

A build from 10 years ago, and please blame "Head in the clouds" and "Pete in Lincs", who made me do it: Somebody made a flying egg-beater? Not at all. Since the beginnings of the rotary wing design, inventors realized that a twin rotor solved torque and stability problems. Well, some of them anyway. Mr. Landgraf, from Los Angeles perpetrated this beauty. The Landgraf H-2 rotors were overlapped and for that reason by force synchronized. The blades were not hinged but could vary pitch, while little “ailerons” provided cyclic control. The rudder was fixed, so for yaw it was stated that differential torque was supplied to the individual rotors –how was this done is for me a mystery, since they were coupled. The one-person machine was aimed to be easy to fly, which apparently accomplished. The “wings” were only streamlined pods, since they reputedly did not contribute to lift, being the CG far ahead them –for which they would have created a negative pitch force in case they did generate any lift in forward motion. The model: Two (upper and lower) halves were Mattel-formed on a previously Sculpey-made plug; the upper one in clear styrene. The 85 hp Pobjoy engine and front wheel are Aeroclub items, the other two wheels were scratched, since I couldn’t find ones of a suitable size. Interior structure and diverse elements were created, and for the rotor blades Contrail styrene “struts” were used -but the process of converting the raw airfoiled strip to a blade took some patience. Each blade has a tiny “aileron” that was engraved. Since the original aircraft had retractable landing gear, recesses can be seen on the fuselage photos through which you can have a glimpse of the innards, thence the decision of putting the engine, some structure and the fuel tank in the model. The white metal engine also helped to balance the model avoiding any shameful tail-sitting. The stubby “no-wings” were made of airfoiled styrene sheet as well as the rudder. All in all about 80 parts were fabricated, perhaps a bit on the high side considering the minute dimensions of this windmilled tadpole. Colors were applied as per a Mechanix Illustrated magazine color photo. In one photo on the Flight archives a beautiful female model appears posing aside the aircraft, but my intents to get a model to pose with the model were in vain. Doesn’t somehow remind you of the Jetsons?

Second finish in 2019. Pretty nice little kit. Good fit and detail. My first time to use vinyl tape as framing. I did have one small issue with the instructions - they showed installing ram jet impellers/blades after closing the engine housings, but it would have been so much easier before closing the pods. Feel free to comment or ask questions