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After the Sikorski S-51/HO3S-1 (http://www.mach2.fr/s51.htm) Mach 2 (http://www.mach2.fr/avionsg.htm) is to release a 1/72nd Westland Dragonfly HR.3 (BEA) kit - ref.GP.062 Source: http://www.aviationmegastore.com/westland-dragonfly-hr3-bea-gp062-mach-2-gp062-scale-modelling/product/?shopid=LM545799cb78d2964af7209c241a&action=prodinfo&parent_id=212&art=129299 V.P.

Hi all, started this one a few days ago intending to make it a quick holiday build. The kit is the Australian Navy boxing of Mach 2's Squirrel. Parts require a lot of flash cleanup, no great problem in itself, I was still expecting a relatively quick build. I'd heard rumours of Mach 2 kits so perhaps I was naive - this one is fighting me all the way. The rear of the engine housing looks all wrong to my eye: And the exhaust is less than convincing: As a result I ordered some styrene tubing and will have a go at fashioning the exhaust myself. The rear of the engine housing has been hacked away and will hopefully be rebuilt into something a little more likelike. Whilst waiting for the styrene delivery I cracked on cleaning up the skids. As you can see, the fit is perfect . Cue another order for some brass rod to replace the 'legs' - which are completely the wrong shape anyway judging by the photos I've seen. And to top it all off, I still can't find anyone with the decals willing to sell . In the end I've started a Merlin build to run alongside to keep me sane.

I started this for the Helicopter GB but it was a real challenge. I'd seen stuff mentioned about Mach 2 kits needing a bit of real modelling and boy oh boy do they need it. On the good side is the shape looks right and it gluedtogether really well and strong, even the small bits. Which is just as well with sanding needed. On the debit side they have loads of flash, the transparencies are about 2mm thick and for this build none fitted. There is also a need to do some detailing, but with limited run kits I can cope with lack of cockpit detail, aerials and antennae. The end of the WIP can be found at http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235005191-westland-dragonfly/ and there is a link there to the first part in the GB. The biggest challenge was the transparencies and there are both a fair few cockpit windows, and the nose which is all plexiglass (I assume). The windows were trimmed sanded and polished with polishing cloths, multiple times and given a coat of Kleer eventually. They are smooth and generally fit but there are marks on them I could not remove, but I'll live with them. The nose was too narrow for the fuselage leading to filling and sanding ad nauseam. Not perfect but from a distance, I'll live with. Finished as WG670 (932) of the RNAS Lossiemouth Station Flight in 1955. Painted with Xtracrylix EDSG and Sky and transfers from a mix of Xtradecal and Microscale from the stash. Enjoy this version of the FAA's first widely used chopper. I'd like to do a silver or even blue grey one but I don't think I have the patience to do another.

I started this for the Helicopter Group Build but a combination of circumstances and the sheer amount of work needed with Mach 2 kits meant that I missed finishing it in time. I also lost interest in it for a while as progress was slower than expected. As someone else has said Mach 2 kits are very much 'sand-fill-sand-fill-and repeat' However, I've got restarted and want to very much finish this early British chopper. I believe, although licensed from Sikorsky, it was the first in a long line of helicopters from Westland's for the Royal Navy. Work so far in the GB can be found here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234997959-westland-dragonfly/ There isn't that much to do. I had to repaint the demarcation as it wasn't right, paint the canopy, paint the tail rotor and main rotor plates, before final assembly. And de-mask the glazing, which was an absolute nightmare. The glazing not the masking and de-masking. Here is one side And the other (with the main rotor blades behind And a close up of the glazing. This side is not perfect but not too bad. However the other side is not so good. I will live with it though. I have tidied up all the bits and removed the healthy amount of flash but will leave them off until I've put the transfers on. I think I'll need to dig through the transfers stash and assemble something. I started with the BEA version as currently there isn't an RN version available and I'm not aware of any aftermarket. Unless anyone knows different.

After looking at the helicopters in the stash I've decided upon this one. The Dragonfly was Westland's first Sikorsky licensed helicopter and the first used in numbers by both the Navy and RAF. This was the only version I could get at SMW but it has all the parts for a Royal Navy version. I'll have to find a set of transfers. I think an Extra Dark Sea Grey over Sky version rather than Aluminium finish. Like this: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww3/f/616/9/0 There are three sprues, two grey plastic and one that can generously be considered clear. And there is a fair amount of flash, actually a lot - like a bad Airfix kit from the 60's. So first job will be to get the files and sandpaper out.

Mach 2 (http://www.mach2.fr/avionsg.htm)is to re-release soon several boxing from its 1/72nd Dassault Mystère/Falcon 20 kit. - ref. GP007 - Dassault-Mystere Falcon 20 Decals French Aeronavale (re-release of MACH0472) Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MACHGP007000 - ref. GP068 - Dassault-Mystere Falcon 20 Decals Belgian Air Force Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MACHGP068 - ref. GP069 - Dassault-Mystere Falcon 20 Decals Air France Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MACHGP069 - ref. GP070 - Dassault-Mystere Falcon 20 Decals U.S. Coast Guards Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MACHGP070 - ref. GP071 - Dassault-Mystere Falcon 20 Decals Spanish Air Force Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MACHGP071 - ref. GP072 - Dassault-Mystere Falcon 20 Decals U.S. Cargo Ameristar (cargo door version) Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MACHGP072 - ref. GP073 - Dassault-Mystere Falcon 20 Decals Portugal Air Force Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MACHGP073 - ref. GP074 - Dassault-Mystere Falcon 20 Decals Norway Air Force Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MACHGP074 - ref. GP075 - Dassault-Mystere Falcon 20 Decals Pan American Airways Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MACHGP075 - ref. GP076 - Dassault-Mystere Falcon 20 Decals Australia Air Force Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MACHGP076 - ref. GP077 - Dassault-Mystere Falcon 20 Decals Armée de l'Air Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MACHGP077 - ref. GP078 - Dassault-Mystere Falcon 20 Decals Canada Air Force Source: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MACHGP078 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original boxings: http://www.mach2.fr/myster20.htm V.P.

Hi The old (from seventies) kit by Mach-2 of Heinkel He-114 is made in short- run technology. It has some kind of not good reputation. First look on models presented on fifferent forums in net nevertheless if they are done OOB or with some corrections usually reveals some problems with accuracy of shapes. The most obvious and frequently seen is error in distance between upper wing and fuselage. In model it is certainly too high. So certainly kits needs some corrections. The struts in model have to be shorted - that is for sure. I made a search of drawing in net and found on blueprint page one drawing ( http://drawingdatabase.com/heinkel-he-114/) withSwedish marings (here and later I will call it "Swedish drawings") , which looks very nice at first sight and some other much more basic. However and unfortunately - the nice looking Swedish plans did not survived comparison of some details with photos. There are several problems. On photos it is seen, the lower wing in real He-114 had straight, perpendicular to fuselage part of leading edge, and then becomes a rounded one at the end. The Swedish drawing show in all curved. In this case the shapes of model, compared to photos (http://pacificeagles.net/heinkel-he114/ ), looks OK. Second problem of this drawings are horizontal stabilizers. The model, if you glue it as it is, have trapezoidal stabilizers with almost symmetrical angles between fuselage and leading or trailing edges. The Swedish plan have the angles of this edges differnent. Moreover – the point of start of leading edges is moved forward about 2 mm in 1/72 scale. This is again not correct if you compare with photos, but here the shape model are also not OK. The stabilizers were not so much triangular. The other, not so detailed plans available in net suggest smaller correction – adding about 1 mm distance at leading edge to slope it a little backward. In this case the line between stable part of stabilizers and the elevators became straight if you look from bottom or from top. The rudder needs also correction. In model it is too pointy (or peaked) and the angle of rudder is to big (to much slopped forward). In Swedish drawings it is oposide - it is too vertical. Again – the correct shape is presented in those more ugly plans. Next is canopy. The most surprising is problem with interior of cockpit. It is detailed, but the details are mostly wrong. There are some photos available of cockpit http://www.aviarmor.net/aww2/_photo_aircraft/f_ger/he114/he114_cockpit1.jpg , http://www.aviarmor.net/aww2/_photo_aircraft/f_ger/he114/he114_cockpit2.jpg, http://www.aviarmor.net/aww2/_photo_aircraft/f_ger/he114/he114_cockpit3.jpg, http://www.aviarmor.net/aww2/_photo_aircraft/f_ger/he114/he114_cockpit4.jpg) Theyrevealed also a bit more trapezoidal in section look of canopy, different mounting of gun, a metal part above control panel of second cockpit etc. Going back to initial problem of struts and upper wing – the outside parts of upper wing have some dihedral (in model it is completely flat) and the struts between lower and upper wings have to be also a bit reshaped – the point of splitting them into two have to be lowered. Moreover, the mounting point of external struts (ie. those between lower and upper wings) have to be moved toward fuselage with changed angle. The shift on lower wing is some 4mm, on upper wing is twice more. The propeller seems to be too large also. That is for start. Perhaps there are other things to be corrected which I still overlooked . In my construction I will try to include all this needs of reshaping. In second post soon I will include some photos from construction - which started already. Cheers Jerzy-Wojtek

Hello, I would like to present my recently completed 1/72 scale Mach 2 Piasecki HUP-2. I used some parts from the Amodel kit and theres a fair amount of scratch built details; the rotor hubs, most of the interior, the oleo struts and the front canopy is a homemade vac form. Decals are from modelart set 72/059 the roundels are from the Amodel HUP-2 kit. A tricky kit, but I had a lot of fun building it. I tried to replicate some chipping as well (first time I've tried this and I'm pleased with how it looks) Built as part of the Vietnam Groupbuild ( http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234987981-finished-172-piasecki-hup-2-58s-aeronautique-navale/page-1) this aircraft represents one from the 58S Aéronautique Navale based on the La Fayette 1954 (possibly in the Gulf of Tonkin). My standard Tamiya paint pot photo thanks for looking Cheers Aaron

After the RB-57F (http://www.mach2.fr/rb57.htm and http://modelingmadness.com/scott/korean/preview/mach2/019preview.htm) Mach 2 (http://www.mach2.fr/avionsg.htm) is to release a 1/72nd General Dynamics WB57F Canberra (NASA) kit - ref.GP.063 Source: http://www.aviationmegastore.com/general-dynamics-wb57f-canberra-nasa-gp063-mach-2-gp063-scale-modelling/product/?shopid=LM545799cb78d2964af7209c241a&action=prodinfo&parent_id=212&art=129300 V.P.