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This is a genuine blast from the past and as CP30 in the first Star Wars film said, "I have a feeling I am going to regret this!" A Revell 2009 rebox of a very old kit, I plan to build it in flight with the rotor and props motorised to give that real prop blur look. I am going to keep it fairly simple, tinting out the windows and front glazing, so that I can concentrate and fitting the power system. Battery will be housed in the fuselage and will be accessed via the rear opening clam shell doors. I will be using brushless rc micro helicopter motors to power the beast, installation will be "make it up as I go along" sort of plan. So I will not be following the instructions which means I don't have to paint those crappy passenger figures! Wish me luck on this one guys I am going to need it.

A veritable blast from the past, since I built this one in the 90's: If you like rivets, weird birds and old molds, this is for you. I built this one many, many moons ago. This kit seems to prove that the proverbial "Rosie the Riveter" was well and alive by the time the aircraft was produced, and very enthusiastic too. I remember putting the fuselage molds to good use -before building the model- in filing wood, scraping wallpaper and sanding some bricolage projects. They are also good for peeling potatoes and other hard-skinned vegetables. All in all, the kit's stance is magnificent in its alternativeness, and building does not present any serious issues. I have no access to the model now -my son inherited it, whatever wanting it or not- so just these two images (that he took, by the way) are available. Since this is a well documented apparatus -many images on the Net- you won't have trouble finding references. It is a fair rendition filled with nostalgia -for lacking of anything else, since the interior is mostly empty. A basic cockpit is provided. The decals were good, but you have to match the "French blue" -a perfect color choice being this a British machine- for some details that you have to paint by yourself. Beware that it is a potential tail sitter. I found on Youtube movies showing it....Flying!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9633v6U0wo N of B: I must confess I bought another (and also a not very wise off-scale Revell one!), and look forward (one day) to build it again, perhaps improving a thing or two. Airfix fans (not really my case) always sleep with one under their pillows 😉

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 ?... 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

I am having trouble in deciding what colour to paint my Rotodyne windscreen wipers. Please see them in this photo: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/SFF_002-1055526_Fairey_Rotodyne.jpg Are they blue or black? I am leaning towards black for anti-reflection reasons, although I have seen brushed stainless steel finish on helicopter wipers so this can't be a major factor.