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Wessex HU5 Rotor Fold 1:48 ScaleWarship Ltd The new Italeri Wessex has brought the modeller a modern tooling of this elegant aircraft that is much loved amongst modellers and air enthusiasts alike. The initial HU5 variant was often seen with its blades folded however, but this option is not included with the kit. Scalewarship ride to the rescue with this set, which includes all of the parts you'll need to make the conversion happen. All you need to add is a little glue, paint and modelling skill, plus a few small pieces of thin styrene sheet. The set arrives in a well-stuffed ziplok bag, and inside are the Photo-Etched (PE) parts, al length of brass rod and a smaller ziplok bag containing the rotor parts, all taped to a supporting black backing card. Behind these are the instructions, which are printed on glossy A4 paper in full colour. It is clear from the outset that some modelling skills will be needed to carry off this job well, and you will have to cut the kit rotor blades as well as straighten them using heat of some kind. The instructions suggest hot water. Starting at the beginning, the aforementioned blade straightening must be the first job, after which you cut a small piece out of the blade at the rotor end, replacing the section with the two Rapid Prototyped (RP) hinge parts. For those not yet familiar with RP, it is a new(ish) form of 3D printing, that is allowing modellers to quickly create masters of detail and accuracy that was previously difficult or impossible. The parts are small and detailed in this instance, and are all attached to a very fine circular sprue, which must be cut off (leaving a small part on the larger hinge part) before you can proceed. The larger part fits into a hole drilled in the rotor end, and the smaller one to the cut base of the blade, aligning them so that the fingers of the hinge are at 90o to the blade surface. Four large blade holders are built up from PE parts, and take care here as the photos are a little dark and indistinct. A saddle-shaped blade holder is also built up from PE, and here you will need some small lengths of styrene strip. The supplied rod is cut into lengths, and glued into holes in the base of the blade support frame, and this assembly is then glued to the upper fuselage where the tail begins. The blades are clipped together using their hinges, and the blade holders are slipped onto the blades, which are then positioned on the support frame, at which point you can glue them and the hinges in place. This is repeated for the remaining blades, working from the inside out, and results in a very neat and realistic folded set of blades, as shown at the bottom of the instructions. Conclusion This set should not be attempted by the novice – get a little experience with handling small parts and working with PE before you tackle it. There are some fine and delicate parts involved through necessity, but the effort will be well worth it once complete. It will also save you quite a bit of room in your display cabinet! Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of Robin at