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Raised undercarriage for Helicopters?


Raven Morpheus

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Hello

I have a couple of helicopter kits, already "finished", in my stash, and planning to buy, that come with wheels instead of skids, helicopters like Sikorsky SH-3 Sea Kings and HH-3E Jolly Green Giants, and usually they don't come with a raised undercarriage option (none of the kits I've got have at least), in fact I've not come across any helicopter kits with wheels that raise up during flight that do come with those optional parts.

Now, as I hang my choppers from the ceiling in my bedroom I'd rather have the wheels up as it looks better imo.

It's probably too late to do it on the kits I've already assembled but for future builds I'm wondering...

...are there any makers of aftermarket parts for this? How do people go about (if they do at all) scratchbuilding such parts?

Thanks in advance.

Edited by Raven Morpheus
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I build helicopters but tend to plant them firmly on the ground. If the undercarriage retracts in flight what parts you asking about? Maybe the undercarriage doors? I would expect them to come with the kit. If not in the kit they could be made from plastic or brass sheet.

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Well, not all helicopters that have undercarriage that raises during flight have doors. Take the SH-3 Sea King for example. It's undercarriage folds up into open wheel wells. No doors. And the same for the HH-3E, but on the 1/72 Revell model the wheel wells aren't deep enough to fit the wheels into.

After contemplating my question I'm thinking it's probably just a matter of clipping the undercarriage parts so they are just one rod down to where the wheels attach and chop the wheels in half (if necessary) if I "scratchbuilt" raised undercarriage.

But are there any aftermarket makers of such parts?

Edited by Raven Morpheus
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  • 1 month later...

Well, not all helicopters that have undercarriage that raises during flight have doors. Take the SH-3 Sea King for example. It's undercarriage folds up into open wheel wells. No doors. And the same for the HH-3E, but on the 1/72 Revell model the wheel wells aren't deep enough to fit the wheels into.

After contemplating my question I'm thinking it's probably just a matter of clipping the undercarriage parts so they are just one rod down to where the wheels attach and chop the wheels in half (if necessary) if I "scratchbuilt" raised undercarriage.

But are there any aftermarket makers of such parts?

About to start a Hasegawa 1:48 scale Westland Sea King and thinking about retracted undercarriage. Will test fit this first. Might mean sanding down the upper part of the wheels when up in tge well.

Will let you know 👍

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Also ... just a thought ... if the undercarraige is raised then the tail wheel suspension oleo will have to be modified as it will be longer ie no weight on it :coolio:

That and also the main legs if the undercarriage can not be retracted (Lynx for example)

I don't know of any aftermarket manufacturer but really I believe that some work with a knife and files should sort most situations. It is useful here to study how the landing gear works to find where the leg is hinged so that the final result is realistic.

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