Swedish HKP-4 from a KV-107 Kit - 1:48 ?

[Tiger331]

Hi Folks,

I was wondering if anyone out there in BM land can tell me if it is possible to produce a Swedish HKP-4 from the Academy 1:48 KV-107 I-11 kit ?. I appreciate there would almost certainly be a host of minor modifications to be made to any base kit to cater for Flygvapnet specific aerial fits etc. I just need to know if the base kit can provide the right main airframe, mindful of the fact that there are known differences between the 'fantail' shape etc between variants based on different engines etc.

Many thanks for any advice.

Mark

[Bjorn]

That is rather easy, at least if you choose an early HKP 4B from the Marines or the HKP 4A from the Air Force (these were later transferred to the Marines under the designation HKP 4D). If so, you can build it almost OOB from Academy's kit.

The main difference between the Swedish versions is that HKP 4C and late HKP 4B had a different rear rotor hub, (compare to CH-46). If you want to buid these, you have to mix the KV-107-II kit with Academy's CH-46, which will be pretty expensive...

Here is my HKP 4B from Academy's kit, see http://bjornsmodeller.blogspot.se/search/label/Hkp%204%20Boeing%20Vertol%20107-II?m=0

(only in Swedish).

The main additions were:

- New rear-wiev mirrors (those in the kit are wrong type).

- V-shaped antenna under the nose.

- Lights under the nose (the one in the model is wrong).

- Antennas on the front part of the body, just behind the cockpit

- A little light (I don'n know the correct therm in English) behind the right front door.

- A radar hub under the front part of the body.

- A thick antenna just behind the radar.

- Tjock antenn (?) på kroppens undersida

Most of this can be seen here:

Since no decals are available, it is pretty hard to build the late splinter-camouflaged variants. I decided to go for an early one (which also made painting a lot easier...) - note that details may be different in late versions, there were huge amounts of small modifications on these.

Decals came from Flying Colors different sheets, from my decal spares box and the white text "MARINEN" and the logo came from Belcher Bits sheet for Vertol 44/HKP 1. The digits were later changed to yellow, so here you can choose either white or yellow. Note that only the 1. division operated this version, so the number beside the roundel has to be 1 for this version. The numbers that you can choose from are 61, 62 (white only, since this one crashed in the sixties) and 63. You can also make an extremely early version, these carried white numbers 11, 12 and 13.

Here is an early HKP 4B:

Reference pictures can be found here: http://www.nordicrotors.com/search.php?for=HKP+4

Edited June 20, 2016 by Bjorn

[tempestfan]

The H-46/BV/KV-107 is almost completely neglected both in kits and in references considering its decad-long service (OK, the Fujimi and Aca kits appear to be good enough to not need something new). When I found the issue of FAOW (blue series) on the KV, I grabbed it even though it was rather tatty. Is anyone else aware of anything else in print (there may have been an in action relatively recently) ?

[Bjorn]

The only other KV-107-similar thing I know about is Hobbycraft's CH-113 Labrador in 1/72. Not as good as Fujimi but better than many other Hobbycrap releases. For SwAF builders it is especially suitable for building a HKP 4C, which is possible almost OOB.

[tempestfan]

The reviews at the time said it was "based on"/"inspired by" the then-recent Fujimi kit, which gave it the long tail pylon the Labrador didn't have, at least not at the time. Actually, there were also 1/100 kits by Faller and Tamiya, and the latter is rather nice as are most Minijets.

[Bjorn]

A mistake that is good for us that want to build the Swedish HKP 4C, since it is correct for that one.

Yesm the Tamiya one is a nice little gem. I built it a few years ago, regarding its age, I think it was released in the early 70s, it is surprisingly good.

[tempestfan]

I don't know when I last saw one of the Labrador kits, but wouldn't one of the Fujimi boxings be just as good?

Well I guess you're the man to ask whether I'm right that the US civil registration as portrayed by the original release of the Airfix kit with the glorious Lansen snow landIng was only carried during testing in the States (as obviously they weren't delivered by air)?

Is there any Swedish publication dealing with the HKP-4?

[Bjorn]

That is a very good question. I have read somewhere that they flew in Sweden for a short while with these registrations (N10119 - SwAF 11, N10120 - SwAF 12, N10121 - SwAF - 13), but I am not sure about it. I will check it out. Here is a rare picture of the "Airfix" HKP 4 in its original livery and with US registration N10120, taken about 1963-64. However, I am not sure whether it is taken during the tests in USA or in Sweden. I have seen an early picture of #11 without US Registration.

The only book dealing with HKP 4 is "Marinhelikoptern" by Peter Liander, about all helicopters in the Swedish Marines.