Kitty Hawk MH-60L Black Hawk (KH50005) - 1:35 Kitty Hawk

[Julien]

MH-60L Black Hawk (KH50005)

1:35 Kitty Hawk

 

 

The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk was the Military designation of the S-70 design which was the winner of the US Army's 1970's competition for a twin engine medium lift helicopter to replace the UH-1. Following tradition it was named "Black Hawk" after the Native American leader and warrior of the Sauk tribe.  Following the original UH-60A there have been many improvements and variants of the original airframe.  The MH-60L is based on the UH-60L and upgraded 60A. This featured uprated engines, gearbox, and flight control systems. The MH-60L is a special operations version used by the US Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment the Night Stalkers. This was an interim Helicopter before the MH-60K could be brought into operation. It featured FLIR, colour weather mapping, more fuel, and a Laser designation and rangefinder system.  In addition the MH-60L would gain the DAP, or Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) designation as a Gunship. This version would not carry troops but purely weapons. This version was equipped with stub wings to carry 19 shot Hydra 70 rocket pods, Hellfire & Stinger Missiles as well as the M230 30mm Chain gun, GAU-19 & M134 gun pods. Cabin weapons included the M134D Miniguns and .50 Cal Machine Guns.

 

The Kit

This is a complete new tool from Kitty Hawk, The kit arrives on eight sprues of plastic, a clear spure, two sheets of PE, decals, and not least the two large fuselage halves. Before starting any build the modeller will need to decide which airframe they want to build as there are a lot of "optional" parts with little or no guidance in the instructions as how to use them, There are a lot of parts on the kit for the DAP model with the weapons and stub wings, however all of the decal options are for aircraft in Somalia which never flew with these wings. It is also noted that the covers for the aircraft when the wings are not used have for some reason been missed from the box. Kitty Hawk have though made these parts and indicate they will get then out to modellers who have bought the kit, 

 

 

As mentioned before starting the kit the modeller needs to decide which version they are doing. The instructions begin by showing how all the internal seating is built up, however most of this is not needed for aircraft from the 160th. In addition it looks like the seating for the gunners behind the cockpit is in the wrong place so will need to be modified by the modeller.  They should be back to back not facing backwards like the kit has them. Once you have decided what to do with the seats (or not) they can be built up, or left in the spares box and other parts of the interior built up including the pilots seats and cockpit area. For this kit the entire internal cabin is built up and then put into the fuselage. If building the DAP version then the internal ammo stowage needs to be built up and added into the cabin, or if building the door guns these need to go in instead. The instructions here jump about all over the place which is annoying as all the work in the cabin needs to be done first before it goes into the fuselage. 

 

 

 

Once the cabin is built up attention then moves to the engines. There is quite a lot of detail here as two complete engines are built up along with all the internal structure.  These are all fitted into the roof of the engine house. Gearboxes to the main rotor are added along with the heat diffusing exhausts. The intake assemblies are also built up and added. If wanted the external covers can be added, or they can be left off for maintenance dioramas etc.  To the top of the housing antennas and the IR jammer are added. The main rotor head is then built and the blades added. There is no option to fold the blades though this should not be too hard to do if the modeller wanted to. The rotor head is added to the engine housing at this point though I suspect most modellers will leave it until the end. 

 

 

 

Next up the build moves to main fuselage. Various holes are added for external fitting and then the main cabin can be added into the fuselage halves. Its nice to see these as one large part as often in the past KH broke these larger parts down. The tail wheel assembly and the forward FLIR turret are added in as everything is closed up. The large rear stabiliser is then made up and added along with additional tail parts. At the front various antennas and sensors are added. Again the modeller needs to consult their references as I have read that the plume detectors were not fitted during the deployment to Somalia. The external doors are then made up and fitted as needed. The tail rotor is also built up and fitted, followed by the front undercarriage units. Chaff/flare units are made up and added o each side.

 

 

 

If making an armed version the stub wing assemblies for each side need building up and the appropriate weapons adding. The kit provides the 30mm cannons, Hellfire missiles and both 7 shot and 19 shot rocket pods. Door guns are also added where appropriate. The engine housing and front part are then added to the top. To finish up a variety of aerial etc are added where needed. 

 

 

 

 

Decals

The decal sheet is in house and should pose no issues. A smaller sheet provides cockpit details. 

 

 From the box you can build one of four helos

 

• 64 - 89-26188
• 66 - 91-26363 "Gun Slinger"
• 61 - 91-26324 "Thunder struck"
• 68 - 91-26288 "Razors Edge"

 

 

Figures

There has been some confusion as the review kits have shipped with a set of 7 figures, though on the box it states these are not included. For this boxing the figure ARE NOT included, though it appears that KH will do a later boxing with these in for an additional cost.  This will be an additional $60 or so, which in the grand scheme of this is cheaper than buying after market figures. The figures are all very well made and include the two pilots, two door gunners, a figure descending on a rope and two figures providing ground support. 

 

 

Conclusion

The plastic looks great, and there is an impressive array of options in the box as well as all the parts for the DAP. However all of the decal options are for aircraft in Somalia which never had the stub wings. It is hopped that Kitty Hawk find a way to get the missing covers to all those who bought the kit.  There is much to recommend this kit in terms of the quality of the parts and the available options, however it is let down by a few points as well as the instructions. Overall though recommended to those who want a modern tooling of this Helo. A lot of options are doable from the box with the correct research.

 

Review sample courtesy of

Available soon from major hobby shops

 

[exdraken]

looks like a nice kit!

but will be huge, no???

 

 

thanks for the review!

 

probably also a good base for a S-70 A42....

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2019 by exdraken

[Dudikoff]

Yeah, it will be rather large with those rotor blades, so much that I'd prefer a 1/48 kit.

 

But, looking at all the nice detail there, I could see myself going for a Navy SH-60B/F or even better the HH-60H, as I'd expect they'll provide a folded rotor option.

Edited May 14, 2019 by Dudikoff

[Julien]

6 hours ago, Dudikoff said:

Yeah, it will be rather large with those rotor blades, so much that I'd prefer a 1/48 kit.

 

But, looking at all the nice detail there, I could see myself going for a Navy SH-60B/F or even better the HH-60H, as I'd expect they'll provide a folded rotor option.

The Navy ones are the next ones out I think.

 

Julien

[Stalker6Recon]

It's a shame they are going to give us grief with these figures, we know that they only add pennies to their cost to manufacture, yet they want to add another 60 dollars to an already expensive kit? Sucks, but poor people like me just can't afford to buy the kits at all, if they charge that much money, when I can buy an Academy kit for $50 elsewhere. I know that these kits have surpassed the Academy offerings by leaps and bounds, mostly in the cabin though, and when you try to justify the huge expense, over the kits that look just as good from a far, the wife knows something is wrong. I guess I have never lost that guilty look from my childhood days.

 

Anyway, your review kit has different figures than other kits did, for instance, the fast roping soldier, which is something I definitely want for my proposed diorama, several fast ropers actually. I am sure that live resin will come out with them in no time, if jot already. As for these figures not going with this kit, that also makes no sense, this is the most likely kit to see guys fast roping from, if you build the Somalia version anyway, also a shame. I am sure that a set of werner's wings decals can fix the issue of the ISSS installation, there has to be some information about a serial which did have these installed at some point during the transition time after 2000.

 

I just wish I could find out which birds I actually took rides in, so I can make exacting replicas of those birds, it would mean a lot more to me, and the guys that piloted them as well.

 

Anyway, very nice review, now if you would so kind, and ship me your free sample, so I can get started building it for you😁!

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony