Airfix 1/72 Sea King- Apollo 11's "Old 66" from the H.A.S. 3 kit

[Dan Hayward]

Here's one I've been working on since last summer and finally got across the finish line.  It is the newish Airfix kit of the Westland H.A.S. 3 helo modified to represent a U.S. Navy SH-3D with further details specific to "Old 66" which saw service on many of the Apollo missions.  I followed Jodie Peeler's excellent article on Tommy Thomason's "Tailhook Topics" blog here- http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2016 ... irfix.html.  I used Starfighter Decals' excellent set of markings to depict her as she would have appeared immediately after recovering the Apollo 11 astronauts. 

There are quite a few things to remove from Airfix's Westland version, and a few things that need to be scratchbuilt but nothing too difficult.  The hardest was the mount and cameras that need to go just below and aft of the large sliding door.  There should be another camera beneath the starboard sponson somewhere but I'm still looking for good images of that installation.  If I ever come across any, I will add it.  In the meantime I've put in place the yellow tape that secured the camera cables up into the cabin window. 

Here's the pics, hope you like her!

-Dan

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by Dan Hayward

[kapam]

Absolutely magnificent!

I feel like I am waiting for Messrs Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins to appear at the door and step down to the deck!

I love it!

[Farmerboy]

Proper modelling, well researched, well built and superb finish, good job!

[BerndM]

Outstanding build.

[Eric Mc]

Excellent. Just the right patina.

[ColinChipmunkfan]

Great looking model sir- well done.  Whatever happened to the real 66? I hope she made it to a museum somewhere.

[Vulcanicity]

Excellent work on the conversion and we'll finished too - nice to see an Airfix Sea King as something other than an RAF or RN cab!

[Viking]

Beautiful work, I'd quite like to have this one on my collection.

 

Cheers

 

John

[alhenderson]

3 hours ago, ColinChipmunkfan said:

Great looking model sir- well done.  Whatever happened to the real 66? I hope she made it to a museum somewhere.

Sadly she crashed into the sea off California in 1975.

 

 

Al.

[RichG]

That's gorgeous - a stunning build, Dan.

It's only the reference to Airfix that finally convinced me that that's not a 1/48 model...

 

Rich

 

  

[MartinSK]

Looks great, fantastic job, I thought that the scale is 1:48.

[SAT69]

Your excellent work has earned you well deserved praise. Congratulations!

[Matt Crane]

That looks so much better than mine which I built in the early 70’s!

[Dan Hayward]

2 hours ago, RichG said:

That's gorgeous - a stunning build, Dan.

It's only the reference to Airfix that finally convinced me that that's not a 1/48 model...

 

Rich

 

  

Oh you're right- I hate it when the scale isn't mentioned and then I go ahead and do it myself.  I've just edited the topic to include it, glad you pointed it out!

 

-Dan

[Dan Hayward]

2 hours ago, Matt Crane said:

That looks so much better than mine which I built in the early 70’s!

The new kit really helps a lot, it is very nice.

 

-Dan

[Mark V]

That’s a great looking model. I haven’t seen a lot of these bigger helicopters built. 

I visited the USS Hornet about 20 years ago. It had recently opened as a museum ship in Oakland Alameda, California. They had an Apollo crew quarantine facility and a Sea King. I believe it was painted up as Ole 66, but there were signs stating that the original was lost at sea. There were the Apollo crew footsteps painted on the deck leading from the helicopter to the quarantine facility.