Einar Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 (edited) This is my 1/48 scale Royal Canadian Air Force Piasecki H21C Shawnee or more commonly known as "the Flying Banana" A couple of years ago I had a period of interest in helicopter models and I wanted to build the Flying banana because of its curious looks and the colourful Canadian scheme. This helicopter type was widely used in the 1950's by the US army, and especially at the beginning the 1960's in the Vietnam war. This chopper was introduced in the maple leaf country in 1954 and its special assignments were search and rescue missions and special tasks in the Arctic areas. Because of the winterization of the chopper it could operate in sub-zero temperatures as low as -54 degrees centigrade. I built the model from a 1/48 scale Italeri kit which was quite ok, but not reaching tamigawa quality, though. There were some fit issues and quite a bit of sink marks and some flash. The RCAF decals for the colourful helicopter are from Belcher bits and I also used an Eduard photoetch set to enhance the details. Edited September 28, 2021 by Einar 55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George W. Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 Einar Very nice work! I have the Belcher Bits decals too, they provide an excellent opportunity to Canadianize models that are provided in the marking sof other countries. The Greenwood Aviation Museum (Nova Scotia, CA) has recently restored a former American service of this type to RCAF markings identical to yours. Best Wishes George 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einar Posted September 28, 2021 Author Share Posted September 28, 2021 1 hour ago, George W. said: Einar Very nice work! I have the Belcher Bits decals too, they provide an excellent opportunity to Canadianize models that are provided in the marking sof other countries. The Greenwood Aviation Museum (Nova Scotia, CA) has recently restored a former American service of this type to RCAF markings identical to yours. Best Wishes George Thank you George for the nice comments and the info you shared! Cheers, Matti I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 Lovely model mate and I love the subject choice too,...... RCAF helicopters of the period were very colourful indeed. Cheers Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einar Posted September 28, 2021 Author Share Posted September 28, 2021 1 minute ago, tonyot said: Lovely model mate and I love the subject choice too,...... RCAF helicopters of the period were very colourful indeed. Cheers Tony Thanks Tony! Cheers Einar 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 Nicely done! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einar Posted September 28, 2021 Author Share Posted September 28, 2021 13 minutes ago, John Masters said: Nicely done! Thanks John! Einar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 Nice work. I did the same subject in 1/72nd with the Italeri kit and Leading Edge Models decals. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einar Posted September 28, 2021 Author Share Posted September 28, 2021 Just now, Paul J said: Nice work. I did the same subject in 1/72nd with the Italeri kit and Leading Edge Models decals. Thanks Paul, Einar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ c Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 Excellent Shawnee, really nice work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einar Posted September 29, 2021 Author Share Posted September 29, 2021 3 hours ago, russ c said: Excellent Shawnee, really nice work Thanks Russ! Einar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 The H-21 has always been one of my favorite helicopters and yours does it justice very very well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einar Posted September 29, 2021 Author Share Posted September 29, 2021 15 minutes ago, SAT69 said: The H-21 has always been one of my favorite helicopters and yours does it justice very very well. Thank you very much! Einar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorfinn Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 Also a big fan of Belcher Bits decals, and those...and your build...are stunning! Really beautiful build of a too-rarely-seen a/c. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einar Posted September 30, 2021 Author Share Posted September 30, 2021 14 hours ago, thorfinn said: Also a big fan of Belcher Bits decals, and those...and your build...are stunning! Really beautiful build of a too-rarely-seen a/c. Thank you very much, Einar 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 A lovely unusual build 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinpin Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 Really nice 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold55 Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 This is a lovely build and I like the scheme. I have this kit in the stash and was going to do a NMF but given your comments I might have to inspect the kit and reconsider if I also have a bunch of sink marks. Thanks for posting! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 Very nice, there was an ex-RCAF H-21 in these colors at a gas station in Canada that the owner was giving away for free. Sadly it is thought the first person to respond took it to the scrappers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einar Posted October 3, 2021 Author Share Posted October 3, 2021 8 hours ago, Scooby said: Very nice, there was an ex-RCAF H-21 in these colors at a gas station in Canada that the owner was giving away for free. Sadly it is thought the first person to respond took it to the scrappers. Thank you! poor chopper, what a waste😧 14 hours ago, Harold55 said: This is a lovely build and I like the scheme. I have this kit in the stash and was going to do a NMF but given your comments I might have to inspect the kit and reconsider if I also have a bunch of sink marks. Thanks for posting! Thank you Harold! Einar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einar Posted October 3, 2021 Author Share Posted October 3, 2021 20 hours ago, twinpin said: Really nice Thank you! Einar On 01/10/2021 at 16:55, F-32 said: A lovely unusual build Thank you! Einar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 Hi Einar, this is what I call a happy kit! I love the color scheme, and there is no way they could remain lost in the frozen North very long with this color combination. The subject floats my boat as well, as I really like this chopper. But Belcher Bits is a great unknown for me... So congratulations are in order for such a great build! Keep having fun! JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einar Posted October 12, 2021 Author Share Posted October 12, 2021 On 03/10/2021 at 15:36, jean said: Hi Einar, this is what I call a happy kit! I love the color scheme, and there is no way they could remain lost in the frozen North very long with this color combination. The subject floats my boat as well, as I really like this chopper. But Belcher Bits is a great unknown for me... So congratulations are in order for such a great build! Keep having fun! JR Thank you JR, Have fun you, too! Einar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 Congratulations on a beautiful model. Very eye catching. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiampieroSilvestri Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 Very nice! Saluti Giampiero 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.d3635a7ef6507d35f372dd09671fe96f.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now