Airfix Westland Whirlwind HAS.22 (A02056V) 1:72 Airfix Vintage Classics

[Julien]

Westland Whirlwind HAS.22 (A02056V)

1:72 Airfix "Vintage Classics"

 

 

The S-55 Was Sikorsky's model number for the H-19 Chickasaw. The design was financed privately by the company but soon taken up by the new US Air Force. Westlands already had a licence co-operation with Sikorsky dating back to 1948 and the S-51 Dragonfly. Westlands had a history with improving the Powerplant on offer with the Whirlwind with HAS 5 introducing the 850hp Alvi Leonides Major, and later fitting 1000hp Bristol Siddeley Gnome. The Gnome also featured an early computer controlled fuel system which reduced pilot workload.  Even though this is listed as Westland aircraft the HAS.22 were in fact 15 S-55/HO4S-3 built by Sikorsky for the Royal Navy with a 700hp Wright R-1300-3 Engine. 

 

 

The Kit

This is a re-boxing of Airfix's original kit from 1956 and released under their Vintage Classics Series, as such its a tooling of the time. The plastic parts are still pretty good, although the clear parts are a tad think and not too good. Construction starts in the cockpit. There are seats and figures for both the pilot and co-pilot. Both figures get a collective control but no cyclic. In front an instrument panel is provided. At the rear of the cockpit the transmission tunnel complete with sound insulation padding goes in.  Once complete the cockpit section plus all the cabin windows can be added into the fuselage and this closed up. There are no details for the main cabin provided in the kit.  It is recommended that 5 grams of weight is added into the nose.  Next up the main rotor is completed with the three blades being sandwiched between an upper and lower part of the rotor head. Following this we can move back to the main fuselage and attach the four main wheels and their supporting legs. Above the cabin door the helicopters winch is fitted. At the nose the exhaust is added. To the rear aerials, the tail skid and tail rotor are added. The last items to go on are the front cabin glass and the main rotor. 

 

 

 

Markings

There is only one decal options on the sheet.  WV223 No.781 NAS, RNAS Lee-On-Solent, England 1961 as seen on the box art. 

 

 

Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas.

 

Conclusion

Recommended bearing in mind its a classic.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[tempestfan]

Actually this kit was retooled twice in the past 66 years, with the first one (in 1967/8) being more drastic, so it's not quite the original. The original had no innards, with two alien torsos sitting on a shelf, and no main cabin windows (nor sure about the cockpit side windows). The floatation bags for the wheels were removed (or blanked) in the 1973/4 retool, as regrettably was the plinth on the tail rotor drive tunnel for the upper nav (?) light (which is still on the clear sprue, as well as a searchlight [I think]). I'd love to have seen Airfix adding a new, separate base for the spine light and this kit reappearing in the lovely blue/red Antarctic scheme. And frankly, the rotor head and blades more than show their age.

[Whofan]

Isn't this the one that is not 1/72, more like 1/76 scale?

 

I made one of these to represent the whirlwind as used by the Austrian air force, using black bird decals.

 

When I put the decals on, it was clear that the model was undersized for the decals - which I am sure are accurately 1/72.

 

https://www.blackbirdmodels.co.uk/westland-rotors--72-2327-p.asp