Canadian Sea King

[Mig88]

Hello everyone!

Here is my latest kit finished a week ago. It's Sikorsky CHSS-2 Sea King "05", s/n 4005 of HS 50, Royal Canadian Navy, on HMCS Bonaventure, in 1965. It is AFV Club's 1:144 kit built OOB with corrections and some details added.

 

 

This is a nice kit with several options (rear sliding door in any position, rotors an tail folded for storage, search radar and spray shield) but is a bit disappointing in the lack of detail in the rear cabin for example. The box comes with two full kits and four decal options of which that of the Canadian Navy really stood out. Unfortunately, although described as being for a 1965 option on the HCMS Bonaventure, the decals, scheme and the options added (radar and shield) are based on the machine when it was repainted in the old scheme in 2010 for the centennial of the Canadian Navy and with several errors too!

 

 

 

 

 

Canada received 41 CHSS-2 (later CH-124) Sea Kings of which the first 4 were built by Sikorsky and the remaining 37 were assembled by United Aircraft of Canada (now Pratt & Whitney Canada), in Longueuil, Quebec (just across the river from Montreal). 4005 was the first one assembled there in 1964 and survived up to the retirement of the type in 2018, going through all the upgrades and is now on display at the National Air Force Museum of Canada (NAFMC) at CFB Trenton.

 

 

 

I intended to represent the type as suggested by AFV Club on the HMCS Bonaventure which required few additions from stretched sprue, ignoring the radar and shield and adding some flags for the sponsons (sourced from a Mark I H-34 kit). Unfortunately, I couldn't find a replacement for the insignia since those of the kit are for the later type (less-detailed maple leaf). Some errors in the instructions concerning the scheme and the colours were corrected thanks to research and photos of the type in the 1960s. The kit was fully painted and varnished with brush.

 

 

 

 

For more information on the build see my WIP at the Kampfgruppe144 forum: http://www.kampfgruppe144.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=82&t=9016

 

Thanks for looking and, as always, all comments are welcome.
Miguel

[SAT69]

Mighty nice work in such (for me) a tiny scale. I'm impressed!

[Way Out]

Hi Miguel, Thats a super finish in 1/144 scale, I would not even attempt a model this small.

 

Very nice.

[Andrés S.]

Awesome Miguel !!!

 

And apart from telling you, I'll leave you a trophy, which is what your work deserves.  👌

 

Andrés.

[binbrook87]

Very nice indeed Miguel. Impressive brush skills as always 👍

[dnl42]

That's very nice! Superb, in fact. 

 

I have this kit. I'll be happy if mine is half as good (trust me, I'm not being modest).

[F-32]

Awesome build of the mighty King!

[Mark Oddy]

A great build in such a tiny scale. I’ve built a few aircraft at this scale but not to such detail as you have here. Amazing work.

[Pantherhawk27263]

Very impressive work!!! I don't recall ever seeing anyone else build a Canadian Sea King before. 

[Mig88]

On 31/07/2023 at 22:10, SAT69 said:

Mighty nice work in such (for me) a tiny scale. I'm impressed!

 

On 31/07/2023 at 22:26, Way Out said:

Hi Miguel, Thats a super finish in 1/144 scale, I would not even attempt a model this small.

 

Very nice.

 

On 31/07/2023 at 22:54, Andrés S. said:

Awesome Miguel !!!

 

And apart from telling you, I'll leave you a trophy, which is what your work deserves.  👌

 

Andrés.

 

On 31/07/2023 at 23:57, binbrook87 said:

Very nice indeed Miguel. Impressive brush skills as always 👍

 

On 01/08/2023 at 00:16, dnl42 said:

That's very nice! Superb, in fact. 

 

I have this kit. I'll be happy if mine is half as good (trust me, I'm not being modest).

 

On 01/08/2023 at 15:01, F-32 said:

Awesome build of the mighty King!

 

On 01/08/2023 at 18:34, Pantherhawk27263 said:

Very impressive work!!! I don't recall ever seeing anyone else build a Canadian Sea King before. 

I only found a couple on internet and both in the early scheme!

 

A big thanks to everyone for your comments and kind words 😃!

Miguel

[junglierating]

Thats really nice...just watched a documentary on Youtube on Canadian Sea kings too.

 

BZ to you 

[Orion]

Superb finish on this little gem.

[bigbadbadge]

Crikey that is tint, great job on this little Beauty Miguel  and fine brushwork too, looks fantastic.

Chris

[Mig88]

On 02/08/2023 at 21:13, junglierating said:

Thats really nice...just watched a documentary on Youtube on Canadian Sea kings too.

 

BZ to you 

 

On 03/08/2023 at 16:29, Orion said:

Superb finish on this little gem.

 

On 03/08/2023 at 17:56, bigbadbadge said:

Crikey that is tint, great job on this little Beauty Miguel  and fine brushwork too, looks fantastic.

Chris

 

Thank you very much!

Miguel

[Sea King Photo Essay]

@Mig88

 

Fantastic work with your model! 

I thought you might be interested in some photos of 405 from the final flight across Canada before the airframe was retired. 

If you have Instagram, the photo set can be found under the account: seaking.ch124.photoessay

The photos are being posted in honor of the RCAF 100th anniversary on 1 April 2024.

Thanks for your attention to detail on this project! 

 

[alxzinbox]

1/144!!! Looks great in RCN colors. It's a coincidence I was checking out the AFV's site today and was thinking I should pick one up to compliment my 1/144th collection.

I'd reckon the lack of detail in rear would be irrelevant as you can see precious little even in 72nd.

It'd only make sense if you installed an LED to showcase the detailing done within.

[Martin1962]

The detail and workmanship belies the small scale. Very impressive.

[Ad-4N]

It is bad form to build a 1/72 Sea King and then try to pass it off as 1/144.  Just kidding.  A masterpiece.  Well done.  

[Mig88]

On 21/03/2024 at 20:19, Sea King Photo Essay said:

@Mig88

 

Fantastic work with your model! 

I thought you might be interested in some photos of 405 from the final flight across Canada before the airframe was retired. 

If you have Instagram, the photo set can be found under the account: seaking.ch124.photoessay

The photos are being posted in honor of the RCAF 100th anniversary on 1 April 2024.

Thanks for your attention to detail on this project! 

 

When I did research for this project, I found quite a few photos of 405 throughout its service life on internet, many being of 2010 and of the final flight. As a curiousity, my brother lives in Canada, precisely in Longueuil. I went to visit him in the summer of 2022 and he pointed out the Pratt & Whitney Canada buildings when we passed nearby. When I found out that this machine was the first one assembled there and it flew from there (I found a photo of that moment too), it was an extra reason to build it. My brother kindly took me to Ottawa and we visited the museum there so I got to see the example on display there, 426.

 

On 21/03/2024 at 21:32, alxzinbox said:

1/144!!! Looks great in RCN colors. It's a coincidence I was checking out the AFV's site today and was thinking I should pick one up to compliment my 1/144th collection.

I'd reckon the lack of detail in rear would be irrelevant as you can see precious little even in 72nd.

It'd only make sense if you installed an LED to showcase the detailing done within.

True to some degree. With the door open you could at least see something in the area opposite the dorr but alas it's completely void. I made a compromise and have the door slightly ajar. The other kits in this scale, Swwet and F-toys, ahave the door moulded in the closed position. I do recommend the kit but strongly advise to do research as aerials and little bits are missing. Finally, I agree, the early Canadian scheme is lovely. Making a machine later in its service life is possible, but a lot of scratchbuilding would be involved, even to make the kit as the decals truely represent, for the 2010 repaint.

 

On 21/03/2024 at 23:17, Martin1962 said:

The detail and workmanship belies the small scale. Very impressive.

 

On 21/03/2024 at 23:39, Ad-4N said:

It is bad form to build a 1/72 Sea King and then try to pass it off as 1/144.  Just kidding.  A masterpiece.  Well done.  

Thank you very much to all!

Miguel