1/72 - Boeing CH-47 Chinook HC.1 by Airfix - box art+schemes+test build+3D renders - release in May 2024

[Max Headroom]

Hi

 

I found this about folding blades…..

 

http://www.chinook-helicopter.com/Folded_Blades/Folded_Blades.html

 

In the back of my mind was a statement about folding blades for deployment on the QE (along with the Apache).

 

Trevor

[Jabba]

I know when I was on 18 Sqn we put a HC2 below decks on Ark Royal (I think). But for this 5 of the blades were removed and the remaining 1 was placed over the fuselage between the Fwd and Aft pylon. 

 

It was alos probably just as quick as from what I can see on the photos of the one with the blades folded.

[JamesP]

3 hours ago, Ratch said:

Hang it from the ceiling, James 

 

Yeah, but the downdraft will make a mess of my hair 😛

[rotorheadtx]

So happy. Pints all around. Simply SO happy!

[RichG]

On 1/10/2024 at 8:44 PM, mick b said:

is this really what the modelling fraternity have been crying out for?

I guess the modelling fraternity is a pretty broad church with many diverse interests and I can, of course, only speak for myself, but in my case that's a great BIG YES!   Well done Airfix!  

 

Rich

[klr]

17 hours ago, JamesP said:

 

Yeah, but the downdraft will make a mess of my hair 😛

As someone who has watched a US Army Chinook take off (from a safe distance), I a can testify to this.

[GeejeeZ]

On 10/01/2024 at 21:44, mick b said:

I’m happy for those who are delighted to see this but assuming Airfix do some sort of market research is this really what the modelling fraternity have been crying out for?

 

Mike

You as a Brit should know Mike! Airfix kits are ofcourse aimed at the British market, You, me and the rest of the world look at this release in amazement: there appear to be more than enough 1:72 Chinook kits around, but apparantly nothing that could be made into a British version.

Edited January 12 by GeejeeZ

[rotorheadtx]

3 hours ago, GeejeeZ said:

You as a Brit should know Mike! Airfix kits are ofcourse aimed at the British market, You, me and the rest of the world look at this release in amazement: there appear to be more than enough 1:72 Chinook kits around, but apparantly nothing that could be made into a British version.

Sorry, I beg to differ. Both Matchbox and Italeri have produced Chinook HC.1 releases, and I built an absolute gem from the Italeri kit.

The Italeri kit is good, I prefer it to the Trumpeter one hands-down, but it does have errors.

A new-tool Chook at the quality level of their current crop of kits should be the 😸s whiskers.

[Jabba]

On 10/01/2024 at 02:06, Adam Poultney said:

Question is then... what's the difference? Can we do some plastic surgery/butchery to the kit and end up with the later versions?

Although I did mention the major external differences and said that the others were internal, what I meant by internal was under the aircrafts skin and so not being seen such as the Hyd sytem was totally changed making it much easier for us riggers to work on the same with the transmissions (gearboxes). But one thing that was internal and can be seen is the area of fuselage around the ramp. On the HC1s this area was covering by a hard covering so all the hyd pipes and frames in that area were covered, whilst on the HC2s this area remained uncovered so yet again making it easier to see hyd leaks and cracks on the frame work. Some of the hard covering had to be removed to get to certain things and could be a pain to emove and refit. I got reminded of this due to a build in the aircraft W.I.P section of a HC1 which has this area uncovered beautifully showing all the pipework. 

 

I hope that Airfix have not scanned BN as she is now and the model is like that, as this would be totally different to how she and the Gulf option would have been.

[Adam Poultney]

39 minutes ago, Jabba said:

I hope that Airfix have not scanned BN as she is now and the model is like that, as this would be totally different to how she and the Gulf option would have been.

It would not be out of character for them to have done that, made the obvious corrections, but missed some changes. Hopefully they've learnt that lesson from the Mossie, Vulcan and Saber which all had such issues to varying degrees. 

[Jabba]

I finally found a photo of how the interior of a HC1 should look:- https://www.dstorm.eu/pictures/nose-arts/chinook/gb/zd576_20.jpg

[Jabba]

On 11/01/2024 at 13:40, Max Headroom said:

Hi

 

I found this about folding blades…..

 

http://www.chinook-helicopter.com/Folded_Blades/Folded_Blades.html

 

In the back of my mind was a statement about folding blades for deployment on the QE (along with the Apache).

 

Trevor

 

 

    I was talking with a friend yesterday who had been on Chinooks a lot longer than myself and he told me that they did a trial on the OCU in 85 with the composite blades using kit borrowed from the US. It took them the best part of an afternoon, requiring pretty much the whole shift and was deemed to be downright dangerous!  Many of the personnel on that team had done a similar trial on a metal bladed cab in about 81, it was deemed at that point there was no real benefit and it was easier and less dangerous overall to take the blades off.

[Jabba]

Another difference between the 2 Mks is the windscreen wipers, not much of one but still important. On the HC1s there wre just 2 wipers for the pilot and co-pilots windscreens, whilst on the HC2s there were 3 windscreen wipers for all 3 windscreens. The two types also had different mounting points which can be seen in these 2 photos.

 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Boeing_Vertol_Chinook_HC1_(352)%2C_UK_-_Air_Force_AN1047062.jpg

 

https://www.airteamimages.com/boeing-rotorcraft-chinook_ZD574_uk---royal-air-force_128002_large.html

 

Also would it be advisable to contact Airfix saying that the markings on the Gulf option are not qute right, being of the time when the aircraft had returned to the UK, but still in gulf colours?

 

 

[At Sea]

I bough the Italeri kit ages ago to build and sold it again as the sheer size of it in 1:48 gave me a headache as to where to put it.

 

This will be easier to display and is therefore gratefully pre-ordered.

[Ad-4N]

Here's my Chinook story:  1988 or so.  Living in Arizona, spraying outside is the desert air.  Take my Matchbox kit out to give a coat of gloss in preparation for the decals.  Giant Union Jack and all.  It is looking FINE.  Airbrushed DSG/DG, black bottom with the cool scalloped edge just as the RAF intended.  Very proud. 

 

I'm home for lunch, no time to break out the Badger 150 so I will just use Testors Gloss Coat.  Scan my Testor spray cans, grab the gloss coat and give it a nice smooth pass.  I look and I cannot comprehend.  The gloss coat has "frosted or something."  I just stare at my beloved Chinook.  It is now speckled with a fine film of silver.  I do another short pass thinking the frostiness will burn off.  More silver.  I have grabbed Testors' Gloss Metallic Silver Spray Enamel and not the gloss coat.  

 

So I carefully hand brushed Humbrol enamel paints over the silver.  Looked good when I was done, but when I take my last breath I will still recall the horror of looking at the half silver RAF Chinook.  

[Homebee]

First plastic picture.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/gary.hatcher.90260/posts/pfbid0vcBZZLFrKpyXtiuURDTUzyucZJGLNcM9KUBUF9hbQ4tsGiMUNFaPhUzAkn1UHq2tl

 

 

V.P.

 

[Aetheris Avidi]

 

Oh dear, these two things do not appear to match:

 

On 13/01/2024 at 19:16, Jabba said:

I finally found a photo of how the interior of a HC1 should look:- https://www.dstorm.eu/pictures/nose-arts/chinook/gb/zd576_20.jpg

 

 

55 minutes ago, Homebee said:

First plastic picture.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/gary.hatcher.90260/posts/pfbid0vcBZZLFrKpyXtiuURDTUzyucZJGLNcM9KUBUF9hbQ4tsGiMUNFaPhUzAkn1UHq2tl

 

 

V.P.

 

 

 

On 12/01/2024 at 19:29, Jabba said:

I hope that Airfix have not scanned BN as she is now and the model is like that, as this would be totally different to how she and the Gulf option would have been.

 

gulp

[JamesP]

Am I missing something? Both interiors have walls and seats in as much as I can see of either.

[Jabba]

2 hours ago, JamesP said:

Am I missing something? Both interiors have walls and seats in as much as I can see of either.

What the plastic is showing is the open framing of the Mk2 chinooks not the walled in Mk1s as shown earlier.

 

Mk2 rear area. Scroll to the bottom of the page.

 

https://www.runway28.nl/2009_07_16_EGVO_EN.php

[Ad-4N]

47 minutes ago, Jabba said:

What the plastic is showing is the open framing of the Mk2 chinooks not the walled in Mk1s as shown earlier.

 

So if you insist on a Mk1, it looks like a job for either Mr. Thin Sheet Plastic or my favorite Mr. Closed Rear Ramp.  

[TEXANTOMCAT]

Or stick a Mr Airfix Quadbike up its chuff and squint 🫡

[MrB17]

My first helicopter flight was in a CH-147. Never forget that, it was fall in Ontario and the ramp was open. The vivid colours in contrast to the dim interior was mesmerizing. I believe 450 Squadron. I think they were metal blades, because of the droop.

 

Question for the RAF Chinook experts. I still have the decals from the Matchbox kit and I have always wanted to do the RAF one with the Union Jack. Would those be applicable to the new Airfix kit? The Matchbox decals are in good shape, they remind me of ModelDecal. That was great box art, made you want to build it.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[Jabba]

9 minutes ago, MrB17 said:

Question for the RAF Chinook experts. I still have the decals from the Matchbox kit and I have always wanted to do the RAF one with the Union Jack. Would those be applicable to the new Airfix kit? The Matchbox decals are in good shape, they remind me of ModelDecal. That was great box art, made you want to build it.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

Yes as they were Mk1s based in Cyprus for that Op.

[Dave Fleming]

One difference between the early RAF Chinooks and later delivered ones (in fact all operators) is the junction between the sponson and the fuselage. On earlier ones (HC1, HC2) there it’s a curved profile. On later new deliveries (HC2A onwards) Boeing changed the structure and removed the fairing apart from the forward and aft proportions, meaning the middle section was a right angle and giving a rather different look. Also means it’s hard to model a later aircraft from current kits without a fair bit of cutting and filing*. However, this wasn’t changed on the rebuilds (or at least not in most - never say never!) so there’s scope to do an HC2/4.

 

Having said all that, looking at the test shots posted above, it looks like Airfix have missed the fairing , but I’ll wait until I get the kits (As well as RAF ones, I want to do Argentine ones as well)

 

*Edit as my mind is saying the Trumpeter D kits might have had the revised sponsons 

Edited February 2 by Dave Fleming

[Jabba]

On 31/01/2024 at 20:28, Ad-4N said:

So if you insist on a Mk1, it looks like a job for either Mr. Thin Sheet Plastic or my favorite Mr. Closed Rear Ramp.  

 

Unfortunately yes, as I have also seena rectangle which I think will be for the maintenance panel that was again only introduced on the HC2s. I am also wondering how far Airfix have detailed the roof area of the cabin as there are some boxes in the such as the FADEC ones (electronic engine controls) that again were on HC2s onwards.

On 31/01/2024 at 17:35, JamesP said:

Am I missing something? Both interiors have walls and seats in as much as I can see of either.

Sorry I should have clarified a bit better. It is the ramp area that was covered in on the HC1s, whilst on the HC2s this was left bare as per what Airfix are showing.