INCOMING - HELICOPTER PARTWORK FEATURES 1:72 SCALE SIKORSKY UH-60L BLACK HAWK

SMN REPORT

“Build up your Chopper Squad” is the rallying call on the sales video for this latest UK partwork release, Part 1 available now. And it looks an interesting buy for helo fans, as there’s a 1:72 scale model included with every issue.

First issue

As usual with partwork publications, the first issue is a heavily subsidised whammo release, in this case a 16-page full-colour magazine, strapped on to a blockbuster backing board, which also acts as the base for a bubble-pack containing the meat of the business, a metal-and-plastic 1:72 scale helicopter.

Army attacker

In this first issue, the helo of note is a Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk, finished in US Army colours, as flown in the 1991 Operation ‘Desert Storm.’

Assembly in minutes

What’s the model like? Well, it’s an easy build all right, containing the finished fuselage and six extra components in a plastic bag... it feels rather like shades of early Airfix, in fact. Those extras consist of a push-together stand base and arm, plus four rotor blades, with correctly swept tips. These are also push-fit parts, and it’s a pleasure to report that not only did they push with ease, but that the fit was firm and tight when complete. With an eye on non-specialist collectors, the rotors are designed as a one-way fit, for correct rotor assembly. 

Should you buy it?

The result is a fair representation of the real thing, and for a UK price of just £2.99 GBP ($4.80 USD)  HELICOPTER is a must-have, the model looking extremely fine on display. A close look reveals chunky windows, oversized rivets, and fairly crude gun and landing gear assemblies. But no matter - for the price, it’s pretty good, and some subtle airbrush work to add detail and weathering would make all the difference, bringing this UH-60L much more into the realm of ‘scale model’ rather than uber-toy item. 

Benefits of a strongly-built model

Actually, that chunky construction is no bad thing, because it does mean that the 220 mm (8.7 in) diameter rotors are likely to be undamaged in the event of collision with an unwary visitor. I speak with experience here, having had several delicate models wrecked by an attractive but clumsy (where scale miniatures are concerned) girlfriend!

Brains behind the product

We don’t know too much about the publisher, Amermedia, but HELICOPTER is similar to other  'magamodel' products in the line-up, featuring items such as fire engines, classic cars, bombers and fighters, rail locos, construction machinery, even a range of world taxis. Great stuff! We’d hazard a guess that model production comes from China, but the magazine - it comes complete with metal loops for binder fitting - is sourced via Key Publishing, a well known UK aerospace outfit with many magazines and books in its portfolio. 

Illustrations

The gorgeous side-views in HELICOPTER magazine's centre-spread are presumably reprints from other Key publications, but that’s fine - they look good and are well printed. A shame though, that none of the side-views match the colours of the supplied model.

SMN Scoresheet (out of 10)

We’ll give this a 10 for value, 9 for the 16 pages of magazine content, while the model scrapes a 7.5 - but with some work, you could turn it into a decent item. A pity though, that the side doors don’t slide open.

More issues in the pipeline

Accepting that the price will rise, as will availability - these products  last only a few weeks in retail outlets, thereafter being subscription-only items - we’re looking forward to seeing more of the ‘Chopper Squad’ flying in. In the first wave will be Sea King, Chinook and Apache, with items further down the line including Hind, Havoc, Merlin, Iroquois and S-58. A mouthwatering prospect for any helo lover.

HELICOPTER is available through retail outlets or online direct.

If you fancy a bigger UH-60L model kit altogether, then the Academy UH-60L to 1:35 scale could be your thing, and a very fine production it is.

Here's a foreign-language Amermedia site that gives you a good look at other ranges.

BEST WISHES TO PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE MIDDLETON ON THIS ROYAL WEDDING DAY

SMN report

We’ll be joining the two billion or so TV viewers later today, but there’s just time for a quick look at some of the aircraft flown by British royalty - who knows, there might be a model there somewhere, perhaps a Westland Sea King like the above.

Prince William is a serving Royal Air Force officer, flying Sea King Search and Rescue helicopters. To the best of SMN’s knowledge, there are no special ‘royal’ markings, but the helicopter makes an attractive model in any scale, though here’s a request to manufacturers out there - how about a really BIG Sea King? The largest we know of is the Bravo Delta 406 mm (16 in) long mahogany display model, though it’s not cheap, and made to the somewhat odd 1:42 scale. The Sea King is a popular machine that’s been around for more than three decades, and that’s without mentioning the original Sikorsky S-61, from which the Westland version was developed. Plenty of scope there then!

King’s Flight Airspeed Envoy III in Dinky Toy model form.

King’s flight formed

Dedicated royal aircraft go back to 1936, when the King’s Flight was formed, using Edward VIII’s own de Havilland Dragon Rapide biplane. The following year it was replaced by a streamlined monoplane, a twin-engine Airspeed Envoy III. The Envoy was painted in suitably royal red and blue, and this was captured neatly by Dinky Toys, including the registration mark G-AEXX. The Dinky Envoy was produced in various colour schemes, from 1938-1941. The picture here, kindly supplied by Andy Dingley, shows the model as it is today, a survivor from the days of the British Empire, more than 70 years ago. 

Time to buy?

Prices for collectibles like this vary hugely, depending on rarity and condition. A recent Envoy in blue, complete with propellers, went for the very affordable £42.55 GBP ($70.82 USD). A Royal Envoy in similar condition could fetch much more, especially with its propellers on, which the one we show here lacks.

For a cheapo bit of memorabilia, how about a contemporary cigarette card? This one is for sale on eBay, price at this moment just £2.48 GBP ($4.1 USD).

Aircraft operated by No 32 (The Royal) Squadron include the BAe 146 and HS 125.

Royal aircraft today

Coming up to date, there is no longer a dedicated King or Queen’s Flight. Instead, the task is undertaken by No 32 (The Royal) Squadron, and the days of brightly-coloured royal aircraft are gone too. Thanks to perceived threats from terrorists and the like, aircraft are now finished in plain, relatively anonymous markings. Something of a shame there, and a sad reflection on the times. So for model makers, the best aircraft to pick go back a few years, and these are the ones we show here.

If you watch, visit, or take part in the Royal Wedding today, enjoy!

Pix courtesy Andy Dingley, RAF.

Visit Bravo Delta here.

Visit eBay cigarette card on sale here.

AIRFIX ‘ILLUSTRIOUS’ AIRCRAFT CARRIER TO 1:350 SCALE

David Jefferis reports
Airfix is busy as a beehive these days, with product after product striding out the doors - the breath of life from new ownership means that times are almost back to the company’s glory days, when schoolboys the length and breadth of the UK could be seen treading the wooden floorboards of FW Woolworth (a chain that’s now history - sigh) on the hunt for the latest Airfix kit-in-a-bag.

1:350 scale carrier video

The latest offering gives both maritime and aerospace model fans a treat, as it’s a 1:350 scale model of the Royal Navy’s HMS Illustrious - 'Lusty' to her crew - and it’s loaded for bear, with a flight deck packed with aircraft, helicopters and neatly-cast detail. Airfix has released a video overview of the carrier, which you can see above. The model is a test shot, so all you get to see is the bare plastic - for a taste of what the final result could look like, just have a look at the box, which is illustrated with a photo, rather than the CGI-based imagery that’s becoming standard across the rest of the Airfix range. 

What’s in the box?

First off, that 1:350 scale means the kit builds into a BIG ship - the Lusty scales out to some 603 mm (23.7 in) long, which is slightly more than two sheets of A4 paper laid end to end. And even the aircraft aren’t too miniscule - the Harriers have a wingspan of around the 21 mm (0.83 in) mark, while the Merlin and Sea King helos are accurate enough: the Merlin’s paddle-shaped rotors look particularly convincing. In all, there are some 276 components, enough for most model fans, especially as painting those aircraft is a several-nights job all by itself.  

Summation

Nice one Airfix - of course HMS Illustrious is hardly the biggest carrier afloat, as you can see from the pic showing her next to the USS John C Stennis - but she’s a fine warship nonetheless, and will make an excellent member of a desktop battlefleet. The kit also comes with 15 pots of paint, a pair of brushes, a bottle of polystyrene cement and an eight-page information booklet. The paints aren’t much good for serious modelmakers, but are doubtless useful for beginners, and some extra poly cement always comes in useful.

Pictures courtesy Airfix, US Navy, Royal Navy.

The Airfix HMS Illustrious kit is available from model stores and online suppliers including Amazon here.

There are also other warships available in smaller scales here.