Heli-Kit News #218, 05-May-06


Kits

1. Firstly, we have an update on the decal options in the recently released Wessex HAS.3 from Italeri, #1258, a re-issue of Revell #04439 (itself based on the original Italeri H-34/Wessex moulds).

The full list of decal options provided is:


All three of these aircraft are preserved in museums in the UK; XM328 is at the Helicopter Museum, XP142 is at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, and XT257 is at Bournemouth Aviation Museum. Full histories are available at the museums' own websites, and more pictures are at Airliners.net, and elsewhere.

With regard to XT247, as several HKN readers have been quick to point out, the RAF has never operated the HAS.3 or equivalent in any role. This airframe was one of the prototype HAS.3's, serving its entire career as a trials, development and instructional machine, first with the AAEE and Westlands, then as 8719M with No.1 School of Technical Training (SoTT) at Halton (1980) and at Cosford (1995). It was while it was at Cosford that it was painted in the yellow RAF "HAR.2" scheme. It was sold in 1998.

Markings for 'Humphrey' were also included in the Revell issue, but suprisingly the new Italeri ones are better. They can also be found on Modeldecal sheet #099, along with seven other HAS.3's and seventeen HAS.1's.

2. While we wait patiently for Academy's 1:48 CH-53E to appear in the shops, there are two pre-release reviews of the kit that probably tell us most of what we need to know, one at Cybermodeler, the other at Internet Modeler.

Conversions, Details & Accessories

3. The two latest resin detail sets from Cobra Company are:

And don't forget #48024, the MH-53J Pave Low III conversion for the Revell CH-53 kit.

4. Ciro have released a resin detail set (72018) to enhance the cargo cabin of the KP / Kopro Mil Mi-4 kit. This will go nicely with their brass and resin set for the cockpit (72017) which was released in September last year (HKN #210).


5. Two new sets of figures have now been released by CMK:

6. Eduard's May releases are: 7. Baxmod (the company that bought us the 1:72 Rooivalk) have now made an Oryx conversion set; we don't know at the moment which kit they are specifying as the donor. It is expected to be available about the end of June.

Decals

8. S&M decals have issued some new sheets since their commercial Chinook and Rotodyne ones (HKN #209). The full range of rotary-winged subjects from their range is now: They are all available from TAHS.

9. New from Lift here! Decals is a 1:72 sheet titled "Anti Subs, Three Yugoslav Maritime Helicopters", #707-LH. Markings are provided for: 10. The Aviation Workshop tells us that their long-anticipated Model Alliance Ark Royal book really is being printed right now, the delay having been caused by licencing issues with the MOD; these have now been resolved. The decal sheets (MA72121 and MA48121) will include the following subjects: Also being printed at the moment is another decal sheet "UK Air Arm Update 2005-06, Part 1" (MA72137 / MA46137). This includes a grey Bell 412EP / Griffon HAR.2, ZS704 of 84 Sqn based at RAF Akrotiri in 2005.


11. Coming soon from Isradecal will be a 1:48 decal sheet (IAF-53) featuring these IAF and US Army Apaches:
Thanks to Geoff Arnold, Ray Challoner, Gary Madgwick, Drew Graham, Tony Morgan, and the Chief Snake.

If you buy something as a result of reading about it in Heli-Kit News, please remember to tell them that you saw it here. This will encourage the flow of more news in the future, and maybe we'll even get the occasional review sample!

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