GeejeeZ

Thanks, I'll give it a try!! Gertjan

Very nice! Have been looking for these Dauphins for some years but somehow I cannot get a hold of one of these here in the Netherlands. There is one shop here that sells the kit for 50 euros and that price seems a bit high to me..?

Now that would be a good idea! I have been fooling around much too long, civilizing the 1:72 and 1:48 Bell 205, 212 and 412. A high skid landing gear, steps, fast fin tail, radar nose, pop out floats and external fueltanks with integrated steps would be more than welcome!

Beautiful Wafu!!! Very, very nice!! Also, great to see a helicopter here that's not matt green or od! Some questions: are the exhausts after market stuff? The landing gear is the one you mentioned, by Heli Scale Quality? How did you make the parts in front of and on top of the engines? I am still planning to make a 1:48 412, and would use the Belcher Bits conversion, but I guess in 1:35 you're on your own there...? Gertjan

Great work! Is this the Trumpeter kit?

Now THAT would be awesome! Would love to make some H175 civil offshore models!!!

But not in 1:32 please. My complete house would fit inside a 1:32 SuperPuma/ Cougar.

Un-be-Lievable!!!! Gertjan

Thanks for the tip on the KH Dauphin, Norbert! I will give it another try. I guess what I find attractive about the Heller kits, is exactly the fact that they build up pretty basic and fast. The KH Dauphin takes ages, because of the fact that it builds up from the inside; you have to stack up all kinds of later completely invisible interior and engine parts, before you get to closing the thing up and sanding flush the separate fuselage panels, thereby removing panel detail. If I would want all that kind of detail, I am capable of adding it myself. Take for example the Heller Ecureui

Talk French helicopters, talk Heller. Major problem was indeed Heller's inability to get the scale right most of the time; the Alouette III ridiculous overscale and the Gazelle too small (I consider the Heller Gazelle better than the Fujimi Gazelle btw). The Dauphins 360 and 365 and the Alouette II/ Lama seem undersized too. Other regular peculiarity of imho all Heller kits, is the standard rudimental rotor head as Helonwb already mentioned. Somehow every time Heller seems to rise back up, and I am happy with the opportunity to stock up on Alouette II's and Ecureuil's/ A-stars. Al

Nice find LD, great film! The machine looks good, covered in dust! Ifaik a new release of the Revell 1:32 145M/ T2- kit is scheduled for march next year, and will be in civil/ police livery. Gertjan

Exactly what I was thinking. Same thing on the KH Dauphin: countless parts that build up the cabin and engine compartment, in the end virtually impossible to get the fuselage halves around... Looks like a trend: on Revell's new 1:32 EC135 one has to leave interior parts out to save space. Let's hope KH improved on this .

PM sent, second one with email, but I get the reply Tank cannot receive messages...?

Hi Tank, sorry, I am very curious: any chance for an update/ pics? TIA! Gertjan

Nice!!! Anyone have experience with Scaleworx kits? Aviation Megastore has some Scaleworx kits on their site, but afaik they have always been on backorder. Gertjan

https://www.verticalmag.com/news/cal-fire-chooses-black-hawks-helicopter-fleet-replacement/

Great work, Charlie! Subtle shades of black. Can't wait for the next update! Gertjan

HmmIts looks still have to grow on me I guess. I consider the JetRanger to be one of the greatest looking aircraft there is, and I just cannot imagine how a machine with lines as timeless and sleek as the 206, can be followed by a helo like the 505. First time I saw a pic of the 505, I thought it was a new Robinson..! Esp the landing gear looks to be of the wrong size. But hey, as I said, maybe I just need more time. Indeed, some discussion on the technical matters of the 505 (new design or just old wine in new bottles) on Pprune Rotorheads.

Nice build! Good pics too! Indeed, a basic kit (Originally by Matchbox) but you did it honour! I had the same problem with the masking and the decalstripes (esp on the tailboom). Also the different shade of yellow of the decals and the paint instructions. Gertjan

Thanks Tank, I was aware of that, but I still welcome every civil scheme on a military helicopter. Kits of civil helicopters are not wide spread so I have to work with what's available... Long before the S-65/ CH53 was used in civil livery, I already made a whif S-65 in 1:48. My Chinook models -apart from an MH-47- are all painted in civil guise. Gertjan

Whoa!! You Lucky man. I remember reading about your life long experience on the JetRanger somewhere, don't know if it was here or on BritModeller. A bit off topic: what do you think of the JetRanger's successor, the 505?

Nice!!! Am I right in assuming the aircraft will be in civil colours? Now that would at last make it interesting to model a Blackhawk... I hate it when a helicopter type can only be modeled in od or flat grey. Gertjan

I wouldn't know for sure. Eyeballing the Fujimi and the Esci (I don't have the Heller 206 kit anymore), the Esci seems to have the shortest rotor mast. I never noticed that before actually, but I guess you are right, Zac (being aware of your life long experience on the JetRanger ). The Esci does have an issue with the fitting of the rotor mast: it's not exactly clear how to fit the thing and it has a tendency to partially sink into the passenger cabin. I will keep it in mind and mount it higher! Gertjan

I know, I have the catalogue. Strangely enough though, the model disappeared from the Italeri website and from the new releases list on Cybermodeler.com.

On Cybermodeller it said a few months ago that the 1:48 Italeri JetRanger would be an Esci rebox. That would be logical since Italeri's 1:48 OH-58A Kiowa also was an Esci rebox. Imho the Esci JetRanger is way better than the Fujimi. It is far more detailed. The landing gear, the rotor blades and the collectives are too fat on the Fujimi. The frontal glazing doesn't look good. Although the 1:48 Esci 206 does show it's age, in my opinion it still is the best OH-58/ JetRanger around, any scale. I am eagerly awaiting a re- release of the kit. The 1:72 Jet