HUP Build So Far

[BOC262]

Here are some pix of my 1/72 Amodel HUP-2 build. Since this is kind of a new kit, I thought it might be worth doing a little mini review kind of thing as I go along. First, here is an image of the box art:

Next is an image of the sprues (sorry, the flash glare washed out the decals). The only Amodel kit I have seen previously to the HUP is the Mi-6. Compared to that monster, the HUP-2 looks very nice on the sprues--cleanly molded, with a minimum of flash. Surface detail is minimal, but crisp and petite. The plastic itself is a bit on the soft side.

Here is a shot of the canopy. As you can see, it isn't all that clear, and the frames are poorly defined. I have seen worse though!

Here is a shot of some of the cockpit pieces. These are tiny little bits which make up the legs for the pilot's and copilot's seats. The X-acto knife gives some sense how tiny they are. Barely visible on the cockpit floor by the instrument pedestal are 4 tiny little grooves where the seat legs are to go. I should have used the seats as a guage, because of course the grooves are just a bit too far apart, so the seats want to fit between, instead of on top of the braces.

I'll post more pix and continue the review as the build progresses.

Thanks!

Karl

[X-RAY]

Keep up the work, and thanks for joining.

jake

[BOC262]

Thank you X-RAY!

I'm hoping to have some more pix to post in a couple of days.

Amodel's HUP is definitely "limited run" in nature-- test fit, carve, file, scrape, test fit and repeat. The cabin detail is very sparse--though that's not a big issue for me as I'm not really an interior detail kind of modeler! This biggest let down of the kit so far (besides the cloudy canopy) has to be the rotor blades--crude and very thick, almost club-like. I spent some time cleaning them up and thinning them, but I could really go much further with the thinning if I wanted to--this is where I miss a manufacturer like Italeri, with those beautifully thin, pre-curved blades.

Ah well, inspite of the criticism, I have been enjoying the build so far. It's a fun little kit, and I like the subject matter!

Karl

[El pibe vitina]

Nice to see another fine entry. The only A-model kit I have is the Bee Gee racer, and seems very nice from the sprues.

Cya.