Heller 1/72 Eurocopter EC-145 Securite Civile

[Pirata]

Hello, all. This is my attempt at the Heller 1/72 EC-145. I'll be using the kit markings. I think I can have it done in 5 weeks as it looks like a pretty straight forward build. First up is the box top:

Gratuitous sprue shot:

My assistant. Her name is Delta. Ignore the photoetch. I was going to rob some seatbelt buckles from the Eduard B-29 set but I opted not to.

First, a quick victory. The landing skids are already finished. The kit gives you three options. I opted for the short skid version.

Base Security. He's here to give you a sense of scale. He's 1/72 scale and about 1 inch tall.

The skids were painted in gloss black:

I don't know what the platform is used for. If anybody knows, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me. TIA.

Lastly, I'll leave you with a Youtube video of the short skid EC-145 at take off.

Updates as they happen...

[Wayne S]

Cool subject

[Aaronw]

Glad to have you join in. I think the platforms are snow shoes, they give the helicopter a little better footing on soft surfaces. They tend to focus on the rear of the skid so that if it sinks in the helicopter will sit a little nose down to help keep the tail rotor away from the ground.

Edited April 23, 2010 by Aaronw

[frankv74]

It must be done by now. You where working on last time i saw it.

Frank

[frankv74]

Very intresting EC-145 and all the other helicopter offered by the company. http://www.eurocopterusa.com/products/EC145-product.asp

:)

Frank

[Pirata]

Thanks, everybody, for your comments. @Aaronw: Thanks for the info. I had no idea what those things were for.

I'm working on the chopper this evening. I'll have an update later tonight.

It must be done by now. You where working on last time i saw it.

Frank

Troublemaker! :)

[frankv74]

who me that my ADHD talking :)

[Pirata]

This is my first attempt at the cabin. I'm not happy with it and I'm making some changes. The biggest problem is that awful decal that Heller gives you for the instrument panel. I suppose they're trying to reproduce a glass cockpit (I don't even know if the EC-145 has one.) but those random, multicolored rectangles look terrible. I'll probably keep the instrument panel as-is but I'm going to change the center console. I'm also scouring my spare parts boxes and other kits for interior tidbits.

From the front.

The fuselage comes molded in yellow but it will be painted. I decided to paint the windows first.

I find it interesting that the camera is picking up flaws in my build that I'm not noticing during the building process. I'm going to study & address them.

All comments are welcome.