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NAS FALLON UH-1N RESCUE

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On to the engine compartment where I was surprised with how few parts there are compared to other places. What shocked me though was how accurate this area is with the real thing!!! Kitty Hawk totally nailed this section to the point where all you'd have to do is add a few wires under the engines for it to be eerily similar. I used AK Xtreme metals with Tamiya dark iron for the motors with Mission Models Paint for the yellow oxide then AK for the aluminum places. Note there is no wash used because in the photos this section is kept very clean.

When it came time to add the back plate which holds the exhausts a slight issue cropped up. First the raised rivets prevented a good fit so they were removed where needed. Then the body halves were test fitted. There's no way in the world of Kate or her "twin" sister Duplicate that the engine compartment fits to the back of the cargo area as indicated in the instructions. Also a serious fit issue happens at the opening on each side of the engine room. I won't go into detail but the pictures show how material was removed in order to get it sit properly. Take off little bits at a time until yours is correct and make sure you have the top cover handy for it needs some adjustments and a few holes filled due to unused parts. I wanted the inside of the air intakes to be polished aluminum hence the gloss black on one of the photos.

Then both sides of the fuselage had to have various parts installed in the belly and intakes. The hook has great detail but be advised that it is very delicate. The aft rectangular opening should have a screen or grill but is not included in the parts. I made the mistake of adding some parts to busy it up, only to find out later that this area had said grill. I'm certain many of you know the function of the space and will let me know. Again, when joining the halves remember that the engine compartment does not get attached to the cargo/passenger sub assembly, it attaches to the fuselage. Kitty Hawk make these major parts slip under and over at the seam. You may have to trim this a little, as I did, at the slots of the landing skies. Now get out your clamps and cement from the back to front of the belly. There are plenty of seam lines and rivets detail to destroy and I had to slip a piece of metal into the slots where the landing skies go then twist to get the alignment correct. It took a bit of doing but was worth the effort, otherwise the nose parts will be thrown off. There are several holes that need to be filled due to unused parts. The only place I could find any flash was the opening of the hook compartment. Again consult your reverences for the proper look because there is a slight lip around the edge.

After that gong show is but a distant unpleasant memory you'll be adding the ceiling and roof. I opted to add the side posts to the passenger seats now because they were so fragile. Then the interior of the front posts were put in. Again, some really fantastic and very accurate detail n these parts. Some silver dry brushing and oil wash really made them come to life. This is where you can add coiled wire, a few hoses and some scratch built rescue gear to add even more realism. Also, I took the time to dry brush the cockpit area with Mr. Metal Color 214 dark iron. The sheen adds a noticeable amount of depth and takes very little effort to get as much or as little effect you require.

The thin rails running the length of the cargo area are just asking to snap and did twice while I was test fitting the ceiling and roof. Also, to make the front door posts marry up with the roof you'll have to spread them and add a spacer to fill the gap. This is when you'll need the front window part to make sure the spacing is correct. At the back corners of the ceiling you'll need to clamp those to get a proper fit and all this had to be done before the roof can go on. Once all that is dry take some time to stamp the faded rivets. They look more like tear drops and will show as such with a wash.

Next the main air intakes went on with a nice PE part and while the instructions call out to add exhausts and a back vent part these would be added after paint at the final assembly. The exhaust parts have very noticeable ejector pin marks and were filled with glazing putty. The sides unfortunately will need to be filled after these are painted inside. It would have been nice if they were slide molded. It was at this point when I decided to mask this entire engine area off for the primer and paint step. It would have been more difficult to mask the exhaust ports with them installed and the fit between them, the vent part and upper plate is razor tight. Thus, we move to the front.