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Rescue Wings UH-60J

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Interestingly, the very day I was writing page one of this article some work had to be done on my balcony. After taking a few steps on the frigid surface noticed a dragonfly. I've always considered helicopters to look similar to dragonflies. knowing these creatures need warmth to have motion I picked it up. After several minutes covered up in my palm low and behold the tickling of tiny feet came about. Then slowly opening my palms like a clam shell watched the whee thing fritter around, stretch and get itself back in order. Here I was actually rescuing something to fly off for a few more days of life and hopefully find a mate to carry on another season of mosquito control.

Now that the body was together I set upon doing some needed fixes. A few minutes with a deburring tip made a huge difference to the exhausts. Then the few spots that needed filling got the once over.

Moving on to the windows there were a few things to tackle. The observation ports were better protected with fluid than tape. Mr. Hobby Neo came in handy because it is easier to cut than some others. Be advised though, it clings tight and takes a few minutes to remove. This was also a good time to thin out the grotesquely thick edges of the cheeks. You can see the difference in the two photos and was well worth the time. Note the yellow body color on the edge so bare plastic would not show through. Next came the remainder of the riveting for the belly and few spots missed. Finally, the bulk of the photo etch was put in place. Boy what a major difference it made to the overall look. Placed on a piece of glass shelving or atop a mirror the realism jumps right out. Hats off to PLATZ for including this Hasegawa brass!

There may be a pre-cut mask set for this kit but the lines were defined enough to do this by hand, not to mention there are so few of them anyway. On this kit the center section of plastic dividing the roof windows was a challenge. I used a computer chip remover (0.1 mm thickness) to pull up this center piece while sliding the windscreen in place. All the clear parts in this model are affixed with Microscale Krystal Klear PVA so if they need to be removed and cleaned later it can be done.

It was now time to clean the surface for priming. It's an on and off habit of mine to wear gloves so a decent rub with IPA (rubbing alcohol) and then with fresh warm water takes care of most biological hazards. Priming was done with Mr. Primer 1000 cut roughly 50/50 with Mr. leveling thinner. Usually the rough part is on the side of the primer. Best practices observed here with a mist coat then a slower wet coat making sure you've let the primer dry for half a day or more.

The two base colors are Tamiya lacquer pure yellow and insignia white. In the photo you can see the paper's whiteness compared to the models Insignia white. It's a needed bit of warmth that takes away the cartoon look. Sure, I know this is a replica from an anime cartoon, but these aircraft exist performing wonderful and amazing acts of courage, thus deserve the real life look. Once masked off the yellow went on. It's a nice color, but the number of layers wasn't. It took three to get the look you see and even then the camera makes it look brighter than I wanted. Tamiya's lacquer thinner with retarder cut the paint and being it is self leveling flexible made bending the PE a breeze. After adjusting my masks those few other spots got the proper paint on the exhaust and windscreen.

At last it was time to "take this mask off" and do a couple of paint touch-ups. The lacquer thinner gives the finish a glorious semi-gloss look and perfect for decals. With few exceptions, Cartograf make a great product and these were as expected. PLATZ give you a few options for aircraft number markings and graciously add decals for those of us who like to paint then add stencils, in other words not putting their color under the information. The tail fin alert is an example. One small gripe is in the instructions that ask you to put a big rolling part on the belly where the large red sun is to go. This is incorrect and that part should not be added.

You will love these decals. There is plenty of stencil data for an in scale intriguing look not only on the body but the fuel tanks and rotor blades. To make sure they conformed to the surface I use a coffee mug warmer and a small glass bowl with filtered water. Works like a charm to get these off the backing paper quickly, something Cartograf transfers are not known for... hey 10 seconds multiplied by "OMG that's a lot of decals" really adds up.