I recently completed a review of the Dragon 1/35 IAF Anafa; a Bell 212 (US Military designation of UH-1N). This is a build log of the kit that will go along with the review. I will be adding some scratch-building and a couple resin parts to add some details.

The box art


This is what I am going for. It is from the early '80s with an all grey interior.


I started with the cockpit by adding knobs to the cyclic and collective handles. The PE in this pic is from the kit.


On the floor and roof, I filled in the holes for the vertical stanchions that hold the troop seat. They are too far inboard. I drilled new holes about 1/8 inch farther outboard on both sides; top and bottom.


I added details to the IP such as the ribbing on top of the anti-glare panel and air vents on each side. I will be using the pre-printed IP and control panels from the earlier USMC UH-1N release as the kit PE is weak and not pre-printed.


This is the crappy PE that comes in the kit.


I added cross supports to the seat legs and reworked the back troop seat to have the curved lower supports and I removed part of the lower back section to allow it to sit all the way back against the rear wall properly.


I added interior door panels from sheet styrene and handles from wire. I also used a couple of Cobra Company B pillar resin pieces. I sanded smooth the jump doors to remove the windows as IAF 212s have the solid doors as opposed to ones with windows.



You can also see above and below where I filled in the holes that I will not be using that are intended for various antennas not used on this version. Also note that I used the tail boom insert with the cargo door (part B23). All civilian and export Bell 212s have this cargo compartment. US military UH-1Ns do not have this compartment.


Lastly, I added interior side walls to the main rotor transmission compartment.


That is all for tonight. Hopefully I can get some paint on it soon.

Looking real good so far Gino !

Thanks Doug. I hope to have another update in a day or two.

I have completed painting and assembling the interior. I like how the pre-printed IP came out.



I also added the rear troop seats and gunners' seats. These are left off in the kit instructions, but the rear-facing seat is shown being installed. This doesn't make sense to me as they are usually used together as a troop-carrying configuration. So I used all the seats.




I should be closing up the fuselage next. More to come soon...

That looks nice . You are keeping it basic
Rick

Thanks Rick. It will be a basic Bell 212, nothing special. Still needs some weathering and some additional gear and other items added inside, but pretty basic.

Work continues. I have detailed and weathered the interior and closed up the fuselage halves. I added a few pieces to add some interest to the rear cabin; a couple Israeli ration boxes, a couple water cans, a couple commercial water boxes, a 40mm ammo can, a sleeping bag, and a tool box. I also washed the interior with a sandy color to dirty it up and make it look lived in.

Port side cabin


Starboard side cabin


Cockpit


Starboard pilot's door. I drilled 6 holes on the upper B pillar. These are flare launchers that the Israelis added in this location. They are the same on both sides.



That is it for now. Next up is hiding the fuselage seam lines along the underside, nose, and tail boom. Then on to the exterior details. I still may add seat belts in the rear cabin too, we shall see.

looking good Gino
Rick

Gino
can't wait to see some paint on this one and some good ol desert dust.

Thanks guys. I hope to get some paint on it soon. I am sanding down the seems now. I also lightly sanded the whole fuselage to knock down the size of the rivets a bit.

Looking good Gino, looking very good.

I am following this one closely.

Thanks Keigan. Work continues on it. Hopefully, more pics soon.

Gino any updates yet ?
Also i know you did a Medevac Helicopter .Did you do a forum build ?
Thanks
Rick

Hi Rick. Nothing else yet. I'm waiting for a warmer day to paint. Its been below freezing just about every day for the last three weeks or so.

For the UH-1H Vietnam MedEvac, here are a couple threads on it.

In-progress and completed.

Weather same here nasty cold .. The snow and ice is starting to melt .. News says Wednesday more snow headed here in Southern Indiana
Rick

I have a small update today. The snow is finally melting as we are getting into the mid-upper 40s. The next couple days are supposed to be even warner, so I should be able to get some paint on it soon.

Today's update. I closed it up and added the steps on the skids out of a couple different sizes of C channel plastic stock. I also added handholds to climb up to the roof on the starboard side. Lastly, I added the wire strike deflectors that go around the windshield wiper arms at the top if the windshield corners.






More to come soon.

The Bell 212 IAF Anafa is complete. I sprayed it with Testors Sand Beige (2910) overall. I then washed it with a dark grey-black acrylic watercolor, a sandy-orange color, and a light grey-yellow sandy color.

The decals are all from the kit, except for the "Rolling Swords" Squadron (124 IAF Helicopter Squadron) emblem on the tail. It came off the Italeri rebox of Academy's 1/35 UH-60A/L kit, which has an option for an IAF Black Hawk. All the decals snugged down nicely with only the yellow ID "V" on the tailboom. I must have used half a bottle of decal setting solution on it to get it to snug down. In the end it did though.

I also used a set of the AMS Models UH-1N FOD covers (AMS 35001). I think they look really nice and set it off well.








More pics here.

I hope everyone enjoyed following along. Overall it was not a bad kit, but it needed a bit of TLC to add some needed details.

It looks awesome Heavyarty.

What are the red objects wedged into the turbine housing?

Thanks Foxtrot. Glad you like it. I like how it turned out too. The red items are the FOD (Foreign Objects and Debris) covers that keep unwanted items out of the engines when not in use. They are from AMS Models. I really like how they came out too.

Hey Gino,

Good looking bird. Did you have any fit issues with the kit?

See ya in the funnies..............

Brian - Thanks for the compliments. I like how it turned out too. No, there were no real fit issues. It went together pretty well. The Panda/Dragon Huey kits are not that bad and get a pretty bad rap. With a little TLC, they can come out great.

Good to hear Gino.

Dragon kits have been hit or miss on the fit issues as of late. I might see about picking one up later in the year.

See ya in the funnies...................

good job Gino looks just like a Hebrew Huey!

Thanks Doug. Always good when you check in.