Academy MH-53 Sea Dragon 1/48 WIP

That rotor head is fantastic!

Thanks. I used annealed copper wire and heated the tips so as to melt it into the plastic so it would hold better. 

Rotors masked, painted, assembled. Next: resin interior. 

So you are going with the folded rotor option?

Hercmech

So you are going with the folded rotor option?

A wise choice for display space purposes... plus they look really cool when they are all folded up including the tail.

Yup! all folded up. I dont have near enough space for the flight version. also it makes it easier to put on a tidy little dio base.

Fatalgrace

Yup! all folded up. I dont have near enough space for the flight version. also it makes it easier to put on a tidy little dio base.

I can imagine they would be pretty big. Good that they have the option!

Hercmech

 

Fatalgrace:

 

Yup! all folded up. I dont have near enough space for the flight version. also it makes it easier to put on a tidy little dio base.

 

 

I can imagine they would be pretty big. Good that they have the option!

I have the Super Stallion hanging over my computer, it has a ceiling footprint bigger than a 1/48 F-4

Following the wip of my favourite copter it's huge! 

Black stallions group are the same i occasionally see fliyng over my sea ,he's take off from sigonella base

More progress. Im using resins for the first time so its taking me forever. Also used the "hairspray" technique for the first time. Not sure that it looks quite right, but this was my fifth stripping and repaint try. 

I really like the seat cushion detail and the cargo floor weathering is awesome too.

Coming along more this past weekend. I also bought a Tamiya "Handy Drill". that was an excursion in and of itself. 

The detail your putting into this thing is amazing...  

Fatalgrace

Coming along more this past weekend. I also bought a Tamiya "Handy Drill". that was an excursion in and of itself. 

LOL

Great updates there

Ok, so REALLY enjoying this build. So, I put alot of detail into the interior but of course when I test fit the fuselage, all that disappeared. Then I got it in my head that maybe I should light it. I spent a couple of days figuring out how and googling, etc. I have NEVER worked with any kind of electronics before today. It was actually easier than it was made to seem. 

Step #1: goto Radio Shack. Find the nerd and ask him how to set up a simple LED. 

Step #2: buy the Breakaway Breadboard, LEDs of whatever color, and Battery Pack that he/she gives you. If they are nice they will set it up for you in the store.

Here's what i came up with in the end after a couple hours planning and drilling.

this is the breadboard with the LEDs in series. all you have to do is plug them in the same way (one pole is longer than the other). Plug the battery pack in to match red-red, black-black (pos/neg). I drilled holes in the "ceiling" on the interior with a Dremel and a bigger-ish drill bit. The holes were made to fit the LEDs perfectly.

Here's the basic effect. I put the battery pack underneath the roof. It fit nicely (lucky) and it looks like a piece of internal equipment to the helicopter.

I put the battery pack in such a place where I can take the battery out easily and within reach of fingers. 

LOL blue lights

Best way was to put batteries in the central piece back the rotor head with a sort of door

Very cool mod with those lights!

Been awhile. Some updates from the weekend. Main assembly together, all the photoetch pieces on (Eduard interior, seatbelts,exterior set used). So many little fiddly PE parts...

Primed, masked, and preshaded.

Hopefully I'll get paint laid down sometime this week.

Thanks for critique!

no critics ,just wishing one

That is one cool looking bird so far!

Painted and construction 99% done. I used a mix of Tamiya Dark Green, Light Ghost Grey, Black. I "dusted" the middle of the panels by adding some flat white to the mix.

Landing gear done in Nato Black and Testors Burnt Metal. Rescue hitch in some Alclad, Gunmetal, Flat Yellow, Insignia Red.

Forgot to post finished pictures

Looks pretty good but I was suprised nobody suggested using red LED's instead of the blue as red lights are used on real aircraft to preserve night vision.

Fatalgrace

Forgot to post finished pictures

 

 

 

Agreed, but I had to give into the "that's what color my kid likes best" technique. 

Awesome work

Came out great...those decals really added to the scheme, and I for one like the blue lights.

Looks great, love these helos. If I had found this thread in time, I would have suggested red in the 'pit at least, if he was feeling ambitious.

Nice to see the color, I have a CH in the stash that I am going to be doing up as my old squadron, HC-1.

BTW not sure if this can get corrected, but it appears that your exhausts for the 2 forward engines, are backwards. They should be pointing away from the fuselage.

Here is a photo of the starboard side.

upload.wikimedia.org/.../US_Navy_021217-N-4953E-002_Sailors_aboard_the_Harry_S._Truman_offload_a_jet_engine_from_a_CH-53_Sea_Stallion_helicopter_assigned_to_Helicopter_Combat_Support_Squadron_Four_Two_(HC-42).jpg

Not trying to be a kill-joy, just trying to help.

Cheers,

Dave

I noticed that, too; I thought it might be a recent Navy "mod" in order to help reduce the IR signature of the exhausts, but I guess not. I have that model, too, and the exhausts are actually "keyed" to go in the housings one way only, not sure how they got put on backwards.

Beautiful Model!!!