1/72 Heller RAF Sentry AEW.1 ZH103

Gallery Article by Ian Buick on Mar 23 2010

 

Hi all, and my goodness! Did I EVER see myself finishing this one at times!

 This is the Heller E-3D AWACS in 72nd scale, which had taken some tracking down at the time, which I wished to complete for the `Operations Group Build` in 2009. My AWACS was to be a Sentry AEW.1 operated by both 8 and 23 Squadrons of The Royal Air Force during `Operation Telic` and wearing both Squadron`s markings (8 Sqn on portside, 23 Sqn to Starboard).

 The Heller kit is a bit of a monster compared to many modern kits and straight away the filler was in good use around every join line. Added to this was detail sets from Flightpath and Eduard, wheels with bulged tyres from True Details, and RAF ISTARS decal sheet from Model Alliance.

 White metal, resin, and LOTS of photo-etch were thrown at this kit, but it still required extensive scratchbuilt details to bring it up to AEW.1 standard. Added to this, I managed to drop the ball at regular intervals, turning what appeared to be a straightforward build into something of an odyssey.

 However, with encouragement from the always superb ARC community I persevered and slowly the whole thing came together. 

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

  

The aerial fit seems to fluctuate so good reference was needed. The rotodome was difficult to adhere the excellent Flightpath PE to, so I cast a special resin `jig` to evenly apply pressure over the whole area of the large curving PE items (that I had bent to shape previously) so that they would adhere properly. A flightdeck crew was added as well as other details to the spartan cockpit, the undercart needs personal detailing even after applying details from three other companies, and there are minor (but fixable) errors on the MA decal sheet.

 I would also suggest strengthing the undercart any way you can when building a Heller/Airfix Sentry, it will be carrying a lot of weight by the time you are done.

 Other than that, be prepared for a lot of filling and sanding if you take one of these kits on. Having said this, the end result is good. There is no `magic bullet` detail set currently (early 2010) for the Sentry, and I found that there was some details that Eduard carried that Flightpath did not, vice-versa, and some details both had missed. Add to this the constantly evolving electronics fit and you'll find a Sentry build an interesting challenge.

All-in-all, I'm happy with the way my Sentry came out, although I have definitely shelved plans to do a second! Thanks to all ARCers who encouraged me with this build, the original build thread is below.
http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=195904

Cheers all,

Ian Buick

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Photos and text © by Ian Buick