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 E duard,
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
|