1/72 Revell Bell 412EP Griffin HT.1

by Albert Moore

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This is Revell Of Germany's Bell 412 Griffin, built in DHFS (Defence Helicopter Flying School) colors and markings. The DHFS is responsible for training helicopter crews for the RAF, RN, and Army Air Corps. In addition to the Griffin HT1, the DHFS also operates the Eurocopter Squirrel HT1 .

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This kit started life as the KLu version (kit number 04461) of the 412. The DHFS decals come in the box.  The kit is molded in bright yellow plastic and contains 60 parts.  Everything was well molded, so clean-up was minimal. My model is built to represent a SARTU (Search And Rescue Training Unit) Griffin. These Griffins are fitted with floatation devices and a hoist for over water operations. The hoist and mount are modified kit items, while the fuselage floats came from a Revell Bell 212 (The BGS boxing). Other mods include adding rotor blade push/pull tubes (floral wire), pitot tubes (made from styrene rod and wire), wire-strike kit, and various antennas. The cockpit and cabin was built OOB with no mods.

The main reason for building this particular version was the paint scheme. While the KLu colors look sharp, I really like the black and yellow colors on DHFS machines. I used Model Master Acryl Flat Black and Insignia Yellow, to which Future was mixed in to give the model a semi-glossy appearance (the yellow on the real Griffin is probably darker, but the MM yellow matched the chevrons on the decal sheet). A thin coat of Future was a applied for decals and final gloss coat. A note on the decals. The markings are for a non SARTU Griffin, but I really wanted the floats and hoist, so this model isn't 100% on the mark. After applying the decals, the paint was polished and all window masks removed (they too were buffed out and the edges cleaned up). The vents were accentuated, and a bit of a wash was added to the rotor head to bring detail out but that was it for weathering (these machines are kept in immaculate condition).

Albert

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Photos and text © by Albert Moore