Dave Ward's 1/48 Heller Alouette

Dave Ward

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heller alouette.jpg

This is a simple model of a simple helicopter
box.jpg

Instructions are old school Heller:instr.jpg
Some parts are delicate
tail boom.jpgskids.jpg

The cabin is a little too simple, I'll have to try and make it a little busier - all things should be pretty visible through the 'bubble'
bubble.jpg
Anyway, construction will start shortly, in between sessions on my Henschel
Dave
 

yak face

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Looks a good kit Dave , the cabin looks fine to me , a set of belts and i reckon it should be ok , the cabin on the real thing was very simple too , looking forward to this one , cheers tony
 

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View attachment 305971

This is a simple model of a simple helicopter
View attachment 305969

Instructions are old school Heller:View attachment 305972
Some parts are delicate
View attachment 305974View attachment 305973

The cabin is a little too simple, I'll have to try and make it a little busier - all things should be pretty visible through the 'bubble'
View attachment 305970
Anyway, construction will start shortly, in between sessions on my Henschel
Dave
Thank goodness it's not by MiniArt ! That thin section looks tricky .
 

Dave Ward

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I did look at the MiniArt Flettner Kolibri, when it first came out, but a glance at the sprues put me off, - really thin parts!
Dave
 

Dave Ward

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Construction started. The Alouette can be built in 3 sections, the bubble, the skids, and the tail boom
3 parts.........tail assy.jpg

................and four parts:skids.jpg
The parts needed a bit of clean up, a lot of fine parting lines, scraped with a scalpel blade, but nothing major (yet!)
Dave
 

Dave Ward

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After 2 sessions, the skids and the tail boom are ready for priming - I've left the engine off, as that will be completely different colours.......
sans engine.jpg

All this is dry fitted together, 3 sections. The overall colour is 'green', I'll have to find the nearest match, from my box
Dave
 

Dave Ward

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Primed, and basecoated the boom & skids - Vert OTAN, or Nato green.................
engine first.JPG
The engine makes it's first appearance, with the gearbox. I had forgotten how small gas turbines were, naked, it's going to need a little dressing up...........
Dave
 

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Very nice Dave.
Looks to have been a good fit , very clean .
John .
 

Dave Ward

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The moulds date from 1989, and they have stood up well to the years. The fit is quite good, and minimal mould lines/flash. Their age shows in the rather heavy details - particularly around the engine - and a decal for the instrument panel would have been nice
Dave
 
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Jim R

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Hi Dave
You're off to a great start. After the 'fun' you had with the wing struts on you Condor Legion Recon plane I thought you might go for something nice and solid :smirk: That tail boom looks tricky.
Jim
 

Dave Ward

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After finishing the Hs 126, I've returned to the Alouette........................
cabin 01.jpgcabin 02.jpg
Seat belts from masking tape, instrument panel drybrushed.

I dry fitted the bubble - absolutely perfect fit! The plastic is a little thick and not too clear - I'll dip it in Kleer before painting the frames.
bubble dry fit.jpg
This bubble can be fully finished before final assembly onto the airframe
Dave
 

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Looks good this one. Seems to be building up well....nice job
Tim
 

colin m

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All looking very nice Dave. I think I've only built two helicopters. I must make more of an effort.
 

Dave Ward

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Coming together, engine added, and basecoated - the 'bubble' is just about finished.....................
getting there.jpg

I was curious about the scale of this model - some of the Heller Alouette III models are quoted at 1/48 and 1/50. Just by the rotor diameter of the model, and the real dimension from Wikipedia, it comes to exactly 1/50! I would defy anyone to spot the difference between 1/48 & 1/50 in a stand alone model!
Dave
 

JR

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Dave.
Did you mask all the bubble up to paint ?:surprised:
John .
 

Dave Ward

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John,
nope, painted freehand with a hairy stick, then any overpaint removed using a sharpened wooden cocktail stick. This works with acrylics - I wouldn't like to try it with enamels!
Dave
 

Dave Ward

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The 'bubble' is fitted to the skids and boom - missing are the aerials, they're fragile, and will be the last to be fittedcloser 01.jpgcloser 02.jpg
Engine detail painting next, then adding the engine bracing struts will complete the body, with just the rotors left
Dave
 
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