Jakko's TC’s Hughes 500 from Magnum, P.I. Italeri 1/72

[Jakko]

For this group build, I’ll be building this kit:



Not as a military one, but as TC’s helicopter from Magnum, P.I., an American show from the 1980s that starred Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator and Vietnam veteran in Hawaiʻi. One of his friends, aides and fellow veterans in the show is TC, played by Roger E. Mosley, who has a business doing helicopter tours around the islands — and, of course, his distinctive striped helicopter is often featured when Magnum needs some kind of aerial support:

This should be a fairly simple build: mostly straight from the box minus the weapons, perhaps add some stuff to the interior like rear seats, and add the thicker bits to the skids (are those floats for a water landing? not sure), and then some fun masking to get those stripes right …

 

[Jim R]

I remember the TV show and the helicopter. Those stripes will be fun that's for sure.

 

[Jakko]

That’s why I bought 3 mm wide flexible masking tape the other day

 

[Mickc1440]

One of the many American imported programmes I regularly watched, good luck

 

[Mini Me]

The Missus was on this like glue....one of her favs. in the 80's!

 

[Jakko]

I always liked it back then, and when I saw some reruns of it a few years ago, I found it has aged very well. There are a lot of 80s (and older and newer) shows that just look silly or slow or unappealing now even if you loved them back then, but Magnum, P.I. is not one of them, IMHO.

 

[Valeron]

I'm 56 years old and I don't think I've ever seen an episode of Magnum P.I. I've heard of it obviously but know absolutely nothing about it. Maybe I should check out and episode or two which following this build.

 

[Allen Dewire]

This should be a quick and fun build then Jakko. When you're done, maybe you should also do up a kit of his Ferrari too!!! That is, of you can find one in 1/72...

Prost
Allen

 

[Mini Me]

I believe the 308GT is available in 1/72...certainly is (was) in 1/87 scale, I remember seeing it at the time and entertaining thoughts of doing one up for the Missus.

 

[Allen Dewire]

Hey Rick, I didn't find any listed on Scalemates. Maybe Matchbox or Hot Wheels have one. Would make a cool little dio with them both together though...

 

[Jakko]

Maybe I should check out and episode or two which following this build.

In that case, beware that there’s also a modern remake that started about five years ago and appears to still be running. I’ve never watched that, and frankly, don’t really care to

This should be a quick and fun build then Jakko. When you're done, maybe you should also do up a kit of his Ferrari too!!!

Before you know it, though, your fun little build will turn into a major project

 

[Ian M]

Magnum P.I. was always good for a laugh. Apparently to get 6 foot 8 of Mr. Selling into the car they gad to alter the seat mounts t get the seat back more. Even then he was still to long. Lol.
The thick rails on the skids are floats that inflate in the event of a water 'landing'.

Have fun with those stripes Jakko.

 

[Jakko]

They look like they should be easy enough to add from some plastic rod and strip, so chances are that I will …

 

[Mini Me]

Yup...I checked scalemates also and was disappointed as well, but they aren't the here all end all on kits.....at this point evilbay may be worth a try. I seem to recall there being a set with the choppa, ferarri, and the vw minibus plus figs (dogs included) so don't give up if you're interested in doing the whole scene.

 

[Jakko]

… and we’re off:



This is the whole interior as the kit supplies it, minus the seats and a bit in the back that would only be on military aircraft. I need to find some photos of the rear cabin of a real Hughes 500 to see what the seats were like, because I found you can look inside fairly well through the windows, and I don’t think TC would get many sightseeing customers if they had to sit on the floor

The doors on the left side of the fuselage are separate, but don’t fit overly well when you glue them closed.

Edit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/88103571@N08/with/9565788707/ — photos from the show as well as a replica of the helicopter (though note that the colour scheme alone hardly makes it a replica because this was apparently one you could order from the factory) with a rather more aged Roger Mosley in the cockpit.

 

[Jakko]

I had left the seats off so I could paint them separately, but after I found some seats for the back in my small-scale vehicle spares box, that just needed their legs shortened by about a millimetre, I decided to stick them all in already:



Now I just need to wait for the glue to dry and I can paint all of this white followed by the details. I wish I had a good figure to represent TC, though …

Oh, to give an idea of size: that whole thing is just under 3 cm long and about 1.5 cm wide.

 

[Jakko]

I first sprayed the whole interior with Games Workshop “Corax White” from an aerosol can, which is actually a very light grey. I followed this up with a wash made from a light-medium grey Vallejo acrylic and once dry, heavily drybrushed all of it with white before painting the details.

I now need to fit the windows in the doors, as they go in from the inside, but that means masking them first so I won’t accidentally push them in again trying to get masking tape on them.

 

[outrunner]

I now need to fit the windows in the doors, as they go in from the inside, but that means masking them first so I won’t accidentally push them in again trying to get masking tape on them.

Been there, done that, I wish all kit manufactures would make the windows fit from the outside.

Andy.

 

[Jakko]

Masking the front windshield was fun, what with it curving in all directions. I still need to cut out the frames, but I can’t see them through the tape because the lines have been moulded so finely … great

 

[langy71]

Looking good so far Jakko,

any chance you could 'scratch' a figure of T.C. ?