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Trumpeter 1/35 scale CH-47A Chinook

RELATED TOPICS: AIRCRAFT | MILITARY
Kit: No. 05104
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Trumpeter, imported by Stevens International, 856-435-1555, www.stevenshobby.com
Price: $149.95
Comments: Injection molded, 338 parts (26 photoetched, 14 cast metal, 8 vinyl, 1 photo film), decals
Pros: Big model, overall good fit, good detail, great subject
Cons: Engine assemblies tricky, some flash
The prime mover of the U.S. Army's heavy lift aviation corps for the past four decades has been the Boeing/Vertol CH-47 Chinook. The massive helicopter stands as the ultimate twin-rotor design, following a series that started with the pioneering Piasecki helicopters of the late 1940s.

Trumpeter's big kit comes molded in gray and clear plastic. The fuselage halves are broken down into four parts, right and left fronts and rears. The rear "sail" and engine pylons changed over the years, so this breakdown suggests future versions of the kit to come. My sample had some flash on the fuselage on what appear to be mold sliding sections that will change with other versions. The flash was light and easily removed.

The clear parts are well-molded and fit perfectly in their designated spots. The photoetched pieces include seat harnesses, screens for the engine intakes, and vents in the sail. Landing-gear struts are cast in white metal, and the tires are black vinyl. The decal sheet provides markings for early Vietnam War-era Chinooks, one in high-visibility markings and the low-vis version I chose.

Building the chopper was straightforward. The interior includes a well-detailed flight deck and a cargo section with moderate detail and a full floor. The rear cargo hatch and the forward boarding door can be posed open or closed. A few of the interior detail parts are missing color flags, but overall, the interior is dark gull gray with flat black equipment. I followed the instructions and joined the front and rear sections to form right and left fuselage halves. I had to shorten the lips of the rear section's mating surfaces to make the fit tight.

Installing the photoetched intake screens complicated the engine pod construction. It's a good idea to anneal the screens before removing them from their fret. The screens must be rolled into cones to fit inside the plastic intake frames. The intake spikes have to be installed first, and I found I had to bevel the leading edges of the engine nacelles so the screens and frames would fit flush. All this should be done while the glue is still workable, so you can adjust the fit. Dry-fit the whole assembly to the fuselage, and hold it in place with a piece of tape until the glue sets. Once the glue is dry, you can assemble the screening framework assemblies, capturing the spikes between the pieces. Before you install the intake screens, paint their interior surfaces chromate green and the exterior surface olive drab.

The rotors are massive with diameters more than 20". The instructions don't say, but the rotor swash plates should be flat black. I left off the tiny antennas and probes until the very end; there are a lot of them, and they're easy to damage. The decals were trouble-free.

The finished model is big - 331/4" long with the rotors. It took me about 35 hours to complete the beast. Because of its size, complexity, and the number of parts, it isn't a kit for beginners. I predict experienced modelers will be looking for ways to incorporate the big chopper and modern armor into dioramas.

- Larry Schramm
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