Skunk Models Workshop 1/48 scale HH-60J Jayhawk

In the 1980s, the U.S. Coast Guard needed a new helicopter to replace its aging fleet of HH-3F Pelicans. From the Sikorsky S-70 family, the new HH-60J represented many advantages over its predecessor, being lighter and faster with GPS navigation, weather radar, and much-better electronics. From 1990-1996, 42 of them were made.

Based on Italeri’s S-70 helicopters, the Skunk Models Workshop boxing provides a fairly accurate HH-60J. Details include a full photoetched-metal set for the cockpit, with prepainted seat harnesses, instrument panel, flight-control switches, and foot controls. Also included is a photoetched-metal rescue basket and a helicopter landing pad.

The styrene is crisply molded with little flash. The recessed detail is nice, but a little shallow in some areas. Clarity of the clear parts is good with no scratches.

Assembly begins in the cockpit, where most of the photoetched metal is; pay close attention to the separate instruction sheet for the metal. The crew compartment is grossly inaccurate. Only one seat is provided, and there is little detail.

The fuselage halves close around the completed cockpit/crew compartment. This join leaves a large seam that must be filled and sanded.

The instructions add the rear rotor assembly during the second step, but I waited until the very end to add it; painting around this assembly would be nearly impossible. The same goes for the exhaust panel (Part J13).

The only major hiccup during assembly is the front windscreen; it simply does not fit. I managed to get it close by gluing it in place little by little and taping the corners down tight while the glue was drying.

The rest of the build went very smoothly. If your display space is limited, you can pose the rotors folded.

I painted my Jayhawk with Testors Model Master Paints. I masked the clear parts and applied insignia white, then masked off all but the orange areas and painted with a mix of Chevy engine red and international orange for a realistic Coast Guard orange. The front of the chopper is painted with Floquil grimy black.

The decals were simply outstanding, thin and pliant when laid in Micro Set over a gloss coat. I saw no silvering, even on areas I had missed with the gloss. I did notice that the orange color bled through some of the white decals, however. The kit provides four different sets of markings.

My model took about 30 hours to complete. It was not an easy build — I wouldn’t recommend it to novices — but I did enjoy it, and the HH-60J will look great parked next to the Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin on my display shelf.