Manufacturer: Italeri, distributed by Testor, 620 Buckbee St., Rockford, IL 61104, 815-962-6654.
Kit: No. 1206
Scale: 1/72
Price: $14
Comments: Injection-molded, 68 parts, decals.
Pros: Needed subject in this scale, good exterior details, good interior, excellent decals.
Cons: A few minor fit problems, no collective sticks.

Italeri is rapidly filling the gaps in American helicopter collections with pretty fine kits. This version of the Sikorsky S-55 (the Army dubbed them “Chickasaws” after the American Indian tribe) represents one of the last piston-engined versions. Its characteristic reinforced and cranked (down) tail boom was a late modification. The way the kit is broken down, there is little doubt that Italeri plans earlier straight-boomed versions.

This kit features a well-detailed interior for both the crew and passengers, but there are no collective sticks for the pilots. Options include rescue hoist, separate passenger door, antenna blades, and markings for two USAF machines.

The kit goes together easily, but you may scratch your head on deciding when to paint. You could prepaint the fuselage halves, insert the windows from the inside, close the fuselage, then touch up and paint the seam. Or you could build it as you would any aircraft fuselage and then mask all the windows for painting. I ended up doing the latter, but I had to make sure I sealed the opened passenger hatch. The tail boom’s fit to the fuselage needs a little filler and careful sanding.

I particularly liked the rotor head assembly, not because it is easy to build (it is not) but because it looks complex enough for the scale. The main rotor blades have droop molded in – a nice touch. The fit of the windscreen to the fuselage was good, needing only a little sanding at the rear of the top deck. Don’t fill and sand the seam down the middle of the helicopter’s nose; that represents the edges of the twin clamshell engine-cover doors.

After painting the model with Non-buffing Aluminum Metalizer and a coat of Future floor polish, I applied the decals. Italeri thoughtfully “stretched” the tail-boom numbers slightly so that when they fit over the prominent reinforcements, they look just right.

I finished my Sikorsky in just nine hours, a pleasant diversion from large projects underway. It looks right and measures accurately with the information in Swanborough and Bowers’ United States Military Aircraft since 1909 (Putnam). Now let’s see some straight-boom versions and maybe one on those “hot-dog” floats!

Paul Boyer