Bell AB-47

[McCoy]

Italeri 1:72. My first try at building a helicopter. I  built it OOtB together with some minor scratchbuilding along the way. It was fun and left me craving for more helicopters to build. I've collected quite a lot of them in 1:72 but I've not built more of them yet.

Started on October 22, 2012 and finished on January 31, 2013

[Whiterook]

Oh, she’s a BEAUTY!!! I’ve wanted to build one of these, myself, but just haven’t run across a kit yet… I found a couple stores that have good model stock that I plan to visit so, I’m putting 5this on my wish list! Were the coiled wire on the control pedals made by you, or come with the kit?

On a side note, one of the things I want to try is Future dipped canopies… kinda scares me a little, as I’ve not looked up the process yet, but it can’t be horrifically difficult.

[McCoy]

Thanks Em! It really was a fun build. All the wires is done by me with lead wire and copper wire for the coiled wire to the headphones that I also scratched with lead wire for the microphone arm and head band and I don't remember if I made the cups with epoxy putty or if I carved them from styrene. I don't remember what I did the fuel lines with lead or copper wire but it was probably copper wire. The whip antenna is a bit copper wire. The belts is Tammy tape with lead wire for the buckles. Dipping canopies in Future isn't that hard, just make sure that the Future doen't pool along the edges when you put it away to dry. Remove excess Future by touching the pooled drops with the edge from a kitchen roll paper.

The model is a natural tail sitter so it needs a lot of weight under the floor to remedy that.

[Whiterook]

Great tips and detail… thank you! I know you’d mentioned it in another build but, what did you use for weights and glue to hold them?

[McCoy]

I'm not really sure but I think that I used lead roll fishing weight that I cut to shape.

[McCoy]

ALWAYS use CA when you glue lead!