Here’s the ancient 1/48 Revell Sikorski H-19 rescue helicopter that I built many years ago. The overall shape of the kit looks very accurate compared to photos I’ve seen, but detail is basic or completely lacking in most areas. Fit was suprisingly good, however, for a kit of this age.

I decided to skip the included floats, and build a Navy helo with standard landing gear. I added harnesses to the seats and replaced the cartoonish kit insturment panel with one from an old Monogram B-25 kit, along with an instrument panel shroud made fom sheet plastic. Hardly accurate, but not much at all can be seen through the grossly thick and distorted clear parts. I added screens to some of the side vents, various footsteps and grab handles to the fuselage sides, and an antenna and a bumper skid to the underside of the tail. The passenger cabin lacks windows, so I fabricated some out of clear sheet plastic. I also carefully bent the main rotor blades to give them some realistic sag.

I tinted the upper section of the windscreen with clear green, and finished it in overall gloss sea blue. The markings came from the spares box, and represent an HRS-3 from Helicopter Utility Squadrone One, during the late 1950’s.

I’d like to get another one of these kits and try to do a better job, but I keep hoping someone like Gallery Models will produce an updated kit to save me the trouble!

3 additional images. Click to enlarge.