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Emre Tuzun
16 articles

1/72 Heller Sea King (Belgian AF)

September 16, 2016 · in Aviation · · 20 · 3.9K

This is the 's of the Belgian Air Force SAR.
I purchased this oldie but goldie in the early 90s.

Few words about the kit:
No prominent fit issues and nice rivets on the fuselage, but comes with no interior details. Particularly the cockpit is relatively poor. Besides, the canopy fit was a real nightmare, along with masking issues due to the poor molding and contours of the canopy frames.
Having pre shaded the panel lines, I painted the kit with Tamiya acrylics and gave a light wash with artist's oil.
Since this was (is) the only available kit which offers you the option of building the Belgian SAR version OOB, I can only recommend the kit provided that your expectations aren't way high. Despite headaches, I truly enjoyed building the kit.

Reader reactions:
8  Awesome

12 additional images. Click to enlarge.


20 responses

  1. Well known helicopter when i have holidays in Coksijde (airbase from Belgian coast) !
    Pretty model, beautiful job.

  2. Yes very good finishes. Bright, but not toy-like.

  3. Excellent work in any scale...very nice paint job, too.

  4. Despite the issues you faced, it seems you've tamed the beast! She looks darn good! Excellent work.

  5. Fantastic Sea King! That's a stunning paint job and really nice weathering.

  6. Good looking model Emre.

  7. Excellent results.Me thinks this is an airfix rebox ? Any way, I was once a medevac patient on a navy version, what a ride.

  8. Emre, she sure looks like a Sea King. Also, I've never seen the kit built before, or in Belgian markings. Real treat for me, thanks!

  9. 🙂 ... Greetings ... 🙂 :
    Very nice work on that SEA KING Mere. The color scheme is very unique and set's it apart from other Sea Kings, very nicely done.

  10. Hi Emre,
    I built this kit a few years back, and all I remember is the poor canopy fit on it! Very nice result here, nice camo, weathering and dayglo. Keep posting.
    I finished mine in RAF markings because I thought te dark scheme would hide the fit issues.
    Regards,
    Gordon.

    1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

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