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George Chatzidakis
10 articles

UH-34d 1/48 Gallery Models

May 18, 2020 · in Aviation · · 38 · 3.4K

After about 2.5 months of exclusive building and a quarantine, this is now over.
It is the by , which is now sold by Trumpeter.

A few words about the kit:
It is good, rich in detail and plain ok for the asking price.
It allows for super-detailing if you're into this sort of demons... For example, it has parts and details that if you don't cut open some points, noone will know they're there.

On the other hand, it has errors, and some are gross:

  1. First and foremost, the box scheme (the most beautiful in my opinion) cannot be built as it featured a different type of landing gear. But, because I liked the scheme, I decided to ignore this shortcoming.
  2. Second, the side windows of the cockpit are wrong, they had to be bigger. Here you choose whether to do surgery or not, I chose not to, because I was afraid of ruining something beyond repair.
  3. Third, the two collectives in the cockpit are missing
  4. Other minor flaws that you will find if you decide to do some research. But they do not remove points from the kit.

As for the construction, I think I added details wherever it could be added:

  • Cockpit
  • Personnel cabin, such as the modification of the two-seater seat in a single for the gunner, and a support mechanism for the M-60, seats, etc.
  • Engine (cables, handles, chaos...)
  • Exterior (grille openings, rings, handles, antennas, cables, crane and more)
  • Rotors
  • Transmission box etc.
  • Loads crane

Extras used were res/kit wheels, eduard's cockpit interior and two M-60 resin guns.

Decals are a mixed bag. Stickiness and durability are fine. But the stencils are for laughs (see photo), and the big red front decals couldn't comply with the complex curvature of the engine dome, so I removed it and repainted the dome. Luckily, th kit provides a spare (one 2-part and one single piece), so for my second attempt I took the single piece, cut it in half, then each half in another 3 parts, so that it can follow the curves. Success...

I used Vajello colors, weathering was done with oils, pencils, powders, gunze gloss varnish and Galeria Matt.

I could go on for hours about the kit and the construction, so anyone who wants to ask something, feel free to do so. I have also done a lot of research and I have a lot of material, so I can contribute to anyone who is thinking of going for it.
I hope you like it.

Reader reactions:
24  Awesome

70 additional images. Click to enlarge.


38 responses

  1. Wow, looks like you put in a fair bit of work into it. Sure looks nice. Good inspiration for me to finish my own H-34.

  2. One of the best builds i've seen posted in a long time. Great work!

  3. Wow, just a stunner of a result! Super work here, and proof that if you don't let yourself get hung up over what's in the box and let AMS prevent you having some fun, you can create something that is really great.

    I have this kit - thanks for the inspiration.

    • Thanks Tom. I wasn't planning on all this detail but I thought to myself, hey, the base is there, why don't I add something here. And, if I open this section, how will it look if it's empty inside? And, will all the research I did, will I have regrets if I don't detail something I knew it should be more detailed? I hope some folks will relate to these and I'm not alone in the vein modeling world... 🙂

  4. Amazing. All the effort shows up in the model!

  5. Beautifully done! The paint and weathering are fantastic.

  6. Awesome build! Those chopters have something about them, a very special mystic that makes them incredibly beautiful. Your construction can pass that feeling on to those who admire it. I've build one UH-19 some posts ago, in 1/72, but far from yours. Congratulations!

  7. Beautiful work!

  8. Not into choppers but this is some fine work!

  9. Profile Photo
    Walt said on May 18, 2020

    All I can say is WOW. That looks absolutely stunning all your little extras make it that more special. I love that helicopter and your representation is something special. Love your paint work it compliments the build so well.

  10. Everything about is rotor is extremely realistic, nothing left random there. My congratulations is an inspiring model for those like me that don’t usually build flying objects without wings

  11. Honestly, I'm still not sure if the header and second gallery pics are real or not, but either way, it compliments your incredible paint work on this. Love the little details and no-stone-unturned approach. This will be a prize winner, I think.

  12. George that is simply outstanding work. It really looks good for such a ugly helicopter.

  13. Simply stunning in every aspect.

  14. UH-34 is one of my most favorite helos. There are almost an infinite number of really cool paint schemes available for it. Your build nudged me to go dig mine out of the garage and get started. Awesome job.

  15. Wow! Outstanding work!

  16. That's an excellent model, Γιώργο! Supremely built and superdetailed. Painting and weathering is fantastic too. I love your AMS approach.
    All the best!

  17. Simply great! Perfect build and weathering - and delicious photographs!

  18. Amazing work, a superb build!

  19. I am into helos George, so I think your efforts are top notch. Nice work!

    Scott

  20. Hello George,

    Sikorsky (UH-34 and variants) ) or Wessex (All variants), they are the most beautiful designed helicopters ever.

    Your skills in constructing, painting and amazing photographs are clearly shown in the end result.

    It still bugs my mind, what quality control was doing, during the passage of the sliding cockpit windows. But again, nothing is really perfect in this world. My dear friend George, but this model is PERFECT.

    Question: What kind of material did you use for the thigh-down rings.

    Regards, Dirk

    • Thanks for the kind words Dirk.

      The sliding cockpit windows... I can't find any good excuse for such a mistake. Molding limitations? Design limitations? Poor research? Or just sloppiness? I didn't find a single photograph that showed the windows like that...

      The tie-down rings are plain plastic. I started experimenting with lead wire but couldn't succeed in gluing them properly. In the end I used streched sprue, which I then revolved around something with the diameter I was after, so as to give them the circular shape. Just the two tie-down circles took me more than an hour... it was exhausting. The tie-downs in the rear wheel are provided in the kit (and they are thicker and less detailed than mine).

      Thanks for watching!

      • Hello George,
        Thanks for the update and your honesty regarding the invested time in the tie-down rings. As I mentioned, PERFECT model.
        Regards, Dirk

  21. WOW! this looks like a labor of love. Great attention to detail. You have made a real winner out of this kit!

  22. Great model and detailing! Definetly will be watching at your work for inspiration when building mine. I've seen you also built the HO3 wich I love also. Still waiting for a modern, more detailed version of the H-19 in 1/48 tho, my all time favorite.

  23. I wonder if you would measure the main rotor diameter and the distance from the center of the main rotor to the center of the tail rotor? I would like to use the kit for my RC helicopter if it will fit. Thanks, and great looking build.

  24. What a beautiful build and the extra detail just adds more depth to it .

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