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EXTRATECH 1:72 ALOUETTE II
'INBOX Review'
Reviewer: Ruediger Landmann (rec.models.scale)
Given the long production history, numerous operators, and record-breaking flights of this helicopter, it's a real shame that it has been all but ignored in 1/72. Even the usually patriotic Heller, which has released far more obscure French subjects, never released a kit of this machine in this scale. To the best of my knowledge, the only kit previously available was one by Maquettes Dauzie some years ago. I understand this was a multi-media kit but is now unfindable for all practical purposes. Czech company Extratech, until now known for their detail sets, has finally come to the rescue of Alouette lovers with a multi-media kit of their own.
The first thing that hits you about it is the price. Mine cost $55 (Australian), and I note that Matlan has it priced at 920 BEF, so this is not a cheap kit! Still, if you want a 1/72 Alouette...
So, what do you get?
* About 30 Resin parts, representing the cockpit, fuel tank, engine, and
rotors.
* A fret of about 40 Photoetch parts providing the rear fuselage, tail boom, and various
details around the helicopter
* A vacuformed canopy bubble in two halves - left and right
* A transparency for the instrument panel
* Decals for three aircraft - French Army, German Army, Israeli Air Force
Comments:
The resin parts are simply gorgeous - clean, crisp castings without so much as a tiny pinhole. No mouldlines are detectable on the majority of parts, and the only flash to be seen is between some of the very thin parts (rotor blades and landing skids) and their carriers. All in all, some of the nicest resin castings I've seen.
The photoetch is pretty much the same as what most builders have come to expect from Eastern Europe in the last few years, and as such, is fairly unremarkable. One thing troubles me, though, and that's the provision of the tailboom as PE. The real boom was made from tubular sections, and I feel that the flat PE is unlikely to copy the look of this effectively.
The same problem affected Pavla's Bell 47 kit, which I started but abandoned when Italeri's injection moulded equivalent was announced. I'm not sure what the best solution to this might be. It might be possible to build up the surface slightly using the spray putty used for automotive panel repair - something that I might try on the Bell boom before attacking this kit. Of course, the other option might be to scratchbuild a new boom from thin plastic rod using the PE as a pattern, which probably wouldn't be *too* difficult (famous last words?)
Canopy is a little on the thick side, but is nice and clear. You only get one of them. The seam between the two halves will be hidden by PE framing once built up.
Finally, the decal sheet is pretty simple, but mine is out of register. This doesn't affect the French or Israeli decals, but many modellers will find the German option unusable.
Conclusion:
This would be a nice kit to recommend, even with the dodgy tail boom, but at this price, I think the only people who will be buying one are modellers who *really* love this helicopter, or who need an Alouette as part of a theme (as I do for my Israeli Air Force collection). Probably the fairest I can be is to say that at a third to half the price, I'd recommend everyone to go and get one. In the meantime, let's hope that Italeri provides an injection moulded alternative sometime in the future.
SMAKR
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