Italeri 1/48 Bell OH-13S Sioux

ITALERI 1:48 OH-13S SIOUX

Reviewer: Peter Knight (pknight@macquarie.net.au)
Kit Review submitted: January 2000

The Kit:
Nice crisp injection molded parts that unfortunately float loose in the box, and which are also coloured in an awful Dark Green plastic. One is immediately drawn to the many smaller parts that will construct the rear boom which predicts a fiddly build thereon. There is also some minor flash, even on these small parts, so a bit of cleaning is required. Parts number about 90 in all with four clear parts and nicely engraved panel lines. From the decal sheet one notes that you can produce a version from Italian, US or UK army air forces. On the plus side this kit appears to be new tooling and shows lots of scope for detailing in the engine and cockpit departments.

Instructions:
This is typical Italeri fashion in an A5 sized fold out with about nine assembly steps and plenty of smaller sections for construction. FS Numbers and Modelmaster paints are quoted for painting and the external scheme diagrams are quite good. However, the exact positioning of parts is sometimes vague and other times still needs two or three glances at. The instructions will need to be studied carefully before proceeding with construction. The other thing to consider is that although the kit will produce three different air force versions as aforementioned, each version has subtle differences that are alluded to in the instructions and therefore you need to have some reference source handy for the version you wish to replicate. Overall the instructions are fair but nothing better.

Construction:
This commences with the engine assembly which was surprisingly reasonably straightforward although some of this was 'improvised' due to the ambiguity of the instruction sheet. Another component of the engine assembly appears to sit by itself without support but this is further tapped on later in the construction process, hence the need to study the instructions first and read ahead.

The cockpit was also a relatively straightforward construction process, although given that the aircraft has a big bubble canopy you might want to think about adding in your own extra detailing efforts as it can all be seen easily. The rudder pedals need to be attached to the cockpit floor before adding into the cockpit unit and the forward mounted dashboard panel (part 28B) needs to be attached in conjunction with test fitting of the bubble canopy otherwise the canopy won't fit properly. I also added in some generic harnesses and scratchbuilt some extra bumps in the cockpit to enhance it's appearance. The interior was given an interior green wash from Humbrol with panels painted black and picked out in alumunium. Once dry the the doors were fitted in conjunction again with test fitting the canopy and providing you had some patience this all fitted rather well. The canopy is actually the subject of the last construction phase according to the instructions but I felt adding it on now was quite okay. In hindsight I would suggest leaving it off until the last stage as it did impede attaching the boom and engine mounts later.

Now comes the most fiddly part of the construction phase - assembling the rear boom structure. It would be good to say that if you follow the instructions then you should have no real problems but alas, as already touched on, the instructions are not the kit's brightest spark. However, spend some time test fitting and using logical construction techniques with a study of the instructions and reference photos, then this process is again relatively straightforward. I also used superglue in some parts to strengthen the bond and the structure in finished form looked really good.

The most contentious part of the assembly was the engine, battery box and fuel tank attachment points. The instructions clearly have these located in the wrong point if going by reference sources. This is also where the subtle differences of the different versions is not alluded to very well in the instruction sheet. On the UK version the box sits aft of the fuel tanks whereas with the US and Italian versions it is located more forward between the fuel tanks - consult photos for correct placement. Also the instructions show that part 86A should not be used, in fact, if you are doing the UK version you need to add this in where the Italian and US versions have the box located. I can only implore careful study of reference photos to achieve the most accurate result. The engine also is attached incorrectly according to the instructions, in fact, if you follow the instructions then the framework around it will not allow it to sit properly. Thankfully I spotted this error on dry fit testing. You will need to remove the alignment rail from the underside of the engine and position it slightly more forward so that it mates with what appears to be part 33B.

The tail rotor was added onto the rear of the boom and again although fiddly is quite straightforward. The major components were then attached together and I found here that deciding to attach the canopy early in the construction process was not the right choice, it didn't make things too much more difficult but did prove to be a nuisance. Maskol protected the canopy while I constructed the rest of the helicopter around it. The small fuel tanks were added and then I went about constructing the main skids. This is different depending on the version you are building, for instance, the US version is supplied with one-piece skids while the UK version is four piece. I added the skids on using superglue for extra strength. Next was adding on the main rotor assembly and machine guns for the US version. Assembling the rotor was quite basic for a kit of this nature but required delicate handling.

Versions & Decals:
As mentioned there are three versions the kit allows to be done which are US, UK and Italian Army Air Force examples. All are finished in overall dark green or olive drab and I used Humbrol 117 for the US version I was making. The decals were of excellent register and conformed to the model's surface nicely and included the rotor warning strips as well.

Accuracy:
I guess you would have to say that the framework is overscaled but this is probably due to engineering of the kit in plastic than anything else, I am not sure that you could get the plastic in the right scale. The main rotor is underscaled but the remainder of the finished kit matched up with reference source dimensions within a millimetre or two in model form.

Overall:
This is not a kit for the novice due to the delicate handling needed of the framework and the minor surgery required to correct a few problems as noted above. You also need to do this project in conjunction with consultation of a reliable reference source because the kit does not point out the subtle differences between the versions it provides for, in addition to the fact that the instruction sheet is vague in some parts and photos are needed to get assembly done correctly. It is however a very good representation of the Sioux and recommended for the more experienced modeller.

Related Reviews:-

This kit was also released in 1/72 scale and
the boxart of that kit appears above

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