I have not done a blog post about diecast model helicopters
for a while, so it’s time for an update...
Recently found out Altaya produced a series for Spain and France as a magazine part-work Helicopteres de Combat - similar to the
Amercom collection, but with generally better quality models. What made the
European list of helicopter models particularly interesting was the inclusion
of a couple of British rotorcraft, along with an expanded range of continental company
products, and iconic American versions notably absent from the Polish and UK editions.
First, I bought models of Aerospatiale SA-321 Super Frelon
(trans ‘Hornet’), a Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche (certainly a big
improvement over that earlier Amercom edition!), and a Piasecki H-21 ‘flying banana’
(an excellent model in navy blue). Later, as the Helicopteres de Combat series progressed, the choices got bolder,
and soon, at long last, they produced an Aerospatiale AS-350 Ecureuil (‘Squirrel’).
I already have a couple of larger and smaller-scaled A-Stars, but this is the
first time anyone’s made a 1:72 scale edition. The grey Australian Navy model
is better quality than some diecast helicopters twice its size.
The Kamov Ka-58 Black Ghost was a peculiar choice. A Russian
stealth design to rival the now-defunct Comanche, the Black Ghost’s main claim
to fame seems to be that it was pirated for a computer/ video-game. Like other
Soviet-era military helicopters, it has distinctive co-axial rotors and no
tail-rotor.
My latest purchase is a Sikorsky CH-37B Mojave from this
series. The Mojave is a big ugly beast of a heavy lifter (amusingly, the model
is of an actual helicopter nicknamed ‘Tired Dude’), but its reign as the
largest twin-engined cargo helicopter in the western world was short-lived, and
the Mojave was eventually succeeded by a prototype of the Skycrane.
I have a couple of smaller scaled versions of the Skycrane, including
a red S-64 (from Corgi), and a CH-54 from Maisto (supposedly in 1:87 scale),
but it’s good to finally get a Sikorsky CH-54A Tarhe in 1:72 scale. This US army version
of the familiar Skycrane comes complete with a container marked as Red Cross. The
large model is a foot long, with rotor span to match.
Another Sikorsky machine, the H-19A Chickasaw is a US
rescue helicopter, complete with pontoon floats for landing on water. The model
is just as sturdy as all the others I have that are made by Altaya, and its
silvery finish contrasts with the British version of this helicopter, the yellow
Westland Whirlwind in RAF colours, from the Amercom collection.
The first British copter design specially built for the
post-war RAF, the Bristol
(Type 171) Sycamore HR.14 is a bug-like machine with a long tail-boom and three
rotors. It looks great in diecast with a round nose, four-doors, and skylight
cockpit. The model is a solid construction but highly detailed. It’s peculiar,
and rather sadly ironic, that a French edition of the magazine part-work to
produce this historically important RAF helicopter in a quality diecast model
after the British version of that Amercom series failed to include a
Sycamore.
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The Belvedere... even its name is good, as it sounds like a flying
hotel!
