**** DONE: 1/48 Sea King Mk 50 – Home Country Modern Aircraft/Spitfire Marks GB

[Vic Balshaw]

Username: Vic Balshaw
First name: Vic
Category: Judge – Non competing
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Hasegawa kit No 70-201
Model Type: Sikorsky Sea King HAS 3H converted to a Westland Sea King Mk 50 with the Royal Australian navy (RAN). Sadly since purchasing and deciding to build this kit, the powers that be decided to accelerate its retirement and axed it from the Australian active inventory on 15 December 2011.

Extras: Just a few. Airwaves 48 089 Resin Sand Filter Box. Airwaves Resin Main Troop Door Open. Aussie Decals A48-007 Decal set. Eduard ED48 408 PE Interior detail set. Eduard ED48 012 PE External detail set. Eduard EX401 Canopy mask. Plane Bits 48-010 Resin Aussie conversion and scratch building.

This is my main enter into GB 13 which depending on time and how well this kit and my adventurous surgery comes together, may also be accompanied with another chopper currently in Australian Army service. We will see.

Purchased in 1974 and brought into service in the following year the Sea King Mk 50 has served the Australian Navy for well over 30 years. The Sea King Mk 50 has similar avionics to the HAS 1 with the same search radar and dorsal radome but with the dipping sonar as in the American Sikorsky. The helicopter is also fitted with a more powerful engine than that fitted to the Royal Navy's Westland which gives a higher hover performance. Issued to 817 Squadron initially on board HMAS Melbourne the squadron re-deployed to a land base when the carrier was decommissioned without replacement.

These Sea Kings played a major role in providing humanitarian support following the 2003 Iraq War and following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquakes and tsunami where disaster relief and medical support were prime tasks. Again in 2010-2011 these aging machines were again in the frontline of disaster relief and evacuation during the horrendous floods in Queensland.

Unfortunately the Sea King during its serving life with the Royal Australian Navy has not been without mishap and of the initial 12 airframes purchased back in 1974, only 6 remain today. The fleet was grounded for 2 months in May 2007 when it was discovered that there was serious fault with the mechanical flight control system. This event hastened the demise of the Sea King and without warning in September 2011 it was announced that the Sea King would be withdrawn from service in December 2011. On the 15 December 2011 three Sea Kings did a final public flight over Sydney Harbour and then to the national capital Canberra where they flew over Lake Burley Griffin past the Federal Parliament building and then over the Australian War Memorial. The following day 817 Squadron was decommissioned.

It is my intention to recreate one of these last three Sea Kings that served this country well.

[Matt308]

Oooo... this should be fun!

[Crimea_River]

2 choppers so far. Cool!

[Vic Balshaw]

Oooo... this should be fun!

For what I have in mind, I'm a fool to myself!

[N4521U]

Then there are two chopper fools in this GB my friend.....
What in blazes have I gotten myownself into this time?????

[Wurger]

Oh ... another Sea King. Looking interesting. Maybe I should think about Mi-2 or W-3....?????

[N4521U]

Hey, in a Spitfire GB there would be more than one!!!!!
Go for the Seaking! I would be building mine, I do have one in a box. But the HH-60H is their current helicopter, or it may be the F model by now.

[imalko]

Nice choice. Should be interesting.

[ccheese]

Very good choice. Rode in quite a few of them during my time in the U.S. Navy.

Charles

[parsifal]

I have a dumba** question......has GB 13 finished or are the two builds running concurrently......I thought we had until the end of may for the last GB.....or have i missed the boat with the firefly????

[N4521U]

13 ends on last day in May,
14 started the first day of May,
one month overlap.........
no boat missed mate.

[Vic Balshaw]

You okay Michael, all GBs over run each other by a month so as Bill says, your still in the ring.

[woody]

another to watch closely.

[Vic Balshaw]

Gonna need the magnifying glass!

[T Bolt]

Lots of extra bits there to keep you busy Vic. Should be interesting!