MH-60K Blackhawk SOA

Italeri, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Mick Evans

Italeri's 1/48 scale MH-60K Blackhawk will be available online from Squadron.com
 

This release of the Italeri MH-60K Blackhawk is a beautifully detailed kit and a welcome addition to Italeri’s Blackhawk and Seahawk family.  

The kit contains 202 light grey injection moulded plastic parts and 17 clear parts, a decal sheet covering 2 different schemes.  Of the parts 35 parts are not used for this version and can be consigned to the spares box.  The moulded parts are free of flash and all injector pin marks are well hidden.

When this kit was first released a few years ago it had some very nice internal detail and the Italeri moulds are holding their age well, the detail is still crisply moulded.  The surface detail is engraved and the kit is still well detailed by today’s standard. 

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

A well detailed interior floor and cargo bay seats are provided but this is a very busy area, so there is plenty of scope for extra detail.  The seats are very heavy and inaccurate and could do with replacing or heavy knife work.  The rear cargo area doors can be positioned in the open or closed position.  The flight deck is detailed adequately bur once again the area can easily be made a bit busier with some extra detail work.  The seats are all a bit heavy on the moulding and could do with some thinning down or replaced for accuracy purposes.

The top deck is adequately detailed around the rotor head area and is sufficient for the amount that is visible.  The rotor head itself is well detailed and appears to be of the blade folding type of rotor head.  I was unaware that this type of rotor head was fitted to the Blackhawk as Australia only has it fitted to the Seahawk variant.  The undercarriage has been well detailed and represents the real aircraft.

The square tail surface fitted to the Australian model is also included for installation in this kit and it appears that the kit could be easily transformed into an Australian model with some basic changes.

My main criticism is around the engine exhausts.  These are a bit on the basic side and could do with some major scratch building work.

The kit supplies the lair to air refuel probe, airborne radar and what looks to be either a FLIR or DIRCOM installed under the chin.  Missile warning antennae are provided to be fitted above and below the nose as well as the vertical tail surface.  Chaff and flare dispensers are also provided to be fitted to the rear of the cabin.

Two flexible mounted machine guns are provided to be installed in the gunner’s position just behind the cockpit.  The modeller can fit either the weapons pylon or just the blank.  Two long range fuel tanks are provided to be fitted to the weapons pylon. 

The transparencies are moulded crystal clear and installation should be quite easy to install.

The fit of the Blackhawk kit should present no major problems, and remember that aircraft is fairly rugged and some panels do not align well on the actual aircraft.

Decals are provided for two aircraft as follows:

• MH-60K-Blackhawk of the US Army finished in overall flat Olive Drab FS37087.

• MH-60K-Blackhawk of the US Army finished in Light Grey FS36375 lower surfaces and Gunship Grey FS 36118 upper surfaces.

The decals are crisp, accurate in colour and in register.  My previous experience with Italeri decals is they have been a bit stiff and have not conformed well to the surface detail, but these look very good. 

Recommended for all modellers of average skill and experience.

Thanks to Italeri for the review sample.

Review Text Copyright © 2007 by Mick Evans
 Images Copyright © 2007 by Brett Green
Page Created 02 August, 2007
Last updated 24 December, 2007

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