The Sikorsky H-21 'Flying Banana' is one of those helicopters that has always fascinated me, because of its unique shape and twin rotor configuration.
So when a friend of mine attended a club stash sale - referred to as a swap and sell - I asked him to keep an eye out for a 1/48 scale kit of this helicopter for me, which he duly did and acquired, but then decided to keep for himself. However, he did manage to acquire a 1/72 scale kit of this helicopter as well, which he offered to me at a ridiculous price that was just to good to refuse and a bit if a consolation.
As is to be expected of such a small scale kit, assembly was pretty straight forward with no major issues and the only additions to the kit were some exterior details from an Eduard etch set (72 322) and a set of wheels from Reskit (RS72-219). Because I was building an early Aeronavale H-21, it also meant that I didn't need to fit the door winch, under underside sling and a few other items as well. The only areas that did need some attention though were the front glazing, as it wasn't a perfect fit, and the panel lines on the upper and lower fuselage, as they didn't line up and had to be filled, sanded and rescribed.
With assembly completed and the windows masked, the model was then given an undercoat of Tamiya grey primer. The rotor heads and blades were then sprayed as per my references - not as per the instructions - and the fuselage sprayed with Gunze Navy Blue (H54) - again not as per the instructions. The model was then given a coat of SMS Gloss Clear and the decals applied, which all performed faultlessly using the Microscale Set and Sol solutions. Panel lines were then treated to a light wash, the model given a light over-spray of the base colour mixed with some white to give it a slightly faded look and this was then followed up with an overall coat of SMS Satin Clear.
This really was a fun and enjoyable project for me and also fits in well with the other Aeronavale models I've built from around the same era. My only disappointment though, is that Eduard do not offer an interior detail etch set for this kit, as they do for the 1/48 scale kit, as it would've been a nice touch to have had a full set of seat harnesses throughout.
