Trumpeter

1/72 CH-47A Chinook

Kit Number: 01621

Reviewed by  Dennie Adams, IPMS# 34396

MSRP: $33.95 Distributed by: Stevens International www.stevenshobby.com . In the box we find three sprues and two fuselage halves of light gray plastic with fine recessed panel lines and well detailed parts. There is one sprue of clear parts and a nose that are properly thin and distortion free. The decals are in register and reasonably thin. The instructions are well done and easy to follow, there are 2 metal shafts for the rotors as well. All nicely placed in one of those sturdy Trumpeter boxes we've all come to know. The kit is a basic build for this scale and the parts and assembly break down lends itself to the novice and seasoned builder alike. The cockpit area is well detailed and includes the rudder pedals and cyclic controls. The instrument panels are separately applied to the cowling and the details are raised and lend themselves to drybrushing to bring those details out. The cabin bulkhead is also well done and looks good when painted, washed and highlighted. The rotor assembly and blades are nice, with the droop already molded into the blades. Just remember to note that each blade set is numbered for the front and rear. Since twin rotor choppers rely on counter rotation of the two rotors, this is important to watch yourself here. It's real easy to end up with a couple of blades facing the wrong way. I also left out the metal shafts and locks so I could remove the blades as needed for transport. The entire rotor with the swash plate fits into the fuselage retainers with a little sanding. You'll need a little filling and sanding on the bottom seam of the fuselage but everything fits together nicely into the fuselage with a little patience. The biggest glitch I found on the kit is the engines. It appeared that the number for right and left is reversed. This will be obvious to the builder when you try to line the engine supports molded onto the intake cap parts. Nothing a quick test fit won't find. At this point I added the gear struts and various antennae, masked the nose and windows, and went for the painting. I pre-sprayed the yellow band and the orange panels, let them dry overnight and then masked the final shapes. The final coat of green was applied with a Tamiya spray can of TS-28 Olive Drab 2. These paints give you a great color, dry fast and left me with a perfect finish for decals without a clear coat. I have a friend that builds a lot of armor, lately in 48th scale, and he swears by these. The tanks always look great and he is through the painting stage quickly and without clean-up of the airbrush. If you haven't used these, try 'em. The markings give you three or four basic choices but I went with the old school makings, lot of color and visual interest. Final unmasking and application of the little port side antennae, the wheels and the rear access door, add the rotors and your off. By all standards this is a very well done and easy to build kit of an important subject. It gets a big 2 thumbs-up from me and my thanks to Stevens Intl., Trumpeter and IPMS for the review sample. A good kit!

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