1:48 Sikorsky HO3S-1

AMP 1:48 Sikorsky HO3S-1 – a helicopter kit

A kit of the light Sikorsky HO3S-1 helicopter in 1:48 scale from the AMP brand. It is a classic plastic model that you build and paint yourself. The contents of the package, the number of parts and the range of decal options are not stated here; check them with the manufacturer before buying.

The real subject

The Sikorsky HO3S-1 was the naval designation of a machine derived from the S-51 type, one of the first series-built helicopters of Western design. It was a single-rotor machine with a tail rotor, a piston engine and a cabin for the pilot and several other people. The helicopter served above all for rescue and liaison tasks, for searching for survivors at sea and for carrying the wounded out of hard-to-reach ground. It was precisely these machines that were among the first to prove in practice that a helicopter can get a person out of places a fixed-wing aircraft and a vehicle cannot reach. The skinned lattice tail section and the extensive glazing of the cabin are characteristic.

Building and painting tips

Helicopters with large glazing build better if you prepare the glazing first: mask the cabin and spray it together with the fuselage, so that you do not have to go back in later with a brush. Finish the interior and glue it in before you close up the fuselage — once it is glued together you can no longer reach inside. On the lattice tail section clean up the mold seams carefully, otherwise the seams show on the thin sections. Glue the rotor blades right at the end, so that they are not broken off while the model is handled, and when aligning them take care that all the blades are at the same angle. Apply a gloss varnish under the decals and matte them down with a matte varnish once they are dry.

Who the model is for

• Modelers interested in early helicopters and the beginnings of air rescue.
• Builders of naval aviation in 1:48 scale.
• More experienced modelers — with smaller brands the build tends to be more demanding than with mass-production kits.
• Collectors who are missing a type on the shelf that the usual makers do not offer.

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.