The Revell Kit
This is an old kit by any standards but, having said that makes a welcome return nonetheless. I can’t remember when I first saw this kit, originally released by Revell a long while back in 1985 going by the date stamped on the underside of the tailplane.
Box and contents
As is common from Revell, the box art features a photograph of the real thing and here you can see a German Air Force CH-53GA in the hover and it’s easy to appreciate just how large this aircraft is in reality and then again in model form!
Looking at the manufacturer’s photos of their completed model you can see that it makes up into a decent-looking subject.
So what’s inside…?
The green sprues are packaged well and no damage is apparent. Taking the main components first, they are quite well tooled and recessed panel line and raised rivet detail abound and have a dated feel and feels brittle. To be fair the real Ch-53 has a lot of small raised rivets. No distortion was apparent although there is a lot of flash on any of the parts that’s hardly surprising given the age of the moulds and this will need careful removal.
The cockpit looks busy enough with reasonable moulded seats and other cockpit detail like the instrument panels and decals provided on the decal sheet for the main instruments. The moulded raised detail is pretty good and I would be tempted to paint the panels and go that route, adding some nice subtle dry-brushing to enhance the detail. This is 1:48 scale and the cockpit is largely on show, so it’s worth making the effort for sure.
Undercarriage sprues
The wheels and undercarriage units are a feature of the type and look ok, but will be helped by adding additional details.
Options
There is an option to fold those huge propeller blades and something many of you will want to consider given the size of this model and one on storage!
Additionally, a small vehicle is included for displaying in or on the cargo loading ramp and that’s a nice touch.
Clear parts
The clear parts look clear and no moulding defects apparent – just the few scratches. The windscreen wipers are moulded onto the windows and look a bit heavy for the scale but if carefully painted may look ok.
Instructions and decals
The decals look to be good quality – certainly different subject choices than offered previously. Stencil detail is also provided and is almost always well worth adding, especially in 1:48 scale to add additional interest to your completed model. All the colours are in register and colour density looks impressive and carrier film limited, so I wouldn’t expect any problems with application.
Conclusion
This is a great subject should sell well and be popular with modellers, especially with those that have an interest in choppers. The inclusion of different colour schemes on Revell’s decal sheet is a bonus and of course the model itself looks to have stood the test of time quite well. Moulding is ok and the panel / rivet detail not too bad.
Recommended for all scale modellers.
Geoff C.
SMN Quick summary Star rating out of 5
| FEATURE | STAR RATING (out of five) |
|---|---|
| Quality of moulding | *** |
| Accuracy | *** |
| Level of detail | *** |
| Instructions | *** |
| Decals | **** |
| Subject choice | ***** |
| Overall | *** |