After completing ten S-70 Blackhawk Helicopter models for Sikorsky Helicopters and the Australian Army, DMG decided to try modifying the 1:35th scale UH-60 kit even further. We wanted something colourful for a display coming up and decided that the red and white of the US Coast Guard helicopters would be ideal to attract attention. We chose to build the kit as the HH-60J Jayhawk Medium Range Recovery Helicopter. The US Coast Guard operate 35 of these helicopters all over the coastal area of the USA from Alaska to Florida.
The kit started out as the standard UH-60L Blackhawk kit produced by Academy and Italeri Model Companies. Construction was as per the instructions apart from leaving out the internal seating. The left fuselage side was closed in using parts of the sliding doors as was parts of the right side. The forward gunners door areas where closed off and new sliding doors and windows produced from Evergreen Plastic sheet. The tail was removed from the body and the halves where modified and moulded. The new tail was cast in polyurethane resin and glued to the body. This new tail had the tail wheel well closed up a new tail wheel assembly built.
On the nose the Bendix RDR-1300C RADAR was added along with search lights and rear vision mirrors. The engine exhausts where modified as the SEAHAWK and JAYHAWK versions don’t use the HIRSS exhaust system. These standard exhausts where built up using plastic card and model putty. Also added was the long stores carrying sponson along the left side of the fuselage and the smaller one on the right hand side. Once all the modifications had been done the model was painted in the beautifully distinctive dayglo red and white scheme and black nose and cockpit area. New fuel tanks where made and cast and modifications done to the rotor blades. Decals of the US Coast Guards emblem, RESCUE and DANGER markings where produced on a colour laser printer and applied to the model. The overall result looks great and has been exhibited at several shows. Now that we have been successful in modifying the kit into a Naval version, the next one to do will be the S-70B-2 SEAHAWK of the RAN.
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