1/48 Revell H-34 (CH-126)

Gallery Article by Shawn "Phantom" Weiler on Apr 8 2015

 

      

This bright and colourful helicopter represents a CFB Cold Lake base Flight Rescue bird back in 1970. Just before they were replaced by CH-118 Iroquois. 

 

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The kit is a unmodified Revell H-34A. The modification is the paint scheme. The blue white and red scheme for helicopters was used from the flying banana back in the early 50s right up to the Labrador (CH-113) when it was changed to the current yellow and red in the mid 70s. The RCAF bought 6 of the H-34s. Used them as SAR airframes before leasing them to civi hands building the northern early warning radar sites back in the day. By 1970 the 3 survivors were getting really old for helicopters and sold off to civi use again.

The decal choice. Well....Elmo and I are currently hosting the SAR group build. The only decal choice I know of is the early scheme which was not really SAR specific. So I used a spare lighting bolt meant for a Labrador. The roundel is the seldom used (and not available by any manufacturer) small maple leaf. It's the thinner old school RCAF roundel. I cut out the silver maple leaf and replaced it with the current maple leaf from a Canadian flag decal. Just like the RCAF did with the real airframe when we adopted the new Canadian flag in the mid 60s. The numbers and words came from various other sheets.  Sure, its not a IPMS show winner. But I don't care. Its done and its colourful.

Shawn "Phantom" Weiler

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Photos and text © by Shawn "Phantom" Weiler