Capital Area Modelers Society

by Mike Orris

I finished the National Guard helicopter project, a 1/72 Heller UH-72A Lakota.

I enjoyed the build. The instructions are quite clear and detailed. The parts are well done with little flash, though a ew small pieces shot off into the far unknown so are not on the model. The painting process went smoothly after priming on the sprues.

The cockpit/interior was the first subassembly. It had lots of small parts (as expected in a 1/72 scale model), but they fit together quite well.  The main body of the helicopter also came together with only a very small amount of putty necessary.

I called on Dick Davenport for some assistance with masking the canopy and the other windows. Since the project isn’t for me, I wanted to make certain it was done right.

The finished project actually looks like a helicopter.

All in all, it is a good kit, the parts are well molded with little flash, and they fit together.  I would buy another Heller kit to work on, though perhaps not in 1/72nd scale if it is to be complicated.