The Little World

I love it when a plan comes together – and equally when a collection of sub-assemblies can be piled into each other to yield a finished product.

The last day building on a project is always a surprise. For some people it slows down – like a video of dogs catching frisbees – and for others it is a fast-motion comic. I find it to be the latter as I have prepared things to glue on at the last minute.

The Flying Banana has proved to be a delight – colourful and precise at the same time. I have not had to battle with bad seams or fragile parts. The canopy glazing yielded to careful bow pen work. The final finish in semi gloss has tied the decals together. And the doors are open so I can see the red seats.

Italeri were also good enough to include scale mesh for the air intakes.

Another good thing has come from this – my internet searches turned up other Canadian examples of Sikorski helicopters that are also made by Italeri – the S-55 and the S-58 in particular. So I can add authentic examples to the collection. Admittedly, there’ll need some aftermarket decals, but the basic structures are right there in the shop.

And yes, that’s the old Canadian Red Ensign. This is a 1960 paint job – long before the new flag was adopted.

Cynics may reflect that the Piasecki H 21 Flying Banana has one of the most awkward crew doors of any aircraft. If you wanted to get out of the front door you needed a ladder, or the rescue winch to get to the ground. Oh, you could get there unaided, but at the risk of an ankle and your dignity.