The Little World

Part of my research material about this green -and-white helicopter suggests that it wore these colour so that it could function as an ornate flying Admiral’s barge for part of the Royal Navy. Other sources assign it a training role at a Naval Air Station.

Whichever is correct – and they both may be – the colour scheme is actually quite attractive, and a lot more rewarding than some of the drab camouflage designs worn on military aircraft. It lent itself to finishing with gloss paint and then a semi-gloss varnish once the decals were down.

There is a massive lead weight in the nose, but the space in there is more than enough to accommodate it. The rotor is easy to assemble, and suggests that if this were to be done again it could be built in a folded and stowed position – a great space saver for a model collection.

The decals were superb – even the complex striping going on with no hesitation. Plenty of stencils, and marvellously detailed for their size.

The clear parts? Well, read previous posts. They are what they are, and I am not going to grieve. The landing gear is dancing a hornpipe, but there again one cannot kick against a 1959 kit in 2023 at a bargain price. I had days of fun with it.