A_M_W_2015_05_

*UK scheduled on sale date. Please note that overseas deliveries are likely to occur after this date.

Airfix Model World

{114}www.airfixmodelworld.com

THE NEXT ISSUE IS ON SALE MAY 7

KIT COURT

AÉROSPATIALE/WESTLAND GAZELLE

HEARINGS

If there’s a kit you’d love to see

re-released or produced then state

your case to the world via AMW.

What you need to supply is 300-

350 words for a ‘reasonable’ case,

a good quality photo and two to

three high-resolution box-top scans

to help illustrate the subject. AMW

can’t promise a new kit by the end

of the year, but the industry will

definitely get to hear a ‘modeller’s

case!’ email: chris.clifford@

keypublishing.com

A case by South

African modeller

Hendrik Brits for

a new Gazelle

helicopter kit

I

t cannot be denied that

the Gazelle is one of the

more graceful and beautiful

helicopters that has graced

our skies for the past three

decades.

Having served globally with

many air arms, and increasingly

in civilian livery, this rotary

workhorse has only been kitted

by Fujimi in 1/48 scale, Airfix and

Heller in 1/72 scale, and by the

latter firm in the slightly odd scale

of 1/50. All four kits have, however,

been around for donkey’s years

and it shows.

With the proliferation of 1/48

scale kits that depict fighting

equipment from various

conflicts since the 1990s, most

notably by Airfix of the various

Gulf Wars and the Balkans, it

is puzzling that the Gazelle

has not received more recent

attention from kit producers.

Designed and manufactured in

France by Sud Aviation (later

Aérospatiale), the Gazelle has

also been manufactured under

licence by Westland in the UK,

by Yugoslavia’s SOKO, and the

Arab British Helicopter Company

(ABHCO) in Egypt; France and the

UK have been the largest users.

Since being brought into service

in 1973, the Gazelle has been

operated by a wide range of export

customers, such as China, Iraq,

Syria and Lebanon. It has also

participated in many conflicts

around the world...flown by Syria

during the 1982 Lebanon War, by

Rwanda in its civil war during the

1990s, and by various air arms in

the 1991 Gulf War.

With a capable helicopter such

as the Gazelle in such wide use,

kit manufacturers really should

consider a new-tool rendition of

this popular machine, especially in

1/48 scale.

Why specifically ‘quarter-scale’

scale you may ask? My argument

is that it would complement recent

Airfix offerings such as the Land

Rovers, Warrior ICV, Merlin, and

British Army figures when in the

Iraqi theatre. I would therefore

appeal, on behalf of the scale

‘rotor head’ community worldwide,

to Airfix, Italeri and other major

manufacturers to consider this

plea; even a 1/72 version would

be worth exploring, and the after-

market industry could have a field

day, regardless

of scale. ❚

 Various 1/48 boxings of the Gazelle were released by Fujimi, but they do need scratch-

built refinement to be added for the best results.

 Heller issued a Gazelle in the slightly

odd scale of 1/50, and it's detail is fair

at best.

 Old soldier! Airfix's Gazelle in 1/72 scale can still be found on the second-hand market,

but again, the detail is a product of its time.

EXHIBIT

1

EXHIBIT

2

market industry could have a field

❚ EXHIBIT 3

(UK MoD)

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