INTERMEDIATE BUILD
AS565 PANTHERINTERMEDIATE BUILD
AS565 PANTHER34 Airfi x Model World“Scratch-
built rotor
brake levers
were crafted
from painted
pieces of PE”
Marking options
Trumpeter’s compact decal sheet provided comprehensive airframe stencils and unit/
national insignia for two Aéronautique Navale Standard 1 (pre-upgrade) airframes:- Serial 503, 36.F, Hyeres, May 2009
- Serial 362, 36.F, as flown in ‘Quatorze Juillet’, Hyères, July 2010
convincing interior.
After the floor pan received
C317 Gray FS 36231 and was
sealed with two coats of
Johnson’s Klear (diluted with
X-20A Thinner), the integrally
moulded rails were accentuated
with Tamiya’s 87131 Black Panel
Line Wash. Cockpit components
were added to the appropriate
mounting points and the whole
sub-assembly set aside while the
fuselage halves were prepared.
Looking out
One of the most noticeable
features of the Panther (and the
SA365 Dauphin II upon which
it’s based), is its extensive cabin
glazing. The kit captured this
aspect accurately, with crisply
moulded detail on the window
and door surrounds, matched to
good quality and blemish-free
transparencies. The additional
styrene bracing in the glazing
apertures was a boon as it
prevented the doors, frames
and associated recesses from
being damaged. The downside,
though, was the numerous
stubs that remained after these
were removed, which had to
be neatened. Diligence was
needed when removing larger
parts from the main runners,
as the attachment gates were
large and continued onto thecomponent, so several cuts were
needed to ensure all excess
material was removed.
The numerous glazing panels
were cleaned up and then dipped
in Klear to preserve their clarity;
they were then masked, inside
and out (as appropriate) to
facilitate painting and protect
them. A few swipes with a sanding
stick and a hint of Mr. Surfacer
500 was required to ensure the
starboard front windscreen fitted
the available aperture. This wasn’t
an ideal solution, but the initial“Scratch-
built rotor
brake levers
were crafted
from painted
pieces of PE”
Marking options
Trumpeter’s compact decal sheet provided comprehensive airframe stencils and unit/
national insignia for two Aéronautique Navale Standard 1 (pre-upgrade) airframes:- Serial 503, 36.F, Hyeres, May 2009
- Serial 362, 36.F, as flown in ‘Quatorze Juillet’, Hyères, July 2010
convincing interior.
After the floor pan received
C317 Gray FS 36231 and was
sealed with two coats of
Johnson’s Klear (diluted with
X-20A Thinner), the integrally
moulded rails were accentuated
with Tamiya’s 87131 Black Panel
Line Wash. Cockpit components
were added to the appropriate
mounting points and the whole
sub-assembly set aside while the
fuselage halves were prepared.
Looking out
One of the most noticeable
features of the Panther (and the
SA365 Dauphin II upon which
it’s based), is its extensive cabin
glazing. The kit captured this
aspect accurately, with crisply
moulded detail on the window
and door surrounds, matched to
good quality and blemish-free
transparencies. The additional
styrene bracing in the glazing
apertures was a boon as itcomponent, so several cuts were
needed to ensure all excess
material was removed.
The numerous glazing panelsFinely moulded floor rail detail was
highlighted with a black wash, while
central and overhead consoles were
meticulously hand-painted, rather
than using the kit decals.