Kamov Helicopters
Helicopter models of Kamov in 1/72 scale The Kamov company is next
to MIL, a large helicopter design bureau in the former USSR (and now Russia).
Kamov's designs typically showed a co-axial rotor design with two large
rotors, eliminating the tail rotor. For that reason, Kamov helo's were
often deployed aboard Soviet warships, being safer to handle on the deck.
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| Airfix
issued
a 1/72 kit of Kamov KA-25, NATO code
name "Hormone" in the eighties.
The model is a fine representation of the real thing, and was issued in several kits, one of them being in a "package" with other Soviet kits of Airfix with new decals. The rotor can be detailed
and the doors opened. Add some details when doing so.
The model was given a typical
high-visibility scheme with red/orange-white colours of the Soviet NAVY,
"57"
code.
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| Another interesting Helo
from Kamov is KA-50 the NATO Code named
"HOKUM". It has crew ejection seats, being the first helo to have this
feature! It blasts
off the rotors first, they the seats obviously!
Italeri of Italy came in 1999 with a fine kit, No 031 in 1/72 scale. It is a good kit, needing only minor corrections. The exhaust needs some internal gap filling, this can be done with white glue or I put on a protective cover by using maskol and painting it green. Detailing of the rotor head is nice but replace the nose pitot with pieces of metal.
The kit was finished as demonstrator, called the "Alligator", seen at Farnborough in 1992, as per the kit's instructions. It is painted in a mix of very dark grey and black. I added the brownish striping and details with paint. You can also add some typical demonstrator markings on a detail level.
KA-50
in demo markings...
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The HOKUM was also developed with a side-by-side two crew cockpit, known as KA-52 HOKUM-B. Italeri issued in 1999 a kit, No. 005 in 1/72 scale. It is the best one offered in this scale. Basically the same comments apply as for the 031 kit and it is really a fine kit. Add some details to the rotorhead yourself. Be carefull with the actuators and linkages as you can get easily confused in their assembly.
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| Interesting enough, KAMOV
also made a follow-up of the old HORMONE, called the HELIX
by
NATO. The KA-29 was also issued by Italeri, the only model manufacturer
to provide us Soviet model freaks with these nice models!
Italeri
kit 076 is somewhat rough in areas compared to the Hokum kits,
but otherwise can be build into a nice model.
Replace the smaller parts, such as the handles (no. 55/56) by sprue ones, and also the rotorhead will benefit from adding details.The assembly is OK however, but let dry overnight. The windscreen needs carefull
alignment and the instrument panel no. 6A needs to be reshaped to fit.
No interior is included as kit parts in the main fuselage as the doors
are moulded closed.
The tail vanes no's 39 and 40 needs some work to fit. Replace the pitot with a needle and replacing the the smaller windows 4/5/6/7 with kristal clear will improve the look of this model. The colours suggested are
a bit to be guessed at;
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Kamov also recently made up with a new helicopter, called the KA-60. The design is not typical Kamov as it has a tailrotor, or rather more correctly a "fenestron design" with enclosed fairing comparable to the French Dauphin. The KA-60 was issued as a
1/72 model by a Russian model company, AModel.
This
only kit available is not up to todays standards, but all necessary parts
are there. You will need to remove a lot of flash and clean up all the
parts. The attachments to the sprue are a bit thick, so be carefull as
the plastic is a bit "brittle". Using a small razorsaw is recommended here.
Make the main fuselage first, use putty, sand and carefully remove all scratches as these will show in the dark paint later! The model will benefit also
be replacing the smaller windows.
The rotor assembly needs long drying times and patience. The same is true for the undercarriage, needing carefull alignment of the real small parts. Although looking like a Dauphin, this helo is much larger. The demonstrator depicted with this kit is black/grey as the Hokum demonstrators.
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| References:
- HORMONE: Air international vol 19, page 40 - HOKUM: Air int. Vol 52, page 267 and Vol 43, pages 282, Vol 42 page 200 - HELIX: Air international vol 38, page 19 and Flight international no.4271 - HOKUM-B: Air int vol 53 page 30 |
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Created January 28, 2001 |