Minicraft

1/48 scale

MH-60 K

Blackhawk

 

Bob Silva Jr.

 

Photo of the helicopter I’m building.

 

The kit is very basic and lacking greatly in interior and some exterior detail. The kit is very inaccurate, so I purchased Cobra Companies Resin MH-60 K Conversion. This adds plenty of detail but for my project I wanted more detail.

I started out checking Internet sites, books and magazines for photos.

For the really good photos I had access top several U.S. Army Blackhawk’s at our local airport.

 

 

Additional detail sets used

 

Cobra Company MH-60K Blackhawk Superdetail set CC48002

Edwards HH-60D/H Blackhawk Interior 48 094

UH-60A Blackhawk Exterior 48 081

 

 

 

I started out adding the interior sidewall detail from strip and sheet styrene. Above is a photo showing the addition of detail. The lower half is the kit I am working on while the upper half is another Minicraft Blackhawk showing what I started with.  I reworked some other detail, which the white styrene can bee seen.

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                     

 

Reconstructed APU exhaust & Air Vent                                        Detail added inside

 Cowling for the handhold

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actual detail found inside the handhold and the detail added to my model

 

 

 

 

 

Photo showing the, new aluminum tubing APU Exhaust and engine vent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next was the floor and the ceiling of the interior of the helicopter, below is a photo of the kit parts that I started out with

 

 

I started work on the floor of the helicopter. Due to the Cobra conversion I had to shorten the cockpit area of the floor so I rebuilt the area and added the under seat avionics bays, and used strip styrene for the seat rail and floor detail. The floor was painted black, I masked the anti slip strips and then the gray was painted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ceiling was then reworked, a lot of cutting, strip styrene and brass rod

 

               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dry fit the fuselage to see how the model will look

 

 

 

 

So far so good !!

 

 

 

 

I completed the kits interior Auxiliary fuel tank with quite a bit of filler to fill injector pin marks and made some ammo cans for the GE  7.62mm M134 miniguns, from styrene and kit parts.

 

 

 

 

 

I also redid two of the single rear seats, these will be added directly behind the pilot and co-pilot seats for the gunner positions.

The seats are photoed below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actual photo showing under seat avionics in the Blackhawk

 

 

Now I had to figure out how to construct and attache the front seats to my Blackhawk. After trial and error I figured it out. I added rudder peddles, paint and some weathering and later the seats.

 

 

 

These small triangular pieces were made of sheet styrene and will cover a nasty gap between the lower fuselage and the floor, quite visible from the exterior of the completed kit.

 

Now I dry fit the interior just to check on things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I wanted to add detail to the inside of the engine intakes. I looked around in my spare parts and located something to use as my engine faces. I used a set of KC-135 wheels, by cutting the tires off and using the wheels as the engine face. I glued the engine face in place then used sheet styrene and made the tapered duct. I had to do a fair but of cutting along the fuselage to get the newly completed air intakes into the desired locations.

 

 

 

Not quite but when finished I think it’ll look great

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next I worked on some other stuff like the landing gear and the Miniguns. The miniguns were constructed as per the kit but I added the expended ammo chute, by cutting and tapering a piece of aluminum tubing.

 


 

               

                                                           

I’ve also started to re-build the lower section of landing gear. I wanted to give a little more detail to this area and constructed the new gear with brass tubing and kit parts. I will add photo etch wire strike device later

 

 

 

A new Inlet particle separator dump was constructed from aluminum tube and added in place, the kit originally has a small depression for the Inlet particle separator dump.

 

                    

 

                                        

 

 

New tubular mounting system for GE 7.62mm M134 minigun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also rebuilt the M-130 Chaff/Flare Dispensers, I plan on building a combat helicopter and wanted all 4 Chaff/Flare dispensers on my model.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that I have made it this far I needed to go back and work on getting this helicopter together. I dry fit the fuselage halves together with the floor and ceiling in place. Now I started work on the detail behind the front seats. 

      

 

I started by building the Kevlar plates for the occupants. I used sheet styrene and brass rod, to construct the panel. I then added a small handle and piece of wire for detail.

 

  

 

                       

 

 

 

Getting Closer!!!!

Steve, a little about myself. I’m a 30 year old guy who has been building for several years. I build primarily 48th scale helicopters and jet fighters. I have a bunch of helicopters on display in a local Colorado Army National Guard base. “HATS” High Altitude Training site. I have worked for the local Sheriff’s Office for 5 years and an on several specialty teams. Just wanted to say hey and thanks for all the work you do with this internet site. It is one I check daily. 

 

Thanks again

 

Bob Silva Jr.