Canada Day Special: 1/48th Hasegawa CH-124 Sea King (HSS-2B Conversion)

This kit is still the only Sea King available in 1/48 scale. It was released in 1992, however the model is still holding up well. Hasegawa continues limited-edition releases of these Sea Kings as part of their flagship PT series of kits. I converted this one into a Canadian CH-124 with the help of Belcher Bits conversion sets. Your best starting point for a CH-124 type is actually the RAF releases if you can find one (ideally with the short sponsons and dorsal radar included).

Notable Kit Features:

• Finely scribed and molded surface details

• Nicely detailed flight deck

• Dipping sonar, Sonobuoy launcher and other details (not used on this version)

• Optional torpedoes on external mounts (not used on this version)

• Photo-etched grilles

• Choice of engine intake FOD shields (but not quite the correct one for this version)

• External winch

• Main rotor blades molded with a slight 'sag'

• Main rotors can be positioned in flight-ready or folded/stowed position

Build Inspiration:

Fifty plus years service in the Canadian military... need I say more? Sea Kings have had a long service career with many militaries around the world, as well as in Canada. I had originally bought Gulf War decals to build this kit with however when Canuck Models released this "Anniversary" set I was sold on these markings instead (I may have to build another one.. or two of these kits at some point).

Heads-Up Report:

• Crew entry door and main cabin door are molded closed

• Only the main cabin floor and rear bulkhead are present, so any interior detail will have to be added (if desired - and unless you open the side door it won't be seen)

• CH-124 was 5 blade rotor-head (don't use the 6-blade if provided)
  

Kit Additions / Modifications:

• Purchased Belcher Bits Conversion to get short sponsons and dorsal radar (belcherbits.com)

• I attached the sponsons to the fuselage using brass rod as there is a bit of a stand-off from the fuselage and I wanted some strength at this point after I broke the kit plastic

• Used Canuck Model Products CH-124 Seaking "50 Years" decals (although opted to paint on most of the base colour details) - Unfortunately my custom made paint masks ended up peeling off the Yellow / gold as well as black paint in many places so that had to be repaired along the way :0

• Capped off Left / Right Observation windows under sponson support bar

• Filled the middle fuel point on kit as CH-124s only had two points per side

• Closed off two openings in bottom for dipping sonar gear and detector

• Shortened horizontal stabilizer to 37.5 mm (no support bar used either)

• Scratch-built engine intake cover as kit versions were not quite correct for RCAF

• Added additional mount plate just aft of the dorsal radar

• Add scoop over vent just aft of cockpit on right side

• Scratch-built IR camera mount on nose

• Added CPI (Crash Position Indicator) to starboard side just aft of sliding door (from Academy KV-107 kit or from Belcher Bits if you weren't lucky enough to have that kit in your inventory as well)

• Add rectangular rear view mirrors to both cockpit sides (subsequently broke mine off)

• Tinted top windows using green magic marker

• Various kit options omitted and necessary antennas added although I missed some I just noticed ;)

Note: The kit tail is separately molded at the fold point and while Hasegawa doesn't provide the internal bulkheads / details to fold the tail, you could make that happen. The main cabin door is molded closed, however it could be removed and the door frame / interior fabricated... if you wanted to go there.

End Result:

The paint scheme for this aircraft was a challenge, (Metallic gold-yellow over FS 36173 base) however it was such a eye-catcher I had to give it a go. I was pretty happy with the results at the time, despite the errors and omissions along the way, it is a great addition to the display shelf.

The After-Build Report:

This Sea King by Hasegawa is still a recommended kit in my book. It has nice exterior details and the interior details that are likely to be visible are good. The option to display the rotors folded is a major bonus for this 1/48th scale kit, as it makes the kit much more compact on the display shelf. Note: Revell re-released this same plastic in their 04466 SH-3H kit

Completed build #227 - September 2019 using the 1/48th scale Hasegawa #PT2:4200 kit.

Feel free to comment or ask any questions - Keep on building, gain experience, challenge yourself if you like, but try not to stress yourself out over the build - it is suppose to be an enjoyable hobby after all - Cheers