Sud Aviation SM.1203 Capybara helicopter

KiwiZac · January 23, 2020, 01:28:02 AM

Hi all,
Imagine a member of the Soviet Mil design bureau defected to France in the early 1960s, and worked with Sud Aviation to create a family of helicopters with an SM ("Sud/Mil" model number prefix...Here's one such machine, a SM.1203 Capybara twin-engined heavylift chopper of the Israeli Defence Force in the early 1980s:

Sud Aviation SM.1203 Capybara by Zac Yates, on Flickr

Sud Aviation SM.1203 Capybara by Zac Yates, on Flickr

This was what I had in mind for the leftovers of my Starfix Nord Noratlas when I came up with the Phenix project. And, like that build, this was loads of fun and very satisfying!

The main rotor is Airfix 1/72 Lynx and Sea Lynx blades mounted to a Frog 1/72 Sea Fury prop hub with pitch links and head detail from an Italeri 1/72 Bell 412, the tail rotor is also from an Airfix Sea Lynx (as did the exhausts), and the undercarriage, intake fronts and fuel sponsons came from spares. The decals are from the Italeri 1/72 AH-6 Night Fox.

I'm rather chuffed with this. I hope you like it!

Sud Aviation SM.1203 Capybara by Zac Yates, on Flickr

zenrat · January 23, 2020, 01:42:34 AM

Zac, that is excellent.

Dizzyfugu · January 23, 2020, 01:44:04 AM

Very clever recycling!

Old Wombat · January 23, 2020, 02:59:30 AM

You should be chuffed, mate, that's brilliant!

chrisonord · January 23, 2020, 03:32:32 AM

Marvellous ingenuity there Zac

Chris

PR19_Kit · January 23, 2020, 04:16:44 AM

It really DOES look like mix of Soviet and French design ideas too!

Magic stuff Zac.

And who'd have thought of using a Sea Fury prop for the rotor hub?

NARSES2 · January 23, 2020, 06:44:28 AM

That's very neat Zac

major · January 23, 2020, 07:37:56 AM

That is so cool!

Would never have guessed the doner kit or parts.
Brilliant!!!

Dizzyfugu · January 23, 2020, 07:41:34 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on January 23, 2020, 04:16:44 AM
It really DOES look like mix of Soviet and French design ideas too!

Second that. My first thought was that it was a kind of small-scale Mi-8. Clever build!

McColm · January 23, 2020, 09:30:39 AM

Well done

Captain Canada · January 23, 2020, 09:38:33 AM

Looks like an Oscar Meyer lol. Great stuff !

KiwiZac · January 23, 2020, 01:27:12 PM

I had a feeling you guys would love it! I really enjoyed how well it came together. Great fun and very satisfying!

ericr · January 25, 2020, 03:11:27 AM

nice recycling indeed, and creative hybridization and chimerization !