A little help required...

strobez · April 22, 2019, 01:25:49 AM

The crew here has helped me identify tanks, trains and planes... so why not a helicopter?

I was plotting out some future 1/144 Area 88-related builds and I thought about doing one that depicts the scene following Saki's demise and Shin's dramatic rescue via a SH-3 Seaking helicopter. So I went out and got the very nice AFV kit and then when I was looking at the reference pic from the manga... I noticed the 'copter in the story has... 4 wheels. I can't really find anything via google research, so I'm turning it over the membership. Is this artistic license? A little-known variant? Or am I completely out to lunch in my helicopter spotting...?

Any helpful comments (or at least funny ones) will be much appreciated.

Scotaidh · April 22, 2019, 01:53:44 AM

There is a variant of the Sikorsky Sea King, the US Coast Guard's HH-3F "Pelican", that has a retractable nose-wheel instead of a fixed tail wheel. Also, Augusta makes (made?) a version of this for the Italian military.

However, a Google-image search shows no versions with both tail and nose wheels. I'd say it was a case of "artistic license", or possibly "artistic confusion."

I suspect it was a case of making it different enough visually to not cause a Cease & Desist order - "preventive artistic license."

scooter · April 22, 2019, 03:37:11 AM

Your safest bet is the "artistic license" route. And the Pelican (which is also the basis for the HH-3) is a different beast altogether from the Sea King. Personally, I'd stick with a stock SH-3 King.

Captain Canada · April 22, 2019, 06:04:16 AM

I never would have noticed the extra wheel ! Strange for sure probably just a mistake.

kerick · April 22, 2019, 07:09:57 AM

I'm sure the artist just got a little carried away!

Spey_Phantom · April 22, 2019, 08:06:58 AM

obviously an artistic addon, afaik, Sea Kings have no middle wheel.

Old Wombat · April 22, 2019, 08:30:47 AM

Sea King, with nose wheel added.

PR19_Kit · April 22, 2019, 02:41:53 PM

Quote from: Old Wombat on April 22, 2019, 08:30:47 AM

Sea King, with nose wheel added.

Where? $:-\$

strobez · April 22, 2019, 02:54:01 PM

Heh... I'm glad you asked... 'cause I don't see it either.

Old Wombat · April 22, 2019, 04:41:36 PM

Sorry, my bad! I meant that the manga illustration was of a Sea King with a nose wheel added, not the photo (which is of a Sea king).

BTW, you may notice that the illustrations are inconsistent because, where the 1st illustration has the nose wheel, the illustration at the top of the 2nd-last panel shows a radome/similar.

PR19_Kit · April 22, 2019, 04:59:51 PM

Quote from: Old Wombat on April 22, 2019, 04:41:36 PM

BTW, you may notice that the illustrations are inconsistent because, where the 1st illustration has the nose wheel, the illustration at the top of the 2nd-last panel shows a radome/similar.

Perhaps the wheel is retracted in that view?

Old Wombat · April 22, 2019, 08:00:54 PM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on April 22, 2019, 04:59:51 PM
Quote from: Old Wombat on April 22, 2019, 04:41:36 PM

BTW, you may notice that the illustrations are inconsistent because, where the 1st illustration has the nose wheel, the illustration at the top of the 2nd-last panel shows a radome/similar.

Perhaps the wheel is retracted in that view?

Probably, but the wheel well & the dome occupy the same place on the aircraft, which is where the (avionics?) dome is on the real Sea King.

Dizzyfugu · April 23, 2019, 02:20:45 AM

To me it looks like a creative mistake - as if the artist had originally planned to draw a HH-3 but then reverted to the conventional layout with a tail wheel? I'd book it under artistic freedom, though.

strobez · April 23, 2019, 07:50:21 PM

Alright, given the consensus that seems to have been arrived at by the group, I'm calling this one "artistic liberties" and leaving it at that. I will continue on my merry way with my AMV 1/144 Sea King kit and forget I ever saw a fourth wheel...

Scotaidh · April 24, 2019, 01:45:56 AM

Quote from: strobez on April 23, 2019, 07:50:21 PM
Alright, given the consensus that seems to have been arrived at by the group, I'm calling this one "artistic liberties" and leaving it at that. I will continue on my merry way with my AMV 1/144 Sea King kit and forget I ever saw a fourth wheel...

Oh - I thought you were going to build it "as seen in the manga" and your question was related only to the real thing as a point of curiosity/information.

I'd visualized the four-legged Sea King poised above the picture - featuring all four legs - on the stand.