Aérospatiale SA 345 Oryx - Finished pics Pg 4

[DogfighterZen]

A big beauty of a beast indeed, excellent work, Fred! 
My original intention with my Airfix Gazelle was to convert it to the Blue Thunder. Probably found the same build thread you did, which was the motivator for buying the kit but once I bought the 32nd Monogram Blue Thunder kit from our fellow whiffer Bungle, i just went ahead with a slight whiff for the PoAF with it.

[zenrat]

Blue Thunder is still on the cards when I find another Gazelle.  Shouldn't be too hard as they knocked them out in a number of releases.  And who knows, maybe Airfix will re-pop it?

[zenrat]

Aérospatiale SA 345 Oryx
Aerospatiale Oryx - 14 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
The Aérospatiale SA 341/342 Gazelle is a French five-seat helicopter, commonly used for light transport, scouting and light attack duties. It is powered by a single Turbomeca Astazou turbine engine and was the first helicopter to feature a fenestron tail instead of a conventional tail rotor. It was designed by Sud Aviation, later Aérospatiale, and manufactured in France and the United Kingdom through a joint production agreement with Westland Aircraft. Further manufacturing under license was performed by SOKO in Yugoslavia and the Arab British Helicopter Company (ABHCO) in Egypt.
Aerospatiale Oryx - 2 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
The Oryx is the Gazelle's faster and stronger sibling.  Replacing the single 590hp Astazou with a pair of 890hp (each) Rolls-Royce Gem turboshaft engines resulted in the ability to carry a heavier weapons load and to travel higher (20,000ft as opposed to 16,000) and faster (250mph compared to 190).  It can also travel further thanks to additional tankage.  To use motoring terminology the Oryx is the V8 Grand Tourer to the Gazelle's four-cylinder fleet model.
Aerospatiale Oryx - 11 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Since being introduced to service in 1978, the Oryx has been procured and operated by a number of export customers. It has also participated in numerous conflicts around the world, including by Syria during the 1982 Lebanon War, by Rwanda during the Rwandan Civil War in the 1990s, and by numerous participants on both sides of the 1991 Gulf War. In Australian service, the Oryx has been supplemented as an attack helicopter by the Eurocopter Tiger, but remains in use primarily as a communications and scout helicopter.
[Text shamelessly plagiarised from Wikipedia]
Aerospatiale Oryx - 8 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Aerospatiale Oryx - 4 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
The Model
Airfix Aérospatiale SA 342 Gazelle
Engines and rotor from Tamiya (nee Italeri) Augusta SA129 Mangusta
Hellfires from Italeri Sikorsky UH60 Black Hawk
Aerospatiale Oryx - 15 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Aerospatiale Oryx - 16 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Aerospatiale Oryx - 17 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[Old Wombat]

That's nice! Very nice!

[NARSES2]

That's come out very well Fred, particularly the colour scheme 

[DogfighterZen]

Blue Thunder is still on the cards when I find another Gazelle.  Shouldn't be too hard as they knocked them out in a number of releases.  And who knows, maybe Airfix will re-pop it?

I'd buy another Airfix Gazelle but the Blue Thunder conversion is quite a lot of work, especially in 1/72. The "glass" bits look like quite a challenge.

[Tophe]

weird... and nice!

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.

Blue Thunder is still on the cards when I find another Gazelle.  Shouldn't be too hard as they knocked them out in a number of releases.  And who knows, maybe Airfix will re-pop it?

I'd buy another Airfix Gazelle but the Blue Thunder conversion is quite a lot of work, especially in 1/72. The "glass" bits look like quite a challenge.

Maybe.  IIRC they are all flat.  I was planning to try folding up the whole canopy from clear blister pack plastic.

[loupgarou]

Very nice. Quite an hot rod to pilot, I suppose. 
I am surprised it's from the "official" australian army and not one of the various pirate outfits/independent kingdoms  that teem down under. 

[PR19_Kit]

Oooooh, that's a funny little thing, but I LOVE the seriously over-powered look! 

[TheChronicOne]

That is off the charts, dude!!!!   

[DogfighterZen]

Thanks folks.

Blue Thunder is still on the cards when I find another Gazelle.  Shouldn't be too hard as they knocked them out in a number of releases.  And who knows, maybe Airfix will re-pop it?

I'd buy another Airfix Gazelle but the Blue Thunder conversion is quite a lot of work, especially in 1/72. The "glass" bits look like quite a challenge.

Maybe.  IIRC they are all flat.  I was planning to try folding up the whole canopy from clear blister pack plastic.

They are but i believe that in order to get the edges sharp as they were in the "real" beast, in 72nd, they're better be cut and glued with some clear glue and even some thin styrene strips to make the framing... unless you can fold it up with really sharp edges, that is... i don't think i can but i've also never tried...

[Dizzyfugu]

That's sexy - and I like the Australian paint scheme a lot, too. 

[zenrat]

Thanks Dizz.

Thanks folks.

Blue Thunder is still on the cards when I find another Gazelle.  Shouldn't be too hard as they knocked them out in a number of releases.  And who knows, maybe Airfix will re-pop it?

I'd buy another Airfix Gazelle but the Blue Thunder conversion is quite a lot of work, especially in 1/72. The "glass" bits look like quite a challenge.

Maybe.  IIRC they are all flat.  I was planning to try folding up the whole canopy from clear blister pack plastic.

They are but i believe that in order to get the edges sharp as they were in the "real" beast, in 72nd, they're better be cut and glued with some clear glue and even some thin styrene strips to make the framing... unless you can fold it up with really sharp edges, that is... i don't think i can but i've also never tried...

We won't know until we try.  I have a couple of different ideas in my head for doing it.  Need another Gazelle first though.