Italeri 1:72 Scale Bell- 47G (AH.1/ AB- 47) Royal New Zealand Air Force

To many the iconic Bell 47 helicopter will be forever remembered as the M.A.S.H chopper. Thanks to the 1970 film M.A.S.H and the later M.A.S.H television series (1972-1983), The Bell 47 helicopter legacy as the primary air ambulance of the Korean War is widely known today. The Bell 47 has seen wide spread by both military & civilian operators, since its first production in 1946. Today almost 75 years later many examples of this amazing helicopter are still flying.

As a Kiwi modeler I’ve chosen to depict my model of the Bell 47 in the markings of the Royal New Zealand Air force. From late 1965 until mid-2011, the RNZAF operated the Bell 47 for close to 46 years. The type largely was used as the basic trainer for RNZAF Helicopter pilots. In 2008 one RNZAF Bell 47 (NZ8706) achieved a record of 10,000 logged flying hours.

As for the kit by Italei, the tubular fuselage of this helicopter dose pose challenges in 1:72 scale. However I was lucky not to break this delicate model. For the decals, homemade Inkjet decals were made for this project. The Paint scheme depicts NZ3708 in its 1978- 1979 appearance. A small diorama was made for the kit.
Hope you enjoyed this video

Happy Modelling from Shuttle Factory

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER
The footage used in this video comes from Periscope Films Internet Archive profile. An image of NZ3708 was source via Google Images. All work in this video is use under fair use, in accordance with this sites fair use policy.