Last fall, I introduced you folks to the Sentinel 1 U-53 Helicopter, Chap Mei’s interpretation of the Sikorsky CH-53. It’s been a few months, so now I can remind you that if you’re into vehicles, you need at least one of these.
I think I mentioned I had intended to build mine into a UH-53 Sea Stallion, in Marine livery. My thinking was, “This would be a perfect addition to my USMC Harriers, and maybe another vehicle I’ve been trying to get.” In order to bring it into that role, and the scale it required, I needed mostly paintwork and a little interior modification.
For the inside, I opened her up and removed the bulkhead wall between the cabin and cockpit. It wasn’t actually necessary to fit a figure in the cockpit, like I showed before, but it let me add a different seat and change the layout a little, so the pilot felt more “recessesd” in it — a good trick to make a vehicle seem larger than it is.
The other walls and pieces pop out very easily. I added two seats to the wall with magnetic attachments, that way they can come out for larger cargo, like say a recon buggy that I need to build.
Under the nose, I used a blister I saved from that BBI A-10 and replaced the rocket launcher. It’s not quite like the bulbous sensor packs that the Pave Lows and Stallions have on their noses, but it kinda evokes that feel, at least for me. And again, it’s not to scale, so I’m getting better at letting things be not “on-model” for the sake of the collection. Basically, if it’s something that would make sense on a G.I. Joe vehicle, it’s fine for me.
In that same vein, I decided to put the winch back on, and even added a second one to the rear ramp, so that the Stallion can better preform rescue or recovery missions. But don’t let that fool you into thinking this a passive heli. Two magnetic mini guns guard the hatch and windows, and can be moved to the rear ramp if I want to.
After that, the obvious gray paint job and lots and lots of decals finished the job. I can’t say this enough, this is an easy build, requiring minimal cutting and extras. In fact, it was simple and satisfying enough I tried another …
There aren’t many other helicopters in the world that scale or operate in the same class as the Sikorskys. But if there was ever a worthy contender, it would be found in the Mil Mi-8 Hip. A heavy lifter that performs dozens of jobs, including serving as the base for the Mi-24, the Hip has a reputation for being a mean gunship all its own.
To make this one somewhat resemble the real one, I removed the turbines, changed the tail layout, adding stubs and removing other parts, added some struts to the wing stubs, and then added a bunch of exterior parts.
Most of that is on the roof and on the stubs. I gave it turbines from a Cobra Rattler, and used the box intakes from a Firebat to mimic IR exhaust suppressors, and help fill in the space. I masked the nose glazing a little differently as well. For the armament, I have wanted to use these massive G.I. Joe Cannon pods forever, and added them here for some seriously hefty looking rocket pods. The anti-anxiety missiles came from Lanard, and while not exactly like the “Swatter” missiles Hips use, they and their launcher make for a nice change to the stubs’ appearance.
They are still fairly similar looking helicopters, but I feel like there’s enough unique between them to justify both. I still really want to build a Hind, or even better, buy one, so I felt like rather than drive myself crazy trying to fix my old one or build a new one with the wrong parts, this U-53 could give me a decent approximation of another Russian helicopter. At least for now.
But, my point in sharing these is not “Hey, look what I did!” Really, it’s “Hey, look what you can do!”
These are still readily available at Toys R Us and online for around $50. This is one of the nicest and most versatile custom vehicle bases I have seen in a long time, and where vehicles like the Beast Bomber require a certain amount of rebuilding, these really do not. There are several Sikorsky helicopters in the same family as the CH-53, and it wouldn’t be difficult to turn one into a German or Isreali model, the previously mentioned Pave Low, or say a Westland Sea King, for those British SAS commandos we are getting.
But like all things Chap Mei, they will eventually become scarce. So don’t wait too long, and once you get started, you’ll be glad you didn’t.
