Academy 1/48 CH-46E
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History
The need for a reliable helicopter capable of carrying roughly 20 troops
led to the development of the Vertol 107, a twin-rotor design with rear
loading capabilities. Initially designated the HRB-1, the CH-46 entered
combat operations in Vietnam in 1966, and the type soon found its way
into service with several foreign countries, including Japan, Canada,
and Sweden. The latest variant, the CH-46E, was slated to be replaced
by the V-22 Osprey, but problems with that plane has virtually guaranteed
that the CH-46 will continue to soldier on for many years to come.
 The
Kit
Here is a kit that many modelers have been anxious to get a hold of
for a long time. Until now, models of helicopters in 1/48 scale were generally
limited to single-rotor aircraft. Academy has broken into the twin-rotor
world with this kit, the first time the CH-46 has been kitted in this
scale. In the large box you get several trees of light gray plastic, with
a single tree of clear parts and a nicely-printed decal sheet rounding
out the contents. The model features recessed panel lines throughout,
and comes with plenty of detail. The decal sheet provides three options,
including one interesting overall green helicopter.
 Interestingly,
the instructions start you off with the rotors first, which is probably
a good thing as it gets you warmed up before tackling the full interior.
The rotors have separate blades that are pegged into a two-piece hub.
To aid in detailing and positioning, the instruction sheet includes photos
of the real thing, which is a nice touch.
 With
the rotor assembly together, it's now time to tackle the interior, and
here is where the fun really begins. This kit comes with a full interior,
both up front and in back. The cockpit has separate seats, a multi-piece
bulkhead, separate collective and cyclic control sticks, and much more.
While we will undoubtedly see aftermarket resin details for this kit,
the stuff in the box will do quite nicely. Stepping back from the front
office, this kit comes with a complete rear interior, including separate
side walls and ceiling. To add to this, the kit comes with the option
of stretchers or seats, which can be set up either stored or deployed.
Additionally, you get several options for displaying hatches: fully open,
partially open, or completely closed.
 Although
this kit includes many of the parts for earlier CH-46 variants, one of
the defining features of the CH-46E is the larger sponsons. To get as
many variants as possible, Academy has molded these separately, which
means that part of the lower fuselage needed to be separate as well. This
means that we will undoubtedly see a KV-107 with the large pontoons, and
probably a CH-46B or D in the future. Other separate details include the
exhaust pipes (earlier variants had a circular exhaust), armor plating,
ECM antennae, and the windshield wipers.
 The
decal sheet is beautifully printed, with complete stenciling as well as
the three marking options. Two of the marking options are for low-viz
gray helicopters, while the last is an overall gloss green example. All
three are from the U.S. Marines. The overall green example is from Marine
Helicopter Squadron 1, the "Nighthawks," based at Quantico,
Virginia. This helicopter has thin white stripes, outlined in gold, with
"UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS" written on both sides of the fuselage.
This one is definitely an interesting CH-46.
 The
two low-viz helicopters are finished in FS 36375 and 35237, with one from
Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 162, the "Golden Eagles,"
and the other from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261, the "Raging
Bulls." Both of these schemes have nothing special about them, being
regular service birds. I am sure that we won't have to wait long, though,
for aftermarket decals to come out with some of the more colorful and
fancy one-off CH-46s.
 Conclusion
This is an excellent kit of an important helicopter, and I will not
be surprised to see several of these built up over the summer. The construction
looks very straightforward and the potential for other variants means
that CH-46s will be popular for quite a while.
My thanks to MRC for the review sample.
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