Zvezda 1/72 Kamov Ka-27PS
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Overview
Kamov is famous for its production of twin-rotor Russian helicopters,
most of which found their way into the Soviet Navy. The Ka-27 family
was probably the most prolific line of Kamov helicopters, with variants
being adapted for all sorts of missions. The Ka-27PS was a dedicated
search and rescue helicopter, fitted with additional fuel tanks and a
lift hoist. The Ka-27PS has served for many years and  continues to perform
its mission to this day.
The Kit
Zvezda's 1/72 kit of the Kamov Ka-27 has been released several times,
with the latest version being the KA-27PS variant. The kit comes molded
in a light gray plastic, with recessed panel lines and raised rivet detailing.
The clear parts include the windscreen and bulbous side windows, while
the decal sheet provides markings for two Ka-27PS helicopters.
 Starting with the interior, this kit comes with a fairly basic cockpit
section. The cockpit gets a pair of seats, an instrument panel, cyclic
and collective sticks, and that is about it. There is definitely room
for additional detailing here, and hopefully someone will come out with
a nice etched brass or resin update for this kit. In the kit's favor,
though, most of the doors are molded closed, so not too much will be
visible, especially in the aft cabin section (which has no detailing
whatsoever and just a couple small windows to see in).
The finished cockpit is sandwiched between the fuselage halves, along
with the engine exhausts. The upper decking over the cockpit is separate,
as is the rear decking behind the rotors. The rear fins and stabilizers
are separate, and some care will be needed here to make sure they all
are aligned correctly. The vertical fins have separate leading edge slats
that will result in an accurate-looking fin.
 Once the fuselage is together, the rest of the assembly is with detail
parts. There are lots of grab handles and antennae in this kit, and it
might be easier to just form these out of brass rod, rather than attempt
to clean up the kit parts. Likewise, the spindly landing gear might be
better off replaced with metal rod, to add strength. The rotors have
lots of detailing present and will take a good bit of time to assemble.
Once completed, though, they will look quite nice on the top of the fuselage.
 The decal options are for a Ka-27PS of the Northern Fleet or a Ka-27PS
of the Federal Aerospace Search and Rescue Service. Both are finished
in the standard color scheme of dark gray and white. The Northern Fleet
helicopter has a white polar bear on the side, and is coded Yellow 17,
while the other is Blue 54 and has the Federal Aerospace Search and Rescue
Service emblem on the port side.
Conclusion
This is a decent little kit of a Russian workhorse helicopter. For
those who are interested in Soviet Naval aviation, this is a great addition
to the collection. My thanks to Squadron for the review sample.
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