Hughes TH-55A Osage

JAB
If I had to describe this model with one word, that word would be “crude.” The list of shortcomings is long. It pains me to leave such a negative review, as I believe this is the only 1/32 model of this aircraft, a tiny helicopter in which I began training as an Army Aviator almost 57 years ago. I know many modelers could make this an excellent representation of the Hughes TH-55A. Unfortunately, I am not one of them.
• No seatbelts
• No masks are to be found, although that is not the fault of AMP.
• There are things in the directions that are not on the model.
• The sketches are frequently unclear on the exact placement of some parts, and to me, that was the most frustrating thing about this installation.
• There are a couple of surprise installations; for example, one instruction image depicts the engine installed without ever being shown in the instructions. Nothing seemed to work, and I never figured out how to install it correctly.
• The sprues do not include part numbers. The instructions refer to a sprue by letter and the part number. However, one must look at a sketch of each sprue in the instruction book to find the location of each numbered part.
• Lots of flash
• Lots of fit issues
• Many of the parts are very thin and fragile.
• Clear parts leave much to be desired. They are wavy, rough, and have fit issues.
On a positive note, the 3D decals are very nice. However, they seem to have more knobs and dials than I remember. Also, AMP’s customer service department is first-rate.
Despite all the problems, I bought a second model, assuming I had learned enough from the first attempt to make an acceptable version of the TH-55A. We’ll see.