Sea King HAS.2
Comments
Jonathan Read-BoneThanks again all ... as always your feedback is much appreciated and even more so for a hobby which gives me so much pleasure 😊
Jonathan Read-BoneThank you 🙏
Airfix asked to do a feature on this build … so chuffed 😊
uk.airfix.com/commun..herits-griffon-power
christopher highleyFantastic work. Can I ask what decals and paint you used on the high-viz version? Thanks, a real inspiration.
Jonathan Read-BoneChristopher, the paint I used was Vallejo's Blue Grey Vallejo Model Air 71.304 over a black primer to give it an even darker tone. I know a good friend of mine who worked on this helicopter out in the Falklands said that in some light they did even look black. The decals were Model Art's MA7269 set from Hannants. I had them on back order for months but they finally came in. I see they have a set available today if you're interested.
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As published in the Airfix Workbench April 2022
Workbench reader Jonathan Read-Bone made this appealing tribute to a Falklands Sea King helicopter having been inspired by stories and photographs of a friend who served during the conflict.
There is nothing quite like bringing a Workbench blog to a close by featuring the prestigious modelling talents of one of our many readers and we are delighted to say we have something really special to share this time. During one of our recent modelling social media site preambles, we came across a pair of Westland Sea King model builds which captivated us and prompted us to attempt to make contact with their creator. As we have discovered on many previous occasions, there is always a fascinating story behind every model build project, whether that be the inspiration behind the build itself, or the personal modelling journey of its creator - this particular contribution delivered on both of these counts.
Having made initial contact with the creator of the post, we waited with bated breath for a response, as we really wanted to feature these models within the blog and would never dream of doing so without gaining permission beforehand. We didn't have to wait long and were delighted to receive a positive response from Mr Jonathan Read-Bone, along with this impressive selection of images. Jonathan also kindly supplied us with some background to this build and his own modelling experiences, which like many people, have been subject to quite some change over the past couple of years.
Jonathan informed us that he has been a keen scale modeller since his childhood back in the 1970s and since that time, has usually had the odd one or two models put on one side in case of a rainy day. As was probably the case with many a modeller returning to the hobby after life, work and family provided plenty of distractions, the opportunity to engage in a period of more concerted modelling activity arose approximately two years ago and whilst he himself was not subject to a furlough situation, he did find himself with more time on his hands at the weekends. Quickly working through his modest stash of kits, the experience re-kindled his passion for the hobby and in the months since, has been somewhat prolific, completing over 100 build projects, 75% of which must have been Airfix kits. During this truly enjoyable journey, Jonathan told us that he learned much from fellow modellers via the online channels of Facebook and Instagram, and being a very keen cyclist into the bargain, decided to adopt the nom de plume of 'Tour de Airfix' for his on-line modelling exploits.
On to the subject of his Sea King builds, Jonathan informed us that the project took inspiration from two different but slightly linked sources. Firstly, a very good cycling friend of his served as an electronics engineer with No.824 Naval Air Squadron (NAS), working on the anti-submarine Westland HAS.2 Sea Kings. During the lead up to the Falklands War, he sailed with two Sea King helicopters (No. 50 & 55) on Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Olmeda, assigned the crucial task of protecting the fleet from Argentine submarine attack. His stories and photographs from the period served as inspiration for Jonathan to build one of his Sea Kings, aircraft No.55, which he did last year, presenting it to his friend as a birthday gift.
Secondly, the modelling club he is a member of, ISCA Model Club (Exeter), decided at the start of this year to undertake a group build to commemorate the impending 40th Anniversary of the Falklands War, with members making as many aircraft, helicopters, ships and land vehicle kits as possible in time for April's local Model Show in Yeovil. Having enjoyed building the Sea King the year before, Jonathan decided that his contribution would be the other of the two 824 NAS Sea Kings (No.50) aboard Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Olmeda.
Jonathan also told us of an interesting backstory regarding both of these Falklands Sea Kings. With the withdrawal of all Argentine naval forces in the region and following the destruction of the Army's helicopters aboard the Atlantic Conveyor, the two No.824 NAS Sea Kings were stripped of their anti-submarine equipment and reassigned to heavy lifting duties, which would include the unloading and delivery of supplies, troop deployments and the transportation of POWs.
The two models Jonathan built were Airfix Westland Sea King HAS.3 Sea Starter Set Kits, with modifications made to remove the rear Perspex bubble windows, use only 3 and not 5 wire aerial posts, the fitting of a larger nose aerial, together with a number other small changes, which included the use of new decals. The reason he decided to make two models of the same helicopter, was that whilst en-route to the Falkland Islands, the helicopter had to be prepared for frontline service. All existing squadron markings were painted out, the white serial numbers re-applied in black and the national roundels modified to the red and blue low visibility type.
As a consequence, when the Navy Sea Kings sailed on 5th April 1982, they looked like the lower model positioned on the deck, the one with the rotor blades in the folded back position. By 1st May, on entering the British Exclusion Zone set around the Falkland Islands, they began operations in the new low visibility colours used on the Sea King model Jonathan modelled in flight configuration.
We think this is a really impressive build, with a back-story which reminds us just why this fantastic hobby keeps us all coming back for more, time and time again. We would like to thank Jonathan for letting us have the details behind his dual Sea King build and for supplying us with this stunning selection of images which definitely show them in all their glory. With the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War now only days away, could there be a more topical modelling way in which to end an edition of our Workbench blog?
Michael.Clegg
The Airfix Workbench Team
