Helicopter - a crossbred gunship


After the aircraft cometh helicopter ... so the popular saying goes.

If you recall, I bragged about creating a number of aircraft and helicopter models several months ago. Well, it's time to show one of the rotary-wing creations.

Like the two aircraft, it has no clear design. It borrows elements both from Western helicopters, mainly Apache and the South African Rooivalk, and from the Russian gunships, Mi-28 in particular.

I very much enjoyed creating it. Helicopters are unique in having no limit to ugliness. Anything goes. This allowed me an almost complete freedom of thought when sketching its lines, knowing that even if my ideas failed the imagined concept, the product would still look real enough, as long as it had a rotor somewhere. Speaking of the rotor, I did invest my time into making one, straying from simple symmetry. You will see.

Gallery


First, heres the typical assortment of odd-angle looks.

Unlike the planes, the helicopter sports no camouflage, just the monotone gray. I felt the stripes or spots of color would take away the focus from its already too-many curious details. But to improve contrast and make it more visible, I have changed the default background color in Google SketchUp.

Helicopter right front iso

Helicopter left top

As you can see, the front is typically American, as is the armament. However, the 5-blade rotor is Russian. The fan-in-fin tail rotor is a classic European concept. The engines would feature well both on AH-64 and Mi-28.

Helicopter left rear top

Imposing, ain't it?

Helicopter left back low

Here's a pair of aggressive-looking shot. You would not want to be a T-55 driver with that thingie coming from behind a hill.

Helicopter front top low

Helicopter front zoomed

This is what my little creation looks from beneath. Notice the racks of anti-tank missiles.

Helicopter bottom

Helicopter bottom iso

For some reason, I have always loved the tail looks on helicopters.

Helicopter back
Helicopter tail

Helicopter tail 2

I did not want to make a simple 4-bladed rotor. That was too boring. So I opted for a 5-bladed one, which forced me to measure the angle to an exact 72°.

Helicopter top

I spent quite some time perfecting the rotor.

Helicopter rotor

No modern helicopter can call itself a gunship without proper Mast-Mounted Sights.

Helicopter MMS

I also paid some effort in making the engines, especially the curved exhausts, which are supposed to suppress the IR signature and reduce the chance of getting hit by heat-seeking missiles (especially shoulder-fired SAMs).

Helicopter engine intakes 1

Accidentally, this is a great weapons shot, by the way.

Helicopter engine intakes 2

Helicopter engine exhausts

Helicopter engine exhausts 2

I do not usually bother to create internal details that are not visible, but I did an exception this time, furnishing the helicopter with a nice little turbine.

Helicopter engine zoomed

Finally, the weapons. Supposedly, the helicopter carries 16 laser-guided missiles (the cones are transparent) with tandem shaped warhead, usable against armored vehicles and helicopters, plus a pair of AA-11-like air-to-air missiles. This configuration is undoubtedly American, because Russians love rockets and usually pack at least a pair of launchers onto their gunships. But who cares?

Helicopter weapons 1

Helicopter weapons 4

Helicopter weapons 5

You may also notice the exquisite detail of the landing gear.

Helicopter weapons 6

And here's the chin turret. The helicopter packs a quad of cannon, probably 20-30mm with dual-purpose ammunition.

Helicopter chin turret

The ugly wart above the cannon is supposed to be all the thingymagiggie that aims the turret and such.

Helicopter nose 1

Finally, a long distance shot.

Helicopter far view 1

I think this concludes the gallery. If you want more images, please feel free to use electronic mail to contact me.

Cheers.